Un Reunion de la Familia: January 24, 2010

Family Photo

After a few hours of much needed rest, we loaded the bus for Condevilla. The hour ride went by quickly as we took in the sights and sounds of the city- the beautiful monuments in the middle of roundabouts, the groaning of the buses as they shift gears, and street vendors hollering out their wares.

In August of 2009, the church in Condevilla moved to a new location a few blocks from the original site. As we drove into unfamiliar territory, we knew we were home when Lucho, Victor, Jim and the rest of our brothers and sisters greeted us. Many besos y abrazos were given before the service began.

New church

The next couple of hours were spent in praise and worship. We sang many songs- Soy Nueva Criatura, Abre Mis Ojos, and Dios Puede Salvar were a few that Victor lead us in…and there’s nothing like Victor belting out the chorus with a microphone! Praise the Lord for providing us with a small picture of what Heaven will be like!

Most teammates stayed for the sermon and remainder of the service while a few of us had the opportunity to lead Sunday school. We packed 15 kids into a small room and discussed God’s creation through pictures and then made our own creation using modeling clay. What fun!

Emily teaching Sunday school

Next on the agenda was to check out the site of our clinic. Due to the change in location of the church, we had to move the clinic. As the poles and cloth went up, we saw the clinic take shape and started planning for tomorrow’s opening day.

All this activity worked up an appetite, so we ate at the local restaurant El Tigre. Many teammates tried the Peruvian specialties of ceviche (raw fish) and chica morado (purple corn drink) for the first time. After lunch we were off to the market for a bit of shopping. Most teammates were carrying large bags back to the hotel with them, so hopefully that’s a good sign for family and friends reading this back home.

Danielle trying octopus

We met as a team to talk of tomorrow’s logistics in the clinic and were treated to gelato at the end. We’re ready to launch the clinic and love the people of Condevilla through our actions.

Want more pictures? Check them out at this address: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=185002477#/album.php?aid=2141668&id=185002477&ref=mf

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please pray for our first day of clinic tomorrow, Monday. Pray for patience, organization, and energy. Also, pray the Peruvians would not feel intimidated by their American teammates.
• Please pray for the patients who come through the clinic. Pray we’d be able to meet their physical needs as well as their spiritual needs.
• Please continue to pray for the physical health of the team, as we press on with little sleep and our bodies adjust to new foods.