Julie's Peru Mission Trip

Toward the end of November, I participated on a one-week medical mission trip in Peru with Medical Ministry International (MMI). Among many other firsts for me, it was the first time I travelled internationally on my own and it was the first time I joined a mission trip without knowing anyone who would be involved. Needless to say, I was quite nervous but also very excited to step into this adventure. As I headed to the airport I could hear Him softly whispering “Trust Me”.

After maneuvering through three airports, I arrived in Arequipa, Peru’s second largest city, with all my luggage and important documents still intact. Our team was brought to a beautiful guesthouse to stay for the week.

Our work began the next day with going to a police station where we were given space to set up our clinic. The patio and upper room were filled with donated equipment including many walkers, wheelchairs, crutches and canes. That afternoon, I and five other volunteers headed out to an outlying town called Ayaviri to open a smaller clinic. We brought as much equipment as we could stuff in and tie on top of our van.

During the drive, we saw wild lamas and sheep wandering in the pastures alongside the road. The scenery was spectacular. The elevation of Ayaviri is about 1200ft (400m) so the weather changed from being pleasantly warm to freezing cold. The altitude gave us all massive headaches for most of the day.

In both Ayaviri and nearby Canabilla we treated a great variety of patients, from a one-week old baby to the very elderly. We fitted many people with wheelchairs and walking aids, taught countless exercises and answered questions the best that we could through our translator. We became very creative with designing supplies out of duct tape. The people were always so very grateful for the help we could provide. By the end of our two days there we were all exhausted but agreed it was a very rewarding experience and we were all glad we had chosen to go.

The following three days we rejoined the rest of the team in Arequipa and worked in the clinic. I saw several children with terrible, untreated deformities that if treated earlier, they would likely be able to walk. Many elderly women complained of back and hip pain from years of being bent over working in the fields. On several occasions patients shed many tears as they revealed their sad or tragic stories to us. It was an opportunity for prayer, to show Christ’s compassion and provide hope and tangible help. One patient was so grateful for all she had received that she said we were “like angels that have come down from heaven.”

It was a very busy and exhausting week where I was challenged mentally, physically and spiritually. I did not even have time to think if God was truly there with me. However, as I reflect on the many times I was fearful and overcame that fear, when I felt inadequate and succeeded, when I was exhausted and carried on, when I felt lonely and someone came alongside; I realize that God was with me every step of the way, whispering, as He always does “Trust Me.”

I want to say a huge “Thank you!” to everybody who encouraged me, prayed for me and supported me financially to make this trip possible. All of you had a part in making a difference in my life and in the lives of the people I met and treated.

To see more photos and read their descriptions, visit our Flickr page here. Look for a set of photos titled Arequipa, Peru with a picture showing me at the airport.

Leeches, Cows and Lots of Children

Leeches! At first they seem innocuous. Little inch worm creatures moving like mini-slinkies, somersaulting toward our feet. Then we realized they were land leeches and suddenly they were worthy of serious attention as our team stomped through the thick tall grass, some only wearing flip-flops on that first day. Then flashes of movement and rustling amongst the dense vegetation gave away the presence of other small creatures and (hopefully) harmless snakes. Despite the creepy crawlies one could see the lushness of the land and the potential it holds to feed children with healthy food and yield cash crops that when sold will earn money to purchase other basic necessities.

Context. In this Southeast Asia country with its warm, humid weather and vast low-lying deltas, it is easy to see conditions conducive for a rich harvest but these conditions also revealed its susceptibility to deathly floods when Cyclone Nargis ripped through this country mercilessly in 2008. Conservative death estimates were around 150,000 while some unconfirmed independent estimates numbered deaths as high as one million. Whether it is shunning international aid in the face of a natural disaster or exercising political persecution amongst its own population, it is impossible to avoid the smothering presence of the ruling military government.

Hope. But in the midst of this poverty of resources and freedoms there continue to be those who embody love and self-sacrifice and the result are homes where children who have lost both parents grow and thrive. We were at such an orphanage where children are loved, sheltered and have an opportunity to receive a good education. They also have an opportunity to meet Jesus and we witnessed the fruit of that relationship as we shared our days with children who raised their hands in worship with full conviction and blessed us with their beautiful voices in song.

The Orphanage. In fact, those who operate the orphanage are not content to just take care of their own children but they also bless other orphanages with gifts of food and various life staples from the fruit of their own land and labour. How much more does God desire to bless those who are themselves generous with what they have been given! Our one week visit there was to assist them by developing a Master Plan for the development of their 27 acre property. They have already begun by building homes, providing clean water and working toward self-sufficiency through agricultural/aquacultural initiatives. However, they also understand that as they continue to develop their property with housing and agriculture they need guidance to maximize the use of their land.

Existing Conditions. The property currently has one girls home and one boys home with a current total of thirty four children. Both homes include space for house-parents. There is also a Dining/Kitchen building, one staff house, a straw and thatch kitchen and two water towers. There are two fish ponds and facilities to raise cows, goats and chickens. These animals provide fresh milk, eggs and meat for the children. A variety of vegetables and fruit are grown on various parts of the property.

On a separate piece of land this orphanage owns and operates a farm where they grow many acres of rice as a cash crop, maintain a very large fish pond and raise turkeys. The proceeds of the farm help pay orphanage staff wages, provide planting/harvesting work for the local population and feed their own children as well as those in other nearby orphanages.

Master Plan. The goal of our team was to take a scattering of existing buildings and create a village: a place of community, recreation and learning. When the Master Plan is fully built out, there will be a central community outdoor space with a soccer field, an administration building, five girls homes, five boys homes, an education centre/guest house, a multi-purpose (gym/meeting) building. These will all have their defined locations but will be connected to each other visually through the landscaping to maintain a connectedness, an accountability within the community. A sustainability/resource planner on the team helped to organize the agriculture around the property to create visual interest and take advantage of various growing conditions.

The Children. While our team of engineers, architects and planners worked hard to develop the design of the site plan, buildings and infrastructure, the pay-off was to spend some time with the children who all have had such a hard start to life. The smiles, laughter and playfulness that exuded from the children could easily have been cynicism and hardness if they had not been brought into the care of this orphanage. But in these children we see eyes that twinkle with curiosity and we hold hands that reach out knowing it will be received and held with love and protection. These children sleep soundly, assured of their heavenly Father’s love.

Love Thy Neighbours. At mid-week of our time we took an afternoon off to visit two other orphanages. These were on smaller, more urban properties where they had less chance to grow their own food sources. But where they could they have done so and at both orphanages we were again met with songs of joy and thanksgiving from the children. It struck me that often the children in our western churches, who have so much, do not sing with as much conviction and thanksgiving as these children who have so little by comparison: there is something we can learn from them.

Project Photos. A new set of photos has been place in my Photo Gallery for this project, so click here (Photo Gallery) and see the Southeast Asia set with a slideshow (click the middle of the photo for commentary). If you want to spend a little more time looking and reading, click here in Details (Photo Details). Check these out along with the project video on my side bar and see what your support, encouragement and prayer have produced in the work of this team. "Thank you" to all our prayer and financial supporters for making this project a reality.

Back to Southeast Asia

Most countries we travel to are grateful for the service that eMi teams provide. However, on October 8th, I will be leading an eMi project team to a country that does not welcome international assistance with open arms. In fact, this country's recent history is fraught with injustices to its own people and in recent times shamelessly turned away international aid in the aftermath of a major natural disaster that killed 200,000 of its own people and destroyed the lives of many others who survived.


But just as eMi does not conduct projects as “feel good” opportunities for it staff and volunteers, so neither does eMi conduct projects to simply gain favour or accolades from local governments. Some countries are called “hard” or “closed” by missionary groups for a variety of reasons but nonetheless, these are places where people need the Lord, the ministries need our help and where we desire to live out Christ’s love.

The orphanage we are serving on this trip owns a property of approximately 30 acres. Several homes have been built for the staff and children but as the ministry expands they realize the need for a good master plan and an integrated building and infrastructure design. Besides planning for living and educational facilities, agriculture and aquaculture will also be integrated into the make-up of the ministry and the character of the property. These will help toward maximizing self-sustainability as well as offer skill training for its youth.

To help achieve these goals, we are bringing a diverse group that will include architects, a landscape architect, a sustainability/resource planner, two civil engineers (survey, water, waste water, site grading), a structural engineer, an electrical engineer and a draftsman.

Besides providing this service we will take moments to play with the children and we are making plans to buy groceries with donated funds and distribute them to poor families.

Ironically, the orphanage we are helping has been recognized by the local government as an excellent example of a well-operated orphanage. The testimony of the work and effort of the orphanage staff is going beyond the boundaries of the orphanage property!


Our goal is that our efforts will a) raise the living standards in which the children live b) be a good guide to ongoing expansion and development of the ministry for the proper stewardship of their resources and c) that this be a place of physical, educational and spiritual growth and development.

Please pray with us and for us as our team endeavours to serve this ministry to orphans whose families have suffered great persecution. Pray as well for all our families at home as they carry on the busyness of life without those of us on the team.

You can see more details of the project by visiting the link under Greg's Upcoming Projects at the top of the right side bar of my blog. Thank you to all our supporters and friends who have come alongside my family and me in so many different ways, making it possible for me to be a part of this work. I look forward to sharing with you all about this project upon our return.