Everything We Have

A year ago I promised myself that I would do whatever it took to make it to another country in order to serve.

In 5 days, we will travel from Cleveland, to Miami, to Lima, to Arequipa. We will break bread with native Peruvians, explore their culture, speak of life and of love, and will rest peacefully in the homes they have opened to us. Finally, and most importantly, we will use our knowledge, our abilities and our hands with the hope that we can bring a bit of joy to their lives. Through our actions, we will spread the love of Christ, both as His servants, and as theirs.

I am energized by this opportunity and am filled with joy and happiness! This trip is greater than any one of us and our actions are not directed towards personal gain. Rather, our sole focus is to change the world, one life at a time. I believe that we can be that change. The challenge is that in order to be effective in our actions we must first humble ourselves and become immersed in their culture. We are guests and as such must open our hearts to their beliefs, understand the mantra of family and pride, and overcome the barrier of tongue. We must first spend our time learning to understand before we make any efforts to be understood.

Your prayers, your thoughts, and your support have all been accepted and appreciated and are continually desired.

Godspeed,

Ronald Peacock, Jr., SPT

Bigger than Machu Picchu?

Hi Friends and Family,

Less than 2 weeks before we head out to Peru! Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and donations thus far.

This week, Devin organized the surplus of the donations we received for the kids. Thanks Devin!! Our closets are now full of toys, soaps, toothbrushes, assistive devices, shoes, orthotics and much more! Thank you to everyone who donated these items.

As we approach our departure, I can’t help but think about my life over the past year and a half. Life has not been easy for me (to say the least). I imagine some of you reading this might have had a rough 2016-2017 as well. With being said, it makes this trip that much more special to me. I am incredibly thankful to have this opportunity to travel to Peru – in more ways than one. But I think I’ll keep those to myself for now.

I have this sense that this trip is bigger than physical therapy. Bigger than Ryan Vaughan (or any other classmate of mine). Bigger than MMI. Yeah… even bigger than Machu Picchu. I don’t know what “bigger” looks, feels, tastes, sounds like, other than how Jesus is in the business of engaging with us through his story of grace. I pray that we would not see this trip so much as a project or humanitarian effort, but rather as a part of a story which gives meaning and purpose to ourselves and those we encounter.

The true gift is recognizing that story is not only lived out on a mission trip to Peru, but it is the vehicle by which God makes himself known to us in our day to day life. I hope you’ll continue to join us as we journey to Peru

Peace out cub scouts,

Ryan

Peru 2017: Meet the Squad

Hello Friends and Family,

Ryan Vaughan here. We are just about a month away from embarking on our trip to Peru! Excitement mounts as we anticipate our departure on August 4th. If you wish to follow our journey to Peru, you can find us right here at this blog spot. Ron Peacock and I have the privilege of documenting our journey for you all back home. Feel free to drop us questions, notes of encouragement, prayers, or whathaveyou. First, let’s take some time to introduce you all to the team:

• Standing (left - right): Ron Peacock, Dave Reinhardt, Kimmy Krupack, Kylie Leasure, Devin Porter, and Ryan Vaughan
• Kneeling (left - right): Elyssa Beer, Kiley Fletcher, and Taylor Hopkins

We hope to do a small spotlight on each member of the “Peru Crew” just to give you some fun facts about us all. So, stay tuned!

How can you support us? Well, several ways! Prayers for the people and support staff that we will be working with in Peru are certainly welcomed. We ask that you would specifically pray for those who will be in our immediate care. Some of the people we will be working with have waited for months and months to receive care the day we arrive. Some travel from 5 hours away to make it to the clinic.

Moreover, we ask for prayers for open hearts and open minds for ourselves. I imagine that the people of Peru will end up teaching us more about God than we could even fathom. My hope is that we might see faith renewed and hope restored in our own lives.

We are still raising support to fund our trip. So, if you are interested in supporting us monetarily please leave a comment below and we will be in touch. Thank you in advance!

Signing off for now,

Ryan Vaughan and the Peru Crew

Ephesians 3:20-21: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.