North Peru: Week 1

This was my first mission trip and I could not have asked for a better group and place to have come. Cajamarca is a wonderful place full of beautiful people, landscape and culture. I was not sure what to expect going into the trip but once I arrived and started working with the people here I was pleasantly surprised. The first day we went to the Plaza in downtown Cajamarca. The plaza was beautiful and had many amazing vendors with handmade crafts and beautiful churches along the way. We were able to attend church at Monte Sion on Sunday and, surprisingly it was not far different from our own church. They sang songs, had a sermon, and took up an offering. Brother Dave actually preached, so we were able to understand what was going on. I also recognized the tune of several songs.

On Monday, we started work in the first clinic here at Monte Sion. I was extremely impressed with how well the facility was set up and that made it easy to run a smooth clinic. We worked all day and into the night, even until we could not see anymore. The providers were working outside with flashlights just to finish seeing all of the patients that came. We saw a lot of people and i was so humbled by the fact that even though we could not do much for the people, they were so gracious for everything we did accomplish. The rest of the week we held clinics around the area and we were able to help a lot of people. We handed out many bibles, vitamins, antibiotics, glasses, and the children were able to do many crafts.

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the orphanage here(the Aldea) and play with some amazing kids. The children were so happy every time we came. Seeing where these kids lived and knowing they did not have any homes to go home to was humbling. Their shoes were ragged and many of their clothes were torn and dirty. As a team, we decided to all donate money to buy new shoes for the kids and all the tias (house parent) there. This experience was humbling because we all are constantly wondering how we can get the latest gadget or new pair of shoes and knowing that these kids only had enough to survive was a very emotional experience for me.

The other orphanage we went to was for special needs children. We were able to tour the facility and the equipment was as good as we have in the US. Many of the children there could not speak, and some couldn't walk, but everyone on our team just poured out their love to these kids.

We were also able to have the opportunity to go to the local market and buy food for seven needy families. That was a fun group activity where we were able to purchase about a month supply of food for a nine person family. It was also interesting attempting to communicate in their language. In the afternoon, we went to deliver the food and that was my favorite thing we did all week. When we went to deliver the food we saw what most of the families were living in, which was a couple of walls made out of dirt and mud, one bedroom, and a concrete floor to sleep on. I sat there wondering how these families can live like that and still be so grateful for all that they do have. This was a life changing experience and it taught me that we all need to be grateful for what we do have and we should all try to do more to help others.

This whole trip has been filled with great people and great life experiences and has truly made me a better person. I hope to come back next year and for many years to come, and eventually come back as a doctor and offer any help I can to the people of Cajamarca.