MICAH's profileMy View, From PeruPhotosBlogListsMore  |  Tools Help |
|
8/2/2008 The Past Two WeeksThe past two weeks have been busy. Two weeks ago we hosted a team from Florida consisting of doctors, nurses, a hairstylist, and several volunteers. They all had a single purpose- to serve God by serving others by ministering to their medical and spiritual needs.
We held medical clinics in 3 different churches in 3 different locations around Arequipa over the course of 5 days. It was a great experience, awesome to see this group come down with suitcases full of medicine and give it away to any and all who needed it.
We saw a lot of patients with basic aches and pains- many of them elderly folks who couldn't understand why their knees, backs, and joints of all kinds were hurting. Of course, they didn't consider that it could be due to the fact that they had been working in the fields, or some other form of manual labor, since they were 12 years old. . . .
There were a few interesting cases, though, like the woman that fell, dislocated her shoulder and fractured her arm. . .OVER A YEAR AGO AND HAD NEVER SEEN A DOCTOR!!
After being tended to by the doctors in the clinic the patients rec'd free counseling with the offer to renew or initiate a relationship with Christ. Many accepted, so let's pray that they follow through and receiving the discipleship they need to do so.
For those that wanted to, free haircuts were available prior to seeing the doctors. I took advantage, as did Cohen- though he didn't like it any more than he ever does. If he's in the room with me and I start to trim my sideburns he runs as soon as he hears the sound of the clippers!!
Aside from the amazingly kind and charitable aid these doctors gave to so many people this week the folks on this team gave so much to all of us, as well. We are eternally grateful.
As soon as they left we welcomed a team from the church in Oklahoma that is sponsoring the youth camp being built in Boca del Rio- a little town just outside of Tacna in southern Peru.
While the adults headed straight for the camp to get a little work done the youth and their three sponsors stayed in Arequipa with Kayla and I. We led them around a few parts of the city to do street ministry, play soccer with the local kids, and just hang out with the people. We also held services 3 nights in a row at a church in Hunter, a suburb of Arequipa.
This past Wednesday we (the youth team and my family) headed to Tacna to spend a few days at the camp and let the kids get to see what it is they have to look forward to. The camp isn't done yet, but it's coming along. Of course, it's the middle of winter here so there wasn't a lot of beach-front activities, but we had fun just the same and the kids were excited to experience a different part of the world, the lives and lifestyle of the people, and discovering new ways they can help others. The impact on the kids lives (American's and Peruvian's alike) will surely last.
So, that's what's kept us busy the last few weeks. Aside from that there's not much else to report. The boys are doing well in Colorado, getting ready to start school in a few weeks. That will be a tough transition as they have been in an American school in several years, but I don't imagine it will be harder than starting school in a foreign country and foreign language. They are excited to get back to school, though, which should make their transition easier.
That's it for now. Come Monday it's back to regular life in Arequipa- for a while, anyway.
|
|
|
