Man's Faith Guides Him To Perú

Resource:  Wichita Falls Times Record News

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the first in a three-part series on Wichita Falls businesswoman Katherine Smith’s trip to Peru, where her son, Michael Fiore, works in and ministers to one of the poorest neighborhoods in all the world.

Like Wichita Falls, the city of Iquitos in the northeastern corner of Peru has a small airport with one gate, a very long runway and only three flights per day.

Like Wichita Falls, the city sits next to an important river. Of course, our river is often lacking in water. The river that borders Iquitos is the mighty Amazon.

Visitors to Iquitos will immediately be hit by the relentless summertime heat, just like they might be in Wichita Falls. But in Iquitos, you can add 90 percent humidity to the heat — and it’s always summer.

Any other similarity between the two cities ends once you pick up your luggage. Instead of pickups and SUVs, the parking lot is filled with three-wheeled motorcycles called motokars. They have a wide back seat and a vinyl cover to protect passengers from the equatorial sun and fierce tropical rains.

I am lucky. My hotel has sent its air-conditioned van, one of the few in the city, to pick me up.

But these details don’t matter to me now, because I finally spot my youngest son, Michael Fiore, waiting outside in the heat. I have not seen him for more than a year, and I cry as I reach up to hug him. Then I am embraced by the tiny young woman beside him. This is my first glimpse of the girl who will become his wife in just three days.

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World Water Day

A Life-Saving Solution To Waterborne Illness

Resource:  UNICEF

By Sabine Dolan

In Amazonian Peru, A Simple, Life-Saving Solution To Waterborne Illness

Drinking water is fundamental to human life. Yet, thousands of children die every day from diarrhea and other waterborne diseases because of limited access to safe water.

As the world observes World Water Day on 22 March, we look at the Loreto region of Peru. Although the Amazon, the world’s largest river, flows through this part of the country, safe water here is limited.

IQUITOS, Peru, 21 March 2013 – Cinthia Alado is worried about her son Andy. The 7-month-old has been suffering from stomach pain.

Safe Water At A High Price

Cinthia and her family live in a crowded community by the Amazon River in Iquitos, Peru. Last April, the area was devastated by what local inhabitants say were the worst floods in more than three decades. The waters have long since receded, but people in this impoverished neighborhood have limited access to clean, safe water.

As a result, residents, especially young children, have suffered from bouts of severe diarrhea and various infections.

“My son has had diarrhea already five times today because I don’t have clean water in my house,” says Cinthia, holding Andy in her arms. “Water costs a lot of money, and I just can’t afford to buy it every day.”

“For thousands of families in Peru, the only option is to buy water supplied by tank trucks and store it,” explains UNICEF Representative in Peru Paul Martin. “This lack of access to safe drinking water translates into children having skin problems and exposes them to stomach viruses which produce recurrent diarrhea.”

The community of Masusa is in Iquitos on the Amazon River. It is extremely poor. Eight in ten families don’t have safe drinking water, and almost no one has access to sanitation. Masusa was severely affected by floods, which contaminated local water supplies.

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Core Values For Mission Involvement Presbyterian World Mission

Dignity

Created in God’s image and forgiven by God in Christ, we are all called to treat each person with dignity and respect, following the model of Jesus, standing together with those who are marginalized.

Empowerment

We will focus on long‐term relationships, building the capacity of each member of the Body of Christ to engage in God’s mission in sustainable ways.  We will strive to be aware of issues of power and context as well as the gifts and hopes of others.

Holistic Ministry

We seek to bring about the realization of God’s vision for our fallen world:  the redemption of the whole creation, including both personal sinfulness and the unjust structures of society.  A Christ‐centered 

proclamation of the gospel requires that we share the gospel through evangelism, minister in compassion, and advocate for justice.

Partnership

Our work with partner churches and organizations around the world and with U.S. Presbyterians is based on mutual respect and trust leading to common prophetic witness and to mutual transparency and accountability. Whenever possible, we work in God’s mission with other members of the ecumenical family and with partners of other faiths.

Relevance to God’s World

We embrace the call of God to respond with creativity and integrity to a rapidly changing and interdependent world where local and global concerns converge in new ways. We will maintain our centeredness in Christ as we follow the example of our spiritual ancestors:  “The church reformed, always reforming” (Book of Order G‐2.0200).

Stewardship

From the beginning God has called humankind to care for the created order; therefore we will strive to restore God’s creation and to use its resources respectfully and responsibly.  We, as individuals and as an organization, with all that we have belong to God;  therefore we place under the Lordship of Christ our time,talents, and financial resources;  our political and economic choices;  our relationships; and our very lives.  

Join Us!

Sharon Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, North Carolina will have a adult mission team traveling to Huanta, Perú from July 12-22. We have a few spaces available, if you know someone that might be interested.

Sharon Presbyterian has been traveling to Perú since 2002 and this trip promises to be just as exciting and rewarding. Over the years, we have been blessed with many participants joining us from different churches. As a matter of fact, we will have our 100th different participant this year!

A mission team from Port Orange Presbyterian Church in Port Orange Florida will be in Ayacucho during our trip to Huanta.  We look forward to connecting with members of their group this year too.

For more information, contact Randy Ross at mrandallross@aol.com.

Good News!

Those of you who know our situation in Peru will be glad to hear that the Iglesia Evangelica Presbiteriana Reformada en el Peru has approved a three year covenant to work with the PC (USA)... This is good!

Sara Armstrong