I was reminded after writing the last post regarding our need for someone who has the knack for taking care of things or fixing things about this video. I have a brother who is an engineer, and he exhibited some of these characteristics as a kid. Also, our son Peter is a bit like this. Enjoy this Dilbert clip.
I have noticed on mission trips, especially to mission hospitals, that there is always someone there who can do almost anything, especially in regards to working with their hands. This person will fix the generator when it breaks. They will build things that need to be built. The fix cars, and remodel old rooms. They are handy! They intuitively understand how to do things. We need one of those people soon. If you know someone like this who has always wanted to working in missions and is willing to work in Spanish, let us know. We can use them. From the Hospital Diospi Suyana website.
This Man Needs to Be Replaced. But How?
He led the metal and wood workshops, the vehicle park, the kitchen, the cleaning service…
It is said that everyone is replaceable. With Michael Friedemann, one must ponder if this saying is really true. In a few weeks, Michael and Annett Friedemann, along with their four children, will return to Sachsen, Germany. The past three years have flown by very fast! We are urgently looking for a capable successor.
Perhaps you as readers know exactly the right person for the job. Or perhaps you know someone in your circle of contacts who has two right hands. Our employees usually come to Peru for 3 years. They are committed Christians and live by their own donor group. Considerable financial loss and a lot of inconvenience often goes along with the job description. This profession that takes place at nearly 9000 feet above sea level often puts your faith into practice.
Gook looking crew have a good time! It is usually only half as crazy as it looks.
Allison teaches a class for the English speakers at the school. The class is similar to a one room school house with ages ranging from 11 to 6. All our kids say it is their favorite class. This is both because their mother is the teacher, and because it is entirely in English. We are fortunate to have some good and challenging curriculum that emphasizes US history and english literature. The kids are doing readings at school and at home. I look at all the books they have and I remember how enjoyable school in the primary years was. It was fun to learn without the preoccupation of grades or performance. Unfortunately our kids are taking most of their classes in Spanish, so it is a bit more challenging for them. I think that is why they like this class so much.
In regards to all the kids Spanish; they are doing great and learning rapidly. Sarah will be naturally bilingual, and Annie might be because they are learning their Spanish at a young age. David and Peter will have to work a little harder to learn grammar and vocabulary. David is a gifted learner in regards to Spanish and is progressing well. He is willing to talk to anyone, and this helps him to learn. As we have been walking around Cusco this weekend, he has been leading many of the conversations and his verb conjugations and tenses have been spot on. Peter is more stealthy in his progress, but every time he venture to speak, he impresses me with his knowledge. Sarah and Annie have very good pronunciation; if only I could sound so good. They all are much better than me when it comes to understanding spanish when listening casually. If I am engaged, watching the persons lips, and really listening, I do pretty good, and probably better than they do. But if it is on TV or just someone talking near me out of my sight, I often cannot understand what is being said. All the kids understand very well when listening casually to people nearby or when watching a movie in Spanish. It is really impressive to me, and I enjoy watching them learn. I am thankful that they are making such good progress.
I don’t blame them for loving their mother!
We are enjoying having David Smith, Allison’s father with us here in Peru. His two weeks with us are nearly over and we will be sad to see him leave. As we were driving home from dinner tonight the kids started to realize that the time was short. We are taking a few days to visit the Sacred Valley on our way to Cuzco where we will leave David at the airport. The kids were processing that he would not be going home with us to Curahuasi. I think we all want to live in a bit of denial that his visit is coming to an end. We love having visitors, and we especially love it when our family is here. All the kids and Allison and I agree that it is great to have to have grandparents in Peru!
Hope in the Land of the Incas
Janet und Geoff Benge from New Zealand have written many exciting books for young people. To date, a total of more than three million copies of their creative work has been sold. Their latest publication is a biography of Klaus-Dieter John, including extensive references to his wife Martina. Over the past two years, Janet and Geoff Benge have been following the missionary couple via email and telephone and went to see them in person. The result is a book in English language whose Spanish translation will be published in a few months’ time. Two weeks from now and against a donation you may order the book from our German office or order it direct as an ebook from Amazon.
“It was totally dark. The lights in the city were turned off, and there were no street lamps, no neon signs, and no extra glow in shop windows. Klaus noticed that theirs was the only car on the road. How would they slip by the checkpoint? Klaus glanced at his wife Tina, whose eyes were shut in prayer. Suddenly he heard a thunderous crash, then saw a bright flash of light.”
Dr. John’s seemingly impossible vision of Diospi-Suyana, a world-class hospital for impoverished Peruvians deep in the Andes Mountains, was blessed by God to the end. Despite challenges in fund-raising, construction, moving his family from Germany, and countless roadblocks, Klaus’s dream was finally realized, bringing hope in a land loved by God. (1960-).
Janet and Geoff Benge: “Hope in the Land of the Incas”
Where I did my driving test in Abancay.
The harvest is plentiful . . .
There are many interesting things that happen in the hospital. Some stories are tragic and others miraculous. The following story from the Diospi Suyana Hospital website is in the category of miraculous.
A Team of Doctors and Nurses fighting the inevitable
Curahuasi: It’s Sunday evening. The missionary Simon Giesbrecht pulls out his phone and takes a picture. The scene shows Dr. Martina John talking to some relatives; to the right you can recognize a patient on the intensive care bed.
Review: The Quecha man no longer wants to deal with life. He is a slave to alcohol and his wife and children have been suffering since his addiction began. The disputes with his wife and the agonizing self-reproach have been going on for weeks. When he looks in the mirror, his conscience accuses him screaming, “You loser!”
A neighbor noticed that it was unusually quiet in the house. He went to investigate and finally found a son that poked his head through the window. The father is sitting upright at the table, but he does not respond to verbal stimulus. The whole place smells of insecticides and the empty bottle on the table explains why. They get the unconscious man to the local health center.
Sunday, 10:30 AM. The worship is in full progress as the phone rings; it’s the doctor at the health station asking for help. A little later, the ambulance brings the patient to Diospi Suyana. Dr. Luz Pena is the doctor in charge today. She assesses the situation and begins the normal protocol: oxygen, atropine in high doses, and evacuating his stomach. But Juan does not respond, he’s already in a deep coma. Meanwhile, Dr. Martina John and Dr. Reinhard Kühn have arrived. The following is an emergency intubation. Now the Quecha man depends on the artificial respiration machine. The analysis of blood gases dashes their hopes and the doctors prepare the family for the worst. The chance of survival is slim and a normal neurological recovery unlikely. What remains is prayer.
Hours later: The respiration takes place with the steady beat of the machine. The patient shows no reaction to pain stimuli and the pupils remain still.
Midnight: Juan slowly moves his legs. Incredible! By the following morning he recovers rapidly and is extubated. He survives without neurological damage.
The hospital pastor prays with Juan and talks to him about faith in God. How God alone is the only one who gives life and can also give comfort and support to the desperate. The hole in the soul can really only be filled by Him. Jesus once said: “Come to me, all who are troubled and weighted down, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28.
Here is the text of my Easter sermon. It was not exactly this word for word, but it was pretty close.
Carb loading before preaching. You need to be ready to bring it, and you don’t want to hit the wall in the middle of the sermon.
“My name is Will Caire, and I am a doctor at the hospital. My wife is Allison, and I have four kids David, Peter, Annie, and Sarah. I thought I would never be asked to preach, because I don’t have the ability to do it in Spanish. But Jens checked with Damaris and she said I could preach in English. Then I thought to myself, I will get it over with now, and after everyone has heard me they will never ask me to do it again. So here goes. Continue reading
cairesonmission 