Adventures in Peru

There will be more to write in the coming days, but for now I have returned from the jungle and will fly home from Lima today. Here´s the net net:

Highlights: Playing with the kids, seeing our taxi driver and his wife accept Jesus, delivering medicines to the doctor who serves over 80,000 people, the cool team of people I was with, swimming in the waterfalls, seeing the beauty of the jungle, meeting with high-ranking government officials, dedicating the new Mercy Home.

Sad times: hearing stories of the kids and families in need, learning about the terrorism that hurt the region, and hands down - sitting with 90 year old Augusto who lives in the dirt crippled up and blind- thankfully he will be moving into the Mercy Home.

Unexpected: Becoming a godmother to my Taxi drivers two kids in a church ceremony, having one of the tribal people at the first Inca village come running at us in face paint with a spear, seeing a freshly killed large poisonous snake, riding on the top of the van through the jungle, dancing with the Inca tribes, being interviewed on the radio, having a bat flying around on of the ¨hotel rooms¨, eating cow heart, dedicating the new medical building by breaking a bottle of champagne over it.

Pictures and video to come later. But this trip really encouraged me in the work of Giving Children Hope. The doctor, the mayor and all of the people came out and were so grateful for the medicines, which cleared customs on the last possible day (praise God). The community felt blessed. Additionally, because we worked with Mercy Homes who is running projects on the ground, they gained favor in the community.

What a wonderful thing to see all that God is doing in the jungle of Peru!

Arrival into Peru

Mike and I arrived late last night. In addition to our cab driver, there were 6 others waiting to welcome us at 1:30 AM. Today we made our way to a town outside of Lima to visit the new Mercy Home. A family of 5 there has committed to taking in 6 kids. We later spoke in the church about what we are doing in their community and encouraged them to help out this new home.

We're now getting our bags ready to take an overnight bus into the jungle. We'll be there Monday through Friday taking another overnight bus back. We're still praying that the medicines will clear tomorrow so that we will actually be able to deliver them to the clinic. Please pray for Pastor Roger who is working hard to get them cleared in time for us.

It's a blessing to be able to participate in what God is doing here in Peru!

Off to Peru

So, I'm off to Peru in just a few hours. We're still praying that the medicines cleared customs in time for our trip as we don't have confirmation.

We'll arrive in Lima at midnight tonight, travel in the morning to the construction site of the new Mercy House, and that evening will board an overnight bus into the jungle to visit the first Mercy House and clinic where we'll be delivering the medicines.

I'm not sure I'll have Internet access, but if I do I'll post something here. We return on Sunday the 11th. We'll meet with any government officials while we there, but also get to hang out with the kids. The town is outside of San Miguel.

Thanks for your prayers during this trip. The adventure has now begun.

Partners in Peru

In a few days I’ll (hopefully) be taking off on my first international trip for work. Now, I’ve actually been several places around the world, including living in both Italy and South Africa. But this will be my first time to Peru, and my first time in South America. For this I am grateful to Mission Viejo Christian Church and to Mike on the Missions Board.

Here’s how it all happened. We had a volunteer phone repair man in our office in the Spring (we use LOTS of volunteers) and he brought someone from MVCC with him. Well, Jim loved what we do and quickly became our friend, advocate, and supporter. One of the best things that MVCC does for us is to pray for us. I so appreciate all of their prayers for us and for our partners around the world.

Well, Jim sent Mike to our office one day to use our Mission Store for one of their missions trips. On that visit Mike learned about our program that ships highly-needed pharmaceuticals to projects around the world in need. He ended up in my office that day to talk about getting medicines to their project in Peru and thus the partnership deepened.

At the end of the summer, I was sharing stories in their church along with a couple other ministries they support. Between the first service and the second service Mike had decided that their project in Peru really needed to partner with Giving Children Hope to start a new medical clinic in the community. The government had given the orphanage/clinic the building and even the medical personnel; the only thing needed was equipment, supplies and medicines. And this is where they could partner with GCH to get all that they need. So the partnership deepened again.

Mike asked me if I ever go to the field projects. Mind you, I sit in countless meetings with countless people from around the world and hear about their communities. My sense of adventure and love of travel has me longing to see each one in person. However, I know that I am best used not out in the field, but rather by working for an organization such as GCH getting resources to those communities. So when Mike heard that I had not been to any of our field projects he felt compelled to bring me along on their next trip to Peru. And with my boss’s permission, I’ll be taking off soon.

I cannot put into words how excited I am to participate in this missions trip. Really, I can’t! You see, God gives me this great privilege to partner on projects all over the world to get medical supplies, equipment and medicines. But I don’t ever get to see any of people that actually benefit. And that’s really fine. I don’t do my job to SEE the benefit. I do it because I am called to it and because I know that the poor DO benefit. That’s all I really need to know.

But you see, to SEE it firsthand. Well, that’s a real blessing. We’re praying that the medicines clear customs in time for us to take them with us from the airport to the rural clinic. This might not sound significant to anyone reading this, but I assure you it is. When you have done countless shipments around the world and only seen the photos of delivery and heard the stories of how the medicines helped, well, to know the communities by name that goes beyond words.

So I am truly grateful that the Lord brought Mission Viejo Christian Church into my life and into partnership with GCH. And I am grateful that MVCC is in partnership with this community in Peru. I can’t wait to hear of all that God is doing in the community and learn first hand. Every trip I take I learn more of the wonder and splendor of God. When I think He can’t possibly get any bigger He does. And I remember that I don’t really know that much at all. For these things I am truly grateful; there is nothing better then to learn about the greatness of God and be all that He has called me to be.

Thanks for your prayers as we travel in hopeful expectation of what God would have us do.

Could building medical clinics be the rebuilding of the Temple?

Today’s message in the church that I attend was on the temple and the fact that Christ dwells among us IN the temple. Meaning that WE are the temple and Christ is dwelling inside of us and the radicalness of this concept. He talked through the Old Testament where people could not catch simply a glimpse of the Presence of God and yet now Christ dwells inside of us.

As I contemplated this message some things about the Church and the rebuilding of the Temple came to mind. Now, I’m not a theologian or a scholar. But in the time of Jesus He talked about how the Temple would be raised in 3 days and the scholars of the day were very focused on the literal infrastructure and missed that Jesus was talking about Himself. Here they were in the very Presence of Christ and yet they missed the mark altogether because they failed to see how God was moving right in front of them.

I hear of many churches that are focused on end time scenarios and they spend much time studying the Words of the scripture and speculating about the physical rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. Many even spend great amounts of money to tour their congregation through the land (which is an amazing experience). They watch the political scene between Israel and Palestine and are awaiting the literal rebuilding of the Temple.

So I had this radical idea that perhaps the Church leaders of our day might be missing it too. If indeed WE are the Temple then perhaps it’s really about God building up His people as the Temple as opposed to the literal structure in Israel. Again, I’m not a scholar, but what I am is a quiet observer of watching how the Holy Spirit moves.

In my job as a Distribution Center of aid, we don’t dictate what projects need to be done next, we ask for people from communities to apply to us and we listen to how God is moving in their community. Because of this I meet with people on a regular basis from all over the world. While God does move different in different cultures, I’m actually amazed by some of the similarities. Many of the missionaries and non-profits come to us with stories from their communities about the poor and the meek. I hear stories of children dying at the age of two because they contracted a parasite and there were no medicines available. I hear stories of ten year old girls tricked into sex slavery and later rescued but not having the means to become healthy physically, spiritually and emotionally. I hear stories of twelve year old boys kidnapped at night and forced to kill in rebel armies. And then I hear the stories of the advocates on the front lines, quietly fighting to make things just a little bit better in the place where they live. So while each story is unique, the lack of access to the needed resources is consistent, and the steadfast people working behind the scenes where God has called them is consistent.

So I wonder, is God already building the Temple right now through these people and communities? Is THIS the Temple? Maybe instead of a physical brick being laid that brick is representative of a new school, shelter, or medical clinic that is erected? Maybe God is building His Temple right now with a bunch of ordinary people and the scholars of today are looking and waiting for that physical manifestation that may never be?

I’m not saying this is what is. But I wonder, if this were true, would we live our lives any different? What if instead of being spectators waiting for the Temple, we had an active part in building it? What if going into hard places and spending time in physical labor was an active part of building the Temple? What if every dollar that we spent providing life-saving medicines or every student that we sponsored to have an education meant that the Temple was a little bit further along? Would we live our lives any different as Christians? Would we see that we have a greater responsibility to rebuild the Temple then one of spectator simply awaiting someone else to do the work? I wonder.

Just so I’m clear, I’m not advocating any kind of works-based theology. But what I do try to do is to challenge Christians to take their Bible seriously. Faith without works is dead. So if you are a Christian, as you listen to God and watch the Holy Spirit move, let me know if you see what I see. Is God doing something unique in our time? What is He doing? And what is the part you play? Are we working together towards building the Temple? Or are we simply waiting for the Temple to be built?

South African clinic

Saturday night I was visiting with my family celebrating my Aunt’s birthday in Thousand Oaks. We were out at a restaurant when we bumped into a couple that I had originally met in South Africa and was my initial connection to the South African clinic Giving Children Hope established in partnership with the CareNow Foundation.

In 2006, just before I would be moving from Johannesburg to Orange County I was introduced via my aunt to Steve and Linda while we were both in Cape Town. Steve and Linda would be making a visit to the KwaZulu Natal region of South Africa to visit the Lily of the Valley Orphanage of which they support.

A few months later when I came to work at GCH we re-connected and in partnership with the CareNow Foundation, GCH supplied the medical supplies, equipment and medicines to care for the many orphans in this community. The shipment arrived in November 2007.

When I bumped into Steve at the restaurant he announced with great joy that the orphanage has not lost a single child since the clinic was established.

Wow! That’s a testament to what happens when individuals get outside of their self interest and they choose to invest in something bigger than themselves. An entire community in South Africa is receiving health care where none existed. The community is able to become self-sustaining and begin to care for themselves as they have the tools they need.

I’m continually humbled that God allows me to be a tiny part of the process of seeing communities become sustainable and children being cared for. So while every truck that leaves our distribution center looks the same, each has a unique story. The story of that truck was that South African children would have healthcare. I am privileged to be a part of an organization that has such amazing stories!

Africa

Today I met with a partner, Mildred. Mildred is from Zambia. We have been trying to partner for 15 months now. She's been here obtaining her nursing degree so her and her husband can open a teaching clinic in Zambia.

Giving Children Hope does our best to try and bring resources into our organization so we can serve many different projects with the product we receive. That means we try and bring in funding to the organization, but we can't fundraise for each individual project that we want to take on.

Now this model works well in many instances. For instance, when the Rotary group comes and wants to do a project I give them a fundraising goal and they make it happen. The same happens with a church or other non-profit. But how do you help the national/indigenous group who has no assistance?

This is often my pain. So today, I sat with Mildred. I prayed with her and we cried together. This is a women who can be a leader in her community the way I could never be. She can implement change because of who she is and where she is from. But how do I expect her to fundraise in America? How do I help Mildred from Zambia raise the funds she needs to build the medical clinic and teach her community how to prevent HIV/AIDS, how to fight malaria, and the have the equipment and medicine to treat those whom already have these diseases?

That's a question that keeps me up at night.