Hola Amigos (Hello Friends)!!!
We apologize it has been since Sunday that you last heard
from us – internet connection lately has been in rare form. Needless to say,
the past couple of days have been filled with lots of adventures! A typical day
consists of a Peruvian buffet style breakfast which always satisfies our
American taste buds. Allie has tremendously been enjoying the drinkable yogurt
they serve every morning. After breakfast we have our team’s devotions in which
we rotate people who lead the discussion of their choosing. This morning we
talked about how we all possess different gifts and how we use them together to
be effective for God’s kingdom. Then we pack ourselves snuggly into the van and
always somehow survive our 20 minute route through crazy Peruvian traffic.
Once we arrive at the clinic, the real adventures begin. We
never know what tasks will lay ahead of us. Some of us may be scrambling around
for wheelchair parts to assemble a chair for a patient arriving in the clinic.
Some of us are teaching patients and visitors health topics such as correct
lifting techniques and nutrition. It is really neat because after we educate
them, Kathy (our translator) will tell the gospel to them using the colored
bead bracelets. And while we are Spanish-speaking challenged, the smiles, appreciated
handshakes and kisses are evidence to us they are thankful for us for sharing
this wonderful message of God’s grace to them.
If we are not busy manufacturing wheelchairs, we are with
the patients. Every patient is a mini adventure in itself J. We see lots of
children who are coming to us with spina bifida and club feet who are in dire
need of orthotics and physical therapy. We are also seeing many kids and adults
who need special assisstive equipment because they cannot afford them. I wish we
could frame all their smiles as they receive these devices – you cannot help
but smile and be filled with joy as you see the difference it has made in their
lives.
We have also been able to go to the “downtown” the past two
nights to explore some of the sights of Peru and do some shopping. We are about
a 20 minute walk from one of the market squares in Arequipa that has lots of
things up for purchase; there are llama key chains, pipes, machetes… and other much
more normal items haha J.
It has been really interesting trying to talk to the vendors and bartering for souvenirs…
some of us are much better at it than others! And tomorrow marks a very special
day here; the city will celebrate “Arequipa Day,” which marks the day they
gained their independence. There have been lots of concerts, a circus, and
other wild activities that people have been coming in droves to see. It is
wild! Fortunately, we will be working outside of the city tomorrow (some of us
will be at a city called Juliaca, while others will be in Mollendo)
distributing equipment to folks in need, so we will miss some of the madness!
While there is much more to say, we can only say thank you
for your continued prayers. We are having a blast being used as God’s physical
therapists on earth and as Allie quoted earlier “I am just so happy being here.”
J We look forward to
bringing you more news from Peru in the coming days J. Ciao!
-Heidi and Allie
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