Lev Mergian is a friend of mine back from my days at Ward Church's youth group. He and I traveled together on a number of short term trips with church, and they were trips that opened our eyes and changed both or our lives. For me, God used the short term trips to solidify my long term calling to Peru. For Lev, the trips inspired him to film a documentary about the street children here in Peru to open the world's eyes to such an important social issue.
He has already done the filming, and is now in the process of raising money to cover the costs of producing the documentary. I encourage you to take a look at his page on kickstarter.com and consider being a part of this documentary. The funds raised will be used to hire translators, transcribers, colorists, editors, sound designers, licensing, multi-media formatting, and composers. It will also fund the submission fees to enter this picture into as many film festivals as possible. Below is the trailer for "Abandoned."
You can learn more about the documentary and donate to this project by clicking here.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
So Much More than Sign Language
Just as I did last year, I have decided to enroll in the sign language classes that Scripture Union Peru offers for the months of March and April. Last year I had to enroll in the pre-basic class, and in that class we actually didn't learn signs at all. It was more about gestures and visual, non-verbal communication skills. This year I am now in level one, and I have only attended two classes so far. In the first class we concentrated on the alphabet, and in the second class we added numbers to the mix. I find myself walking around Lima and practicing signing the letters on street signs. Haha...I know I am a little bit of a nerd.
My teacher's name is Vanessa, and she herself is a deaf adult. As I walked out of my last class on Saturday, I was really moved. It wasn't so much the content that she was teaching but the way in which she chose to teach it. Vanessa does a wonderful job of incorporating her own personal experiences into the classroom. As she patiently spells words to us with her hands and teaches us new signs (10 times slower than she would with someone who already knows signs), she tells us bits and pieces of her testimony. She tells us how she was ignored at home because no one knew how to communicate with her. She tells us of all of the painful doctors visits and odd procedures that she underwent because of her parent's desire for her to be normal. She told us how her parents made her feel like she was guilty--somehow responsible for her own deafness. She told us of how she would be handed books and expected to read, or at least copy the letters even though she did not understand what the letters meant. She had a low self esteem, and she was so angry without any way to express it in a way that other people would understand.
Today she is so much the opposite. Vanessa is bright and outgoing. She is able to communicate fluently in signs, and she can read and write Spanish. She told us that as a child she could never have imagined that she would be in charge of a classroom full of hearing adults. She is so happy that by God's grace she has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Most of my classmates are parents of deaf children. To see the light in Vanessa's eyes as she urges the parents to make the effort to communicate with their children and to include them with the rest of the family is truly moving.
I thank God for Vanessa and her other colleagues who are working at Scripture Union's deaf program. Many deaf people in Peru end up jobless and living on the streets with nowhere else to go. They fall into a life of drugs and loneliness. Praise God that he is using people like Vanessa to make a difference in these peoples' lives. He is using her not only as a mentor and role model for other deaf children but also as a testimony and example for these children's parents and family!
My teacher's name is Vanessa, and she herself is a deaf adult. As I walked out of my last class on Saturday, I was really moved. It wasn't so much the content that she was teaching but the way in which she chose to teach it. Vanessa does a wonderful job of incorporating her own personal experiences into the classroom. As she patiently spells words to us with her hands and teaches us new signs (10 times slower than she would with someone who already knows signs), she tells us bits and pieces of her testimony. She tells us how she was ignored at home because no one knew how to communicate with her. She tells us of all of the painful doctors visits and odd procedures that she underwent because of her parent's desire for her to be normal. She told us how her parents made her feel like she was guilty--somehow responsible for her own deafness. She told us of how she would be handed books and expected to read, or at least copy the letters even though she did not understand what the letters meant. She had a low self esteem, and she was so angry without any way to express it in a way that other people would understand.
Today she is so much the opposite. Vanessa is bright and outgoing. She is able to communicate fluently in signs, and she can read and write Spanish. She told us that as a child she could never have imagined that she would be in charge of a classroom full of hearing adults. She is so happy that by God's grace she has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Most of my classmates are parents of deaf children. To see the light in Vanessa's eyes as she urges the parents to make the effort to communicate with their children and to include them with the rest of the family is truly moving.
I thank God for Vanessa and her other colleagues who are working at Scripture Union's deaf program. Many deaf people in Peru end up jobless and living on the streets with nowhere else to go. They fall into a life of drugs and loneliness. Praise God that he is using people like Vanessa to make a difference in these peoples' lives. He is using her not only as a mentor and role model for other deaf children but also as a testimony and example for these children's parents and family!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Summer Camps in Kawai
For most of the month of February I am working in Scripture Union Peru's summer camps at Kawai. Kawai is a large campsite owned by Scripture Union right on the Pacific Ocean. While most of you readers are all bundled up trying to keep warm, I have the privilege of spending one month of my Peruvian summer on the beach working with all different types of kids and youth. This past week I had a special opportunity to help host a camp in partnership with another organization called SOS Children's Villages International. Forty teenagers came from the Esperanza home and the Rio Hondo. While the organization itself is not a Christian organization, I had the opportunity to spend four days with the kids and to share God's love with them.
We did all sorts of activities during the week. We spent hours in the pool and even more time on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We had relay races, skits, soccer and volleyball tournament, we slept in tents, and we had plenty more excitement during the week. One thing that amazes me working with kids and youth is how quickly you can begin to build relationships. What a blessing it is to become involved in the lives of people who you are just beginning to know. Working here in Kawai brings back years of good memories at Ward's Kids Kamp. I loved going to camp and enjoying life as a camper, but I also remember that God worked in my life through the counselors and other role models that he placed in my path.
I now have the opportunity to be one of those role models for these kids. For me the highlight of last week was the very last night. We had a bonfire on the beach and we went around the circle talking about our experiences from the last few days. We had a few laughs thinking of the funny things that happened during the week. We toasted marshmallows, and we enjoyed the beach. As the evening was coming to an end each of the counselors had a chance to say sometime. Paul, the director of the camp, shared how he made a decision for Christ in Kawai a number of years ago. When my turn came I felt pressed to share that one of the great things about God's love is that he chooses to continue loving us even in the midst of our broken condition. I shared that we can come to God just as we are with all of our problems, and he will accept us with open arms. The other guides continued to give a few words, and then the evening was over. We started to go back to the campsite, but I noticed that one of the older kids, Antony, just stayed sitting on the beach looking at the fire.
I approached him, and asked him if he was alright. "God really loves me in spite of everything I have done?" he said. Wow. I was not expecting that question--especially not from him. Antony was the oldest and one of the most difficult to work with during the week, but the gears were obviously turning in his head. I sat down with him in front of the fire, and we stayed and continued talking late into the night. How awesome it is to be in a situation where I know that God is using me. Antony still has lots of questions, and I encouraged him to continue to ask and to continue to search for God. I know that as he begins to search, God will be faithful in answering. Pray for Antony and the other kids who are coming to Kawai all summer long. God is at work here in Peru!
I leave you with a few photos from the week. You can see all of them on my Flickr page.
We did all sorts of activities during the week. We spent hours in the pool and even more time on the beach and swimming in the ocean. We had relay races, skits, soccer and volleyball tournament, we slept in tents, and we had plenty more excitement during the week. One thing that amazes me working with kids and youth is how quickly you can begin to build relationships. What a blessing it is to become involved in the lives of people who you are just beginning to know. Working here in Kawai brings back years of good memories at Ward's Kids Kamp. I loved going to camp and enjoying life as a camper, but I also remember that God worked in my life through the counselors and other role models that he placed in my path.
I now have the opportunity to be one of those role models for these kids. For me the highlight of last week was the very last night. We had a bonfire on the beach and we went around the circle talking about our experiences from the last few days. We had a few laughs thinking of the funny things that happened during the week. We toasted marshmallows, and we enjoyed the beach. As the evening was coming to an end each of the counselors had a chance to say sometime. Paul, the director of the camp, shared how he made a decision for Christ in Kawai a number of years ago. When my turn came I felt pressed to share that one of the great things about God's love is that he chooses to continue loving us even in the midst of our broken condition. I shared that we can come to God just as we are with all of our problems, and he will accept us with open arms. The other guides continued to give a few words, and then the evening was over. We started to go back to the campsite, but I noticed that one of the older kids, Antony, just stayed sitting on the beach looking at the fire.
I approached him, and asked him if he was alright. "God really loves me in spite of everything I have done?" he said. Wow. I was not expecting that question--especially not from him. Antony was the oldest and one of the most difficult to work with during the week, but the gears were obviously turning in his head. I sat down with him in front of the fire, and we stayed and continued talking late into the night. How awesome it is to be in a situation where I know that God is using me. Antony still has lots of questions, and I encouraged him to continue to ask and to continue to search for God. I know that as he begins to search, God will be faithful in answering. Pray for Antony and the other kids who are coming to Kawai all summer long. God is at work here in Peru!
I leave you with a few photos from the week. You can see all of them on my Flickr page.
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| Games on the beach |
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| My favorite thing to do at camp--SWIM!!! |
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| Pie in the face |
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| The group |
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| Paul, Joca, Erica, and I (the leaders) |
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| Alex, Julio, Alex, and I |
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| Ideally the eggs were supposed to sink! |
Friday, February 4, 2011
Update on Jacob
I just wanted to post a quick update about Jacob from my last blog post. He is healing very well, and we are continuing to take care of him. It looks like we may take him to our boys' home near Iquitos. Either way, we will definitely work to make sure that he is in good care. It is great to see how God can work--even in the midst of a snake bite. Thanks for all of your prayers!
Earlier this week another group from the UK visited the boat, and they were able to meet Jacob. The following video was taken by one of the group members. If you can't see the video, then click here to go the the YouTube page.
Earlier this week another group from the UK visited the boat, and they were able to meet Jacob. The following video was taken by one of the group members. If you can't see the video, then click here to go the the YouTube page.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Jacob and God's Perfect Plan
Recently I had another opportunity to spend a few days on our medical boat in the Amazon jungle. This particular voyage took us far from the city of Iquitos fairly close to the border between Peru and Brazil. If you want to try to find it on a map, look for the city of Pevas (sometimes spelled Pebas) in Peru. It is amazing to see how God can use the boat and the team on the boat to minister to the people in the jungle in very tangible ways.
One case in particular stands out in my mind, and I want to share Jacob's story with you. It was my last evening on the boat for this particular trip, and we had changed plans at the last minute. We were supposed to be heading to a town close to the Ampiyacu River, but instead Dr. Ronald (the doctor in charge of this voyage) decided to head a couple of hours farther down the Amazon to the town of Cochiquinas. Just as we were tying the boat up in the town's small port and finishing dinner, a man from the town approached our boat looking for help.
"I know that you are not planning on attending patients until tomorrow morning, but please, this is an emergency." he said.
Indeed it was. The man was carrying a young boy in his arms. He explained to us that the morning before he had been bitten by a snake in the ankle, and he was growing weaker and weaker. As we brought the boy down into the medical room, we noticed that he was bleeding from a number of different places on his body. I know nothing about snake bites or tropical medicine, but the doctors explained to me that it is common for snake venom to act as an anticoagulant, meaning that wherever this boy has a cut or a scrape, the blood wouldn't clot like normal--it just continued to bleed.
Immediately, the doctors and nurses went to work. I did my best to stay out of their way and just be available to translate as needed. Thankfully our boat travels with a general snake anti-venom in stock. I was under the impression that once we gave him the anti-venom medicine, then he would begin to heal, but the doctors informed me that his case was much more serious.
"Theoretically speaking this anti-venom will do no good if the bite occurred more than 24 hours ago," Dr. Ronald said, "and this boy was bitten more than 36 hours ago. The only other treatment for snake venom only treats the symptoms--not the problem."
"So what are we going to do?" I asked, worried that the boy might not make it.
Dr. Ronald replied, "There are only two things that we can do: give him the anti-venom anyway and pray that God will take care of this boy."
We did just that. We administered the strong medicine to this boy through his IV line. At first he reacted quite strongly. He began vomiting, and he became quite sick. As I stood in the room and witnessed this, I began to think that I was going to witness this boy's death that very night. The doctors and nurses seemed quite worried, and I was so impressed with the way they cared for the boy over the next couple of hours.
While they were in the room taking care of the boy's immediate needs, my mind turned to his family. The man who brought this boy to the boat was just a neighbor. I asked the man where Jacob's parents were. He explained that they are separated, and neither one lives close by. The father never comes to visit, and the mother has a new family now, but she comes to see her children about once a month. The neighbor told me that this boy is now living with his grandparents, but they leave for four or five days at a time to go out to work in the coca fields. The grandparents were home when Jacob was bitten, but they just left him in the house and left for work as if it were any other day.
I continued making small talk with Jacob's neighbor until the doctors came out to say that his stomach had calmed down, his bleeding had stopped, and miraculously, he seemed to be stabilizing. What a praise! He was just going to need some rest, and he was going to continue to receive antibiotics to fight off any type of infection that might follow. As things began to quiet down for the night, I volunteered to sit in with him until he fell asleep. We talked for awhile. I asked him a little bit more about it life and his family. I found out that he was the oldest of three. He explained to me that they are on their own most of the time, but grandma and grandpa come by the house every once in awhile. As we continued to talk, I learned that he did not know his age or his birthday. I would guess that he is about nine years old. Jacob didn't even know what his last name was.
We continued to talk. "So you are the oldest? I guess that means that you get to take care of your younger siblings."
"Yeah, but that doesn't scare me. When am I going to be able to go home? I'm getting bored here, and I want to see my brother and sister." He responded.
I was amazed at the way this boy talked. He was taken from his home by a neighbor to a strange medical boat full of strange doctors and nurses. He was bitten by a snake, incredibly weak, and on top of that we gave him medicine that made him feel even sicker. Not once did he shed a tear, and as soon as he began to stabilize he was worrying about his siblings. I sat with him awhile longer, and he drifted to sleep.
I slept very little that night. I could not stop thinking about Jacob on the deck below. I spent time praying for him and his family. Praying that God would bring healing to his body and redemption to his family. Praying that through all of these difficult situations that God would make himself known.
Morning came, and I went straight back downstairs to see how Jacob was doing. He had slept most of the night and was just receiving his second round of antibiotics. He was doing better, but he was going to need antibiotics for a number of days. We needed to get him to the hospital. Jacob's neighbor kindly volunteered to go and look for his grandparents, but when he found them in the fields they communicated that they were not going to be able to leave their work, and the would not take Jacob to the hospital. I couldn't believe that they just ignored the problem, knowing full well that if he didn't get to a hospital he could still die. With no legal guardian to take him, we did the only thing that we could do--keep him on the boat.
This was my last morning on the boat. I had to accompany my group back to Iquitos so that they could catch their flights back to the UK. We left Jacob under the care of our very highly qualified Peruvian staff of doctors and nurses.
So many thoughts were racing through my mind as I made the six hour speed boat trip back to Iquitos. I spent time wrestling with this situation, questioning God, and wondering why all this had happened. Even if Jacob does get better, what kind of home is he going back into? As I spent time in prayer, my mind wandered to Joseph in the Bible. I was reminded of how so many difficult things happened in his life. He was sold into slavery, thrown into jail, and forgotten about for years. In the end, he becomes second in command only to Pharaoh himself, and he saves countless numbers of people from starving to death during a great famine. What others meant for evil, God used for good!
I am encouraged as I am reminded that God also has a plan for our Jacob. I am not sure what it is, but I trust that God knows what he is doing. I am reminded that we weren't even planning on going to Jacob's village that evening. I am reminded that our doctors were able to stabilize Jacob even though we were more than 12 hours past the deadline to administer the anti-venom. I don't know exactly where Jacob will end up. We are doing all that we can to find a safe place for him and his siblings. First we have to try to locate family, and if that doesn't work out then he may be a candidate for our boys' home near Iquitos. Either way, join me in praising God for his perfect plan and in praying that God would continue to lay his healing and protecting hand over this boy's life.
One case in particular stands out in my mind, and I want to share Jacob's story with you. It was my last evening on the boat for this particular trip, and we had changed plans at the last minute. We were supposed to be heading to a town close to the Ampiyacu River, but instead Dr. Ronald (the doctor in charge of this voyage) decided to head a couple of hours farther down the Amazon to the town of Cochiquinas. Just as we were tying the boat up in the town's small port and finishing dinner, a man from the town approached our boat looking for help.
"I know that you are not planning on attending patients until tomorrow morning, but please, this is an emergency." he said.
Indeed it was. The man was carrying a young boy in his arms. He explained to us that the morning before he had been bitten by a snake in the ankle, and he was growing weaker and weaker. As we brought the boy down into the medical room, we noticed that he was bleeding from a number of different places on his body. I know nothing about snake bites or tropical medicine, but the doctors explained to me that it is common for snake venom to act as an anticoagulant, meaning that wherever this boy has a cut or a scrape, the blood wouldn't clot like normal--it just continued to bleed.
Immediately, the doctors and nurses went to work. I did my best to stay out of their way and just be available to translate as needed. Thankfully our boat travels with a general snake anti-venom in stock. I was under the impression that once we gave him the anti-venom medicine, then he would begin to heal, but the doctors informed me that his case was much more serious.
"Theoretically speaking this anti-venom will do no good if the bite occurred more than 24 hours ago," Dr. Ronald said, "and this boy was bitten more than 36 hours ago. The only other treatment for snake venom only treats the symptoms--not the problem."
"So what are we going to do?" I asked, worried that the boy might not make it.
Dr. Ronald replied, "There are only two things that we can do: give him the anti-venom anyway and pray that God will take care of this boy."
We did just that. We administered the strong medicine to this boy through his IV line. At first he reacted quite strongly. He began vomiting, and he became quite sick. As I stood in the room and witnessed this, I began to think that I was going to witness this boy's death that very night. The doctors and nurses seemed quite worried, and I was so impressed with the way they cared for the boy over the next couple of hours.
While they were in the room taking care of the boy's immediate needs, my mind turned to his family. The man who brought this boy to the boat was just a neighbor. I asked the man where Jacob's parents were. He explained that they are separated, and neither one lives close by. The father never comes to visit, and the mother has a new family now, but she comes to see her children about once a month. The neighbor told me that this boy is now living with his grandparents, but they leave for four or five days at a time to go out to work in the coca fields. The grandparents were home when Jacob was bitten, but they just left him in the house and left for work as if it were any other day.
I continued making small talk with Jacob's neighbor until the doctors came out to say that his stomach had calmed down, his bleeding had stopped, and miraculously, he seemed to be stabilizing. What a praise! He was just going to need some rest, and he was going to continue to receive antibiotics to fight off any type of infection that might follow. As things began to quiet down for the night, I volunteered to sit in with him until he fell asleep. We talked for awhile. I asked him a little bit more about it life and his family. I found out that he was the oldest of three. He explained to me that they are on their own most of the time, but grandma and grandpa come by the house every once in awhile. As we continued to talk, I learned that he did not know his age or his birthday. I would guess that he is about nine years old. Jacob didn't even know what his last name was.
We continued to talk. "So you are the oldest? I guess that means that you get to take care of your younger siblings."
"Yeah, but that doesn't scare me. When am I going to be able to go home? I'm getting bored here, and I want to see my brother and sister." He responded.
I was amazed at the way this boy talked. He was taken from his home by a neighbor to a strange medical boat full of strange doctors and nurses. He was bitten by a snake, incredibly weak, and on top of that we gave him medicine that made him feel even sicker. Not once did he shed a tear, and as soon as he began to stabilize he was worrying about his siblings. I sat with him awhile longer, and he drifted to sleep.
I slept very little that night. I could not stop thinking about Jacob on the deck below. I spent time praying for him and his family. Praying that God would bring healing to his body and redemption to his family. Praying that through all of these difficult situations that God would make himself known.
Morning came, and I went straight back downstairs to see how Jacob was doing. He had slept most of the night and was just receiving his second round of antibiotics. He was doing better, but he was going to need antibiotics for a number of days. We needed to get him to the hospital. Jacob's neighbor kindly volunteered to go and look for his grandparents, but when he found them in the fields they communicated that they were not going to be able to leave their work, and the would not take Jacob to the hospital. I couldn't believe that they just ignored the problem, knowing full well that if he didn't get to a hospital he could still die. With no legal guardian to take him, we did the only thing that we could do--keep him on the boat.
This was my last morning on the boat. I had to accompany my group back to Iquitos so that they could catch their flights back to the UK. We left Jacob under the care of our very highly qualified Peruvian staff of doctors and nurses.
So many thoughts were racing through my mind as I made the six hour speed boat trip back to Iquitos. I spent time wrestling with this situation, questioning God, and wondering why all this had happened. Even if Jacob does get better, what kind of home is he going back into? As I spent time in prayer, my mind wandered to Joseph in the Bible. I was reminded of how so many difficult things happened in his life. He was sold into slavery, thrown into jail, and forgotten about for years. In the end, he becomes second in command only to Pharaoh himself, and he saves countless numbers of people from starving to death during a great famine. What others meant for evil, God used for good!
I am encouraged as I am reminded that God also has a plan for our Jacob. I am not sure what it is, but I trust that God knows what he is doing. I am reminded that we weren't even planning on going to Jacob's village that evening. I am reminded that our doctors were able to stabilize Jacob even though we were more than 12 hours past the deadline to administer the anti-venom. I don't know exactly where Jacob will end up. We are doing all that we can to find a safe place for him and his siblings. First we have to try to locate family, and if that doesn't work out then he may be a candidate for our boys' home near Iquitos. Either way, join me in praising God for his perfect plan and in praying that God would continue to lay his healing and protecting hand over this boy's life.
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