Hands and Feet

1 Corinthians 12:20 "As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. "

The human body is a beautiful creation. There is no other machine that has ever been created to do such amazing feats of nature with such efficiency. What else can do so much on as little as a ham sandwich? As we continue serving in Peru, however, it becomes very apparent that things can go quite wrong. Diseases, injuries, disabilities.  Throughout the past week we have seen many challenges. Men, women, and children have come to the clinics seeking help for what plagues them. Some stories seem to end with great joy and some, despite all efforts, seem to be a tragedy. There are also many conditions that exist here in Peru that are not seen in the states and would be very preventable with proper medical care that is just not available in the surrounding area. We are learning that Arequipa is a very large city and although much of it does not appear to be very third world, their health care is minimal at best and the training of their health care professionals is highly inadequate. Patients have travelled great distances to see us for this seemingly famous annual project. Some people have carried children and adults on their backs over an hour just to come receive a wheelchair. Many others have chairs or equipment that is highly outdated and held together with wiring and bands.

We were given an opportunity to leave the hospital we have been serving at all week and drive four hours away to the a town named Aplao. The town is much smaller and has a great need for healthcare and medical equipment. We set up a clinic in a small auditorium as our home base today and treated patients there all day. We helped what felt like countless people and gave out around 20 wheelchairs along with plenty of orthotics, walkers, canes, and other accessories (none of which were easy to transport via bus and van for our long and distant trip over the mountains). So thanks to all of you who donated! Rest assured your donations were much needed.

As we continue to serve here, God is teaching us a great lesson on the body in more ways than one. Although sometimes broken, the body can be healed. Even if the body cannot heal the soul still carries on and a person with a disability can still be such a blessing to the people he or she meets. We have had such amazing chances to help others in their sufferings here in Arequipa. We have even had many chances to pray with our patients after treatments!! Through all of the patients we have treated, each and every one of them has taught us something valuable.  Patience, humility, kindness, and not to mention sharpening our PT skills (as well as Spanish)! We are also learning what it means to be part of the body of Christ. More to speak on behalf of Paul's message in 1 Corinthians 12, the body has many parts but yet it is still one. We are striving to be the hands and feet of Christ as we serve on this trip. We have already seen such amazing physical and spiritual healing and we have no doubt more is to come. We pray for continued success, safety, and glory to God.

For anyone who is reading, I apologize for the lack of posts. The wifi At our hotel moves at South American speed and comes in short waves! We will keep you updated as much as possible. We have the weekend off and will be visiting a local spot called Culca canyon for some R and R. There will likely be no wifi so there will be no contact with the outside world until Sunday night. Clinic starts back up again Monday!

Thanks for your prayers and your time spent reading! I am having difficulty getting pictures onto the blog with this wifi speed but I will keep trying!

God bless,
SRUinPeru team