My Nonprofit Reviews

My name is Philip Tan. I travelled to Rama Cay in Nicaragua with FIA in November 2019 to help with a water treatment project, and have stayed involved ever since! There are many things that have stood out to me over the last several years that I appreciate about FIA:

1. Long-term thinking: It is clear that FIA wasn't in Nicaragua (or anywhere else) for quick and easy solutions that merely look good in photos or donor reports. They had invested in this community for over a decade, slowly building relationships, training local leaders, and responding appropriately to feedback.

2. Responsible theology: Rather than just giving a presentation about Jesus and trying to achieve as many "converts" as possible as fast as possible, FIA takes the time to teach the community the whole scope of redemptive history by going chronologically through the Bible, and making sure that common doctrinal errors are explained and refuted along the way. Instead of pressuring people to be baptized right away, they help the local pastors ensure that new believers really understand the gospel first.

3. Cultural carefulness: I appreciated that Tim Johnston, the missionary I went with, had spent many years getting to know the community, speaking with them in a language they understood, understanding their cultural context, listening to the concerns of local people, and empowering indigenous leaders to carry the project forward.

4. Holistic service: Lots of ministries focus only on spiritual needs or only on physical needs while ignoring the other. I love that FIA keeps the souls of men and women as its foremost concern, but also recognizes that meeting infrastructure needs is often crucial to advancing our spiritual witness.

Philip Tan
Associate Professor of Engineering
Messiah University