Wrapping up Peru 2018

The 2018 SBU DPT Peru team landed as scheduled back home today. They looked a bit roughed over, but were in good health and good spirits. From everyone involved with getting the team to Peru and back, thanks for your support. Here are a few pictures from a magnificent misty Machu Picchu visit that wrapped up the trip.

Machu Picchu and Other Travels

 As we sit here in the Lima airport during our 7 hour layover, we decided that this would be the best time to fill you all in on our travels this weekend and to give you this last blog post for our Peru trip. Last time you heard from us we were just about to board our flight to Cusco. We arrived safely and had just enough time to drop off our luggage at the hostel and grab some food to eat before our taxi ride to Ollantaytambo where we met our train that took us to Aguas Callientes. We stayed the night there and then took a bus ride to Machu Picchu the next day. We are so thankful for this opportunity to see this beautiful place. It was amazing to learn about some of the Incan history as well as see the natural beauty that God created in this place. We had a great tour guide that not only gave us the history of this place, but also took some great pictures for us that you will see in this blog. We were also able to hike to the top of Waynapicchu which was well worth the difficult hike. After a rewarding, but exhausting day of hiking, we took the train back to Cusco where we stayed the night. We were able to sleep in a little bit and then we spent some time shopping and relaxing in Cusco before we traveled to the airport. After arriving there, we found out our flight had been delayed by an hour so we had plenty of time to relax in the airport before our flight to Lima. It’s sad to leave, but we are very excited to be back home again in the States! See you all soon!

Pictures from the end of the clinic week

Saturday, November 24, 2018

We are currently sitting in the Lima airport, waiting for our flight to Cusco. We ended our week at a clinic/school for disabled children in Callao, a district about 20 minutes outside the heart of Lima. We were able to see an array of children, all with different diagnoses, similar to our previous days in the clinics. The school had a scheduled earthquake drill that we had the opportunity to a part of. This consisted of everyone standing in a circle outside the building, singing songs.

We saw a total of 16 adults and 135 children this week. We gave out 60 orthotic braces, 2 canes, 2 crutches, 1 stroller, 5 walkers, 27 wheelchairs, 1 knee sleeve, 2 bathroom chairs, 4 pairs of shoes, 1 physio tape, 2 standers, 9 orthotic shoe inserts, and 1 cushion. We were the first MMI group, serving the area of Lima, that was able to distribute ALL of the wheelchairs we brought. How cool is that?? Over the course of this week we had the opportunity to love on children who have been made to feel second class, give hope to families that have felt hopeless, provide a new means of mobility for children who have relied completely on their parents, but most importantly we were able to pray into the lives of these families who so desperately need to know the love, support, and hope that Jesus freely gives to them.

We ended Friday by taking motor taxis to the mall. We attempted to Black Friday shop, however, they don’t have large discounts like we do in America. We then indulged, for the third time this week, in some delicious Peruvian ice cream before heading back to the hostel.

It’s hard to say goodbye to people we have spent the entire week with and have developed friendships with. However, we are looking forward to the next couple days as we travel to Machu Picchu and then back home! See you all soon 😊

Thursday, November 22, 2018 Happy Thanksgiving!

As we approach the end of our trip, today’s day of thanks took a deeper meaning into our hearts as we served in Peru. Today was our last day working in the clinic in Ventanilla. As we pushed through the wave of exhaustion that hit us this morning, we saw many children with the same diagnoses as the past couple of days, but like all patient cases, each person’s story is individualized. We worked through many patient cases that range from wheelchair fitting, orthotic modifications, and even got to experiment with plaster casting for a make-shift seat to help a child with postural control. Even though we were tired, the joy on the child’s face, and their families’ faces made us realized the impact we were making in their lives. The patients and their families witnessed us running around, trying to make multiple adjustments in equipment; however, they were very patient because they knew the end product would be worth it. It was touching to see the face of pure joy appear on a parent’s face when they saw their child fitted into an orthotic or a wheelchair; it was even more thrilling to the child’s face grow into pure excitement and happiness. One family had only two sons, but both were diagnosed with muscular dystrophy and were wheelchair bound. We were able to let them keep their old wheelchair and give two new ones. They were thankful for whatever they could get. The sense of gratitude the parents expressed to us at the end of their session reminded us how we are able to emulate Jesus’ servant’s heart just by customizing used medical equipment. Most of us began this trip thinking we would not know enough to help. However, we have witnessed many instances where families did not know or understand their child’s condition. The lack of education some parents had made us realized that we know more than we think we know. We know enough to make a difference and educate the families to better promote the health of their child. One mother came in with different inputs from multiple healthcare professionals about whether or not her daughter had cerebral palsy. She was so worried about the diagnoses; however, we were able to calm her down by letting her know that the diagnosis did not matter, what mattered was the health of her daughter.

Psalm 100: 4-5 states “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: give thanks unto him, and bless his name. For Jehovah is good; his lovingkindess endurethforever, and his faithfulness unto all generations.” This day of thanks reminded everyone on our team how grateful we are to have this opportunity to serve God and the people of Peru. We are thankful for the people that supported us in this journey and the opportunity to practice of skill of physical therapy for the glory of God. The thankful spirits of our patients and their families we have seen this past week serves a reminder of the love of God that we are able to share through our physical therapy skills. 

We ended this day of thanks with a delicious Peruvian-style Thanksgiving dinner, made by Esther, our talented MMI cook, whom we are also extremely thankful for. As you end your day of thanks, take the time to realize what you are grateful for because someone somewhere in this world may not have the blessings that you have. And as we enter into the season of peace, joy, and love remind yourself of God’s love for you and use that reminder to spread His love to those around you.

Tomorrow, we will spend our last day serving at a clinic in El Callao. Please pray that our last day serving will impact many lives in Peru and bring glory to God. Happy Thanksgiving!

More photos from Peru

Photos from the first part of the week