NOTE: THIS IS ALSO BEING SENT FROM CUSCO JUNE 16
2013 Peru Mission Report #3: Friday, June 14 at 5 A.M. from ADRA camp between Cusco and Pomacanchi, Peru.
Dear Family and Friends:
Even though we cannot send this probably until Cusco or later, I’ll record a few more memories to share if you are interested.
Austin apparently had something more than a slight stomach upset from eating beets. The next day he vomited twice and fasted that day and the next but got liquids to keep hydration. Yesterday (Thursday) he felt well again and ate sparingly. The doctor with us examined him and noted no fever or stomach pain and felt Austin was ok without further treatment. But on the suggestion of other mission tour members from USA and our translator, we took him to the clinic in Pomacanchi. That doctor examined him and thought it best to have him take some meds for three days just in case. That is being done.
Our cook is very meticulous to use clean water in all our food and drink, but negative microbes are everywhere including the air we breathe. Shoveling the dirt and gravel at the church building site throws that dust into the air and you can’t avoid breathing ANY of it. Sanitation here as well as in most of the countries we visit in our mission work, is very poor and human waste becomes airborne. Where in this world can one be completely safe in the environment? Most of the diseases we suffer from are caused by the poor choices we make in food, drink, rest, exercise etc. We can’t be in a perfect environment always and still reach out to do the work of the Lord in reaching all nations with His Gospel of Salvation. We might consider it as an occupational hazard but make the best choices we can under the circumstances. Our call is not to sit at home as comfortable as possible waiting for the Lord to return, but to reach out to His other children wherever they need our help.
Austin is breathing much better here at Camp than in the congested atmosphere of Cusco because there is less pollution away from the city traffic. We will be there just one and a half days on our way home. Lima also will be difficult during the half day we spend between flights. We expect to visit the Inquisition Museum. It will be a new experience for Austin. Mary Alice and I saw it last year after our meetings in Tacna, Peru.
Things are looking up at the meetings. The children continue to attend numbering about 25 each evening. Then they go home and many of the parents come. The Jesus video is really appreciated in spite of difficulties with equipment that arise. On Wednesday night during the Jesus Video we kept getting a popup message on the screen to check the air flow of the video projector. I had to shut down the projector to let it “cool” (in spite of the room being cold) as we did in Nepal last year. After a short while I could turn it back on. It is rather disturbing and interruptive.
Yesterday I took the projector apart and cleaned the dust filter with my razor brush. The dirt went into our sink and I had a hard time getting it clean again because the dust must have been oily. The tissue gathered the dust but left a residue. Mary Alice had packed some Tide detergent and I used it to make the sink really clean once again. She packed enough clothing that I didn’t need to use the Tide to wash clothes here. It would have been very hard to get them dry if I did. Last night the projector ran perfectly.
God has a way of turning difficulties into blessings. There was a town meeting scheduled at our site to begin at 7:30. That meant that our meeting had to close by then and would be cut short. We planned accordingly and the blessing was that we had many more people (35 adults plus a few children) because they came early for their other meeting. We could reach them and advertise the rest of our series including the special closing meeting at the new church site in Pomacanchi.
After our meeting closed we took a taxi to the Pomacanchi site where the bus was and waited for that meeting to close so we could head back to Camp and pick up the other team members along the way.
Work is progressing well at the building site of the new Pomacanchi church. There were no workers from USA other than Austin who signed up to help with construction, so John Youngberg, our Mission Trip Leader, had to hire local people to supplement. They turned out to be the best workers he has ever been with on a construction project. For very minimal wages they really work hard. We help each morning as do some of the other speakers, but Austin has not been able to work each day because of his health problem. Yesterday (Thursday) we were there helping where we could as they laid the concrete floor. They hired an electric mixer which kept three people with wheelbarrows busy pushing the fresh mix to the floor areas being laid. Today we will have to erect the arches and put on the roof so it will be ready for our final church service of this trip. The sidewalls and finishing touches of tile flooring will have to come later without John’s help. He has taught some new methods to the construction people here and they appreciate that. I was impressed at his lazar technology used to make the level sightings for laying the block and drain pipes. The locals were using plumb lines as in building Solomon’s Temple in Bible Times. The biggest challenge in getting the building completed while we were here was in getting the building supplies on time.
That’s enough for now. I may try to get a little more sleep before Worship at 7:30 and breakfast before heading for the work site again. I have vespers tonight but have something in mind already to share there. I have my sermon for tonight also ready because I did that before writing this.
4:00 P.M. Friday: At the site this morning we were pleased to see that the entire floor was laid and two of the six arches were in place. It takes a lot of time to get each one right. They are welded in place. It is interesting to see the welder up on a scaffold of boards laid in the arches and doing his work as if it were on the ground.
There are some hazards. John was nearly electrocuted this morning. He was up on the scaffold and didn’t know that one end was grounded electricity. His hand made the connection between that and the welding machine and he took a terrible shock of 220 volts. We are all glad that he did not die. What a blow that would have been to his family and to all of us depending on his leadership to complete this project and lead the tours on the way home! He has suffered an infection of the upper bronchia tubes and accepted some local tea as a remedy. It would have been a hard decision for me to do that but he trusted the local people who kindly offered it. He has also been nauseous because of altitude or intake of something with the bad germs. He believes it was his working amid the dust so long is what hit him most. Mission trips have a cost beyond the price of the airfare etc.
Austin and I had a nap after lunch since both missed a lot of sleep last night. The altitude makes it difficult to sleep clear through at night. Getting enough oxygen is the problem.
At the site this morning I did some work carrying cement blocks as did Austin. He forgot to bring the hat John loaned him but used his hood in the cool part of the morning. You see, John has outfitted Austin and me from head (hat) to foot (shoes) but we are turning them in now because we won’t be doing more work on the building site before leaving Sunday morning at 8 for Cusco. I loaned Austin my hat for a while too so we could share in the extra ultraviolet rays rather than have one take it all.
My translator, Ruth, came to the site and accompanied me to the bank to cash some more dollars for soles. Some of our group did not bring crisp bills and were refused at the bank to cash them into soles. Fortunately, I had brought extra and they were good. So I became part of the banking industry exchanging for others from our surplus. Our banks at home won’t mind the crinkled bills I’ll take back.
Ruth also led me to where I could buy a machete that Austin wants to take home. It is good quality imported from Columbia. I also found with Ruth’s help some warm leggings for female members of the family. We had not found them on an earlier trip. She made sure the price was right too. The sales lady had seen me working at the new church site. We were able to invite several to our closing meeting Sabbath morning and also gave out books to the bank people who served us. It was a helpful “leave of absence” from carrying blocks.
Our food this noon was especially delicious. Much of it comes from the greenhouse here. The cook told us that many of the tomatoes are spoiling on the vine because they do not have people to gather them in time. They are so delicious, like tomatoes are supposed to be rather than what we normally get in markets at home. I have done my share in using them up rather than letting them rot. We talked of trying to take some to distribute at church tomorrow, but that also has problems so it probably won’t get done.
Considering the slow progress in getting the arches up at the new church, we will probably not have the roof on for the service tomorrow. The locals can finish it later. I think the materials are in hand now for the metal roof. We may have a tarp to shield from the sun tomorrow.
They are planning a baptism tomorrow in spite of the unfinished details. Pastor Sanchez will have the service. He is from USA and his wife is a Bible Worker. She and Ruth, my translator, have been visiting interests here from the meetings. Ruth is needed because much of the conversation must be in Quechua, the Indian language. There may be some from our site in spite of the series being so short. My role is only to preach and have it translated. I think our example counts also. They really need a Bible Worker here to continue to follow up. The District Pastor has 29 churches to keep up with and needs help. Maybe we can find money to support a Bible Worker for a year at $300 per month.
We see evidence of Satan’s work trying to hinder the meetings in any way possible. Yesterday, Mrs. Sanchez and Ruth each sprained an ankle (within 3 hours of each other). Both are walking today but without comfort.
David and Claudia have only been able to preach two nights at their site because someone double scheduled and cancelled them out. Claudia did get permission to conduct a children’s meeting at 9 A.M. tomorrow at that site during our Sabbath School at the new church. Also, David had computer problems at least twice and could not use it. Their courage is still good. Each one has had face some special problem in presenting the messages. Seed is being planted and some will be reaped very soon.
Coming back from the church site this noon, I was able to sit in the front by the bus driver and took a lot of video footage through the front window showing the passing panorama vistas to their best advantage in the brilliant sun. We will share them with any who are interested when we return home.
It is time to get ready for supper and our trip to the meeting sites for this last sermon before we leave (other than the central meeting at the new church tomorrow morning.
With love,
Glenn and Austin (Grandpa and Grandson)