MISSION TRIP … Group photo taken at Newfound Gap in the Great Smoky Mountains. (Front left to right): Brooke Vanderveer, Jada Reinking, Addisyn Bentley, Quinn Mitchell, Jillian Figgins, Bailee Smith, Noah Bingman. (Back left to right): Elijah Lerma, Karrsen Schaffner, Travis Wagner, Leader Wendy Kessler, Jose Aguilar, Leader Jason Ohlemacher, Bryce Conklin, Adley McNeal, Leader Aaron Hylander. (PHOTO PROVIDED)
(Story originally appeared September 19th, 2018)
By: Rebecca Miller
In June of 2018, Aaron Hylander took his last mission trip as the Youth Leader of Fayette United Methodist youth group, or FUMY (Fayette United Methodist Youth) as they are known. He hopes and plans to go on future trips as the mission trips were one of his favorite things about leading the youth, but as he has stepped down from that position, he will not be the one responsible for all of the details.
Hylander grew up in Fayette United Methodist Church and spent three years as a youth volunteer before spending three years as the actual leader of the youth group. “Our pastor at the time, Kathy Courier, encouraged me to step into the position, saying that she knew I was up to it,” Aaron explained. “The couple before me were amazing! As a young person, it was fun and enjoyable and I endeavored to follow in their footsteps.”
Mr. Hylander teaches Social Studies at Fayette High School, having subbed for three years there and spent three years in the Title/Intervention program. He is now in his second year as the SS Teacher and loves it.
With all that he does at the school and in other areas of his life, he felt it was necessary to let someone else take the reigns at FUMY. This time there will be a team of leaders, with Dave and Heather Fetterman and Pastor Jeff and Suzanne Bandy working alongside Jason and Ariel Ohlemacher. Robyn Bingman and Wendy Kessler will be lending assistance throughout the year, also.
For the past four summers, Hylander has led the youth mission trips with every other one being to Marysville, Ohio and Gatlinberg, Tennessee. In Marysville, the students plug in with Transformation Zone, or T-Zone as it is called, in week long organized work projects including roofing, going to nursing homes and helping at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store. In the mornings they have devotions and in the evenings there is a worship and devotional time, as well.
In Gatlinberg, they participate with Team Effort Missions, doing much of the same kinds of things, but they are all together as a whole group for the work projects, lending itself to a great opportunity to really get to know each other.
This year in Gatlinberg, the 13 youth and three adults helped one family by working on their roof, replacing gutters, finishing their shed and doing some inside improvements as well. Hylander shared that working with one family allows the team and the family to get better acquainted and he really enjoyed that. While there, the team stayed at a Christian Boarding School, King’s Academy in Seymour, Tennessee, which included a cafe, a great view and a delightful set up.
“I tried to explain to the first timers that these were excellent conditions for a mission trip,” Hylander said. “I don’t want them to think that for the rest of their lives, every mission opportunity they have will have actual mattresses and nice bathrooms.”
Students Addisyn Bentley and Jillian Figgins shared that it was a fun experience and they particularly enjoyed that they got a day and a half off to enjoy Gatlinberg, with shopping and sight seeing. “It was fun and worth the experience,” Jillian added.
Just about everyday after the work was done they got some down time at a swimming hole in the river that had rope swings! There was a 20 foot drop into the river which afforded some great screams and laughter.
The mission trips were paid for by some Fundraising as well as sponsorships which were gathered by writing sponsor letters. It was a relatively inexpensive trip at only $600 per student, this year. They were all thankful for the blessing of their sponsors and wrote Thank-you notes at the end of their experience.
Hylander is grateful that Pastor Courier got him interested in missions and that he had the opportunity to go to Guatemala on his first mission trip after High School graduation, and also to Mexico before becoming the youth leader. They were all great experiences and he says he has truly “been bitten by the missions bug.”
During the past few years he also participated in a local Fayette mission which they called Fayette Youth Invasion. They held it for four consecutive Augusts and did some home projects right in Fayette over a three day period. “We fashioned it after T-Zone with fun breaks, spiritual input and work time,” Hylander said. “It was nicely successful and I wish we could have continued, but it required a lot of work and we ran out of adult help.”
Hylander wants all the youth of Fayette who are not already plugged in with a local youth group to know they are welcome to attend FUMY on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of every month from 6:30-8 pm at the Family Life Center across the street from UM church, with Food, Games and a Message.
Rebecca can be reached at publisher@thevillagereporter.com
