Back from Peru

Well, we all made it back safe from Peru. Overall we had a great trip. The mission was very sucessful with aout 160 patients treated and 27 wheelchairs issued out to patient's. I know God did some great work while we were there and I am glad He allowed us to be part of it. I personally believe that we as a team took as much from our experience as we gave. I have see student's perspectives changed and personally I am reminded of how much we have and should be greatful for our opportinities.

As a team, we greatly appreciate all your support both prayerfully and in donations. Rest assured that you were a part of God's plan for the team and the people we have the opportunity to serve. Stay connected to the SBU facebook page for update on future trips we will be taking and all the other exciting thing going on at SBU.

God Bless, Josh

Clinic Day Three

Sorry for the delay in updates. We have had a couple very busy days. We have seen about 80 patients in the clinic so far. We have given many home exercise programs and issued a lot of equipment including about 20 wheelchairs. Overall everything is continuing to go well.

Stephanie and Jana are off site (Jess did not go because she is not feeling well, nothing serious but she is resting and staying at the Hostel until she feels better) at another ministry site. They will join us again tomorrow. Also tomorrow, Jodee and a couple students (David W and one other undecided yet) will go to another location to issue a wheelchair and see a few patients.

As you continues to pray for us pray specifically for
1. Jess' health (on the mend already)
2. Safe travel for Jodee and the students going with her
3. God's continued blessing and direction on our effort

Day one of the clinic

The first day in the clinic went well. We saw a total of 27 patients. There were a wide range of complaints from CP to back and knee pain. The people here are very grateful for all that we doing no matter how large or small. We recieve many heartfelt "gracious" from everyone. Personally, I am reminded again how much we have and how much we take for granted in the US. We waste so much that we could share if we really took the time to.

Thus far, we continue to be blessed with safe travels and good health. To all the loved ones at home the team sends their love and best wishes.

We ask that you continue to pray for us. Pray specifically for:

1. The teams continued health

2. Safe travels for Stephanie and Jessie as they go to another location to minister tomorrow afternoon and overnight

Thanks for your continued prayer and support.

Clinic Set-up

We are back online - It has been a while since we sent out an update because we just now discovered the Wi-Fi network.

We all arived safely and all the luggage (except one wheelchair) arrived safely as well. We finally arrived at our destination at 1am. We were all tired and quickly found our rooms. The accomodations are nice and comfortable and the view of the coast is amazing.
We went to the clinic today to get it setup. With all hands helping, we made short work of the unpacking and now we are more or less ready to begin on Monday.
As you continue praying for us, please pray specifically for
1. The team's continued safety as we travel to and from the clinic site
2. God's hand on our descisions as we prepare to give the various equipment to people here

Thank you for your prayers. More to come soon.

Atlanta

We are all here and safe in Atlanta. We will be on our way to Lima in about an hour. Just enought time here for a quick bite to eat.

Smooth Check-in

It is the first of what I am sure will be many praises. The whole team (all 12 of us) has checked into the airport. Nobody is getting left behind :) We had excellent service at the Delta counter and we were blessed in that we did not have to pay anything extra for any of the medical supplies that we are taking. Now we have a about an hour to wait before boarding our first flight. Continue to pray that God prepares the way before us as he has already demonstrated that He has.

Final Preparations

It is the final night before our team leaves for Lima, Peru to begin a week and a half adventure. There are 12 of us leaving from Springfield, MO in the morning and I am sure we all are still busily preparing. We are checking our packing list, hoping we didn't forget anything important. As we make our final preparations, we ask for your paryers. Pray for our safety as we travel, pray that our hearts are prepared for the work God has for us. Pray that the people we meet will be touched by God and He will guide our hands as we treat them. Pray that God goes before us and that we remember to follow His lead.

As I have opportunity I will send out updates on the trip and the team's activities. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to support us in prayer,

Josh

Deuteronomy 31:8
8 The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.

Saying goodbye to Arequipa once again

(This is Amy):
Today is our last day in Arequipa and I have to say for me personally it gets harder and harder to leave this place (I miss my family but I don't want to leave here). Arequipa, Peru is amazing. I can't wait to be back here and I plan to bring Kayla (my sister) with me next time.
Today was a good last day; we got to spend it with three pretty cool Peruvian guys (all translators from the course) who assisted us in driving the MMI van and then hiking to Yura to see waterfalls. I'm pretty sure if they had not come we would not have made it to the waterfalls. It was a great 4 hour hike (there will be pictures added in the future - I'm a little sleepy right now). Absolutely beautiful and well worth the mud, manure, water, bugs, scrapes, and sweat.
Jeanna and I were pretty excited to be back in time to take showers before traveling 24 hours home. It would not have been a pleasant flight (for us or those around us). We made it back to Lilia's, showered, had an amazing last Peruvian meal --by the way, there is not one dish I've had down here that I haven't LOVED -- and now we are going to sleep for about an hour before heading to the airport.
I know that Bev, Jeanna, and I are looking forward to seeing our familias and getting back into "normal life" at home but I can honestly envision myself living here in Arequipa. Maybe someday.
The course went great, Bev and Jeanna did a great job with the lecture. I can't wait to come back to Arequipa and teach after experience in the clinic.
That's all for now...we'll be flying home soon. Keep us in your prayers. God is great and I know there is nothing to worry about!
Much love from Arequipa!

Monday - A full day with full hearts

This morning we all went to the MMI office here in Arequipa to join them for their weekly team devotional time. It was a great time of sharing, fellowship, and prayer with the staff. Many of them speak no English, so someone (mainly Jodee) translated back and forth between Spanish and English, depending on who was talking. It was very touching to share our spiritual needs and thoughts with each other as brothers and sisters, even though some of us could not understand each other's language.

After the devotional, we helped the staff unpack all of their boxes, bags, and suitcases from last week's MMI project in Arequipa. We were told that this project is the largest project conducted by MMI in Peru. There were a great many donated supplies that were left over, so we helped them unpack all of it and store it in the office and their small warehouse. We went through all kinds of medical supplies like syringes and medicines, as well as clothes, shoes, and personal items that had been donated. We were told that with our help, they were able to unpack and put away as much as would normally take them about 2 days to do. It was extremely gratifying to work side by side with them. Most of the MMI staff are native Peruvians. It is great to see the love that they have for their fellow countrymen, especially their concern for the spiritual need of the people.

This afternoon, we taught Day 3 of the Gait course. It went very well. We were able to teach many concepts and practical PT tools that the therapistas here had never had a chance to learn before this. They are very smart and asked many excellent questions. They are so hungry to know more about how to be better at what they do. It was fun to watch them learn and see some mental lightbulbs turn on today.

One piece of great news of all is the none of us have any of the typical tourist physical symptoms. We are all feeling great and loving every bite of Peruvian food that is put before us. Inca Cola is the best!

Here is a picture of Misti, the volcano that towers over Arequipa. It is just gorgeous.

Sunday in Arequipa

Amy aqui:

Today in Arequipa was great for three main reasons. Number one: I got to worship with brothers and sisters in Christ at a church here in Arequipa. I only understood about 1/2 of what he was saying (I have GOT to learn espanol) but I can't explain the joy I have when I experience worship with people in another culture. God is so amazing and it is just further evidence of His great design! I'm going to be worshipping for eternity with those followers of Christ.

Number two: I rode a horse for the very first time in my life!! The girls would say that I am pretty care free and worry about very little; but I have to say, I was a little nervous mounting such a large animal! I did it though; I got on a horse and the poor thing carried me for an hour. We traveled by horse to the top of a lookout spot in Arequipa (as seen in the photo above) and it was absolutely beautiful. I took about 100 pictures while I was on the horse. It was quite the experience and now I can say I have done it. However, I am glad we didn't ride for longer than an hour, it was becoming painful.

Number three: I got to hang out with three pretty cool chicas all day. This trip has been a blast and I am so thankful I get to spend my time in Arequipa with Jodee, Jeanna, and Bev!

Let the walking begin!

Bev here - We spent Friday afternoon and all day today teaching the gait course. So, we are already a little more than half way done with it. And I am only about an hour and a half behind! The local therapistas are all very eager to learn. Jeanna has helped with some of the lecturing. All three of us, as well as Jodee are sharing the lab teaching. Even with having translators, there always seem to be more questions than we can answer. We are also learning alot about their education and even how they use PT terminology a little differently than we do. I am learning that I have to be careful with my terminology so that I don't inadvertently confuse them. It's a great exchange. On the first day of the course, Amy even did an impromptu PT consult on a cranky San Pablo professor (unrelated to the course). She built a bridge with him and was a shining witness.

One of the things I am enjoying being able to do it share scriptures that pertain to walking. These scriptures are talking about spiritual walking, but I thought it would be a great way to share God'sWord with the therapists in the course.

Each evening after the course, we have walked up to the Plaza de Armas, which is only a few blocks from San Pablo. Every night of the week it is vibrantly alive with lots of things going on. The buildings are stunning because of the white sillar that was used to build the entire plaza and with everything lit up in white lights at night. This is the hub of activity in this beautiful city. There are always people standing around with microphones talking about something. We are being told by our Spanish speaking friends, that they are usually taking about injustices and things they want to have changed. It is free speech at it's finest. But we are spending our time taking it all in and power shopping for those perfect souvenirs.

Tomorrow we plan to attend a Spanish church service and take a day of rest. We look forward to that! Please pray that the course will finish strong and that we will see exactly where God is working here. May we be vessels filled by Him only to join Him in what He is doing.

The Team is Complete

The good news is that Jeanna arrived in Arequipa today. The bad news is that her bags were left in Miami. :( We hope she gets them tomorrow.

Today was spent preparing for the Gait course, which starts tomorrow. We ran errands to make sure all course materials were collected and we went to San Pablo University to check out the facilities. SBU is blessed with lots of teaching space for lab classes, so we know that we will have to be a little creative to teach a gait course in the smaller facility here. Part of the course may have to be taught outside to have enough space. But with the weather here being sunny and 70 degrees every day, we think we can pull it off.

Bev also met with a representative from San Pablo and representatives from MMI to discuss a future formal relationship between the three entities to bring more PT courses to Arequipa. It was a very good meeting with many bridges built. The future for a partnership looks very bright.

Amy here: I thought I'd blog a little about today. I got to sleep in some this morning as Jeanna was getting picked up from the airport and Bev and Jodee participated in their meeting. After lunch we got to see where the course will be taught: absolutely beautiful campus! Then, we got to make a trip to pick up the course manuals (which look great) followed by a trip to the Plaza. Each time to the Plaza has been unique because it always seems something is going on there. This time there was a religious event taking place with a TON of people watching and walking around. There were even large pictures on the ground created by people using colored sand. It was very interesting. I think Bev took some video :)

Just off the Plaza we went to a museum where we watched a video and took a tour. We learned about a sacrifice that was made on a summit of a mountain by Incans 500 years ago. They killed a young girl to appease the gods and the body was found in ice. The body has been kept on ice with all the internal organs still preserved. We got to see the frozen mummy and this girl still had hair and finger nails! As I was hearing about this people group and their sacrifices to the gods of their mountain, all I could think about the true living God and how He's the giver of life. I'm so thankful and eternally grateful to the God of the universe calling me one of His elect and drawing me to Himself!

Love you everyone! Keep praying that God would be glorified above everything else!!!!

Our first day at work

Today Amy and Bev assisted Jodee in screening patients for wheelchairs. We saw all types of patients and were able to give out several different walking devices as well as taking wheelchair measurements. It was lots of fun.

We also helped with organizing the equipment room as the MMI container of PT supplies was delivered to Arequipa last week. We opened up

boxes, reorganized contents, and tried to place the boxes in some sort of organized manner so that Jodee can use the new supplies and that they will also be ready to be used during the August PT project here in Arequipa. It was like Christmas as we opened up the boxes to see what was inside. There are many very nice donations that the people of Peru need. It was so nice to see all of that.

And after much effort and two trips to the airport, I (Bev) finally got my luggage. Yeah! It's great to wear your own clothes.

Tonight we tried some local cuisine, mostly based on french fries and rice, which is always marvelous. It's been a good day. Jeanna arrives here tomorrow morning.

Casa sweet casa

AHHHH! Arequipa!!! I (Bev) made it as scheduled to the "White City". The best site I saw (after seeing Misti towering over the city) was Amy's and Jodee's familiar faces. Jorge whisked us back to the guest house where I treated to a hot shower and a hot meal. I am a new Woman!

Amy and I are scheduled all day tomorrow to see patients for wheelchair measurements and whatever other needs they have. It should be a good day. So, I plan to get a good night's sleep in a REAL bed. I have never been as thankful for the conveniences of life, like a hot shower and a bed. zzzzz

It has been a long trip for me as well (Amy), although I did not have quite the experience Bev had on her journey. After 26 hours of traveling I touched down in Arequipa. I was also very excited for the shower and a warm bed. I have already had a chance to catch up with Jodee and walk the streets of Arequipa. It is absolutely beautiful here.

I'm excited to see all of what God has planned for this trip. I spent a few hours in LAX and listened to several John Piper sermons. In one sermon he made three statements that I am going to meditate on during this trip and I want to share them with you.

1. God has a good and wise Christ exalting purpose for my life.

2. Jesus is the path to the full and final enjoyable experience of that purpose.

3. Jesus is seeking me and wants to make me a worshipper.

There have been some things happen that I had not planned for but God is in control and knowing that His purpose is supreme is comforting. My prayer for the next 10 days is that God would be glorified above everything. John 3:30

Night everyone! Time for bed! Much love. <3 Amy

Two of us are on the ground in Peru

I (Bev) have made it to Lima after spending the night in the Mexico City Airport. I felt very safe, but I would rather not do it again any time soon. I met up with two young men who were also traveling to Lima alone, and I think they were as happy as I was to have an English speaking travel partner to kill the night in the Mexico City airport. There were no chairs avaliable so we made a camp and sat on the floor all night. God was good to help me feel safe in that way.

I have gotten word that Amy made it to Arequipa. I was VERY glad to hear that. I am on schedule to arrive there later this afternoon.

My other drama is that my bags didn't make it with me (again). That's 2 out of 2 strikes for American Airlines with getting my bags to arrive with me in Peru. They think they are in Miami and they think they will arrive tomorrow morning. But who knows??? It should be interesting.

I am looking forward to an Inca Cola as I wait to board my last leg of the journey. I am really looking forward to seeing the familiar rugged volcanos of Arequipa. So beautiful!

First Challenge

Well, my first hurdle of the trip is getting out of the US. My first flight from Dallas was delayed, which means that I will miss my connecting flight to Peru. So, I get to enjoy an unscheduled scenic trip through Mexico City tonight. I get to spend about 5 hours in Mexico City, then I am off to Lima early in the morning. I will eventually get to Arequipa Tuesday afternoon about 5, which is only a few hours later that I was scheduled. However, I was supposed to meet up with Amy in Lima, and I am not sure that she will get my email or voice mail about my delay. Anyone who reads this can pray that Amy will get my message, and that we both get there as CURRENTLY scheduled.

Bev

We're heading to Peru soon

Amy and Bev are heading out Monday. Can't wait!