Animals

Having big hearts for animals we have adopted a few friends over the course of the past year. Some friends found us first, and others drew us in. First came a pair of lovebirds, next a lovebird that was all by himself that Lora could not stand to see be left all alone. Then came the gecko that we see from time to time on our walls looking for bugs. The last but most endearing was our Peruvian street dog, with the somewhat misleading name, Tripod. He appeared sometime after we came back from our Christmas break. He had been run over by our neighbor and was well on his way to death when we found him. Lora made some strong appeals for his life and Eric finally broke down and bought a small bag of food. We nursed him back to health and he became a very loyal, yet very smelly, companion. He loved to follow us from place to place and defended us (okay, just Lora) from other dogs. Over the course of a couple of months our commitment to him grew. We would bring him left over meat from our meals, bought medicine for his fleas, and even bathed him. He was an old dog when he found us and we saw him almost die a handful of times while we knew him. We knew that no one would care for him like we would in our absence and we had prayed several times that he would die peacefully before we had to go home. Well, sadly, last month our prayers were answered.

We have been reminded once again (even through simple means of caring for a dog) that as you serve someone (or something), your love for that thing grows and grows. I can't say that we had some strong love for Peru before we came down, nor for the people we work with, but now after serving Peruvians, Peru Mission, and the Church in Peru, we see that the Lord has grown in us a genuine love for the people and institutions with which we work.

Wichanzao Library Inauguration

At the end of May, our church celebrated it's 19th anniversary and inaugurated the first library in the Wichanzao community where Lora works and we attend church. It was an exciting day. As the only library in the community, we are excited to see it still growing a couple of months later. We now have a variety of books, magazines, and newspapers for children, adults, and teens to enjoy. We are currently volunteering in the library once a week on Tuesdays, which happens to be the evening of the church's womens' gathering - which means the library is full of children. We've had a great time getting to know the kids of the church, whether it be thru helping them with books, school projects on the internet, or even taking turns making pictures with the "Paint" application on the PC. (Who knew it could be so much fun?) We've truly enjoyed serving the church and community in this way and are excited to see such a wonderful development for the Wichanzao neighborhood.

To see pictures, click here.

A Visit from Home

In late May we were so happy to meet Lora’s sister and father in Lima for a week’s visit. We had a number of adventures. It is so refreshing to us when family or friends come to visit. There is such value in being able to share our life and work here with those we love! 

We had a wonderful couple of days in Lima before heading back to Trujillo. (We are getting pretty good at giving the Lima tour! :) ) Lora’s dad got to pick up some fascinating colonial antiques.

Back in Trujillo, we headed on a couple of day trips. We spent a day in the small mountain town of Otuzco and made friends with some wonderful local folks. Lora’s dad wanted to take home some relics of everyday life in Peru, so we came across some interesting characters, offered them money for some items in the back of a closet that they would be happy to part with, and walked away with some fun and interesting used blankets, panchos, hats, and the like. What fun spending the day in the homes of such friendly Peruvians!

We loved the visit! 

To see more pictures, click here.

Lending to the Poor

We are so happy to be working alongside a micro-finance ministry that provides small loans to groups of women. These are women that could not get loans from a traditional bank, use the money to better their at-home business (such as selling fruit and goods), and then encourage and hold each other accountable to paying back their loans. The women are also counseled, offered medical care, and bond themselves to one another. It’s a beautiful thing!

To see some pictures, click here. Or visit Sinergia's website here.

Our Church's Anniversary

In May, we celebrated our Wichanzao church's 19th anniversary. We celebrated throughout the day with all sorts of activities. We started off the day early with free medical care and educated the women on things women need to be educated about. :) We heard a beautiful concert by one of our short-term teams, and had a "Feria Gastronómica" or in other words, lots of really tasty foods. Boy are we going to miss the food here!!! We ended the day with a dedication of a new library which stands as the only library in the community. No one could avoid the excitement!

It was a wonderful day spent with our friends and church body in Wichanzao. To many more years!!!

A Trip to the Ancient Past

In April, we went on an interesting and educational trip with many of the families from the Mission. The orphanage bus took us to Magdalena de Cao, a small town about an hour outside of Trujillo. On the outskirts of the town are a number of ancient 'huacas' or temples, one of which dates back to 2500B.C. We toured the Huaca Cao Viejo, which was used between the first and seventh centuries A.D. and has had some incredible recent archeological finds. The mummy of a priestess who died around 300A.D. was just discovered in 2006. An fascinating museum was just built and opened this year to display her and many other interesting artifacts.

After touring the huaca and museum we headed to a home to eat lunch together. A wonderful couple from the local church cooked a tasty meal for us, and we had a wonderful time spending the day with each other. The family made a fire with eucalyptus branches to keep away the mosquitos as we meandered through their yard which was filled with fruit trees and flowers. The kitchen area, separate from the house, had walls blackened with smoke from years of cooking. It was a wonderful taste of small town life.

We've found that Peruvians have an incredible ability to so gracefully host large groups of people - no matter their resources or size of their home - they're always so happy to share whatever they have and more. We as a couple have so much to learn from them. We thanked the family for being so generous with us and loaded the bus for the ride home. 

For more pictures, click here.

The More the Merrier

In March, we were treated with a "planned at the last-minute" trip by some of our parents. When we found a price on plane tickets that we couldn't pass up, Eric's mom and Dad, and Lora's mom and step-dad packed their bags. We had a blast. For 10 days, we laughed a lot, ate a lot, walked a lot, and enjoyed Peru. It's so fun for us to have visitors, because we feel like we get to experience Peru for the first time all over again. We get to step back and remind ourselves of the wonder and excitement that Peru offers in its rich history, culture, cuisine, and landscapes. Plus, being able to share our home, jobs, and experiences with our family is something we've looked forward to since soon after our arrival.

We started in Lima and played in the big city for a few days. We toured the catacombs in the old San Franciscan cathedral, enjoyed the beach and it's towering cliffs, introduced them to the famed 'ceviche', visited the artisan market, and ate at some incredible restaurants. Having a wonderful time celebrating Lora's mom's birthday was an added bonus. It was as much of a special vacation for us as it was for them! 

After a few days, we left the comforts of the big city, and brought them home to Trujillo. We actually spent lots of time at home, enjoying each other, cooking together, playing cards, and relaxing as a family. One night, couple's dancing even broke out in the living room... We had gorgeous weather and still can't believe how well our parents get along. We think they may even have more fun together without us!!! We toured the local 'huaca' or ancient temple, showed them the city, spent a day sleeping on the beach, and showed them our communities, where we work, etc. They were some very special days for us all. Even after 10 days crammed into our little apartment, we were very sad to see them go!

For more pictures, click here.

Adding to Life in a Shanty Town

Earlier this year, an accounting group from NC State came down to participate in a service project. Our mission decided to invite them to Clementina, the shanty town behind our clinic where we have begun a local ministry, to plant trees for families. 

As Clementina is "puro arena", or completely sand, the yellow of thatch, the brown of adobe, and the tan of the sand can seem quite lifeless. Thanks to the funds of the accounting students, we were able to purchase hundreds of small, young trees. When the local government heard what we were planning to do, they decided to nearly match our donation of trees to give. Thanks to the efforts of both, we were able to give a tree to nearly every residence in the area. As members of these shanty communities cherish every little thing that they have, we are sure they will take great care and pride in their new trees. It was fun to see how excited the members of the community were as they immediately went to work beautifying the front areas of their homes. 

We are anxious to watch these trees grow and mature and help to bring color and life into the community. Our prayer is the same for our ministry there!

For more pictures, click here.

Our Biggest Medical Campaign

Peru Mission believes that as the Gospel goes forth redemption and healing are found in its wake. We see this renewal in a physical way when medical teams come to treat the sick and hurting in our comm

unities in the name of Christ.

After realizing a successful campaign in 2008, Independent Presbyterian Church in Memphis, Tennessee, rallied another fantastic team of medical professionals and lay persons to come and hold a week-long campaign to serve the physical needs of our communities.

Among the visiting team members this year were five doctors, two dentists, four nurses and several other dedicated volunteers. Thanks to months of planning and the expertise of many, we were able to treat hundreds of patients in each of our three churches in Trujillo as well as out in surrounding, impoverished communities.

We worked with IPC's medical team from the early morning to the late afternoon each day, and the patients ranged from the very elderly to the youngest of children. We were able to offer consults with a physician, on-site dental treatmen

t, nutritional education, pastoral counseling, simple laboratory tests, vaccinations for children and even minor surgeries.

 

Many specific needs and challenges were tended to during the week as doctors used their different specialties to offer hope to their patients. Dr. Mel Payne, a general surgeon, was able to perform several small surgeries in a makeshift operating room in our Wichanzao Church. Radiologist Dr. Mark Weatherly, Dr. Tim Folse and Nurse Practitioner JP Odell were able to help a young woman with Lupus, desperate for treatment, by joining forces and expertise. Tears were shed as these special patients left the rooms, walking away with heartfelt thanks and renewed spirits.

 Thanks to the large donation of medications by IPC, we were able to give away hundreds of 

dollars worth of medication to the sick and hurting at no cost, many of them high quality drugs not typically available or affordable for most Peruvians. The team also brought down hundreds of reading glasses which were handed out to those in need and more had to be purchased during the week due to the high necessity.

The work done by teams such as these is a tremendous blessing to the communities that surround our churches. The impact is significant as it helps to create a larger awareness of the spiritual and medical resources available to the neighborhood as well as a better integrated community. We are always honored to be able to share a Gospel that offers compassion, redemption, healing and hope, and we thank the IPC medical team for partnering in it with us.

To see pictures from the medical campaign, click here.

First Peruvian Mission Conference

The Larco church is one of our Mission's three churches in the Trujillo area. It is the largest and most developed of our churches.

"All Christians are missionaries" was the message of the first ever missions conference at the Larco Church. "As the Father has sent me," said the Lord, "so I send you" (John 20.21). All are not sent as apostles, or even as ministers, but all are called to bear witness to Christ and what He has done for us. In this sense all Christians are missionaries giving testimony to the Gospel in a broken world.

Most Peruvians use the word "missionary" to refer to foreigners who work in Peru. Larco Pastor, Jaime Avellaneda, wished to emphasize the importance of Peruvians becoming an active part of God's mission. The Lord used two Peruvian missionaries, Trinidad de los Ángeles from the mountains and Dario Meza from the jungle, to deliver precisely that message.

Pastor Trinidad works among Quechua speakers in the region of Lambayeque, which is the second largest unreached group in Peru. In the jungle, Pastor Dario trains lay preachers among several indigenous tribes. Both men shared amazing missions stories and challenged the Larco youth to come work with them.

A key point of their message was that God calls three types of people to be involved in His mission: goers, mobilizers, and senders. Goers are the ones most commonly understood as missionaries: the ones who proclaim the Gospel across cultural and linguistic boundaries. Mobilizers awaken other Christians to active concern for the lost by investigating new areas, raising awareness of pressing needs, networking among churches, and casting a vision to mobilize goers. Senders are those who support missions through prayer, financial gifts, and encouragement. The central message of the conference was that all Christians should faithfully pray and give to missions, all should be witnesses where God has placed them, and all should also consider whether the Lord is calling them to prepare for ministry in new and unfamiliar places.

For the new believers in Larco this was a revolutionary message. They have watched their church grow in number, and have seen new believers and the church as a whole grow in maturity.  Now the Lord is challenging them to embrace the Great Commission in an intentional way in their own lives. Please pray that the Larco congregation would respond to these new challenges and become fruitful witnesses for Christ in Trujillo, throughout Peru, and to the ends of the earth. 

Helping to Create Order

We have been so excited to see great progress in some attempted projects over the last few months. After working in the clinic for almost a year, Lora took on the project of managing the clinic’s finances. Without having had a “clinic manager” in sometime, the everyday tracking of income and expenses had been a bit neglected. At the end of each month, our records were quickly being compiled and our numbers weren’t balancing with our actual cash in hand. As the extent of the problem came to our attention more and more, Lora grabbed a calculator and took it on. 

Over the last couple of months she has focused on creating and implementing systems to better control the clinic’s spending and bookkeeping. By encouraging the clinic staff, daily tracking of every cent coming in an going out, daily investigating any holes in the finances, and by the Grace of God, the clinic’s books finally balanced for the first time in over a year and we celebrated. As she has virtually no experience in accounting it has been a great adventure. 

Please pray with us that the clinic’s books continue to balance, that the clinic staff becomes more and more receptive and cooperative with the new process, and that we continue to make progress towards our goal of creating a monthly and yearly budget.

Inka Wasi - a trip into the mountains

Last October Eric and I had the great privilege of traveling to Inka Wasi, a peruvian pueblo sitting at 13,000 feet in the Andes. Inhabiting one of the two largest unreached people groups in Peru, we traveled north with 5 others to investigate. We had heard that there were 22,000 people in the Quechuas of Lambayeque with only portions of scripture and one evangelical church.

We arrived in Inka Wasi at 10:00am to a welcoming committee of 

very drunk men, settled in ourhumble sleeping quarters, and set off to find Trinidad Ángeles, a local Peruvian missionary we had heard of. We found him in the church outside of town and followed him to his house where we learned much about the Quechua people. He told his story, how he had left the coast 25 years ago to take the Gospel into the mountains (which Peruvians believe as backwards-living), and we saw a glimpse of how much he -even as a Peruvian- had sacrificed to be living among these people. He also shared with us the New Testament that Wycliffe missionaries had been working to translate into Quechua for 15 years. The Quechuas of Lambayeque received scripture in their own language just 3 years ago! He shared with us the struggles of working with the Church in the rural mountains: confronting rampant (100%) polygamy, incest, transforming animistic thought, alcoholism, strong belief in witchcraft, lack of resources (both material and human), having to walk sometimes 10 hours to reach the next pueblo to meet with a group of 2 or 3 believers or pray for someone’s dying animal or crop. He may have been the most humble, gentle, joyful, and godly man we’ve ever met. He was an absolute joy to sit and talk with. We easily compared him to a modern day Paul.

It was so exciting to hear what an impact Scripture is having on the small community of believers as they now are beginning to really understand its words and truths. Thanks  to the work of the Holy Spirit, the Wycliffe translators, and Trinidad, the church is growing throughout the rural, unreached mountains of Peru. Where a short time ago there was only one church to speak of, there are now four throughout the Quechuas of Lambayeque!

It was also wonderful meeting and spending time with some of the local men, women, and children. Rosa and her three beautiful children spent the day playing and dressing us up in their local clothes, and I later made a friend Lindaura, who taught me some beginner’s Quechua, taught me how to tie my ‘chullo’, so that I would fit in with the other women. They were a precious and colorful people. 

Please pray for Trinidad Ángeles and the church in Inka Wasi - that the church would grow and be strengthened, that missionaries would be called to the area to share in the labor, that Trinidad would be encouraged and protected, and that the Gospel truth would be heard throughout the land.

For more pictures, click here.

Home for the Holidays

We were so happy to be able to return home for the holidays and see some of our family and friends and be back with our church over the course of a few weeks. It was such a rich time. Thanks to some donations we were able to pack up over-the-counter medications, multi-vitamins, and other items to bring back for our clinic, and Dr. David Hall graciously donated a wall-mount otoscope for our clinic’s use. We were elated! Although leaving again was bittersweet, we are happy to be back at ‘home’ and back to work. It was a great time to step away and reflect on how much we enjoy living and serving in Peru during this season of our lives!