group blog

The following was done by the medicos between patients.

God continues to work in many ways in the hearts of people here in Tacna. We are continually amazed by small blessings. We share serious moments with women with stories of abuse and try to find ways to get them connected to the church community. Every day we see children in the streets playing or coming to the clinic without their parents. At first it was difficult to see the children and give them medicine without their parents. But the parents are usually at work and the children come because they are sick or maybe they just need the love and attention of someone who cares. We provided medicine…but more importantly we tried to provide a toy, a person to color with, or a smile and a hug. We enjoy blessings of children’s smiles and the grateful expressions of mothers who have received a hug or medicine for a sick baby. The local church team was available to pray in SPANISH, provide
Bibles, and Bible verses in the bag with their medicines.

We have completely enjoyed fellowship with our Chilean and Peruvian team members….we have laughed and cried together. I was told one night …that my face”looked like it was ready for bed.” I am not sure if that translated exactly right. We learned that roommate really translates to “room neighbor.” And whatever you do, don’t try to walk out of a shop with a soda in a glass bottle. (ask Bill Cassio)
We have to admit it hasn’t all been work. On our day off we went to Arica, Chile and we were able to take some of the Peruvian helpers with us. Some of the moms never had the opportunity to have a “vacation” from their daily chores with their children. They told us that their “hearts were happy.” After the maze of going through customs getting on and off the bus and having grumpy customs officials stare at us. (why did we do that again???) We had a very relaxing day at the beach, walking around the city, eating and shopping. We came back to Tacna with a few sunburns and jellyfish stings and lots of sand in our hair and wet clothes.

What you can’t know from the pictures on this blog or the stories we tell is the relationships and bonds that have formed between Chili, Peru, and Rainier View Christian Church. Our hearts are happy too

Just another Miracle in Tacna

Last year, our team had the pleasure of working with Dr Ebel Saavedra. As we were preparing this year, Dr Ebel was in a remote part of the Jungle working as a one women clinic and was not going to be able to join us. Just prior to our arrival, Dr Ebel was able to get some time off un expectantly. She decided to come and work with us and took a two hour horseback ride, a ferry across a large river, a car, a plane and then a 24 hour bus ride from Lima to Tacna; all in all, she travelled 48 hours "on a whim". We were thrilled when she showed up and the clinic was immediately blessed with her talent and local contacts for follow up patient care.

Then just as un expectantly, within two hours of the clinic opening, a women showed up for treatment and Dr Ebel began to sign out with joy. The woman was her maternal grandmother, whom she has not seen in 25 years! The last Dr Ebel knew, her grandmother was in Lima but it turns out she was in Tacna and just happened in to get some medical attention.

God is good!


And still more to follow...

Mat 5:14 "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
Mat 5:15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
Mat 5:16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Hola from Tacna Peru!
Tacna is a city of approx. 300000, I say approximate because the population fluctuates so greatly from the migrants coming into the camps out of the jungles and other impoverished regions. It’s one of those migrant camps that we have spent our first few days here in Tacna serving. As bad as the conditions are in the migrant camps, they are much worse in the jungles of Peru. The Peruvians come here to Tacna to find a better life and the government allows them to “squat” on small pieces of land in the camp to live. It’s on two of those pieces of land that we are building the casitas (little houses) for some families that are trying to make a better life for their children. One family is a husband and wife who have 6 kids and they will be living in a 10 foot by 20 foot house. The other casita is for a young single mom, Luz and her daughter Barbara.

To say the living conditions in the camp are bad is such a ridiculous understatement. I have no idea how people can survive here. I have tried to include a couple of pictures of the camps and one of the Church. The view of the church from the camp is such an incredible likeness to Matthew 5 that I had to include the passage. From all around the valley in the camp, the city on a hill can be seen. The stark contrast from it’s surroundings, life in a inhospitable and seemingly lifeless place.

In two and a half days, the medical clinic has served 210 people, many are children who are coming without parents. The times are so hard that typically both parents leave the camp to find work and the children are left on their own. They gravitate to the church because of the playground and a feeding program that the church provides for them.

The conditions that the medical team are treating are as wide a range as the individuality of the people they are seeing. Some are coming to the clinic with injuries that have occurred some days in the past but have been waiting for the clinic to get here so they can get treated. One such man had a serious contusion on his head from being hit with a 2x4. He has been walking around with a piece of cloth on his head for three days. Of course there is probably a great story to go along with the injury but the Docs don’t ask… another favorite of the team was the two small boys who were complaining that their heads ached. When asked for more details, the oldest boy told the triage team that this happens only when his sister sings…

More to follow.

Just a quick pic from the Lima jaunt.

Planes, Trains and automobiles

Good morning from Tacna! Travel update and praise for answered prayers; 1) Four flights and only one delay (30 mins in Lima)2) 10 Gringo’s and no bag checks! Customs in Lima is a very interesting affair! It seems that the officials in Peru are into “random chance”. To clear customs, you walk through a series of gates. At the door at the end of a gate there is a button. When it is your turn, you push the button; above the button are a red light and a green light. If the light blinks green, you take your bags and walk past all the intimidating looking customs inspectors. If the light turns red, you guessed it; you are immediately contacted by two agents who walk you to an inspection area where you and your bags are searched. Now I have to say that I tried very hard to find a pattern to the red/green dilemma. After all, we were carrying four bags of medications that the officials may or may not confiscate. As I watched, trying not to look like I was watching, I tried counting the intervals of red lights… no pattern. I tried counting the red lights in both button stations, thinking that they alternate… no pattern. While I was trying to figure it all out, slowly but surely, we all passed with green lights, all 10 of us and we were through. Prayers answered. After 3 flights and not much sleep, the team met up with Ian, who was already in Peru. We had a 13 hour layover and decided a tour of Lima was better than staying in the airport. I must say that the team seemed genuinely excited at the prospect of seeing the city for eight hours, but by the end of six hours, most just wanted to crawl back into the air conditioned mini vans and sleep. About the only thing that kept us awake were the traffic and the drivers in Lima! Forget whatever you may think is the capitol of "bad drivers" because Lima has the title! Not many of us cared to sleep. We kept awake for no other reason that we were all sure any moment could be our last, so why waste it sleeping!

Finally, at the end of the 4th flight, the team was met in Tacna by Brian Ridnauer and Chad Courtney, two American missionaries with Ibero American. We drove to the church and Pastor Tito's house and were down for the count!

More to follow...

Mission Prep

My first actual "blog", wow.
2 days and counting...
All the flights are confirmed, 11 people are packing and re packing, trying to get their lives in order to go "into the field". The team in Peru is in place, the materials are purchased for the homes we hope to build, the community knows the doctors are coming, looks like we are going to Peru!

What to pray for;
Brian, who is the Tacna missionary and are primary working contact just tore a ligament in his knee and has it iced and has orders to stay off it. So we may have lost our primary local contact.

The meds have all been purchased and packed and documented in a letter for customs (if they should ask). All the teams who have gone before us say it is much better for us if "they don't ask" so pray that, you guessed it, they don't ask.

The team will be flying to Dallas, then to Miami, then to Lima, then to Tacna, arriving 40 hours after we leave (Lord willing). Pray for all the connections, planes, baggage handlers, and most of all our team.

And finally and most importantly, please pray that the work we will be doing will be blessed and that it will help the local church spread the good news of Christ to the people of Tacna and the whole southern region of Peru.

Blessings,
Bill