Being corrected in class. It happens too often. But I am learning, right?!
For a quick summary regarding Diospi Suyana Hospital read the information below which comes from the Samaratin’s Purse website.
Profile: Approximately 750,000 people, predominantly indigenous, live within a three hour radius of Curahuasi, Peru. Hospital Diospi Suyana offers comprehensive care to these descendants of the ancient Incas. The facility is equipped with 55 beds, four operating rooms, a five-bed intensive care unit, laboratory and radiology department (X-ray, ultrasound, and CT scan). The hospital is staffed by both Peruvian and expatriate staff.
Travel: You will fly by commercial airline into Lima, the capital city of Peru. Depending on the flight times it might be necessary to overnight in Lima. From Lima you will take a smaller flight to Cuzco. Again, depending on flight times, you might need to overnight in Cuzco. From Cuzco you will travel by ground transportation to Hospital Diospi Suyana. Ground transportation is usually in the form of a hired taxi arranged by the hospital, and normally takes two and one-half hours.
Time Difference: -1 hour Eastern Daylight Savings Time, U.S.A. Same time as Eastern Standard Time, U.S.A.
Location: The small town of Curahuasi, Peru is located in the Andes Mountains. Curahuasi is in the region of Apurimac, known as the poorhouse of Peru. Curahuasi is approximately 85 miles from Cusco, Peru.
People: The people in Curahuasi and the surrounding countryside are Quechua, but do not like to be called as such. They prefer the term “Quechua Hablante” (meaning one who speaks Quechua).
Language: Eighty percent of the local people are Quechua Hablante and their language is Quechua. Approximately 70 precent of Quechua can speak and understand Spanish at an adequate level. The hospital has some Peruvian staff who speak fluent Quechua when translation is necessary. FP, DGP, GS, IM, OBG, OPH, ORS, OTO, PD, U, must be fluent in Spanish
Religion: The area is predominantly Catholic with 10 percent being evangelicals. The area also has a lot of superstition and animism carried over from old Incan religious traditions.
Climate: Curahuasi is situated approximately 9,100 feet above sea level. The temperature stays consistent year round, with highs in the mid 70s during the day and lows in the mid 50s during the evenings. Curahuasi has a distinct rainy season which usually begins in November and continues until April. April through November is generally very dry. This time of year can be very dusty and might not be a very enjoyable time for allergy sufferers.
La vista desde mi escritorio durante la clase de gramática. I am so glad and thankful to be here, but I am looking forward to being done. It is a great group of people to be in class with.
This past Sunday afternoon, all the missionaries who are going to serve in Peru that are attending the Spanish Language Institute were together to share their stories and to share a meal. It was a fun time of fellowship, and it was a good time to hear about what everyone is doing. One of the things that is most encouraging about being here at this school is learning all the things that God is doing all over the world. It is encouraging to see how is is working, and to see how he is leading a bunch of ordinary people to do unordinary things for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I am glad to be able to be a part of what God is doing in Peru. We make such a small difference as individuals, but when you see how God is working through so many people, you come to realize what a big work God is doing in reality. It reminds me to take my eyes off myself and what I am doing, and instead to fix my eyes upon God and what he is doing.
A successful surgery at Diospi Suyana Hospital. We are just four months away from moving into our home in Curahuasi. We are eager to get there.
Thanks To Dr. Kühn She Can Smile Again
Problem solved
Although Maria (the name has been changed) is only 16, she has been through more than most of her peers. First of all she is a mother taking care of a 1-year-old, and secondly, she has already experienced many painful biliary colics. Recently, her gallstones resulted in a biliary stasis with a bilirubin level of 3.5.
Gallstones in the biliary tree.
Our surgeon and his team got ready immediately. Although the medical image converter provided a good view of the gallstone in the choledoch duct, the surgery was not an easy one. But thanks to Dr. Kühn’s patience and expertise the surgery was successful.
The patient with surgeon Dr. Reinhard Kühn.
The smile on the young mother’s face after the surgery is over is evidence of the happy end. And, we are happy with her!
Did you know that good ol’ USPS mail gets delivered to the language school pretty consistently in about two weeks?
Did you know that your favorite daily-blogging, Spanish-learning, hard-working, Peruvian-bound doctor missionary is having a birthday in just over two weeks?
Would you be willing to send Will a little paper mail encouragement? I know that birthdays are not a big deal to him, but when it was my birthday, I checked the mail for about a week before my birthday and then a week after. Just in case Will decides to check his mail too, I would love for him to have some birthday cheer.
Will is doing the heavy lifting here. He is taking a translation class, an upper-level grammar class, a time-consuming oral practice class, teaching the boys math in homeschooling, leading his family, practicing some informal doctoring for school friends, remaining a supportive husband, praying for Peru, and being a faithful friend. He is an excellent student and I am so proud of the progress he is making in Spanish.
Let’s encourage him to persevere to the end. I have never even considered running a marathon, but I have heard there are some miles that are hard to get through. Miles 20-24? I think that is about where we are in Costa Rica. Sincere thanks for your love and prayers for our family.
Will’s birthday is June 12. Our address is:
Will Caire
Instituto de Lengua Española
Apartado 100-2350
San José, Costa Rica
My first two homeschooling students.
Every time I go on campus at the language school, a woman or two ask me this question. Moms who used to homeschool in the States, moms who will need to homeschool when they get to their fields of service, moms who have a mortal dread of homeschooling. So, I’ve thought about “how it’s going.” It’s going well.
Am I loving every minute of it? No. There are lots of these kinds of requests: “Please stay focused. Please finish your work. Please keep working. I want you to be finished by the time this timer goes off. Let’s look that up/ talk about that/ do that after this lesson.” We need to work on the independent learning part of homeschooling. There are lots of distractions. And yes, I get frustrated at times.
However, the parts where I am actively teaching them something (English, history, and Spanish) are pretty fun. Since we are all so interested in our own kids, it is fascinating to see how they learn and it’s thrilling to teach them something new or to see them understand for the first time how something works.
By God’s abundant grace, every single day something happens that makes me think, “See, this is why people love homeschooling.” One day we took a rabbit trail and looked up the Dead Sea, one day David caught up on sleep that he needed, one day we were nomads wandering around the park looking for food. These are things that couldn’t happen during traditional school and make the effort seem worthwhile.
Again, thanks to God’s grace, I am pretty content dropping out of the stimulating social and educational scene at school. I know that this is because He wants me here at home with these two boys. Here’s a sweet story that bears repeating: the other day we were walking to the frutería during a between-subjects break. As we walked by the school, you could hear that peculiar high-pitched cackling that is a gaggle of ladies together. David said, “There’s a party at school!” I looked at my watch and responded, “No, that’s just the beginning of ladies’ Bible study. They are getting their snacks and chatting before they hear the speaker.” David looked at the window, at the ground, then grabbed me round the waist. “I’m sorry you’re not able to go anymore, Mom.” I was able to tell him, honestly, that I was glad to be home with him and Peter. God is full of goodness.
This is one of the first Saturdays in nearly 40 years that my dad is in Dallas, but not at “the store.” My dad faithfully went to work, especially on Saturdays, the busiest day, with rare exceptions for buying trips or family vacations. I could be mistaken, but I believe that he at least went to “check in” on both of his kids’ wedding days.
My dad owned a fabulous men’s clothing store, Pockets, which supported our family and even employed each of us at times. It closed yesterday after almost four decades. I could begin writing about my dad, all that has happened in the last two years of his life, and what might be to come, but I’ll try to stay focused. I wanted to write a little “Ode to Pockets.”
With God’s help and guidance, my dad’s vision, creativity, good business management, and hard, hard work made Pockets a model of a small entrepreneur’s success story. My dad guided the store according to the strong Christian faith he possesses and acted in an ethical way toward his employees, vendors, and customers. His patience helped him put up with the unpleasant things along the way. My mom told us many times how proud she was of the way that Dad sacrificed in order to remain a person of integrity in his business. Continue reading
cairesonmission 