Bendecidos para Bendecir

There is a children’s home about 45 minutes outside of Lima, Peru. It houses 40 orphan children from 7 years old to 16 years old. It is a simple building. The upstairs is where the girls rooms are and the downstairs the boys stay. When the Peru team from Mariner’s pulls up in a bus, we get out and grab many arm fulls of food. We also bring some toys for the kids. Some of the younger team members go out on the grass and play soccer with the kids. We are wanting to communicate and bring God’s love and his blessings to the home. I feel for these children who do not have loving parents to live with. They have nothing, and I think to myself…..how can these kids make it? Will they make it in life and will they be successful in what they want to do.

We take a tour with the director of the home, Pastor Christian. He tells us how he loves his work and treats each child as his own. He has a gleam in his eye when he speaks. I see a passion. He tells me , “This is not work.” He then explains that these kids can stay till they are 18 and graduate from school. He tells a story of one girl who lived at the home and wanted to become a nurse. She told Pastor Christian, "I do not think I will ever be one". Pastor Christian asked her why? She says, "Because I do not have the money to go to school and get my training". He explained to me that he told her if she wanted to become a nurse he would pay for her schooling, and that is exactly what he did. She now comes to the school to give her time to the kids at the home when they need a nurse. This is a moving story. Then, I observe, our team giving out our bracelets we brought to share with the children, which has written on them, "Bendecidos para
bendecir". This translates to, "Blessed to be a blessing". I ask, has everyone received a bracelet? The children showed me their bracelet. One child said. I got mine, but Jose did not get one. I was impressed. It showed me just how caring the kids are to one another and how they treat one another as family. It also showed me these kids understood the value of telling the truth. They were not hiding their bracelets in their pocket to secure another. This was refreshing, as in other situations in our travels the children were not honest and tried many times to get just one more of whatever we were handing out.

Pastor Christian and his staff are doing a great job with these kids. They are instilling biblical values, such as love for your brother, and the importance of telling the truth. These kids are blessings, they are loved, and taught good values.

As our team got back on the bus and were leaving I thought of my concerns that I had earlier before I had met Pastor Christian and the children in the home. God now showed me through others what he can accomplish by just being faithful to your calling and that is exactly what Pastor Christian was doing. I was blessed and the whole Peru Team was blessed that night. These kids had nothing and yet they had everything. These kids were poor in material things and very rich in spirit. We were bringing blessings to the children and the children in turn were blessing us. "Bendecidos para Bendecir" - Blessed to be a blessing.

Psalm 100: 5

For the Lord is always good. He is always loving and Kind, and his faithfulness goes on and on to each succeeding generation.

An Amazing Man

Iquitos – A city that sits in the middle of the jungle in Peru. It is the largest city in Peru that has no roads that lead to it. The only way you can get there is by plane or boat. This city is hot and humid as you might expect, but in this city, there lives a man named Ricardo. He is Pastor Ricardo. He makes his money as a tour guide. He has lived his life in the surrounding area of Iquitos, as a child. He grew up in a small village outside of the main city. On this particular day, as he is touring Mariners Peru team, he shares with me his vision. Ricardo tells me his concerns for the souls of the villagers in the jungle. He says he has a heart for these villagers in the remote areas along the Amazon River, and into the jungle. He carries a simple message, but a very important one. This message is of salvation and God’s love to ALL mankind. This man goes out in a boat to the villages, and he packs in to bring the good news of Jesus to the villagers. These people don’t know about that. Many of them have never left their village. They have lived all their lives away from civilization. Many of them do not know what is going on outside of their village. He goes on to tell me he hopes to plant many churches along the Amazon in Peru. This is his dream. I ask him where he will build his church. He looks at me and smiles, I don’t know yet, but God does. This Peruvian has a small stature but a BIG heart. He is allowing God to use him in a special way. One can feel the strength and see the passion in his eyes. He is a simple man on firer for God. I saw and experienced that and what a blessing it was. It is a day I will never forget, and long after that day that I spoke with Pastor Ricardo,I will think of him and I will wonder just how God is accomplishing the vision he put into Pastor Ricardo's heart. Someday, when I return to Peru, I will get in a boat and journey down the river and I will fully expect to see a church along the Amazon River with Pastor Ricardo written on the post. This is an amazing man. A man living his faith in the deep jungles of Peru.

Mark 16:15
You are to go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere.

Princess for a Day

Today, August 14th, is the last official day of ministry for the Mariners Peru team. We went to the Nancy Cole Home for the abused women. Though it is a home for women, many of the women there are under 20. Most women have been abused in the hands of their fathers or uncles. Some girls are raped by their fathers and when they get pregnant, the father performs an abortion with a coat hanger only to rape them again. The atrocity and the horrific nature of their suffering is beyond what my mind is able to comprehend. Statistics given to us by local missionaries here say 1 in 6 boys are abused by the time they are 12 and more than 60% of the girls are sexually abused.

Here is an exerpt of a diary entry by Marie Fitch who is 15 years old. She is the one who wanted to come on this missions trip and her father "tagged" along. She has been an indespensable team member with her wit, humor and innocence.

"Today we will be going to the Nancy Cole Home. We have stopped at the moment because we are picking up the cakes for the party. We are going to have stations at the home. One will be the teddy bear station with devotions where they will explain that we love them. Then we're going to have a Mariners store, where they can pick out an outfit they like. Then a doctor station, where Robin will be and a feet washing station where they will get a brand new pair of shoes. We will also be serving lunch and we brought dessert. For lunch, we're bringing chicken because they only get protein 1 time a month, so we´re treating them. We had a good time. I got to work the store and play with one of the girl´s baby. The girls were treated like princesses for a day. All the men escorted the girls into their seats for lunch where we had a gift bag prepared for them, filled with makeups, brush, hair clips and so much more. After, we did all the dishes we said our goodbye to the girls and left." - Marie Fitch

All in all, we didn´t fix their lives, but we were able to love on them and make them feel special. Many of their hearts are hard so please pray for God´s love to penetrate and soften their hearts.

I will give them one heart and I will put a new spirit within them; I will remove the hearts of stone from their bodies and I will give them tender hearts.
Ezekiel 11:19

Poverty

For most of us living in the United States, we take many things for granted. Have you ever thought how blessed we are being born into a country with all the infrastructure already in place? How about being born into the family that loves and protects you or that many of us are able-bodied, able to use our limbs as we please?

How would your life change if you were born in a third-world country? How about into a family where your father sold you into prostitution when you are only 12 years old so that he can buy more drugs? Or that because there is inadequate health care the doctor had to amputate your leg and you are now stuck in crutches.

Many poor communities in Peru are like shanty towns with raw sewage running in front of houses, that consist of ply-wood walls and corrugated sheet metal for roofs. At best these homes are 200 square feet for a family of 5 or more. Seeing such blatant poverty makes me wonder if I could live in that state. I know I DON'T want to live in such a state. So what makes me so different that I am where I am and they are where they are? Am I simply blessed? Does worldly riches make one more blessed?

As difficult as it is to see such poverty, I wonder what is worse, physical poverty or spiritual poverty? Despite the tremendous lack and the need, the Peruvian people we were able to minister to are extremely grateful and joyful. I suppose if I had to choose I would choose worldly poverty since this world is just but a blink of an eye compared to eternity with Jesus my Savior. How about you?

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:3

Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a rich man whose ways are perverse.
Proverbs 28:6

Gabriel and Wally…

Gabriel received his wheelchair today. In the crowded auditorium he sat proudly with his red baseball hat turned backwards, legs hanging over the seat, his strong arms leaning on the sturdy plastic arm rests. By his side stood his friend who had traveled the journey with him in life and today to the school located in the city of Iquitos, Peru.

When I heard the story of Gabriel,with heart racing I knew that I had to tell him about Wally, my dad. I knew why I had packed this cap for 4000 miles. This is what I told him as I gave him the dark blue baseball hat that had “Wally’s Walkers” on the bill, in honor of my father who could not walk at life’s end

My father’s name was Wally, he died in 1994 with a degenerative disease called Lou Gehrig’s disease. He spent the end of his life in a wheelchair. He was strong, proud, kind and loving…the best example on earth of the love of our Heavenly father. He would have liked Gabriel’s story of determination and hope...

Gabriel contracted polio at the age of seven leaving him unable to walk. Despite his difficulty in getting around, he continued in school, and is currently a carpentry apprentice making tables and chairs. Next year he will be able to start a shop of his own. Gabriel’s illness is not degenerative, but without his determination, love of family and faith it could have been fatal. He is a fighter. He expressed that he is grateful for his friends and his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He expresses with a smile that the wheelchair gives him a renewed strength and hope so that he can be independent.

Smiling in appreciation, Gabriel proudly took off his red baseball hat replacing it with the dark blue cap with ‘Wally’s Walker’s’ facing forward for all to see.

Gabriel is a carpenter. Wally was a carpenter. Christ was a carpenter.
Gabriel loves the Lord. Wally is with the Lord. Christ is our Lord.

Philipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me"

By Robyn Mitchell-Stong

Through Many Eyes...

Today was the much anticipated Campagna de Salud, or the Medical Campaign. Our team of 19, in partnership with Operation Blessing International, were able to minister to approximately 1,000 Peruvians in the Amazon jungle. The Mariners team provided man power and VBS materials, while Operation Blessing provided the medical supplies and staff. In all, there were eight stations: gathering of general information; taking vitals; hygiene education; general practitioners and a gynecologist; optometrist; dentist; then onto the "soul" doctor and finally to the pharmacy. While the parents waited to see the doctor or to get their prescriptions filled, the children participated in VBS. This campaign is completely free of charge to the nationals, many waiting in lines couple hours before the start of the program. Here is a "little" snippet of what our team saw and experienced today.

*Today, a few of us ventured into the neighborhood across the highway from the clinic. We went to find enough water to make fruit punch for 1,000 people. After four stops, we found a store with enough, only to have to trek back uphill, across the highway, through 200 people, back to our "juice station." I was struck by how simple we have it in the U.S. Turn on the tap and "fill 'em up!" is what I think when I'm making tons of fruit punch...today, portable water took on a new significance. -Abbe

*Today was incredible. I had to push myself in so many different areas and I am very thankful I had many people encouraging me throughout the day. -Caitlin

*It was awesome to help the dentists at the clinic. Many, many teeth were pulled. It was a blessing to see so many get treated for so little. It's a blessing to be a blessing! -Dave

*During my prayer, three people accepted Christ as their personal Savior. It was an unbelievable and tremendously moving experience. -Ed aka Pastor Eduardo

*Today was enjoyable but also difficult. Dealing with so many people and giving out supplies was overwhelming but then when I saw people praying for one another, I knew the frustration was worth it. -Katharyn

*My favorite station was the dentistry room, while challenging it was also very rewarding. -Keegan

Throughout the day, helping the many people of Peru, I found one part the most impactful. I really enjoyed being able to have fun and connect with the kids by face painting. It was a great experience, I won't forget. -Marie

*As I was bagging the prescription and adding a toothpaste and a toothbrush, children of the village kept clamoring for "just one toothbrush". From their tone, it was as if a toothbrush was the most valuable possession for them. -Nancy

*I thought that today was a lot of fun but very chaotic with a lot of pushing and shoving. But I'm glad to have been able to make a difference in that community. -Olivia

*It was moving to see people who are sick and don't complain. In the States, we complain about a headache and sore throat; these people are dealing with parasites and chronic conditions. But when you look into their eyes as they receive their medicine, you will see gratitude, relief, and hope. -Raelyn

*As a medical doctor it felt natural to sit behind my "desk" and listen to my patients who looked at me with complete trust to give them what they needed physically. The challenge was to take the time and make the time to share with them that the real physician is Jesus. -Robyn

*I find it amazing that like the boy with the five loaves and fish, I came with five Spanish verbs and five nouns and came back with way more. -Ryan

*Serving the needs of others brings me more joy than anything else...today was amazing. The faces of the people are engrained in my mind - may they know Jesus. -Shelly

*My day was interesting in the dentist room. I heard some cracking teeth. -Spencer

*I loved taking blood pressures to people in triage. It was my first experience doing so, but it allowed me to greet each person individually and to be able to say "Dios te bendiga". Even the momentary contact with each person was meaningful. When a mid-aged woman measured 190/90 and stated she had a headache, I immediately went running to the doctor for help. -Steve

*I loved the way the Mariner's Team worked as one with the people of Iquitos, Peru... we all extended ourselves in the name of the Lord. -Tahwahnah

Dear Diary

Today my town was all a buzz, just because some gringos came to my town in a big bus. There were many of them. They were funny-looking and talked funny too. Some of them even tried to talk to me in Spanish. Now that was funny. What were they thinking!

Well everyone in my town was so excited. We all went to my school because those gringos had something "special" they had planned for us. I was excited too until I found out what they were here to do. All they wanted to do was wash my hair. You know Diary, they really must not have much to do if they come to the Amazon to wash my hair. Or their life in America must be quite boring, to say the least!

I saw my friend, Luz get her hair washed. It didn't look all that exciting and all that soap everywhere! I hoped my clothes wouldn't be soaked as hers were. Well as I was straightening my blouse, a gigantic man guided me to take the empty seat, where a woman with a crazy blue hat gestured for me to come sit. She put around my neck a blue cape of some sorts and then started to spray my hair with water. She even said "hola" wrong. How hard is it to say hola? Well as she was spritzing my hair she was trying to talk to me. All I could do was nod, because I didn't want to burst out laughing. That would be rude you know. Then she started to squeeze out this special shampoo all over my head. She was grumbling about how long and how thick my hair was and that she needed to use two packets. Well then she started to move her hand all over my head. At first it felt weird and it kinda hurt when she would tug on it. But then my head started to tingle and it started to feel very good. As she was running her hands through my hair into my scalp, I could feel the terrible itching subside. You know lately, my head would feel like it was on fire and I would scratch my head because of the horrid itch but I could never satisfy it. It would itch and itch and I felt so helpless to do anything about it. But at that moment, all that terrible itching seems to be slowly melting away. She told me I needed to wait for ten minutes for the shampoo to work. As she left me she was off to shampoo a boy.

After I got my hair shampooed, a pretty younger woman came to comb my hair and she patiently showed me all the little icky bugs that was the cause of my suffering. When all the knots and the bugs were removed from my head, I was off to get the shampoo off. The final person looked to be a boy maybe two years older than me, and he poured cool water over my head getting all the soap off. When all was said and done, I've never felt more refreshed and cleaned. My head was no longer feeling like it was on fire and I could finally relax.

You know Diary, those Americans weren't so bad after all. They talked to me about how to keep my teeth and hair clean, even gave me toothbrush and paste. They also told me about a man named Jesus. How He loves me and died for me. They came so I can experience Jesus' love and that Jesus is my Forever Friend, if I will say sorry for the bad things I did and accept Jesus as my Savior. I don't know about that last part but if those Americans love Jesus and they came to show me His love by washing my hair, maybe Jesus loves me after all.

The Word of the Lord says, "I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me."
-Matthew 25:40