Monday, our last day

What a blessed day this has been. The folks at Fellowship had an idea to buy food and take to some needy families. We divided into 3 teams and headed to the central market with a list of food to buy. We bought canned milk, sugar, oatmeal and oil. Rice and noodles had already been bought in bulk. Their diet here is high in starch. Groceries for one month was purchased for 20 families for $1,000.00. The market was quite an interesting experience. Small booths are set up in a large building selling everything from baskets, foods, spices, fresh meat, fresh veggies, and coca leaves. Several booths were serving meals, mostly soups and such. After we finished our purchases (which did not include any coca leaves in case anyone is wondering), we came back to Villa Milagro and divided our goods into 20 piles. We loaded up a few at a time and headed out to give the goods away to families that Pastor Helmer from Monte Sion church had listed as very needy. The first "home" we visited was a plastic 'tent' pitched next to a wall of another building. The lady who lived here supports herself and her daughter by walking the streets and picking up plastic bottles and selling them. When we arrived with the food, she raised her hands and closed her eyes and said over and over, "Thank you God, Thank you God." We all had tears in our eyes (flood waters would a better description for some) when we saw what this gift meant to this woman. The rest of the day was more give aways. It has been a great trip. A couple of last prayer requests. Two men who work for Villa Milagro are Jamie and Orlondo. Their father suffered an anuerysm yesterday and passed away. Please remember their families during this time of grief. And, please keep us in your prayers as we travel home. We leave Cajamarca for an early flight back to Lima in the morning and then will fly out of Lima about midnight Tuesday night. Thanks for keeping up with us on this journey and thanks for your prayers. I posted just a few more pictures at photobucket.

Sunday night

What a great day we have had! We headed to La Ramada (shelter in Spanish) this morning and after a harrowing ride up the mountain, we arrived about 10 AM. It was not that far in distance, however, as those of you who have been here know, the roads are so bad, it takes forever to get very far when you leave Cajamarca. Thankfully, everyone survived the bus ride and was ready to start church. We had understood that we were going to help put a ceiling in the church building, but were surprised when we arrived to find there was not only no ceiling, there was no roof on the church. As it turned out, it is acceptable to put the cart before the horse here because they don't expect any rain for a while. But, before the work started on the ceiling, we attended church in the courtyard of the home next to the church. It was quite an experience. There were 25 Peruvians, including men, women, children and 6 guinea pigs. There were 19 of us greengoes. Thanks to the gold mind situated over the next mountain, this village has electricity. And, as luck would have it, this enabled one of the young Peruvian men to play a small keyboard. When I say play, I say that in the loosest of terms. He kept his left hand on the C chord for all 8 songs played, while his index finger on the right hand randomly went up and down the rest of the keyboard. We sang At The Cross and Are You Washed in the Blood...we are not sure what they were singing and were certain that was not what was being played by our accompaniest. (sp) Ethan brought his guitar and sang a song (he has a beautiful voice) and Joann played the flute while we sang Amazing Grace. It was pretty special service out in the bright sunshine high in the mountains. The pastor of the church in La Ramada preached about Jonah and Nineveh, with Doyne translating (loosely). After church and a picnic lunch, work was started on the ceiling. Unforturnately, we only had 2 ladders and so only 2-3 could hammer at one time. Several did crafts and played with the kids who gathered round. They loved stringing beads and coloring. We headed home around 4 PM and a few took off to the banos for a hot bath. Then, we had church here at Villa Milagro. David Blankenship played the guitar and led the singing, afterwhich, Doyne had a very good devotional about getting things done before it's too late. Then, we had a special meal of a whole roasted pig. It was delicious. Tonight was a special treat. Bro. Richard celebrated his 50th birthday this past week and Annie Blankenship turns 15 in a couple of days. Also, Selso, a Peruvian that works at VM and has helped with us this week, had a birthday yesterday. Each one had a chocolate birthday cake. After cake, we went outside where a couple of bonfires had been built and were surprised by a marachi band that played for over an hour in honor of the birthday people. I think it will be a birthday they will never forget. If I can, I will try to post of few pictures from today at photobucket.

Sunday morning

The group spent all day Saturday at the orphanage here in Cajamarca. We decided it's hard work playing with kids all day, but everyone had a great time. The orphanage is sponsored by the state, if you can say sponsored, because they do it very poorly. The buildings are all in need of paint and repair. The children are fed beans and rice most of the time. Villa Milagro provides their milk and 2 protein meals a week. There are about 70 kids ranging from babies to 17. At age 18, they are given a blanket and sent out on the street without any skills. Many of the girls are forced to go into prostitution. Villa Milagro has been providing scholarships through private donations to provide better futures for as many 18 year olds as possible. We headed out to the orphanage at 8:30 and were greeted by several little boys spinning tops (I'm not sure what they are called...little wooded spools they wrap a string around and throw on the ground). They were pretty good at it. Some of us started playing with the kids and taking their picture, while others painted the front gates. Many of the children were happy and smiling, while some were very solemn, and never smiled all day no matter what we did to entertain them. We played ball, blew bubbles, and made bead necklaces. One little boy had an old roller skake that he entertained himself with by pushing around like it was a little truck. One little girl had one small plastic dish that she washed with a tissue over and over with. At the end of the day, Fellowship Baptist provided a chicken supper and we sat with them and ate. You can't imagine how they gobbled the food down. The kids were pretty rowdy while playing outside, but inside, during meal time, they were very well behaved. Everyone was touched by the needs of these children. The state has offered the orphanage to Villa Milagro to run, but at a cost of $15,000 to 20,000 a month, it is going to take a lot of support from the states for this to happen. Keep this project in your prayers. Pictures at the orphanage have been added to the link listed in the previous post. We are off today to La Ramada, a 2 hour drive for church and some repairs to their church.

Direct Link to Pictures:

Here is a link that goes straight to the picture hosting site. There are 3 sub-albums to choose from at the top of the page.

Pictures

There are pictures posted at photobucket.com. Put in miraclevillage in the search and it will ask if you are looking for username miraclevillage. Click yes and it will take you to photo albums. There are 3 sub albums, one from last week's trip and 2 from this week.

Friday prayer request

There was an earlier comment asking if we had any specific prayer requests. We had a discussion at noon and would like to ask for prayer for a little boy named Abner Bardales who is a 3rd grader at Monte Sion School where we have been painting. Last week, Abner was taken to the doctor here in town and a mass was found in his abdomen. The mass grew rapidly over the weekend and on Monday, the 23rd, he was taken to Lima where he has been diagnosed with cancer. We haven't had any report since Monday on his condition. Thank you for praying for Abner, and we also appreciate all your prayers for us while we are here.

Friday from Brad

Family and Brothers and Sisters, I have had another day absolutely in the will of God. This, after it was extremely hard to say goodbye to the children with which we have spent the last three days together. One particular little seven year old girl named Sida hugged me and would not let go and as a result, it was absolutely hard to hold back the tears. These children are so greatful as are their parents and I look forward to what the Lord has in store for us for the next three days. Finally, I would like to thank you guys for all your prayers and say that I am so unworthy of God's salvation and having a family and friends like you guys. I love you and miss you Kim, Hunter, Haleigh, and Courtney. May God keep you safe and Bless you. Love in Christ, Brad

Friday from David and Annie

Family and Friends, Annie and I are having a great time! The experience of this trip would be difficult to truly explain...more need to be involved! It is a strange thought being some 3 or 4 thousand miles away, yet in 15 hours we can be home. The world is truly not as big as I once thought. Annie sends her love, as do I.

Friday from James

Janie, Andy and I are doing great and we are receiving blessings every day. We have worked really hard painting so this afternoon we took a break and went to the banos, better known as hot baths. We are with a great bunch of people and we are having fun, even during work. I still really wish you were here, but maybe you can come another time. I love you and miss you. See you next week. Tomorrow--the orphanage.

Friday morning from Andy

Hola from Peru. I hope this blog finds everyone doing well and in high spirits. Peru thus far has been a great trip and hopefully Naomi has kept you up-to-date with the specifics. The mountains are beautiful and I can't help but wonder, if you could ski on them, what color trail they would be. The food has been fantastic and we have a special meal that I am looking forward to. The painting of the school has been coming along great as well as VBS being a success. To Mom: Miss you. Hope the arm is feeling better. I am taking care of dad to the best of my abilities. Tell my guitars I'll be home in a week so they won't feel so lonely, even though they still think they are a tree. To Ashley: I hope all is going good in Ohio. I love you and miss you. Don't worry about the DVD player, and do not buy a new one. There are more important things than an electronic machine. I'll be home soon. God Bless. Buenos Dias.

Thursday from Neela

We are having a wonderful time in Peru and we are also working very hard. It has been an experience trying to communicate with the children at the school. Today was our second day of VBS and there was around 200 children attending,ages 3-13. The children are very excited about VBS and they enjoy coming. We are also painting part of the school . It has really made a difference in the way the school looks. I don't know how the teachers are keeping their students on task with all the work going on outside their windows. I was very surprised to see what the students were learning in the classrooms. I had the opportunity to listen to several students read in the 1st grade and it amazed me. I am very thankful to God for giving me the opportunity to come here.
Erin, Kelsey, Allie, Nathanael--I love ya! See you soon. Love, Ma
Tab, Nat, Matt, Sam, Kimberly--Love ya, too. Mom

Thursday from Bro. Jess

Dear friends at Calico Rock and elsewhere: We are having a great time here. We are painting the school at Monte Sion Baptist Church in the mornings and doing VBS in the afternoon. There are about 200 kids in VBS and I am tired. You can only sing Father Abraham so many times at altitude before you get a little winded. I am so much taller than everyone in Peru that I've told the kids I am a luchador (a wrestler). Ethan, Jo and I are swarmed with kids. We are having guinea pig for lunch tomorrow. What an experience God has blessed our family with.

Thursday from John Boy and Ashley

Hey everybody, wish you were here! We have been having a ball. The weather is perfect. The people and the kids are so much fun to be with. We have been painting the school in the mornings and having Bible School in the afternoon for 200 kids from 3 years to 11 years old with a half dozen teachers. The days are long, but well worth it! Blog us back and tell us how Rosie is doing and all my critters. I love you all and would like to come home, but stay longer at the same time. Love, John Boy and Ashley

Wed. from Pam and Chris

Today was our first day to "work" here in Peru. We staqrted the day at the school at Monte Sion Church. It is a small school with lots of kids, grades K-6. While the kids were working on school work, we were doing various jobs. We scraped paint, sanded doors and windows, varnished the windows, and then began painting everything. Everyone was excited to be working and it's a blessing to see how much work we have already completed. We left the school and came back to Villa Milagro to eat lunch. Once everyone was rested, we went back to Monte Sion for a Vacation Bible School. We had prepared various crafts, songs, Bible stories, recreation games, and a special surprise that we thought the kids would enjoy. What we weren't quite prepared for was the number of children that would show. There were close to 200 children that came to learn about Jesus. The kids enjoyed everything, especially the surprise--puppets. Who would think that puppet show could ever get an encore?

Tuesday night Villa Milagro

Just a quick note to let everyone know we made it safe and sound. The second crew arrived in Cajamarca at 5:30 this afternoon. We were glad to be greeted at the aeropuerto by the smiling faces of David, Doyne, Larry and Joanne, even though Doyne and David's faces are a little scruffy. We've had a delicious dinner and been oriented to Villa Milagro and the workers here. Now I think everyone is about ready to hit the sack and get rested for an early start in the morning scraping and painting at the school at Monte Sion.

Tuesday, July 25...the saga continues

After a very long, but uneventful trip (thankfully), we made it to Lima last night about 11:30 with all our travelers and all our luggage. The trip was smooth sailing, including making it through customs without a single person getting the red light...which means stop and let´s open your bags so everyone can see all your undies and such. Actually, it´s not that bad anymore since the Lima airport has joined the 21st century and bought an x-ray machine. From there, the group had to split due to in country transportation issues. The Nuckolls, Brewers, Sumralls and Brad Cummings stayed at the airport to catch the early morning flight to Cajamarca, while the rest of us (Millers, Blankenships, Covingtons, Chris Lorch and I [Naomi]) came to the Hotel Boulevard and got a room about 2 AM. I felt bad about some of us getting to sleep in a bed while the others had to camp out at the airport for a few hours...sorta. The first group should be at Cajamarca, fed breakfast and resting by now. The rest of us had a bite of breakfast at the hotel and then walked about 10 blocks down to Starbucks for dessert. Afterwards, I insisted on taking James O. (and the others) on a tour of E Wongs, which Chris described earlier as the local Wal Mart super center. I told James he might get some ideas to take back to his grocery stores at home. He quickly nixed the idea of valet parking, as well as having the carry out boys wearing panchos and sombreros, along with the grand piano and live entertainment. And, can you believe he doesn´t think the idea of selling fresh octopus would go over in Melbourne? We are back at the hotel and waiting on Jamina to come pick us up at noon and take us back to the airport (about a 45 minute drive) for our 3 PM flight to Cajamarca. We are anxious to get there and start to work in the morning. Will talk to you later!
PS-Chris, I enjoyed looking at the pictures you posted. They are great. I can see I´ve lost my duties as head ear washer to Senor David and Jan. YaHoo!

Pictures from Trip 1

Finally, pictures are available from the Medical Trip. Stay tuned for blogging from the VBS/Construction trip which left this morning.

Thursday at Monte Sion

Today was our last clinic and, as it so happens, we were at the same location as our first clinic: Monte Sion Baptist Church in Cajamarca. We were told to expect around 100 but as we have learned in our several days in Peru, that means to really expect about 200. All told we provided care for 245 people, including a few that came through the line twice.

It was a fairly uneventful day, we got the same great service from everyone who worked. For those of you who know Osmir, he and his family came by today and were given some medicines to help him. David gave him a soccer ball also, which made him extremely happy. Doyne collected memory cards from cameras and had CDs made of all our pictures, one for everyone. The few that I've seen are wonderful and I'm sure none of us can wait to show them off.

The trip totals as of yesterday were erroneous. Someone (David) forgot to carry the one when adding and left off 100 people. Here are new totals:

1111 people seen (give or take a couple). Over 3500 prescriptions filled. About 1000 Bibles passed out. 16 decisions made by Peruvians--all of whom were led to Christ by Raul either yesterday or today.

It has been a very good and productive trip. We have much to be thankful for, not the least of which is the prayers offered on our behalf by those at home. We will be returning to Lima early tomorrow morning and then to the States late tomorrow night.
Flight information for those who want it: Delta flight #274 Lima to Atlanta; Departing 1230am Friday, Arriving 830 am Saturday...Delta flight #1195 Atlanta to Little Rock; Departing 1110am, Arriving 1145am.

P.S. Sorry about the pictures. I was unable to find a way to post them using the computers at Villa Milagro. Keep tuned into the blog next week for links to pictures from this trip as well as information about the next group arriving Monday July 23.

Wednesday in Cajamarca:

After the trip to Yanacancha most of us were ready for a light day and today was scheduled to be one. We went to the Asociation Mujer Familia, which roughly equates to a battered women's shelter, in Cajamarca. The director of the facility handed out only 100 tickets to the clinic so we thought it would be no problem. What we didn't think about was that each of those women brought at least one child, so in total we saw 215 today. Again we had help from Raquelle and Raul (who, as it turns out, didn't go home yet) who helped us with registration and pharmacy.
On the way home we visited the Aldea orphanage and played with the kids there for a little bit. Several of us wanted to take one home. Tonight for dinner we were served roasted conejo and qui (rabbit and guinea pig) which was a first for many. It was pretty good.

Running totals for the trip: About 770 people seen, over 2100 prescriptions filled, 800 bibles passed out.

From Scrib:

Hello to Scribner and Speer family. Next to Arkansas, this is one of the most beautiful places I've been. The people here are amazing and live an extremely hard life in the mountain areas. Leslie, I love you and miss you. Be home soon

From Chip:

Ola Norris Family. I'm doing just fine. I love you all and look forward to coming home.

From Vicki:

Hello friends and Family--We have finished another day. The docs saw and we provided meds for approx. 250 people today. It really is a blessing to be here and feel "needed." The Peruvians are very warm and appreciative of everything we do for them. We also stopped by the orphanage. We saw some beautiful children who need a good home. Tomorrow we go to the school to see mothers and children. Love to all and God bless--See you soon.

From Jo:

Jess--Looking forward to seeing you. Tomorrow we have our last clinic. Your adventure will begin soon. No need to bring a camera, if you have memory card you can bring it, but don't worry about it. The tie balloons (probably need the pump) would be a hit with the kids if you can bring them. If anyone gave you more stuff (vitamins, etc.) you can bring. If anyone asks, we could use some 325mg Tylenol in addition to the vitamins. You can look forward to cooler weather here. Not really cold, but nice fall weather. Love you babe, Jo. P.S. Jan says "Hi!"

2 Days in Yanacancha

Hello all. It is Wednesday today and we've spent the last two days in Yanacancha Baja. There is a little debate on how far away the town is from Villa Milagro but as Larry said, "We don't measure in miles around here, we measure in hours." Yanacancha is 3 long, bumpy, and slow hours from where we set out early Monday morning. Most of us got a little queasy but everyone made it through unscathed in the end. By the time we arrived and got set up, the line was already 50 people long. We saw only children from the school we were using as a clinic on the first day and powered through 108 before lunch. What's more impressive, after lunch we saw 150 or so, bringing the day one total to about 250 give or take a few. Ricky passed out Bibles, Jo and Jan did BP and vitals, Chip and John worked through all the complaints, and Martha and Vicki ran the pharmacy to near perfection. We had a helper from VM handing out the medicine and explaining how to take them, even our bus driver pitched in! We finished up that night around 6 and headed back to the Yanacancha Hilton, an adobe bunkhouse with women's quarters on one end and men's on the other separated by a small kitchen. We even had a first class toilet--a commode set up in an outhouse that gets flushed with a bucket of water. After dinner Monday night Raul, a missionary/pastor from the Amazon jungle, gave his testimony to the group. He had quite a story to tell complete with witchcraft, beatings, and all sorts of jungle wildlife. He spent 3 days on a boat getting to the bus and 30 hours on the bus getting to Yanacancha where he met up with us. Then today (Wednesday) he reversed the process and set out for the jungle. The youth from Rock Creek led a service in the town church Monday evening and you could hear praise music echoing through the streets until about 8pm. Most of our group was in bed by that time, getting ready for Tuesday. David and Larry slept in the School to guard our medicine and by the morning the only thing missing was the bucket we used to flush the toilet.

As for Day Two, well, you'll have to get that information from someone else, but I've heard it was more of the same. I (Chris)was asleep from 730 Monday night to 63o Wednesday morning, sick from the altitude.

Totals for the trip: About 550 people seen, Over 1500 prescriptions filled, More than 600 Bible passed out.

Sunday in/around Cajamarca

What a great day it was today. By the time I got back from the computer after posting last night Vicki was up and around and feeling tons better. She continued to improve all of today. After breakfast this morning most attended a great devotion led by the Rock Creek group, complete with singing and Bible study. A little while after that we loaded up in a bus and headed to Monte Sion for "real church." Everyone greeted us on the way in and one little girl wouldn't enter the church until she had kissed us all on the cheek. They asked us to be included in the service: Joanne played the flute during the hymns along with a pianist (Debbie Johnson) and she had a solo as they passed the plate, Ricky spoke, and we all introduced ourselves. The only difference, really, was the language--you've never sang a hymn until you've sung it in Spanish. We struggled through A Dios Demos Gloria (To God be the Glory) and Santos! Santos! Santos! (Holy, Holy, Holy) among others. They don't rhyme in the same places but they mean the same thing to the only one that matters. While Bro. Ricky preached (translation courtesy of Gerald Johnson) the Rock Creek group put on a Bible puppet show for the kiddos in another part of the church.

The afternoon was a leisurely one. Most of us headed to the Banos del Inca for a Sulpher springs bath. Man, it gets hot but it feels good. After that it was walks, reading, pill counting, dinner, more pill counting, pill labeling, and very soon it will be bed.

We've got an early start in the morning and will be out of pocket until Tuesday evening. This means no blog on Monday night--please try to contain your grief and rending of clothing. Sackcloth and ashes are okay.

P.S. For those of you connected with Chip, Janet, Joanne, Vicki, Martha, and/or Scrib see below for messages from them.

From Joanne:

Yo! Jess and crew, we have had a day of rest so we will be ready to go in the morning for a 3 hour bus ride and two days of clinic. E, if you want to bring praise music at least a few songs the group might have devotions. Jennifer B, if you have the time to print more labels we have used most of what you sent. Jess, if you have room stick in the World magazines on the counter. Several have enjoyed reading the ones I brought. Miss you all and see you soon.

From Chip:

Hello Norris Family! I miss you all. Happy 20th birthday, Lauren. The people are great and the food is good. Love you all.

From Scrib:

Hello everyone,
Everything is great down here. The people are very gracious even for a few Tylenol or vitamins. Chris is keeping everything updated so I won't report anything. Be home soon.

From Jan:

Tamra: Received your email thanks so much. We are having a great time - you were right, the food is excellent. Only you and Jennifer would understand that. Sometimes I want to cry but most of the time I find myself smiling because they are smiling at me. I said even though I don't speak the language, a smile, hug, or touch is the same in all languages. See ya soon can't wait to get together and compare stories. God bless you.

From Vicki:

Am having a great time. Very eye-opening adventure. We have had one clinic at the local school and are headed into the mountains early tomorrow to spend 2 days having more clinics. See you soon--God bless

From Martha:

Hola! Paula! Janet is not on this trip, so it's just one of us three amigos in Peru. Thanks for your note. Day 3 Has been very restful as we prepare to leave for Yanacancha early in the morning for a two day clinic. The Peruvian people are such sweet spirits--always gracious, alwas quick with a smile. It would be wonerful if you and Janet and I could make one of these trips together.
Much love, Martha

Saturday at Monte Sion

OK, so it was a fairly interesting, if slow, day. We had a late night pharmacy experience on Friday night where Dr. John, Chip, Vicki, Joanna, and Janet unpacked and put up all of the medicine that we brought. Martha, and I (Chris) helped, not that we did much besides asking one of the other four, "What's this for?" Saturday morning we packed up three trunks full of stuff and headed on out. It was a slow morning and when we came back from lunch Vicki felt ill. Popular opinion is Altitude Sickness. I guess it's a good time to fell sick when you have a doctor and nurses of all stripes at your disposal. With Vicki laid up Chip took over pharmaceutical duties with Martha as his intrepid assistant. The afternoon was a little busier and went by fast. After we were through and packed up, several of us went to downtown Cajamarca for a quick shopping trip while the rest of us rested up. It's amazing how physically exausted you can get when trying to communicate in another language. Dinner was great as always and we'll have church tomorrow.

We're thankful that Vicki seems to be getting better but she still needs prayer.

Friday, 8pm: We've Arrived (Finally)

Well, we made it. And about time, too. Our flight--which we shared with 4 other mission teams coming to Peru (two which were wearing matching shirts!)-- was delayed a bit leaving the States and seemed to take forever. We landed in Lima at 1115, got out of the airport at 1am, and finally got to sleep about 2am. Different groups went different places this morning, Starbucks, E. Wong's (the Peruvian equivalent to SuperWalMart), etc, and we loaded up to go to the Aeropuerto at noon. We had a bit of trouble in locating a plane to take us to Cajamarca as ours was comandeered and sent to Iquitos. Got to Villa Millagro at 530, unpacked, ate dinner with the other group staying here--from Rock Creek Church in Little Rock, and got oriented. All is well so far. Tomorrow the plan is to go to Monte Sion school for a clinic/soccer practice. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.

P.S. Pictures are forthcoming. As soon as I figure out how to post them.