Friday was a day of endings and beginnings, last and firsts: The last 7am bus trip to Collique, fighting the morning rush hour traffic to find the road from the valley to the hilltop, God’s hilltop. It was the last morning devotional, prayer, and singing “This is the day that the Lord has made...” And it was the last morning to offer a cup of cool water, an encouraging word, a little bit of comfort in God’s name.
The afternoon was all about packing up and beginning to think about the next trip in October. Everyone was hurrying to finish so that we could celebrate the wedding of Rebecca and West.
Then, the ceremony finally started, the bride was beautiful! She walked with her father from the OSA house to the canopy in the athletic surface where we all waited. The mission team sang “There is A Sweet, Sweet Spirit in this place….” Truer words were never sung or spoken. There was an animated song by the children who represents a new beginning for this community. There were promises of love and commitment, and the first time as Dr. West and Ms. Rebecca Ficken. It was a wonderful ceremony and reception, probably the first time two gringos had been married on this hilltop. It was the beginning of a new family, a time of great joy.
Then, long after the supplies were packed away, there was an urgent call to the home across the street where on of the young mothers was in pain. She was likely pregnant, but had not seen a doctor yet. The likely signs and symptoms suggested appendicitis. So she was transferred to the hospital for evaluation and treatment… the last patient of this trip.
Then it was time to say good bye. “We will see you in October,” was more that an empty phrase. You could tell in their faces that they knew that we would not desert them. There were last hugs and kisses. We got on the green bus for the last afternoon trip from Collique. The children waved and shouted as we made our way down from the hill top to the valley.
The last bus ride was the most difficult. The fight to get back to the hotel through the Friday afternoon rush hour traffic was fierce. The driving was even more reckless than usual. Benito and the Lord protected us.
It is not possible to go to the hilltop and not be changed. The last day of our trip was the first day of the rest of our lives. May God bless our efforts and prepare us for more service.
Sam Law (doctor)
Final Words
"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen." Jeremiah 29: 11,12. Sharing God´s love with the people of Collique has become part of His plan for my life and for that I will NEVER cease to praise Him!
I´ve never experienced a week to totally filled with the Holy Spirit! He planned the curriculum. He told us when to modify and adjust as we questioned various options. But, mostly, He helped us listen to each child with our hearts, and talk with each child with His words. At the end of each day we would just sit back and say, "WOW! Can you believe what just happened here today?" We watched in amazement as seeds planted on earlier trips in the fertile soil of each little heart grew by leaps and bounds each morning and afternoon.
The OSA kids were a little nervous about singing at Becca and Wes´ wedding on Friday afternoon. As they lined up in their bright blue OSA shirts and colorful VBS baseball caps, I prayed that the beautiful sounds of the Holy Spirit would come out of their mouths and His light would shine out of their faces as they sang "I've Got Peace Like a River in My Soul". And, of course, you know that is exactly what happened.
As I threw my belongings in the suitcase and geared up for the long flight home, four phrases kept ringing in my head: Stacy's saying," Tell the kids where you live in Houston to pray a lot to God because He will listen. "Tell them to thank God for everything they have," said Enzo, and Phillipe saying, " Tell them to thank God for life.", and finally David (who played the part of Jesus in the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection on Friday) saying, "Tell them to thank Jesus for showing us the way to God."
All of us would probably be willing to throw our clothes in the washer and get on a plane and start all over next week - well, maybe week after next.
Thanks for letting me be a part of OSA this week in this place.
When my world gets to close, when its chaos becomes so intense that I feel my spirit is slowly deserting me, I know that it is time for me to return to Collique. It puts me at some distance from my everyday patterns, and allows me to view my life from different perspectives. There, all the trials of my own life are trivialized by comparison and seem to be eased away by a Force that I have difficulty explaining. This is the attraction of Collique.
I love to come here. Even though our work is personally rewarding, my heart gets broken every day. This is the emotion of Collique.
Everywhere I look, I see need. And I am not alone. Everyone else sees it too-only through their own perspectives-Doctors, Nurses, Dentists, Teachers, Hygienists, Counselors, and Pharmacists. We all have ideas about what we can do to make things better. And we pray that our ideas may be a part of God’s plan. This is the challenge of Collique.
Tomorrow, Rebecca and I are getting married in Collique. We will be celebrating with many of our closest friends and family-both immediate and extended-outside on a concrete playground surrounded by the shanty of Collique-and it will be AWESOME! There is an indescribable peace here in the mist of their struggles. There is a happiness that their suffering releases. There is Faith and Hope and Love. This is the joy of Collique.
West Ficken (dentist)
When you think that these people in Collique have a hard deal – nothing prepares you for the fact that there is in fact another group with in addition to the abject poverty have the debilitating disease of HIV and AIDS. Today we saw approximately 30 HIV patients including one with full blown AIDS.
It is hard to accept that that these innocent victims of this insidious disease are so, so, young. Twenty-four all under 11 years of age, and one as young as 2 years. We saw one girl that had acquired HIV at birth and was also brain damaged. We saw one girl who was an identical twin that was HIV (+) while her twin sister was HIV (-).
Why – where is the justice in life? I cannot answer that question. All I can say is that with the advent of new retroviral drugs that these people can live a relatively normal life.
We lay tribute to the care givers of “Hogar de VIDA” the organization that cares for the Mothers and Children who have HIV and provide parental care and teach them how to cope and move on. Yet again it shows lucky we are and how much we have while these people have so little.
An ancient philosopher said that the longest journey started with one step. We hope, we have taken that first.
Tuesday night in Lima. After a long day seeing patients, and dinner at the Chifa (Chinese Restaurant),
I squeezed into the front seat of a tiny taxi for the ride back to the hotel. Tired, riding without speaking to the driver, I concentrated on the chaotic traffic and night street noise.
Go ahead and say something to the driver. But I spent all day in Spanish; why say anything now? “There’s a lot of traffic… What’s your work schedule?...” Then “where are you from?”
His question allowed my response of my routine Spanish spiel. “We’re from the U.S., doctors, nurses and dentists. Work in a clinic in Collique, a charity project. We’re Christians and our duty is to ‘help our neighbor’. We’re here to share our Christian faith as well”. Continuing to drive he said his wife was sick, a urinary infection. He produced the prescription. “The medication is too expensive”. Seeing the Rx for Cipro, I pulled the bottle from my bag. “Que causualidad!” What a coincidence! Look, I have A BOTTLE OF CIPRO with me. I’ll give you what you need.”
Slowly his expression registered comprehension and gratitude as he remained silent. He took the bag with pills. “Actually, it was not a coincidence. This was supposed to happen. God willed this ‘coincidence’. Buenas noches. Que Dios lo bendiga”. May God bless you. Stepping from the taxi, I went into the hotel.
Ray Verm
P.S. For those of you who do not know, Ray is our camp doctor. He has every drug known to man in his small black bag and carries it with him everywhere.
Hola! Today is the third day of our trip to Collique, Peru to provide God’s love with the community and provide much needed dental and medical services to the people who live here. It is impossible for me to describe in a way that you could truly understand the basic level of living conditions found here. However, even in this challenging environment, where many families live in shanties made of cardboard, hardboard, woven mats and on floors of powdery dirt there is evidence of improvement in the lives of these people. I have heard many of the dentists, doctors, nurses and others that, especially in the children who come to OSA House each day for classes, that children are taking better care of their teeth, there is less evidence of parasites, more pride in their work and greater confidence in their own abilities. Even in this desolate community God is at work among His children.
I can’t pass up this opportunity to share with you what a wonderful presence the Roses are making in the community. It is obvious that Jessie, Chris and little Joshua have touched the lives of the people here. One can see from the reactions of the children and community members that there is mutual respect, appreciation and love flowing between them.
You may recall that the South Main Baptist Foundation provided funding to build an apartment home for the missionary couple who would serve here. I have included a few pictures to show you what a wonderful home setting this generosity has provided for God’s representatives in Collique.
The clinic providing both dental and medical services is seeing between 100 and 150 persons each day. The services range from minor, but important, checkups to more serious interventions. The people are touched by the loving Christian focus provided by the caregivers and the acceptance of each patient as a unique and respected person. God’s message of salvation is shared many times each day in the treatment rooms and caregivers often pray with a patient.
Another area of service provides better living conditions for families. On this trip a new addition is being built for a family of five. Their current house is made of cardboard and mats for sides and a floor of dirt. The picture of Chris Rose and two local helpers shows this house in the back ground. Not only will the new plywood structure provide better protection from the elements, it will provide privacy and a much more secure environment for their meager belongings. “El Jefe” McNeir would be proud of the construction methods used in Collique. However, we can’t see it from OSA house.
I can say with assurance that God is making a difference here in Collique by the presence of the Roses and the constant services, assistance and loving attention of Operación San Andres in this place. Today, when the story of salvation was shared with a class of older children twelve children gave their lives to Christ.
In closing I will say that I am deeply touched by the desperate conditions of the people here and uplifted by the love and caring demonstrated by the people with whom I serve in God’s name.
Keep us and the people of Collique in your prayers as we do you.
The weather these last few days has been beautiful! We have had sunny clear skies and cool winds. I had not been to Lima in April for fifteen years. I had forgotten how pretty this city can look.
You see, I grew up in Lima. I am very familiar with the city, the ocean and the people. I grew up knowing that the poor, the weak and the oppressed lived among us.
I was aware of the cycle of poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy and inequity plagues many in Peru. But in all the years that I lived here I never saw the socio-economic perils and harsh reality of life in Peru until I came to Collique. People that live here are the poorest, the weakest and most oppressed in Peru.
This morning OSA house became a house of physical and spiritual restoration to the people of Collique. As we started our charge here, doctors, nurses, dentists, dental hygienists, pharmacists, construction workers, psychologists, teachers and support staff worked together bringing God’s healing hand and powerful word to men, women and children.
After a lunch break at noon, we resume our work and continued until 5 p.m. The hour-and-a-half bus trip back to our hotel was a reminder of how removed we live from the daily needs of the poor. As this beautiful day comes to a close I feel that God has brought me back to Peru to experience His love as He uses each one of us to meet one of His special children at the point of his/her need.
We arrived safe and sound Saturday evening. Customs, as always was an adventure, but with patience we made it through. We arrived at our “home away from home” – Hotel Señorial - after midnight. They take very good care of us here and know us very well. One by one we lined up, got our keys and retired for a few hours sleep before our devotional, church service and set up in Collique.
Dr Campos opened our April OSA Mission Trip on Sunday. He shared the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Jesus knelt down and washed the dirty, filthy feet of the disciples. Peter tried to stop him saying “NEVER” would he allow Jesus to do such a demeaning function for him. Jesus told Peter that He must wash Peter’s feet, or Peter could “NEVER” have any part of Jesus. He mentioned that he has often tried to force his own ideas and desires for Operación San Andrés work in Collique, Peru. We must step aside though and remove our preconceived notions and follow the Will of God as we do His work.
I can definitely relate to this. Being in the medical field it is often easy to get a big head and think that I have helped people. Yes, I have had a hand in it, but God is in the driver’s seat. Each and every trip I have taken to Collique, I set up the pharmacy and inventory our supplies. I look at our medications and it never fails that I see something that I think we will never use. At some point a patient arrives and the one item I thought useless is the very medication that is needed for this very special patient. At that moment, I stop, and say “Yes, God, it is You not I.” This only works if we allow God to work through us rather than trying to take charge and set the direction of the work to be done. He was here before we got here. He will be here after we leave. He will guide us while we are here. It is His will, for His people, and if we listen and follow we can be a part of the Greatness that He has planned.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we minister to our Christian Family in Collique.
Missions Blog - Peru
We arrived safe and sound Saturday evening. Customs, as always was an adventure, but with patience we made it through. We arrived at our “home away from home” – Hotel Señorial - after midnight. They take very good care of us here and know us very well. One by one we lined up, got our keys and retired for a few hours sleep before our devotional, church service and set up in Collique.
Dr Campos opened our April OSA Mission Trip on Sunday. He shared the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Jesus knelt down and washed the dirty, filthy feet of the disciples. Peter tried to stop him saying “NEVER” would he allow Jesus to do such a demeaning function for him. Jesus told Peter that He must wash Peter’s feet, or Peter could “NEVER” have any part of Jesus. He mentioned that he has often tried to force his own ideas and desires for Operación San Andrés work in Collique, Peru. We must step aside though and remove our preconceived notions and follow the Will of God as we do His work.
I can definitely relate to this. Being in the medical field it is often easy to get a big head and think that I have helped people. Yes, I have had a hand in it, but God is in the driver’s seat. Each and every trip I have taken to Collique, I set up the pharmacy and inventory our supplies. I look at our medications and it never fails that I see something that I think we will never use. At some point a patient arrives and the one item I thought useless is the very medication that is needed for this very special patient. At that moment, I stop, and say “Yes, God, it is You not I.” This only works if we allow God to work through us rather than trying to take charge and set the direction of the work to be done. He was here before we got here. He will be here after we leave. He will guide us while we are here. It is His will, for His people, and if we listen and follow we can be a part of the Greatness that He has planned.