Contrasts Of Perú

Contrasts of Peru from Sebastian Klinger on Vimeo.

Perú Flooding Latest

Dear Friends,

Many of you have been asking how we are, and how you can help, in light of the nation-wide flooding and regional states of emergency in Peru.

First. All four Mission Co-Workers and three Young Adult Volunteers are safe. We write to let you know how we are responding, and to offer the link to those who want to give.

NEWS
All but one of the 25 provinces of Peru have experienced unusual flooding. The normal occurrence of ‘huaycos’ is 60 per year. (These are the flood waters that come with little warning and a lot of destruction.) We have already had 600 huaycos this year. The historic city of Trujillo has been underwater six times in the last few weeks, as have many coastal communities, particularly in northern Peru. The flooding in Lima got everyone's attention. There are amazing videos which you can find if you Google ‘Peru Floods 2017’. Peruvians have turned out to volunteer and give.

RESPONSES

The PC(USA) signed an agreement with Red Uniendo Manos-Peru (Joining Hands-Peru) that would allow us (Rusty & Sara) to work together on a new program called PERUSA; short-term mission teams with partner organizations that belong to the Red UM. We started “official” work with the Red last week as the news was breaking about all the disasters. Disaster relief became our focus. Working with the Red staff, we have developed a way for you to give through the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance directly to the work that the PC(USA) will be participating in with our partners here in Peru. The work of the Iglesia Evangélica Peruana will be in Paramongo four hours north of Lima. The work of Paz y Esperanza will be in the valley of the Carretera Central heading east out of Lima into the mountains. There is extensive flooding and damage in that area.

GIFTS

Here is the link to make a gift: Presbyterian Mission Agency

THE TOLL

Obviously the toll of damages continues to rise as roads are reopened to rural communities and as rivers overflow their banks in new areas. The unusual rains in the coastal desert and in the jungle are expected to continue for two more weeks. But here are the stats as of today, April 1st from the National Institute of Civil Defense (Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civll - INDECI):

LIFE AND HEALTH

• 101 people have lost their lives
• 353 people have been injured
• 19 people are missing

DAMAGES

• 149,848 persons have suffered severe damages and are in need of immediate humanitarian help (los damnificados)
• 950,498 persons have suffered minor damages, illness and are possibly in need of humanitarian help
• 18,269 houses have collapsed
• 16,315 houses are uninhabitable
• 208,076 houses have suffered damage

SCHOOLS

• 48 schools have collapsed
• 106 schools are uninhabitable
• 1,748 schools have suffered damage

LOCAL HEALTH POSTS

• 13 health posts have collapsed
• 25 health posts are uninhabitable
• 597 health posts are damaged

HIGHWAYS AND BRIDGES

• 2,443 km of highway are destroyed
• 5,991 km are damaged
• 264 bridges are destroyed (both pedestrian and vehicular)
• 418 bridges are damaged
• 1,702 km of rural roads are destroyed
• 10,302 km of rural roads are damaged

IRRIGATION AND CROP LOSS

• 4,460 irrigation canals are destroyed
• 9,224 irrigation canals are affected
• 53,656 Hectares of crops are affected (132,582 acres)
• 20,656 Hectares of crops are destroyed (51,040 acres)

As of today, our work will go forward with the Red UM, planning for both short-term relief and longer term recovery. We also will continue with work for all of the 2017 mission teams with the Iglesia Evangélica Peruana.

Thank you for your ongoing interest in Peru and in the work our church shares here. Please pray for the reconstruction and for the strengthening of our ability to respond to disasters.

Saludos y abrazos de Sara y Rusty

Misión Presbiteriana Mundial

Lima, Perú

Sara-Celular: 998 845 847

Presbyterian Mission Connections {Sara Armstrong & Russell Edmondson}

Perú Flood Update

Hello Van!

Here is some news for the Peru Mission site:

This has been a year of crazy extremes weather-wise. Between the unusual coastal rains and flooding, much of the coastal infrastructure has failed and damages are in the millions of dollars. This is the rainy season in the Andes and the jungle. However, the rains are heavier than usual this year. The Amazon River is close to overflowing and more flooding is expected in the Loretto province.

Here is recent data from the National Institute of Civil Defense (Instituto Nacional de Defensa Civll - INDECI):

• 78 people have lost their lives
• 263 people have been injured
• 20 people are missing
• 101,104 persons have suffered severe damages and in need of immediate humanitarian help
• 643,216 persons have suffered minor damages and possibly in need of humanitarian help
• 11,519 houses have collapsed
• 12,440 houses are uninhabitable
• 141,149 houses have suffered damage
• 27 schools have collapsed
• 62 schools are uninhabitable
• 1,194 schools have suffered damage
• 10 health posts have collapsed
• 16 health posts are uninhabitable
• 399 health posts are damaged
• 2,148 km of highways destroyed
• 4,554 km of highways damaged
• 175 bridges destroyed
• 290 bridges damaged
• 872 km of rural roads destroyed
• 4,884 km of rural roads damaged

We have been working with our partners to identify how Presbyterians can help. Presbyterian Disaster Relief works globally with the ACT Alliance and ACT Peru has received $150,000 for direct disaster relief. Peruvians are also showing up in astonishing numbers to volunteer and provide help. As in all disasters, some communities are inundated with help while many other communities have been totally cut off and have received no aid.

We (the PCUSA co-workers in Peru) are collaborating on relief efforts with our Peruvian partners, Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and other relief agencies. Within a few days we will let you know how you can help, and which communities will be the focus of the relief work for the Red Uniendo Manos partners, and the Iglesia Evangelica Churches here in Peru.

If you want to be amazed and awed at the power of nature, Google Peru Floods 2017 and look at the videos.  Following are two links to view:  Climate State and Business Insider

Sara Armstrong y Rusty Edmondson
Misión Presbiteriana Mundial
Lima, Perú
Sara Celular: 998 845 847
Presbyterian Mission Connections {Sara Armstrong & Russell Edmondson}

Dash 8-202 Landing Ayacucho, Perú (LC Perú)

The Ancient Salt Pans Of Perú

Meet Brenda Paredes

Brenda Wearing A Peruvian Manta

Although Brenda Paredes has served as our interpreter for many years on Sharon’s mission trips to Perú, she has done much more than that.  For example, she has worked at times as a travel agent, such as when arranging ground transportation and locating quality restaurants.  She has given us directions and dispensed advice on Peruvian customs and etiquette.  On shopping expeditions she has helped us negotiate with merchants so that we could land the best bargains.  At the work sites she has been pulled in many different directions to answer a multitude of questions, many of them coming at her in rapid succession from all quarters.  Throughout it all, she has maintained a consistently positive attitude, a sense of humor and a friendly smile.

Brenda was raised a Catholic, but when she was 12, her father joined a Presbyterian church in Lima.  At age 15, she went to the city of Huanta for a youth conference, where she met the PCUSA missionary at the time, Jacob Goad.  Wanting to improve her English, she applied for a J1 Visa that entitled her to work in the United States for 3 months.  Jacob, who in 2008 had returned to the United States, helped Brenda land a job at Alamance Presbyterian Church in Greensboro to work with the Mothers-Morning-Out program and other church activities.

After returning to Lima in March of 2009, she met Jacob’s replacements, Sara Armstrong and Rusty Edmondson during a worship service at Brenda’s home church in Lima, Amen Presbyterian. Brenda told Sara of her interest in learning English and asked Sara to give her a call if she could ever be of any assistance.  Late one night a couple of months later, Sara surprised Brenda with a call asking her to serve as an interpreter for a group of 17 “Gringos” from a church called Sharon Presbyterian in Charlotte.  Brenda said she hesitated.  “I had told Sara I was learning English. I did not think of myself as an interpreter!”

During that trip she met Connie and Van Dale, who encouraged her to pursue her dream to study in the United States.  With their sponsorship and dedication, she began a program in International Studies at Winthrop and at the same time joined Sharon.  However, her dream suffered an unfortunate setback when in 2013 she contracted TB on a flight from Greensboro to Charlotte.  For two years back in Perú, not only did she have to follow a strict regimen of antibiotics and therapy, she had to struggle with both the U.S. and Peruvian bureaucracies in spite of the fact that her doctors had given her full medical clearance.  When asked if she ever felt discouraged or lost faith, she gave credit to God and to Connie and Van for helping her stay focused.  Connie would remind her, “Don’t lose sight of your dream.”  Connie even made trips to Perú to help Brenda get the medicines and the medical attention she needed.

December 17, 2016, was a big day for Brenda, when she realized a dream: she received an undergraduate degree in the United States.  She had persevered and excelled, graduating Magnum Cum Laude from UNCC and being inducted into the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.  Several members of Sharon attended her graduation, celebrating with her and sharing in her joy.

Brenda embarks now on a new adventure. She has set her sights on a Master’s Degree in Latin-American studies at UNCC, with a focus on women’s issues.  Armed with a new Visa that will allow her to study part-time and to work full time for at least a year, and with the help of some scholarship assistance, she worked hard to obtain, she has begun her course work in the upcoming spring semester.

A long-term goal is to establish a non-profit organization in a Latin American country that will help low-income women feel empowered to make their own choices and to reach their full potential.  She plans to pattern her idea after the “Circle La Luz” here in Charlotte, an organization that provides Hispanic women with scholarship aid and counseling services to help them succeed in school.  Donations to help Brenda with her studies are appreciated.  Brenda's Go Fund Me page.

Brenda, your fellow members at Sharon are grateful for your service.

Tom Skinner

Responding To God's Call In Perú

Randy & Gamaliel

Randy Ross’ first World Mission Trip with Sharon was in 2004 to Perú. “What made you go on your first trip?” he was asked. He answered simply, “I felt God’s call.” And Randy has responded to that call every year since, not just as a participant, but since 2007 as trip leader, a task to which he devotes himself joyfully. “It’s a labor of love,” he says.

His preparations are efficient and thorough. “Randy leaves nothing to chance,” said one participant. “He pays attention to every detail and anticipates every possible problem or challenge. Just look at his handouts of eleven single-spaced pages of information. Everything is well-thought out and planned.

”When asked, for example, why this year’s group flew to Lima via Miami, but on the return flew a longer route, from Lima to Miami, and then to Washington D.C. before taking the final leg back to Charlotte, Randy answered simply, “I went online and found that it saved us hundreds of dollars” to do it that way. Randy is ever resourceful. As one of the group members said, Randy’s leadership style “combines a healthy balance of both patience and persistence.“

And his preparations never take a vacation. Throughout the year he collects enough suitcases so that each participant can carry a second one brimming with up to 50 pounds of clothing, eyeglasses, prayer shawls, crafts, and other gifts.

With his passion for serving the children in Perú and his desire to be “a good steward” with the funds available in the Adult Mission Trip budget,”he trolls Walmart, Michael’s, and Walgreens in an ongoing search for off-season markdowns on items such as school supplies, children’s games, and children’s shoes. As for the eyeglasses and cases, he goes online to find discontinued styles for bargain basement prices from an outfit in Miami.

Randy’s commitment to Missions has become a family affair. Parts of the family house are used to store donations for the next mission trip. Also, daughters Kathryn and Sarah have accompanied him on several trips and have been active contributors as T-shirt makers, children’s activity leaders, and relationship builders. In 2014, Sarah asked Randy if she could use her spring break from Chapel Hill to undertake a private trip to revisit some of the friends they had made in Huanta, Perú. The request turned into a group trip, with Randy, Brenda Paredes, and Rose and Adam Boelke accompanying her.

When asked which of his 13 mission trips has been his favorite, he answers that he has great memories of all of them. “I especially enjoy witnessing first-hand the experiences of other trip participants and hearing what the trips mean to them.” Still, he says that the first trip to Huanta in 2008 holds a special place in his heart. Although our Sharon team and our Peruvian partners prayed that a long-term relationship might develop, one of our Peruvian friends, Gamaliel, admitted that he had not had a favorable impression of Americans and could only imagine what the “Gringos” true reasons and motivation had been in traveling to Huanta. “But as the week progressed he was surprised and overjoyed that that not only did we work together, we played, sang, prayed, laughed, cried, and worshipped together. His observations made me realize that the relationships that are created are the most important element of mission trips. The project work and the gifts that are shared are mere catalysts for establishing and fostering these relationships.

Tom Skinner

2017 Perú Mission

The 2017 Sharon Presbyterian Church (“Sharon Church”) Mission Trip to Ayacucho, Perú promises to be one of witness and service to Jesus Christ. Perhaps you feel God’s call to participate in this year’s trip.

Informational meetings will be held in the Parlor Room, located in the Charles Little Activity Building of the church on Sunday, February 12th and Sunday, February 26th at 11:45 am. Sharon Church is located at 5201 Sharon Road, Charlotte, NC 28210.

The trip is scheduled to take place from Thursday, July 27th through Monday, August 7th, 2017.

Trip information and application forms will be distributed at the meeting. Forms are also available in the Perú Mission Trip mailbox (located on the top row of mailboxes in the hallway outside the church office), or by contacting Randy Ross (704-552-5573 or mrandallross@aol.com).

The trip application, first payment and passport copies are due Sunday, March 12th. Please contact Randy if you are unable to attend one of the meetings but are still interested in participating or learning more about the trip.

Randy Ross

Cloud Catchers Of Perú

Rebeca Massõn... Destination United States

It looks like Rebeca Massõn's adventure to the United States will begin as soon as she completes her exams in Lima, Perú TODAY!

Rebeca is traveling to to Charlotte, North Carolina, United States by way of Panama and New York.  She should arrive in Charlotte the evening of December 2, 2016.

After her Charlotte visit, Rebeca will continue her travels to Stowe, Vermont.  While in Vermont, Rebeca will be working at the Golden Eagle Resort from December 15, 2016 - March 10, 2017.

Rebeca plans to return home to Lima, Perú on March 11, 2017 in order to arrive in time to continue her studies on March 13, 2017.

Our prayers will be with her as she travels!

Brenda Paredes' Education Fund

I am Brenda Paredes from Lima, Perú, an international student at UNC Charlotte currently earning my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Spanish with full financial support from a local church. I will graduate in December, 2016 with this degree as well as a certificate in Spanish Business Language. I have earned high honors throughout my time here, have been inducted into multiple honor societies including Phi Kappa Phi and will graduate with a GPA of at least 3.8.

Having been born and raised in Perú, I have seen and experienced extreme poverty and the struggles females face in a male dominated culture. While I’ve been fortunate to realize many of my dreams, I want to set an example that women have significant value and can contribute equally in helping a family rise above poverty. A woman with an advanced degree is uncommon in Perú, but is given opportunities to impact lives in ways other women simply can’t.

I have been accepted into the Masters of Arts in Latin American Studies program at UNC Charlotte and will start this curriculum in January. I plan to use what I learn here to start a Non-Profit Organization that will focus on helping and empowering low income Latin American women to reach their full potential.

Unfortunately, my family in Perú is unable to help me financially and my local sponsors have done all they are able to do. Being an international student, I must continue to pay “out of state tuition” and simply don’t have the resources for this. My per semester tuition, fees and books (estimated) will be $7,500 after a small stipend from the graduate school.

Thank you for any help you are able to provide. I promise to continue to work hard to earn the donations you send.

https://www.gofundme.com/brenda-education-fund

U. S. Embassy Visit Scheduled

Your thoughts a prayers are requested for Rebeca Massõn who will be visiting the United States Embassy in Lima on Thursday, November 17th for her J-1 visa appointment.

Rebeca is the daughter of Ester and Vlado Massõn.  Vlado is a former pastor of the Cristo Rey Church in Huanta.

Rebeca has joined us on our Perú Mission trips for the last 2 years and now we can not imagine not including her in every visit to wonderful Perú.

Any further information or news about her visit will be posted when available.

Save The Date For Perú Mission 2017

Our 2017 Perú Mission Trip has been scheduled!  Sharon Presbyterian Church has received an invitation from Puriyninchik, the Peruvian NGO (“non-government organization”) founded by Samuel Montes, to serve in and around Ayacucho, Perú during the week of July 31, 2017.

Accordingly, the 2017 Sharon Church Mission Trip to Perú has been tentatively scheduled to take place from Thursday, July 27 through Monday, August 7, 2017. The actual dates may be adjusted as details are finalized.

Please prayerfully consider joining us for promises to be one a most memorable and rewarding trip. If you choose to not join us on the trip, please consider helping collect the necessary donations.

If interested in helping joining us for the trip or with donations, please contact Randy Ross at mrandallross@aol.com.

Updates will be posted as soon as available.

Iquitos News

Dear Friends,

I’m sending this email on behalf of Todd Garrett, President of Medical Missions.

Last night Iquitos experienced an unusual storm with hurricane force winds which have left widespread devastation around the city. Among the fatalities resulting from the storm is former U.S. Marine Bill Grimes who has been a long time tenant of Medical Missions; he has operated a restaurant as well as his “Dawn On the Amazon” tour business out of the Boulevard building. Bill was thrown three stories to the street below when the wind blew out the floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the third floor where he resides. Please pray for Bill’s wife, Marmelita, as well as his family here in the U.S. as they grieve.

The Boulevard building has sustained extensive damage. Downed trees inside of El Jardin have damaged the roof of the house. Margarita and Villa are still assessing damage to other MMI properties as well as trying to determine to what extent the churches may have suffered as a result of this storm. They are awaiting news from Tamshiyacu, Nauta and other villages along the river.

Please keep the people of Iquitos and the surrounding areas in your prayers. The churches and the mission in general will need both prayers and financial support to recover from this tragic storm.

Medical Missions is setting up a fund dedicated to Iquitos for those who would like to help in the recovery process. Please write “Iquitos” on the memo line of your check.

Checks may be mailed to:

Medical Missions, Inc.
P.O. Box 2745
West Columbia, SC 29171

Contact MMI at info@medicalmissions.net for additional information.

Blessings,

Pam McAbee McCraw
www.diapersanddumptrucks.blogspot.com
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