In the summer of 1990, Todd Collier, a Princeton Seminary graduate who was interning at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church in Houston, went to Antigua, Guatemala to learn Spanish. After his internship, he returned the following summer and learned of the Hospital Obras Sociales Hermano Pedro clinic and orphanage for adults and children. Todd spent his mornings there with the children, and it was there he met Friar Guillermo Bonilla. Friar Bonilla had reopened the hospital for the poor, which had been originally established in 1666 by another Franciscan named Hermano Pedro (whom Pope John Paul II proclaimed a Catholic Saint in 2003). Building on the tradition of Saint Pedro, Friar Guillermo Bonilla provided care for orphans, children suffering from malnutrition, children and adults with physical and mental disabilities, and the elderly poor who had no families to care for them. Todd was impacted by both the tremendous needs of the poor in this beautiful city and by the courage and conviction of Friar Guillermo to meet those needs. Padre Giuseppe Contran (Padre José) is now in charge of the Obras and is expanding upon the fine works of Friar Bonilla.

Before Todd’s return to the United States in 1991, he obtained permission from the padre to return with doctors. He then shared his concern for the poor in Guatemala and his hope to create an opportunity for Christian outreach with Joe and Vera Wiatt, fellow members of his church. In the spring of 1993, the first Faith In Practice team of twelve volunteers traveled to Antigua, and in 1994 Faith In Practice obtained its federal 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation status.

Faith In Practice has continued to grow each year. In 2007 Faith In Practice sent a combined total of 28 Surgical and Village teams staffed with 786 volunteers. These mission teams performed 1020 surgeries, treated more than 11,000 patients in rural and inner city clinics, and served over 2,312 dental patients. In 2008 there will be 18 Surgical Teams, 9 Village Teams, and 1 Maintenece Team that cleans and maintains Casa de Fe.

Each team travels to Antigua for one week and is comprised of approximately 75% medical and dental professionals and approximately 25% support staff: translators, computer operators, cooks, and spiritual leaders. Volunteers from all over the United States join one of our mission teams because of their personal desire to help those who cannot help themselves. Because Faith In Practice provides all the pharmaceutical, surgical, and medical supplies that are used on each mission trip, additional funds are needed to fulfill the mission. All volunteers pay their own trip costs so all the money Faith In Practice raises goes toward medical supplies, medicines, equipment, and administrative costs.