2009 was a humbling and a self-discovery year for me.
I ended 2009 with the 1st half of the book Ezekiel and started 2010 with the other half. Just this book alone contains 66 out of 73 repeated phrases "Know that I am the Lord" in the entire Old Testament (OT). I found so much comfort in this phrase. In all the happenings in life, God slowly, gently, graciously, woos mankind back to Him so long we are willing to LOOK UP.
With this phrase, I strain forward to the new year, trusting in His Providence.
Friday, February 5, 2010
Thursday, January 15, 2009
January 3rd, 2009 Peru Amazon Medical Trip - Day 8
The combination of the noise from the heavy rain and the stifling air due to the inability to control the temperature of the AC in our hotel room at Europa Hotel woke me up a few times during the night. Nonetheless, the air was crispy fresh after the rain. Not sure whether it was still early or because of the rain, at 6:45am, there were very few cars or people on the streets in the heart of Iquitos.
The continental breakfast was rather simple and definitely pale in comparison to what we had had at Chosen Vessel.
Around 7:30am, Christian came and helped us arrange the free airport shuttle service provided by the hotel. Luis did show up later at the airport to say good bye.
With a window seat assignment, I was able to snapshot aerial pictures of the Amazon River, Andes mountains, and later the Pacific oceans as we approached Lima airport.
Hugo and his wife Naomi were already waiting for us at the airport. They rented a rather big and comfortable Mercedes van with a u-haul-like cart latching behind the van to store our luggages.
It was a huge contrast between Iquitos and Lima in every aspect of life. This type of conspicious contrast can only be found in the third world countries where its urbans are well-developed while its rural areas are way under-developed. One in particular that caught my attention was that brand new cars were hardly seen on the streets in Iquitos but they were everywhere in Lima. Lima is just like any big cities in the States, overcrowded with people and vehicles.
The scenic ride along the Pacific Ocean in Miraflores was very satisfying. Watching those high waves made my heart leap. Would it not be nice to swim in it? Naomi said Lima is a surfer heaven, and she was right considered the good number of surfers in the ocean riding those big white waves.
Hugo and Noami took us to El Hawaiano Restaurant for a big buffet-style feast. The food was unbelievable - the best I ever had.
Huaca Pucllana was next stop. It was a ruin site. I learned that Cairo is the largest desert city in the world and Lima second. The last time Lima had a rain was in 1970.
We spent 1 1/2 hours in Indian Market for shopping-spree. I bought four scalfs, one pair gloves, and a hat.
We then spent some time strolling in the heart of the old town around the Plaza Mayor until 9:30pm where we stopped by for a bite before heading to the airport for USA.
This is a trip I will forever cherish in my heart...........
The continental breakfast was rather simple and definitely pale in comparison to what we had had at Chosen Vessel.
Around 7:30am, Christian came and helped us arrange the free airport shuttle service provided by the hotel. Luis did show up later at the airport to say good bye.
With a window seat assignment, I was able to snapshot aerial pictures of the Amazon River, Andes mountains, and later the Pacific oceans as we approached Lima airport.
Hugo and his wife Naomi were already waiting for us at the airport. They rented a rather big and comfortable Mercedes van with a u-haul-like cart latching behind the van to store our luggages.
It was a huge contrast between Iquitos and Lima in every aspect of life. This type of conspicious contrast can only be found in the third world countries where its urbans are well-developed while its rural areas are way under-developed. One in particular that caught my attention was that brand new cars were hardly seen on the streets in Iquitos but they were everywhere in Lima. Lima is just like any big cities in the States, overcrowded with people and vehicles.
The scenic ride along the Pacific Ocean in Miraflores was very satisfying. Watching those high waves made my heart leap. Would it not be nice to swim in it? Naomi said Lima is a surfer heaven, and she was right considered the good number of surfers in the ocean riding those big white waves.
Hugo and Noami took us to El Hawaiano Restaurant for a big buffet-style feast. The food was unbelievable - the best I ever had.
Huaca Pucllana was next stop. It was a ruin site. I learned that Cairo is the largest desert city in the world and Lima second. The last time Lima had a rain was in 1970.
We spent 1 1/2 hours in Indian Market for shopping-spree. I bought four scalfs, one pair gloves, and a hat.
We then spent some time strolling in the heart of the old town around the Plaza Mayor until 9:30pm where we stopped by for a bite before heading to the airport for USA.
This is a trip I will forever cherish in my heart...........
Saturday, January 10, 2009
January 2, 2009 Peru Amazon Medical Trip Day 7
So long those jungle villages....... So long those villagers... So long those cute innocent children... In what ways have we touched their lives? In what ways have they touched ours? Only in heaven we can fully know...
The extra time spent with the translators in Iquitos was quite memorable. The long walk from downtown Iquitos to Belen after a rainfall was rather refreshing and relaxing. We took quite a few pictures along the way. The local farmer market was extremely unhygenic that Christine found it unacceptable and unbelievable. Due to the notorious pickpocketing, we stopped at the outskirt of Belen.
It seemed to me that only hotels are equipped with A/C in Iquitos. None of the stores we passed by are air-conditioned.
Instead of taking a nap like the rest of the team, Elmer, Luis, Jessica and I visited a local electronic shop to check out the prices. All electronic gadgets, in general, even with older modals are more expensive compared to their counterparts in America. We also stopped by one of the Internet Cafes in Iquitos, for Elmer would like to show us his family pictures.
Below is our daily formal report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon Medical Team final update, 1-2-09
Today's report was given by Steve Yeh:
They left The Chosen Vessel and visited the mission compound in Iquitos. It is comprised of a school, hospital, living quarters for the workers, a woodworking shop and a dock for The Chosen Vessel and 3 auxiliary vessels.
They had a "little adventure" today and took a boat tour of an anaconda farm (finally sighting those critters!). Monkeys were jumping all over them, and there are pictures of team members holding snakes. "This was the only wild thing we did."
On the streets of Iquitos, they passed out 400 tracts and 250 "Jesus Loves You" buttons. They also gave free meals to five street kids outside the restaurant where they ate.
Today, they made contact with a member of the Chinese community in Iquitos, They started off by talking with a Senor Younge, who is both a local Chinese politician, and an evangelical Christian. He gave them the name of Yi Wong, who is the president of the local Chinese benevolence association, and the owner of a Chinese restaurant. Mr. Wong had been given advance notice of the team's coming, but when they arrived, he was "extremely unfriendly" and essentially refused to talk with the team. He spoke only Mandarin, but handily, Hannah Ong is fluent in Mandarin and translated for the team. They tried to convey to him that they had come all the way from Chicago, and represented an equivalent Chinese benevolence association (the Pui Tak Center), but he still was hostile to their overtures. The team decided to eat in
his restaurant anyway, and later identified a young man in the dining room as the son of the owner. He was home on break from York University in Canada, and spoke English quite well. After spending some time talking with David (the son), Mrs. Wong (the wife of the restaurant owner and mother of David) came out and apologized, saying they were "too busy to talk." She asked the team what they wanted, and the team replied that they just wanted to make contact and see how they could bring medical supplies and help to the Chinese community (as they had been doing for the local Peruvians). Finally, Hannah and Steve went to the kitchen to wave goodbye, and Mr. Wong came out and gave them his business card, a sign that he had finally thawed at least a little. The team spoke again with David, and then left. Steve said they will write a letter to Mr. Wong.
Tonight the team is staying at the Europa Hotel in Iquitos. The team will leave tomorrow morning at 7:30, and expect to be in Lima in the afternoon. They will return home to the States by overnight flight and should be back in Chicago around noon.
Steve reported that everyone is in good health, with recovery of those who had motion sickness from the boat. He requests prayer for:
1. the Wong family. Despite the seeming initial reserve, if not actual hostility, Steve feels they made good progress. Pray that God will grow this relationship, and for opportunities to make inroads into the Chinese community in Iquitos, which does not have a history of good relationships with the native Peruvians
2. safety on the trip back
The team is in good spirits and is eager to share what they have learned and experienced on this trip. Overall, the team visited 7 villages and saw 627 patients.
By His mercy and grace,
Eudora and Te Hua
PS. If you are interested in tracking the route of the team, please go to:
http://tinyurl.com/ccuc2amazon
The extra time spent with the translators in Iquitos was quite memorable. The long walk from downtown Iquitos to Belen after a rainfall was rather refreshing and relaxing. We took quite a few pictures along the way. The local farmer market was extremely unhygenic that Christine found it unacceptable and unbelievable. Due to the notorious pickpocketing, we stopped at the outskirt of Belen.
It seemed to me that only hotels are equipped with A/C in Iquitos. None of the stores we passed by are air-conditioned.
Instead of taking a nap like the rest of the team, Elmer, Luis, Jessica and I visited a local electronic shop to check out the prices. All electronic gadgets, in general, even with older modals are more expensive compared to their counterparts in America. We also stopped by one of the Internet Cafes in Iquitos, for Elmer would like to show us his family pictures.
Below is our daily formal report.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon Medical Team final update, 1-2-09
Today's report was given by Steve Yeh:
They left The Chosen Vessel and visited the mission compound in Iquitos. It is comprised of a school, hospital, living quarters for the workers, a woodworking shop and a dock for The Chosen Vessel and 3 auxiliary vessels.
They had a "little adventure" today and took a boat tour of an anaconda farm (finally sighting those critters!). Monkeys were jumping all over them, and there are pictures of team members holding snakes. "This was the only wild thing we did."
On the streets of Iquitos, they passed out 400 tracts and 250 "Jesus Loves You" buttons. They also gave free meals to five street kids outside the restaurant where they ate.
Today, they made contact with a member of the Chinese community in Iquitos, They started off by talking with a Senor Younge, who is both a local Chinese politician, and an evangelical Christian. He gave them the name of Yi Wong, who is the president of the local Chinese benevolence association, and the owner of a Chinese restaurant. Mr. Wong had been given advance notice of the team's coming, but when they arrived, he was "extremely unfriendly" and essentially refused to talk with the team. He spoke only Mandarin, but handily, Hannah Ong is fluent in Mandarin and translated for the team. They tried to convey to him that they had come all the way from Chicago, and represented an equivalent Chinese benevolence association (the Pui Tak Center), but he still was hostile to their overtures. The team decided to eat in
his restaurant anyway, and later identified a young man in the dining room as the son of the owner. He was home on break from York University in Canada, and spoke English quite well. After spending some time talking with David (the son), Mrs. Wong (the wife of the restaurant owner and mother of David) came out and apologized, saying they were "too busy to talk." She asked the team what they wanted, and the team replied that they just wanted to make contact and see how they could bring medical supplies and help to the Chinese community (as they had been doing for the local Peruvians). Finally, Hannah and Steve went to the kitchen to wave goodbye, and Mr. Wong came out and gave them his business card, a sign that he had finally thawed at least a little. The team spoke again with David, and then left. Steve said they will write a letter to Mr. Wong.
Tonight the team is staying at the Europa Hotel in Iquitos. The team will leave tomorrow morning at 7:30, and expect to be in Lima in the afternoon. They will return home to the States by overnight flight and should be back in Chicago around noon.
Steve reported that everyone is in good health, with recovery of those who had motion sickness from the boat. He requests prayer for:
1. the Wong family. Despite the seeming initial reserve, if not actual hostility, Steve feels they made good progress. Pray that God will grow this relationship, and for opportunities to make inroads into the Chinese community in Iquitos, which does not have a history of good relationships with the native Peruvians
2. safety on the trip back
The team is in good spirits and is eager to share what they have learned and experienced on this trip. Overall, the team visited 7 villages and saw 627 patients.
By His mercy and grace,
Eudora and Te Hua
PS. If you are interested in tracking the route of the team, please go to:
http://tinyurl.com/ccuc2amazon
January 1, 2009 Peru Amazon Medical Trip Day 6
Quite an experience to have spent my 1st day of the year in Amazon. The daily meditation on Proverbs at the deck has uncluttered my mind and definitely has enabled me to put things in perspective.
For reason still unknown to me, I was kissed on the cheek by a woman in this village. She is the only woman we encountered in the jungle who wore make-up and dressed rather fashionably. She asked for sunglasses.
We returned to Chosen Vessel around 4pm, a bit earlier than the three previous days because we needed to head back to Nina Rumi to avoid bad weather. The children followed us all the way to our skiff and even helped push the skiff from the bank. They kept waving at us as we sailed away. A sense of sadness seemed to have written on all our faces. "So long, villages!"
The rain cooled off the temperature quite a bit. We all sat at the deck chatting, reminsicing our experiences, watching children and waving at them at the bank as our boat sailed through. Suddenly someone suggested to do the wave thing as what we do at the stadium in USA. With hillarious laughters, it took us a while to practice. Tanya helped us record our wave practice. So, each time the boat passed a village with children/adults standing at the bank, we would "wave" at them. What a good way to end our trip with something as silly as this.
With the boat moving at 8-11 m/h, we couldn't fish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon Medical Team update, 1-1-09
Today's (very energetic report) was given by Eric Feltes:
The New Year was ushered in yesterday with their countdown at… 8 pm! their all-out bash included wintergreen mints and M&Ms.
Today, they were at the small village of Jorge Chavez. They saw about 120 people, but it is thought that this represents two villages.
Eric started off by requesting prayers for:
HEALTH of the villagers:
1. They saw many people with parasites, more than in previous villages, possibly because the hygiene is not as good. Parasitic infection at Jorge Chavez appeared to be a really big problem.
2. there is a family of burn victims (4 in all) who were burned 2 years ago when their mosquito netting caught fire. The scars are still quite visible, and one four-year old child is in need of plastic surgery for his third degree burns
3. there were many pregnant women, one even as young as 14 who already has another child. Most of the pregnant women appeared to be married, although not all.
4. a man who was recently hit in the head by a hammer suffered a skull fracture and is at risk for developing meningitis
5. all of the villagers appear to be suffering from headaches
6. cataracts are very common amongst the villagers. Eye drops were`handed out, but these will not cure the cataracts
Pray also for their contact with the Chinese community in Iquitos (tomorrow)
Today was their last day of visiting villages. In every village, team members have enjoyed playing with the local children. Eric says they are very athletic and entertain themselves. He drew particular contrast to the States, where we are surrounded by high tech toys.
The Peruvian village children are very content, and are very eager to play. Today, team members played volleyball, tag, and soccer with the kids. They brought out a parachute, something these kids have never seen before, and they really enjoyed playing with it. The ages of the children vary from village to village. In Jorge Chavez, the kids were on the much younger side and most seemed to be 5-6 years
old. Some of the children drew pictures for the Pui Tak students, as return gifts for the pictures they received. The children also played with a frisbee, something which again was new, and at which they were surprisingly good. Barry gave away his frisbee today.
Eric gives praise that all has gone well, and that all the team members are healthy. He also raved about the great food they have been having. When I kidded him about this recurring theme, he replied that one doesn't expect great food on missionary trips! The team is also very grateful that the weather was cooler and milder after it
rained. Even the locals think it's been hot. The team was telling them about icy streets in Chicago, something which was absolutely unimaginable to the villagers.
The highlights of the trip include a Barry and Tanya getting a great salsa recipe, and Eric learning a new song from one of the locals (stay tuned for his CD!). Still no anacondas, although they are threatening to use Bryan as bait.
The Chosen Vessel was sailing during our conversation. They are about 3 hours from Iquitos, where tomorrow they will be about to tour and have time to relax.
For reason still unknown to me, I was kissed on the cheek by a woman in this village. She is the only woman we encountered in the jungle who wore make-up and dressed rather fashionably. She asked for sunglasses.
We returned to Chosen Vessel around 4pm, a bit earlier than the three previous days because we needed to head back to Nina Rumi to avoid bad weather. The children followed us all the way to our skiff and even helped push the skiff from the bank. They kept waving at us as we sailed away. A sense of sadness seemed to have written on all our faces. "So long, villages!"
The rain cooled off the temperature quite a bit. We all sat at the deck chatting, reminsicing our experiences, watching children and waving at them at the bank as our boat sailed through. Suddenly someone suggested to do the wave thing as what we do at the stadium in USA. With hillarious laughters, it took us a while to practice. Tanya helped us record our wave practice. So, each time the boat passed a village with children/adults standing at the bank, we would "wave" at them. What a good way to end our trip with something as silly as this.
With the boat moving at 8-11 m/h, we couldn't fish.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon Medical Team update, 1-1-09
Today's (very energetic report) was given by Eric Feltes:
The New Year was ushered in yesterday with their countdown at… 8 pm! their all-out bash included wintergreen mints and M&Ms.
Today, they were at the small village of Jorge Chavez. They saw about 120 people, but it is thought that this represents two villages.
Eric started off by requesting prayers for:
HEALTH of the villagers:
1. They saw many people with parasites, more than in previous villages, possibly because the hygiene is not as good. Parasitic infection at Jorge Chavez appeared to be a really big problem.
2. there is a family of burn victims (4 in all) who were burned 2 years ago when their mosquito netting caught fire. The scars are still quite visible, and one four-year old child is in need of plastic surgery for his third degree burns
3. there were many pregnant women, one even as young as 14 who already has another child. Most of the pregnant women appeared to be married, although not all.
4. a man who was recently hit in the head by a hammer suffered a skull fracture and is at risk for developing meningitis
5. all of the villagers appear to be suffering from headaches
6. cataracts are very common amongst the villagers. Eye drops were`handed out, but these will not cure the cataracts
Pray also for their contact with the Chinese community in Iquitos (tomorrow)
Today was their last day of visiting villages. In every village, team members have enjoyed playing with the local children. Eric says they are very athletic and entertain themselves. He drew particular contrast to the States, where we are surrounded by high tech toys.
The Peruvian village children are very content, and are very eager to play. Today, team members played volleyball, tag, and soccer with the kids. They brought out a parachute, something these kids have never seen before, and they really enjoyed playing with it. The ages of the children vary from village to village. In Jorge Chavez, the kids were on the much younger side and most seemed to be 5-6 years
old. Some of the children drew pictures for the Pui Tak students, as return gifts for the pictures they received. The children also played with a frisbee, something which again was new, and at which they were surprisingly good. Barry gave away his frisbee today.
Eric gives praise that all has gone well, and that all the team members are healthy. He also raved about the great food they have been having. When I kidded him about this recurring theme, he replied that one doesn't expect great food on missionary trips! The team is also very grateful that the weather was cooler and milder after it
rained. Even the locals think it's been hot. The team was telling them about icy streets in Chicago, something which was absolutely unimaginable to the villagers.
The highlights of the trip include a Barry and Tanya getting a great salsa recipe, and Eric learning a new song from one of the locals (stay tuned for his CD!). Still no anacondas, although they are threatening to use Bryan as bait.
The Chosen Vessel was sailing during our conversation. They are about 3 hours from Iquitos, where tomorrow they will be about to tour and have time to relax.
December 31, 2008 Peru Amazon Medical Trip Day 5
Amazon Medical Team, 12-31-08
Today's report was given by Hannah Ong
Sunrise was at 4:44 am
Sunset was at 5:03 pm
The schedule today was the same as yesterday. The team has group devotions every morning right after breakfast, and then a meeting to go over the day's schedule. Twice every day they talk with Mike Dempsey, the head of the Chosen Vessel ministry: at breakfast and at lunch to see if any changes need to be made in their outreach. At night (around 8:30), the team meets to summarize the day's events, and talk about potential areas for improvement. They end their self-assessment period with group prayer.
Today, they visited Puarto Libre, a smaller village of about 120 people, of whom about 100 showed up. Apparently villagers here were not on vacation, as were those in the villages visited yesterday and the day before. There was no rain today, so the weather continued hot (guessed at 90 degrees) and humid. The water level continues to be low. Whereas normally the river is quite full and the village is right at the water's edge, today the team walked about 1000 feet on the riverbed to the village. It appears that the local church has not penetrated as much in Puarto Libre as Puerto Rico or Vanilla. The villagers did not seem as familiar with the Bible, and the church doesn't appear to have a regular pastor.
Today, they met in a classroom newly built (2006). Steve Yeh gave a different kind of altar call: first he asked church members and leaders to come forward (this was about 15 people). Then he asked all the kids who loved Jesus to come forward (about 25 came up). Next, he asked if any adults who loved Jesus wanted to come up. 10 did so. About 35 remained in their seats, and some were in the doorway. Steve asked them to come in, and after much cajoling all but 5 eventually came in.
Tonight, being New Year's Eve, the team will celebrate by playing games, and sharing snacks they brought along. The boat is going to travel through the night.
Hannah requested prayers for:
-continued safety and well-being. All team members are healthy and doing well
-that the team would communicate well with non-believers
-a successful outreach/meeting with the Chinese community (I didn't clarify where, but we think Iquitos) on Friday
Today's report was given by Hannah Ong
Sunrise was at 4:44 am
Sunset was at 5:03 pm
The schedule today was the same as yesterday. The team has group devotions every morning right after breakfast, and then a meeting to go over the day's schedule. Twice every day they talk with Mike Dempsey, the head of the Chosen Vessel ministry: at breakfast and at lunch to see if any changes need to be made in their outreach. At night (around 8:30), the team meets to summarize the day's events, and talk about potential areas for improvement. They end their self-assessment period with group prayer.
Today, they visited Puarto Libre, a smaller village of about 120 people, of whom about 100 showed up. Apparently villagers here were not on vacation, as were those in the villages visited yesterday and the day before. There was no rain today, so the weather continued hot (guessed at 90 degrees) and humid. The water level continues to be low. Whereas normally the river is quite full and the village is right at the water's edge, today the team walked about 1000 feet on the riverbed to the village. It appears that the local church has not penetrated as much in Puarto Libre as Puerto Rico or Vanilla. The villagers did not seem as familiar with the Bible, and the church doesn't appear to have a regular pastor.
Today, they met in a classroom newly built (2006). Steve Yeh gave a different kind of altar call: first he asked church members and leaders to come forward (this was about 15 people). Then he asked all the kids who loved Jesus to come forward (about 25 came up). Next, he asked if any adults who loved Jesus wanted to come up. 10 did so. About 35 remained in their seats, and some were in the doorway. Steve asked them to come in, and after much cajoling all but 5 eventually came in.
Tonight, being New Year's Eve, the team will celebrate by playing games, and sharing snacks they brought along. The boat is going to travel through the night.
Hannah requested prayers for:
-continued safety and well-being. All team members are healthy and doing well
-that the team would communicate well with non-believers
-a successful outreach/meeting with the Chinese community (I didn't clarify where, but we think Iquitos) on Friday
December 30, 2008 Peru Amazon Medical Trip Day 4
Amazon Medical Team, 12-30-08
Today's [very upbeat :)] report was given by Annie (McLorn) Carpenter:
The Chosen Vessel remains anchored at the same spot. Because of continued low water level, the team again took the skiff to today's village, Vanilla.
They woke up this morning, and had breakfast: "really good food, awesome food." The dentist went over Vanilla around 6 am, the rest of team followed later at 7 am. This village has about 500 people, but again, many are off visiting relatives during the school hiatus. The team saw about 200 people, although, because of word-of-mouth, many seemed to be repeats from yesterday. Hannah Ong and Bryan Woosley manned the eyeglasses station. Jessica Suen and Lois Yeh were at the toothbrush station. Eric Feltes, Annie Carpenter, Tanya and Barry Jeong were on the evangelism team. Eric speaks Spanish and translates for the team. Annie read some books in Spanish, and Barry was taking pictures and videotaping. Paul Poy directed traffic. He doesn't
speak Spanish, but apparently certain gestures are universal! Christine Shih, Steve Yeh and Anne Poy, along with a Peruvian doctor comprise the medical team. They saw, amongst other medical conditions, a child with cerebral palsy, one with seizures, some with cataracts, many with scabies and a host with other parasites (including worms).
The stations finished up around noon, and then at least some team members went off with the villagers to see some of the locally grown fruits, including mango, lime and cocoa. Some of the more adventurous members (Annie being one of them) sampled some of these fruits.
The team then returned to the boat for lunch (empanadas, described as "really, really good"). Rain during lunch seems to be the continuing theme. They debriefed, and got organized for their evening program.
They went back to the village, where they were joined in the worship by the local church. The songs were the same as yesterday, but the drama was "the best it ever went." This has been videotaped (hopefully for our later viewing pleasure!) The evangelism program tonight also included videotapes of testimonies (not shown yesterday) of Alex and Marguerita Higgs, Louis and Raphael (sorry, I didn't get the last names). Most of the adults stayed for the evening program.
Annie said that "a lot of them seem to be getting it" and Bibles were also handed out. Many of the villagers were asking for Bibles. While the evangelism program was being presented to the adults, some of the team members played soccer and volleyball with the children. The pictures and drawings from Pui Tak students were handed out to the children.
Annie requested prayers for:
-cooler weather. She didn't know what the temperature was, but it has been very hot and humid and they are in long clothes.
-the evangelistic outreach
Thanks be to God that:
-the outreach seems to be having an impact on at least some of the villagers
-Bibles were requested
-those team members who were feeling ill are much better
Today's [very upbeat :)] report was given by Annie (McLorn) Carpenter:
The Chosen Vessel remains anchored at the same spot. Because of continued low water level, the team again took the skiff to today's village, Vanilla.
They woke up this morning, and had breakfast: "really good food, awesome food." The dentist went over Vanilla around 6 am, the rest of team followed later at 7 am. This village has about 500 people, but again, many are off visiting relatives during the school hiatus. The team saw about 200 people, although, because of word-of-mouth, many seemed to be repeats from yesterday. Hannah Ong and Bryan Woosley manned the eyeglasses station. Jessica Suen and Lois Yeh were at the toothbrush station. Eric Feltes, Annie Carpenter, Tanya and Barry Jeong were on the evangelism team. Eric speaks Spanish and translates for the team. Annie read some books in Spanish, and Barry was taking pictures and videotaping. Paul Poy directed traffic. He doesn't
speak Spanish, but apparently certain gestures are universal! Christine Shih, Steve Yeh and Anne Poy, along with a Peruvian doctor comprise the medical team. They saw, amongst other medical conditions, a child with cerebral palsy, one with seizures, some with cataracts, many with scabies and a host with other parasites (including worms).
The stations finished up around noon, and then at least some team members went off with the villagers to see some of the locally grown fruits, including mango, lime and cocoa. Some of the more adventurous members (Annie being one of them) sampled some of these fruits.
The team then returned to the boat for lunch (empanadas, described as "really, really good"). Rain during lunch seems to be the continuing theme. They debriefed, and got organized for their evening program.
They went back to the village, where they were joined in the worship by the local church. The songs were the same as yesterday, but the drama was "the best it ever went." This has been videotaped (hopefully for our later viewing pleasure!) The evangelism program tonight also included videotapes of testimonies (not shown yesterday) of Alex and Marguerita Higgs, Louis and Raphael (sorry, I didn't get the last names). Most of the adults stayed for the evening program.
Annie said that "a lot of them seem to be getting it" and Bibles were also handed out. Many of the villagers were asking for Bibles. While the evangelism program was being presented to the adults, some of the team members played soccer and volleyball with the children. The pictures and drawings from Pui Tak students were handed out to the children.
Annie requested prayers for:
-cooler weather. She didn't know what the temperature was, but it has been very hot and humid and they are in long clothes.
-the evangelistic outreach
Thanks be to God that:
-the outreach seems to be having an impact on at least some of the villagers
-Bibles were requested
-those team members who were feeling ill are much better
December 29, 2008 Peru Amazon Medical Trip Day 3
I wake up at 5:30am and found myself coughing with chest tightness. Luckily the coughing didn't linger long. Having my devotional time at the deck with sunrise as the backdrop was a great blessing. The book of Proverbs is my focus for this entire trip.
Today's update was provided by Tanya Jeong
The team is in the same place as yesterday. Since the river water had receded, they could not take The Chosen Vessel, the name of the large boat which is their "home base" on which they travel from village to village. Instead, they had to take a smaller boat about 20 minutes to the village of Puerto Rico (same name as the US territory). This is the first time the village of around 250 people has been visited by The Chosen Vessel ministry. School is out, so about half the villagers were away visiting relatives. School vacation notwithstanding, the team saw about 120 people (i.e., almost all of the remaining villagers) this morning at the five stations which included the eyeglass, toothbrush, evangelical, pharmacy and
medical/dental stations.
The team returned to the larger boat for lunch, where they experienced a heavy rain storm. After it passed, they returned to Puerto Rico to present their outreach program. They gave fishing kits to the men, beauty kits to the women, and finger puppets to the children. Their translators are very musical and had praise songs in Spanish. The local church helped lead the worship. Members of "our" team sang "I
Can Imagine" and "Here I Am to Worship" in Spanish. Prior to presentation of the drama, a video (with Louis) was shown, explaining what the audience was about to see. The audience found parts of the drama humorous, but an encouraging comment from at least one of the villagers was that it was "beautiful." The translator team closed with worship. No formal evangelistic call was given, but the local
church will follow up.
The team then returned to The Chosen Vessel for dinner. They played volleyball; Lois Yeh found guava; and Hannah Ong, Bryan Woosley and Eric Feltes caught some "weird looking catfish." After dinner, they finished debriefing.
No anacondas have been spotted yet (parents, you can relax!), but Tanya reports that they have seen many beautiful birds.
Thanks to God for:
-the team catching up on rest. They went to bed about 8:30-9 pm last night, and spontaneously awoke around 5:30 to 6 this morning, before their scheduled wake-up call Tanya asks that we pray for:
-the program tomorrow, that they would "smooth out the kinks"
-the hearts of the people who are hearing the Gospel, that they would have understanding, and would respond
-health for the members of the team (McLorn, Anne) who are experiencing colds
His mercy and grace to you,
Eudora and Te Hua
Today's update was provided by Tanya Jeong
The team is in the same place as yesterday. Since the river water had receded, they could not take The Chosen Vessel, the name of the large boat which is their "home base" on which they travel from village to village. Instead, they had to take a smaller boat about 20 minutes to the village of Puerto Rico (same name as the US territory). This is the first time the village of around 250 people has been visited by The Chosen Vessel ministry. School is out, so about half the villagers were away visiting relatives. School vacation notwithstanding, the team saw about 120 people (i.e., almost all of the remaining villagers) this morning at the five stations which included the eyeglass, toothbrush, evangelical, pharmacy and
medical/dental stations.
The team returned to the larger boat for lunch, where they experienced a heavy rain storm. After it passed, they returned to Puerto Rico to present their outreach program. They gave fishing kits to the men, beauty kits to the women, and finger puppets to the children. Their translators are very musical and had praise songs in Spanish. The local church helped lead the worship. Members of "our" team sang "I
Can Imagine" and "Here I Am to Worship" in Spanish. Prior to presentation of the drama, a video (with Louis) was shown, explaining what the audience was about to see. The audience found parts of the drama humorous, but an encouraging comment from at least one of the villagers was that it was "beautiful." The translator team closed with worship. No formal evangelistic call was given, but the local
church will follow up.
The team then returned to The Chosen Vessel for dinner. They played volleyball; Lois Yeh found guava; and Hannah Ong, Bryan Woosley and Eric Feltes caught some "weird looking catfish." After dinner, they finished debriefing.
No anacondas have been spotted yet (parents, you can relax!), but Tanya reports that they have seen many beautiful birds.
Thanks to God for:
-the team catching up on rest. They went to bed about 8:30-9 pm last night, and spontaneously awoke around 5:30 to 6 this morning, before their scheduled wake-up call Tanya asks that we pray for:
-the program tomorrow, that they would "smooth out the kinks"
-the hearts of the people who are hearing the Gospel, that they would have understanding, and would respond
-health for the members of the team (McLorn, Anne) who are experiencing colds
His mercy and grace to you,
Eudora and Te Hua
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