In 2000 FPC Tupelo hosted Tapestry for our presbytery.  At that meeting, Reverend Will Howie of Oxford headed a section on world hunger. We learned that many in this world did not have access to clean drinking water and suffer from water-borne diseases; the children have nutritional deficiencies.   A group of Presbyterians were installing water purification systems in areas where clean water was needed.

Around 2002, a training session was offered at First Presbyterian Church Oxford to teach interested folks about the water purification system.  About fifteen people attended the class.  The system operated on cycles that would purify about 300 gallons of water per hour.

In March 2004 Clean Water U had it’s first classes.  As of May 2015, CWU has hosted 1900 students representing almost every state and several countries.  Graduates of Clean Water U have installed over 700 clean water systems in the U.S. and worldwide.

With Clean Water You up and running, in September, 2005, Barry and Holly Walker and George and Wanda Dent traveled to Coatepeque, Guatemala to visit the Jerusalem Presbyterian School with the intent of returning the following year to install a water system.

In November 2006 ten members from our church traveled to Guatemala and installed the system.  This installation was done, education accomplished and the system operational in three days.

While making the installation at the Jerusalem School in Coatepeque, the team was contacted by the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church of La Blanca and the Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church of Santa Fe.  Both churches requested that we come to their churches and survey the prospect of installing a water system. These churches were surveyed and we returned with a team of twelve in November 2007 and installed a water system in the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in La Blanca and another water system in the Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe.  We returned to our first installation for maintenance and review.

It became a scheduling issue to make the trip in November, so we next returned to Guatemala in January 2009 with a team of eleven and installed a water system for the Christ the King of Glory Presbyterian Church in Caballo Blanco and another system at Messiah Presbyterian Church in Flores Costa Cuca.  We reviewed our previous three systems.

Thirteen brave FPC Tupelo saints returned in 2010 and installed two additional water systems. One system was installed at the Jerusalem Presbyterian Church in Coatepeque and the other at the Horeb Presbyterian Church in Tecun Uman.  With each installation there are educational classes in health and hygiene. We reviewed our previous 5 systems.

In 2010 we also returned with a team of six in October and conducted an operators conference at the Jerusalem Church in Coatepeque. Attendance was excellent.  About 45 folks attended. It was our first operators conference.  In 2012 we conducted an operators conference at the Gethsemane Presbyterian Church in Las Palmas.

In 2012 we conducted an operators conference at the Gethsemane Presbyterian Church in Las Palmas.

In 2011 we returned with a team of 16.  The water team of nine reviewed and did maintenance on our existing 7 systems. No new systems were installed. 2011 was a turning point in our missions as we added a medical team providing general medical assistance an eye exams and glasses!  There were seven members on the medical team.  The medical team held clinics at Messiah Presbyterian Church in Flores Costa Cuca and the Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe. 

Nineteen team members returned in 2012.  We installed two new systems with our water team of 12—one at the Arc Presbyterian Church in Columbia and another at Gethsemane Presbyterian Church in Los Palmas.  We reviewed our previous 7 systems.  Our medical and optometric teams totaled 7 and again held clinics at Messiah Presbyterian Church in Flores Costa Cuca and the Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe.

In 2013 we returned with a team of 23.  Our water teams of 14 installed three water systems. One at the New Life Presbyterian Church in Santa Maria el Naranjo, another at the Presbyterian Temple at the Lilly of the Valley, and another at the Red Cross in Tecun Uman. We reviewed our previous 9 systems. We learned on review that the water system at El Arka, installed the previous year was a five star system.  They were doing all the maintenance, keeping maintenance records, production records.  El Arca had purchased a motorcycle to deliver water.  The operator had a cell phone to take orders.  They had customer lists and financial data.  They presented us with a written report and photographs of their system.  They volunteered to host an operators conference the next year.  Our medical and optometric teams totaled 9 and held clinics at Messiah Presbyterian Church in Flores Costa Cuca, Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe and at the Presbyterian Temple at the Lilly of the Valley.  The water system at the Red Cross Delegation in Tecun Uman was dedicated to Hank Boerner.  The water system at Lily of the Valley was donated by Dan Brasfield and dedicated to the honor of Bill Dickson and Bob Munson.

We returned in 2014 with a team of 25, our largest group.  Three more systems were born of this mission trip. One at the Official Rural School in el Xab, another at the school in Official Rural School in San Miguelito, and a third at the office of the Presbytery in Chimaltenango. We held an operators conference at The Ark Presbyterian Church in Colomba.  They had prepared a video of the operation and maintenance of the system and how they were doing things.  The conference was well attended and much appreciated by all. We reviewed our existing 12 systems and learned that the system at New Life was potentially another five star system!  They are at the same level as El Arca and New Life is the cleanest of all our partners!  Our medical team totaled 9 and held clinics at Messiah Presbyterian Church in Flores Costa Cuca, Good Samaritan Presbyterian Church in Santa Fe, Presbyterian Temple at the Lilly of the Valley and The Ark Presbyterian Church in Colomba.