A Stretching First Day

370 patients were seen on Day 1 of medical clinic

Emily, Kristen, and Aleah

We jumped into clinic-work on Monday. What a day! All of us worked in a large tent-like structure set up over the soccer court (a huge slab of cement) in the middle of the town. The kids were on their last week of summer vacation which made them available to help out a little bit too. The temperature in our cozy tent ranged from a blazing 110-125 degrees throughout the week. Thankfully we had access to water from Manuel's cooler across the street!

Meredith, Kristen, and Emily worked in triage for the day

This "first day" was stretching for me. I helped in the triage station by figuring out patients' general problems and then sending them to the proper physician. It was a challenging position to be in -- trying to make sense of the rapid Spanish chatter, get ages (like sesenta and setenta) straight and not offend people, etc. Not to mention those times when I felt completely clueless . . . which occurred so much more often than not. To dive into this day and realize how limited I was made me frustrated and discouraged at first.

On that same day an older lady came up to me and started telling me how she was thankful we were there. I will never forget the look in her eyes and her sincerity. Although I cannot remember what she said as I was lost in the midst of her trailing Spanish and only able to pick out bits and pieces, it was so touching. She asked for the Lord's blessing on us and seemed very excited about the work we were doing in Condevilla.

Steve spent the week working in the pharmacy corner handing out prescriptions. He and Flor especially made a good team. Despite the fact Steven was intent on learning Spanish, Flor often would try to share her knowledge of the French language with him. Steve and the rest of the pharmacy crew worked the longest out of the team. They had to fill up the last prescriptions and make sure all the patients had received what they needed before closing up shop each day.

Yes, and the pharmacy was where the famous "water-boiling" attempt took place. Apparently some of the team members took a container of water and set it on a black plastic trash bag in the direct sunlight to see if it would boil. From what I heard, it did not work, but it got close.

From the Beginning . . .

One of the things I looked forward to about this trip was using my Spanish much more than I had on the previous medical missions trip we went on last April. How cool to think I had the tools to actually communicate with Peruvian people a little.

From the get-go, Steve and I dove into our Spanish-speaking opportunity. On boarding our flight from Miami to Lima, we found ourselves conversing and getting to know the Peruvian couple seated next to us. Thus, it began. To me, holding a Spanish conversation resembled a giant puzzle: a comprehensive challenge which stretched the mind considerably.

We arrived in Lima at around 1 a.m. on Sunday morning and finally reached the hotel to crash into bed at around 3 a.m. for a few hours of sleep. Later in the morning we gathered for a worship service with the church in Condevilla, the small town we would be holding the clinic from Monday through Thursday. This church—consisting of about twenty five members (just about the size of our actual team!)—hosted the mission. It was a privilege to worship with them, and I was particularly excited to be able to understand the service! Their worship was so lively, joyful, bouncy, fast, and lovely in an unique way.

The church service was held in a tent outside the small church building.

2/22/09 -- Excerpt from journal:
"One of the things which struck me the most in the service is how fervent the people are. As they worship their hearts “visibly” spill over with joy and praise. They seem to truly value the words, not just saying them blankly. . ."

On Sunday I met two little girls, Alison and Nicole, who quickly became like "hermanitas" (little sisters) to me. I tried to explain to them my middle name is also Nicole. Since they thought "Kristen" hard to remember, they insisted on calling me "Nicole" instead. I loved it! I got one of their addresses and have written little notes to both. Julia and Bethany also drew some lovely pictures for them complete with Scripture verses in Spanish. All of these things have been tucked into an envelope ready to send to them. I hope the Lord will guide it safely to its destination -- these girls need so much love and encouragement.

(Above: Nicole is such a beautiful and precious treasure. Later I was told of her heartbreaking situation. Her daddy, often drunk and abusive, left her and her family. One of the team members recounted her saying she wished he was her daddy. Our hearts go out to this little one . . .)

The church literally went out of their way to provide for our needs. Ladies from the church would prepare lunch for the whole team each day of clinics. As I would walk past and peek in the entry of the church's little kitchen, they would look up, smile, and say “hola!” They showed such eagerness to serve us.

They joyfully served us

I plan to post more of the ins-and-outs of our journey and instert pictures along with it. Also, Mom has posted many pictures of our trip on her blog.

Journey's End

Last Saturday we made it back from an amazing journey. So far, we've hit the ground running as we begin life at the homestead once again. Hopefully as things slow down around here I will find a moment to sit down and spill out the whole adventure. But, alas, I need to go and recharge my *personal* battery some more...

Estamos en Peru

We're here! Today we begin day four of clinic work and will wrap up for the week. Everything has gone so well, and clearly the Lord has been at work here both in the team as well as in the clinic work. Thank you so much for your prayers. I look forward to sharing the details soon!

In Just One Week...

A week from today Dad, Steve, and I will beginning an exciting journey to Lima, Peru to serve on a medical-mission trip with a nearby church team. We continue to eagerly count the days until we travel on this adventure. Tomorrow we have our final team prep meeting before the exciting day of our departure and will spend a good portion of the afternoon packing medications and supplies.

I look forward to the marvelous plan the Lord has for this trip in my life and in the lives of others. Thank you so much for your prayers! Dad, Steve, and I (and the whole team!) are under some pressure as we anticipate the needs of the many hundreds of people we will be ministering to everyday. Steve and I will be plunged head first into Spanish translation-work and hope to build onto the foundation of our high-school Spanish courses. I hope we catch on quickly -- we do not have many translators on our team. Please pray for each of our strength and that the Lord would work through us to touch the hearts of the Peruvian people.

If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

~ 1 Peter 4:11

Bustle of the New Year

Happy New Year!

As the past few weeks of the new year have whizzed by, we have already found ourselves busy with odds and ends. We did enjoy a relaxed Christmas/New Year holiday, but of course the time soon came for us to slide back into school once again. In addition, Julia had her pacemaker surgery on the 6th. Although we had our concerns about the actual complexity of her case, she had a successful surgery without any difficulty. What a blessing to see her energized once again with an even renewed amount of energy she has never had before! We are only beginning to get a taste of what she can do at a new heartrate. Our whole family is so thankful for Julia's safe surgery, quick recovery, and the opportunity God has given her to benefit from state-of-the-art medical technology here.

Also, Dad, Steve, and I are getting excited about the medical missions trip to Peru coming up at the end of February. Our anticipation increases as the date quickly approaches. For the last few weeks we have had team meetings in preparation. I have been slotted to help out with translation work, Steve will be working in the pharmacy, and Dad will be serving as a physician. Please keep us in prayer as we prepare ourselves spiritually and physically for the trip. We will need extra grace and strength as we step outside of our comfort zone.

Yesterday we celebrated Steven's birthday with some friends. We spent the afternoon playing an assortment of games -- from Outburst (Bible Edition) to Scattegories -- while snacking on jellybeans and fudge. (So much for those New Year's resolutions, eh?) We also enjoyed hearing stories of distant Romanian lands from a friend who has come home on a mini "furlough" before finishing up her year of service there. At the end of the evening the boys pulled out their guitars and we had a time of sweet worship together.

There is so much to look forward to in 2009! I am excited to see how the Lord will use this year to shape me and my family toward deeper faith in Him.