Middle Octorara Presbyterian Church (MOPC), 1199 Valley Road, Quarryville, will host its annual yard sale fundraiser on Saturday, April 22, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The rain-or-shine event will include multiple vendors, and food and beverages will be available to be purchased.

The vendors will be members of MOPC and the community. Each vendor will offer a variety of items, such as tools, small furniture, children's toys and household goods. There will be a set cost for attendance, as well as a fee for vendors to secure a spot for the sale. Members of the church will also sell breakfast sandwiches and soup throughout the day. Although the indoor space has already been filled, the church will accept vendors until the day of the event to set up outside. For more information, contact Daniel Henry at 717-381-9947.

The spring yard sale is a tradition at MOPC that has been continued for over 25 years and serves as a fundraiser for the church's mission work. The proceeds from this year's sale will support the church's efforts in the village of Tamshiyacu in Peru, where MOPC's sister church is located. MOPC began a partnership with the village in 2007, constructing the church in 2008 and regularly making service trips to complete projects for the locals.

Many of the projects involve repairing buildings and maintaining the church, but the members of the church have increased their efforts to provide medical supplies to the village since the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the pandemic made it difficult for MOPC members to continue their regular visits, the church has raised money to help the staff at the nearest hospital, which is located in the nearby city of Iquitos, to acquire things like wheelchairs and respirators.

Over the last six months, the church has focused on supporting the hospital's infant care and birthing unit by supplying diapers and clothes for newborns. Members of MOPC remain in contact with the head nurse of the hospital, who shares information on what the facility is most in need of. Due to the expenses involved with shipping items to Peru, MOPC directly supplies the hospital with money, which it can use to acquire materials. Twice a year, the head nurse administers anti-parasite medication to the residents of Tamshiyacu.

"Supporting the church and the hospital is our biggest focus right now," Daniel said. "We want to make people's lives better and share in the Gospel of Christ, which we try to accomplish through all of these projects."

Although the church has been unable to make any service trips to Tamshiyacu since the pandemic, Daniel's brother Dave Henry traveled to the village in January to begin laying the groundwork for future trips. Dave hopes to lead a group of volunteers on a service trip to Tamshiyacu in September.