Wow! It has taken me a little bit to really process what all God did in the two weeks I was in Peru. What I thought would happen going into this trip ended up only becoming 1/16 of what actually happened! I love how God surprises us! I am thankful that I had a tentative itinerary, even if 90% of it ended up being changed!
The daily schedule was much more involved than I anticipated. When we arrived, we prepped supplies for the clinics and we had our first clinic day on Saturday--the NEXT day. It was quite overwhelming for me. The first clinic day, I served in a medical clinic at a satellite location. We were in a home that a family let the church leaders use because they knew the church was making a huge impact with their community and, even though the family does not yet know the Lord. A church leader there told me that they are hopeful God will win them over. The home had no electricity, no running water, and the location would be the nicest satellite location we would go to for the two weeks. There were a lot of colds and parasites at this location. My role was to hand out medicines as the doctor ordered. It was a task that melted my heart, wishing I could do more and give medicines for a year instead of a month. The Peruvian people were so thankful, so loving, and were eager to hug us and give us the "holy kiss" on each cheek.
Sundays were full of Jesus, worship, and church. This is right up my alley since I typically go to Saturday church, Sat small group, Sunday church, Sunday School, and a life group Sunday nights. In Peru, it was kids Sunday School first, then lunch, then church, then supper, and then church again. It was amazing to see folks worshiping God using simplicity. I have felt for a long time the American church is going overboard with their worship. We have lighting, the best soundboard ever, lighting effects, ear buds to count the beat so musicians and vocalists have a less chance of miscounting/errors, the more instruments the better, and we also better have the best perfect sounding vocalists ever, with an added bonus if they look good when they are on video! In Peru, there were squealing microphones, volumes set to max, people singing loudly off key and off beat, gestures and dances and clapping, and the song leader was almost always the pastor who preached....and it was the most beautiful worship time I think I have ever been a part of. My eyes are tearing up as I remember and long for those moments again where it wasn't about the best technical worship, but about the best worship you could offer God.
The first week, the clinics were Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Our team had two clinic sites each day and we were split among them plus a small team that led ESL in the schools with the kids. On Mon, Tues, and Wed, I served on the optical team. I learned what righteous indignation was like in the optical team. Basically, we used an instrument to have an idea where the person's prescription landed, went to the box for that, and found the top three pairs closest to that and gave it a go. There were many times after 30 minutes we still couldn't find a pair. I recall many times praying and getting frustrated. Suddenly, I would try the numbers in positive instead of negative or just grab a pair in a totally different box and give the pair of classes to the Peruvian who instantly would shout in amazement, "PERFECTO!!!" These were the miracles. The hard cases would be the ones who were horrible blind and we only could give them something that was better than nothing. They couldn't see perfectly, but they could see better. When we would explain this was the best we had, they would smile ear to ear and place them on and yell, "PERFECTO!" These were the heart-crushing moments. On the third day, I was angry. Optical ticked me off if I'm honest. In America, I have many friends who own 3, 4, 5 pairs of glasses not counting sunglasses. I know of folks who have dropped $500-1000 on just one pair of glasses. Here you go in, say if one or two is better, pick a frame you like, pick a fancy lens, and you got glasses either the same day or in a week--maybe two. In Peru, what we could give them was glasses you wouldn't have even considered wearing because the styles were so outdated. And we could only get a little bit close or just improve it for them. Without us, they couldn't see anything. I got angry because this is unjust and it hurt my heart to not be able to give them the best, like I can get in America. I was angry because I felt guilt, shame, regret, and a deep compassion to do the best for them. I had to learn that I was doing that. We were doing the best we could in that moment with what we had in another country that was poor. The miracles made it easier. There were other miracles too. One day, we were really struggling with our lack of Spanish and the Peruvians were looking at us like we were talking Greek when we tried to say a Spanish word here or there. No one seemed to understand us well. Just before lunch, this young college guy came in and responded to a couple questions in Spanish. Then, I tried to explain what to do and in perfect english he tells me exactly what I was asking. We all stopped and cheered for his perfect english. I teased him that after lunch, he had to come back and help interpret for us. At lunch, I prayed to God for "supernatural Spanish abilities" so that we could be easily understood and things would go smoother. We go back into the area to start and the young man was back! He said he had a college class to get to, but when he got to class the professor had a note on the door it was cancelled. He rushed back to the clinic because he wanted to help us interpret! I told him, "You are my answer to prayer! You are my miracle and my supernatural spanish ability!!" He smiled and laughed. Over the two weeks I was there, this young man name Erickson became a great friend!
On Thurs & Fri as week one only team members left and week two only team members arrived, us two week team members were able to rest up and get some much needed regrouping time. We restocked supplies as they arrived. Some went on a boat ride to some famous cliffs in Peru. I stayed back and rested instead. We had clinics again Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday with church again on Sunday. The second week, I was able to serve on the ESL in the schools team. We taught two english songs to the kids in Pre-k through 6th grade. The kids were super adorable and loved the attention we gave them. They would often come up to me and practice their english, so I would practice my spanish. It was adorable to hear my silly sounding spanish and their sweet english. They were amazed at how old I was and the little kids would call me the spanish equivalent of "fat girl" almost in a chant with a huge smile. It's a different culture for sure and lucky for them, they were really cute kids. Working in the schools was just a half day, so after lunch we would go to a satellite location where a clinic was being held and help where we could. The second week, the satellite clinics were all new places a clinic has never been held and were extremely poor areas. One area was a town that was built on top of the dump, so there were giant mounds of trash all around, at least every block and the roads were dirt. Another area, the homes had just woven bamboo walls and a few had woven bamboo roofs, most had no roofs at all. Electricity was the most basic and the lights would be one lightbulb in the ceiling with a pull switch if they had electricity at all. Plumbing was rare and most of the sites we were at had a hole in the ground for the bathroom, or we were walked to a neighbor's house. There were large numbers of kids and the child to parent ratios were way off. One site we were told the parents were working up in the mountains (we were at the foothills of the Andes) and the older children took care of their younger siblings. One little boy told me he was 11 and that his parents work in the mountains for 3 weeks and are just home for 1 week. He has 5 siblings he takes care of and this was a week his parents were working. One day I helped hand out cheaters in the optical. Another day I did the photo ministry with the kids. And another day, a large group of us just played with the large number of kids in the street who gathered. The children needed an adult who paid attention to them and they soaked up the love we had to give them like sponges.
For me, each Sunday I was invited to a local Peruvian church member's home for lunch. The first Sunday, I ate lunch at Wilma's home. She is a single mom with a little boy and a little girl comes over as like an adopted daughter because her mom is sick. I learned later, Wilma is a leader of a the local church and works at one of the schools with pre-k kids as a teacher. She is a sweet lady and became a great friend of mine the two weeks I was there. One thing that was such a blessing to me was Wilma had a verse on the wall about trusting God in all things and that He would provide. It really hit me how similar she and I were, both trusting God's provision for our daily lives. We were no different as sisters-in-Christ, even if she new little english and I knew little spanish. Her love and acceptance was the balm in Gilead for my heart--more on that later. The second Sunday, I was invited to have lunch with a man named Omar and his family--a wife and 5 girls ages 13-5 months old. I learned later that my friend Sonia (a local church leader I met the first day at the first clinic who is biligual) is Omar's brother! And their father was a Pastor of a church we served in Chincha Baja! The church in Chincha Baja was my favorite church we visited because of Sonia's and Omar's Grandma! Grandma gave the BEST hugs and cooked the BEST food and every meal at the church, including the meal I was blessed with at Omar's house was Lomo Saltado, the best Peruvian dish EVER! (I am craving it now as I type this and I am determined to get the spices needed to make it in America!) Sonia and I were able to connect multiple times and share our testimonies as well. I was thankful for her friendship, which ultimately led to us staying in touch on facebook as well.
All together we served 8400 people in our clinics in two weeks. I can't begin to describe what the lines looked like. I can't express the emotions when we shut the clinics down and people were still in line, begging to be seen. I can't describe seeing people trying to raid the boxes in the optical area hoping any pair of random glasses they grabbed would do better than nothing. I can't describe the crowds of children who arrived for the Cup of Milk ministry. At two Cup of Milk sites, we had more children arrive than the church expected. We had to pull the buns of bread in half. Each time, I asked God to multiply the bread like He did in the Bible with the fish and loaves. Each time, we had enough after every child got one half to give seconds and even some to adults present. The milk was a fortified warm milk. This meal was quite possibly the only hot meal many of the children would have all week.
There were other blessings from God that happened. Midway through week one, I realized I had no clue what a banana tree looked like and thought it would be cool to see one up close. I even asked God, "I would love to get my picture taken with a banana tree!" A few days later, at one of the poorest sites we served across the street from the clinic site was a banana tree! The little boy with 5 siblings excitedly took my picture with the banana tree. Then, returned after our lunch break with a fresh banana from his family's banana tree and insisted that I ate it right away because, "I wanted to bless you with your favorite banana because you are my favorite American!" Sweet little boy has no idea what a blessing he was to me and how God used him at 11 years old to touch my life. Another treasure were my roommates who were total strangers the first night and later became close friends. Kiki and Janine still are friends that I see weekly at church and am so thankful for. God used them to encourage me on the hard days, bring laughter through tears, and taught me how to sleep through snoring and roosters calling all night long. (I snore too, at least in Peru.)
All of these happenings brought forth profound lessons while in Peru. Some lessons I knew, but needed them cemented into my being. Other lessons were brand new and necessary if I'm to serve in ministry full-time as I plan to. They are as follows:
1) Miracles are for today. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are real and legit. Prophesy is still active today because God still has a message of love to bring to the world. I saw miracles happen daily. I heard of other team members experience miracles. And there were words and visions God gave me before the trip that came to pass over the two weeks I was there.
2) God loves unconditionally. Since I grew up in an abusive and dysfunctional home, I have not had a lot of experience with unconditional love. The idea of God's unconditional love for me was something I believed, but never really could fully comprehend deep within my heart. Remember the healing balm of Gilead I spoke of earlier? The Peruvian church members and people were the healing balm of Gilead to my heart. They demonstrated for me the best example of God's unconditional love any human being ever could. I had deep wounds in my heart that needed this healing balm so badly and I didn't even know it. Isn't like God to take me out of my comfort zone in USA, to a country I have never been with people I can't even freely talk the same language to, and heal my deepest wounds and show me His unconditional love?! Wow!
3) People are people and they ALL matter to God. When I returned after my data-less life of two weeks, America was a pathetic example to the world. Families were ripped apart in the name of immigration laws and rights of Americans. And my own family was experiencing a great turmoil that ultimately led to me going no contact permanently with my parents due to safety reasons. I remember sitting in the airport in Lima finding out everything and being so angry I had to come back, so angry this was all happening, and tears were just falling like rain. The poorest people in Peru and we were only able to touch 8,400 people. It's a very small number when you consider the population as a whole. However, each 8,400 people mattered to God as much as me and my fellow Americans. I returned back to the USA with a new resolve to not forget this, regardless of popular political opinions and whatever cultural Christianity may appear to expect of me. I answer to God first and foremost. And I also saw how I mattered to God and was finally able to do what I was encouraged to do in 2008 by my therapist and go no contact with my parents. It took me 10 years of trying to make some sort of relationship possible, only to realize I matter to God as well and do not have to accept abuse in my life.
4) Strangers are the hardest and the best to serve God with. When I arrived, I "knew of" only 5 people on our team and one was my pastor. Everyone else were total strangers. It was really challenging at first because I had never been before and so many were returning to Peru again, so it was a bit intimidating. I really struggled with feeling like I was alone. I decided the first day I felt this that this was an opportunity to connect deeply with God. I pressed in and ended up encountering God in ways I hadn't in a very long time. From seeing prayers answered immediately, miracles, words of encouragement I was able to give to several of the pastors, to a watchman awakening in the early hours of the morning one day were I was able to intercede for Peru and end up committing to praying for the nation daily that it would encounter a spiritual revival and have a miraculous prosperity happen so quickly the rest of the world becomes amazed, to being able to pray for healings for people, to seeing 20 people come forward for an altar call to accept Christ/recommit to Him, and hear about healings and the 8 people who accepted Christ at a clinic I was not at. As the weeks went on, I learned things about myself and I learned things about others. I went in expecting to connect with certain people who, in two weeks, I barely interacted with at all. Instead, God ignited friendships that I didn't expect with people I didn't expect. There were two teen girls from another church who sought me out. We were able to bond closely and I was able to answer some questions for them about life as a woman, adulthood life, and relationships with guys. At one point, one of the girls said, "You know, this week you have been more of a mother to us than our own mother ever has been." The other followed with, "Yeah, I am really glad we came. I needed you." There were challenges with personalities, which exists in every environment where people are. I learned we all have weaknesses and strengths and what's most important in the body of Christ is to accept each other where we are at, not think we are better than everyone else, and be Jesus with skin on even to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
I am so thankful I went to Peru. It is not a trip I will ever forget. The sinus infection, respiratory infection, and bacterial gastroenteritis I got afterwards was completely overshadowed by the lessons I received while there and the chance to meet some of the most loving and beautiful people in the world.
