Pastor Angie's In-Spire-ations November 2017
Bienvenidos” means “welcome” in Spanish and it’s a word I learned on my first trip to Peru in 2007. Since Trinity will become senders and go-ers to Peru in 2018, I thought I would tell you a little more about how I came to be in Peru and the ministry of Quechua Benefit.
In the mid-2000’s, I felt a strong desire to go on a mission trip somewhere where I could use my occupational therapy skills. I read about an OT class out of Evansville who travelled with Wheels for the World (WFTW), a ministry of Joni and Friends. I reached out to WFTW and was assigned a trip to Arequipa, Peru. I was so excited about the mission that it never dawned on me I was headed to the land of alpacas! My sister-in-law pointed that out along with the information about the International Alpaca Fiesta being held in Arequipa just 5 days after the mission! This home-body, never-travelled-alone-out- of-the-country girl, took a HUGE leap of faith and went to Peru for 3 ½ weeks! I didn’t hear English spoken for all of 4 days! Fluent in Spanish? Nope, but the people (and my dictionary) saw me through those 4 days.
While at the Fiesta, I learned about Quechua Benefit and God made sure the right people were in my path to connect me to QB. In 2010, I went in country with WFTW and transferred to QB to go out to the Colca Canyon on mission with them. God’s timing put these missions back to back twice!! I worked with the medical team that trip. We saw over 1,000 patients in one week! I was able to use my therapy skills and saw a great need for mobility solutions. In 2011, I went back and spun off a WFTW outreach connected to the QB medical mission. My little mobility team went to 14 villages that week, travelling in a little S10 pickup, supplies strapped in the back every day. It was quite an adventure.
Those two years, we watched Casa Chapi being built. After getting the kids settled in an education system and training the teachers, etc., the Peruvian government granted school status to Casa Chapi. Quechua Benefit has continued to expand programs throughout the Colca Canyon at the request, and in complete collaboration with, the people for whom the Canyon is home. The economic outlook of the Canyon has grown because of the tools provided to help THEM make positive changes.
The pillar of Economic Empowerment is helping the highland communities better utilize their current talents and learn new methods to market alpaca products. Large manufacturers have taken advantage long enough and now Quechua Benefit is coming alongside with training and marketing leverage.
The pillar of Education is based out of Casa Chapi. Mike Safley, our founder, learned long ago that to change the economic outlook, education was needed and it needed to start at a young age. A good lesson for us in the USA that is being proven very effectively in the Colca Canyon.
The pillar of Preventative Medicine is addressing issues such as anemia, which “affects more than half of the pregnant women and children under the age of 5, and 1/3 of the children in grades 1-12. Intestinal parasites are a major cause of anemia because these parasites can devour 25% of the daily nutrition consumed by their host. According to the World Health Organization, deworming is the number 1 most effective method to improve children’s learning. It restores cognitive function and increases school attendance. Quechua Benefit partners with the Peruvian Ministry of Education to distribute worm medicine to every child at local schools in each community we visit.”
There is so much more being done beyond these few things. The mission trip in 2018 will need go-ers and senders. When a person is in the mission field, prayers and support from home are tangible! It will take all of us to make this a productive mission trip. I have dreamed of going back, but going back with my church family alongside is beyond those dreams. God is so good! Dios te bendiga! God bless you!
~ Pastor Angie ~