Cheri LeBlanc, MD: June 2007

Medical Outreach Day 1

As you can see I missed a few days of blogging. We are all back safely at home. Thank you so much for your prayers while we were gone. After our first day of medical clinics, I was just too tired to turn on the computer and blog.

We left the hotel at 7am on a big red bus and went to Camino de Vida to pick up the team; a few spoke English. The bus was loaded with all the medications and medical supplies. We traveled for 1 1/2 hours to a remote location, but it was heavily populated. The tent was already up with tables and chairs in it. They rent the tents because it is so much work to put them up. We were told that they started at 7pm the night before and finished at 2am! It was metal poles and miles of material - all held together with straight pins. I had never seen anything like it. We were on dirt floors. DIRT EVERYWHERE!

The general medical tent consisted of

many small square tables with a couple of chairs, just a few feet apart. This is where the history and physical was done and prescription written. (Of course I needed an interpreter.) There were about 18 medical doctors and about 7 dentists.
After the patient had seen the doctor, they were escorted to the "clinica del alma" which means clinic of the soul. This is where the gospel was presented i

n a very simple way. The people who do this are annointed. After they leave this area they receive a stamp on their prescription that allows them to go to the pharmacy to receive their medication. That day there were over 1,000 patients seen and 297 salvations!!!

The people were so friendly with a quick smile and plenty of hugs. This is David our wonderful photographer.

Day 6 - Women's Home

Wednesday we traveled to another ministry of Camino de Vida - a Women's Home. This is a home for women who have found themselves in drug addiction and prostitution. When we arrived we had worship. We listened to worship songs on a stereo but no one was leading worship. In fact, no one was even standing at the front of the room. But the atmosphere was incredible. The presence of God was like none I had experienced before as we listened to the heart felt voices of these women. They were crying out to Jesus with a passion like few people ever experience in their entire lives. You could hear it in their worship even though we couldn't understand the words with our minds, our spirits joined in. I could hear crying behind me and it was not the women - it was our team.

Nick translated for us as we heard the testimonies of two of the young women. This is Michelle and she is 19 years old. Since a very young child she had been abused by her brother. Her step father was alcoholic and everynight she would sleep in her mother's room so she could try to protect her mother from her husband's beatings. She became so tired of this life that she ran away and began drinking, then smoking pot, and by the age of 14 she was on cocaine. To support her habit she began prostitution. She felt that she was no good and her life was over. But her aunt found her, heard about this home on the radio and brought her

here. That was a year ago. She was taught that her life did have worth, she was taught the word of God and it made a radical transformation in her life. After 6 months her mother began visiting her. Then her mother accepted Christ, then recently her step-father did as well. She has forgiven all who had abused her in the past, including her brother. She and her brother now have a restored healthy relationship. Her greatest desire is to help other women see that there is a life with Christ.

Charlotte shared a word with them - she spoke to them in Spanish (go Charlotte!) and I was able to give them a health education mini-seminar and answer their questions. Then we all had to pose for a picture. It was a powerful time for us.
What awesome work that God is doing through this ministry.

After lunch we (Joe) spray painted the gate and fence. Pastor Johnny and Shane held up cardboard to keep the green paint from getting on the cream. However, Pastor and Shane ended up a little green.

We then had to paint the letters white.

This is Pete speaking to the children. It was great. He told all the children that even though he may never see them again on this earth, that if they had Christ in their heart then we would meet again in heaven.

Here is the team with the great looking gate. Goodbyes were hard, the children almost followed us into the street.

Finishing touches

Our last day at the orphanage putting on the finishing touches for Christ. The team served with joy and compassion which was evident by the our faces and the finished product. We finished by spray painting the iron gates that are in front of the orphanage and the steel letters that spell out Camino de Vida's Childrens Home in Spanish. We ran out of paint toward the end and Pastor Johnny and I looked at Jesus, a spanish man on the grounds in charge of maintenance, and asked him, 'Can we get more paint?' He replied, "No money". We said without hesitation can we give you money to buy some more. He said yes and was off to the paint store. I say this because the orphanage reminded me of Jesus' words in Matthew 13:44-46. For we did indeed find a treasure hidden in a field and with joy in our hearts we were ready to spend whatever was needed to finish the job.

Eating lunch that was prepared by the ladies in the Children's Home. It was great. You can see our new favorite drink, Inca Kola.

Downtown Lima

After playing with the kids, we were able to go back to hotel to clean up - which was needed. Then Nick took us to downtown to the central square. It was beautifully li

t up at night. We had dinner at Pardo's, which was roasted chicken, fries, fresh avocado and carrots. They also had a strange corn-on-the-cob with kernals the size of your thumb nail. All very good.

... and then we play!

When the kids came home from school at 3pm, they ate lunch. After lunch they were allowed to play with us instead of going straight to homework. Look at the pictures, who had more fun: the kids or us?

Shawn is getting his face painted with chalk. Biggest miracle I've seen yet, he sat still while they did it.

Time to Paint

We went back to the children's home on Monday morning to start painting their home. There is so much to do every day just to keep the place running. Think on these things that they told us. They use up one large tube of toothpaste a day! The go through one large (not sure how many gallons) propane tank a week $350.

Therefore, there is never enough time to do the maintance things. We we have come to Peru to be the hands and feet of His servants.

Labels: mission, Peru

Shoulder rides

A very popular game was shoulder rides. This little girl in the long sleeve blue shirt with the curls is Isabella. She is the youngest in the home. She has been there since she was 4 years old, she is now 6.

The man in the second picture holding the girl in the pink pants is Nick. He has been our host and tour guide and has been absolutely wonderful.

Isabella doesn't speak English, so she turns your head where she wants you to go, as Phillip found out.

These children are here until they are 18. There is such a huge child sex slavery organization that they are not allowed to find adoptive parents. They just can't trust them. The children are safer in these homes. Now we have become a part of their family.

Labels: Peru

Playing with the children

This is a view of the children's rooms which overlook their playground. We had brought a few balls and as we started playing the kids joined in. No interpretation needed to play ball.

Shane received the name of Sasquatch. See the little boy with the glasses. He just loved to come up behind Shane and with extreme emotion would yell, "Sassssquatch!" And, of course, that required Shane to pick him up above his head.

Chaclacaya

Sunday afternoon we were able to get to know the children. We bought food and it was cooked on an open grill in the corner of the compound. The nice playground equipment was purchased by the HPC Singles group that went a couple of years ago.

The children were at first a little shy, but they soon warmed up. Language barrier and all, the team found a way to communicate with them.

The three story building has a classroom on bottom for additional studies, the other floors have offices and additional living quarters.

Day 3 - Camino de Vida style

We were able to make 10am church at Camino de Vida - same time as HPC. And it was also broadcast on internet. We were treated wonderfully and given radios to hear the translation of the message. Everything was like HPC