Travelogue from Peru: 19-30.04.2018
We are currently sitting in Amsterdam waiting for our connecting flight to Nuremberg - a good opportunity to reflect and share our impressions with you.
The region in which Bine lives and casayohana is located, is scenically incredibly beautiful: a high valley at about 2900 m altitude, surrounded by mountains - with brilliant views. A few kilometers further up and also the wildlife leaves us amazed.
Bine has a lot to shoulder in and around her home in Talavera/Andahuaylas:
Already from 5.00 am she is in contact with Germany with the two mission societies, donor circles, churches, other missions as well as friends and family to keep in touch, coordinate topics, organize appointments, pass on information or report on current emergency situations.
From 8.00 a.m. it is then available for all project topics, public traffic and their staff (task distribution, daily planning).
Her co-worker Megumi plays an important role in this and works her way into her work area very well. Another employee, Noe, takes care of craft activities, the site and the project car. He will certainly still need a while until he can do his tasks independently and on his own responsibility, but is very motivated and open-minded.
Lupe, former head of Paz y Esperanza, Bines department head for personnel, admin and Orga has a lot of experience and brings this also very well into the project.
The missionary couple Hanselmann, longtime friends of Bine, have supported her work for the last 6 weeks on site. They will be assisting Bine again from June to August before they go to Germany for home service. We have experienced this as real support: whether in therapy, driving services, transport of project children, shopping or manual work.
Bine has rented an additional apartment nearby for helpers - this is a great relief and creates the necessary space for comfortable accommodation for temporary support.
According to our impressions in the last 10 days, Bine needs first and foremost permanent staff on site, even from Germany. We are very concerned about Bine, because we see that she has to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and has to be the contact person for all kinds of people and tasks. Also in terms of sustainability of the project, this has to change.
Very impressive were our direct contacts with project families, volunteers and the children:
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We were able to visit a family in their hut in the highlands as well as witness a medical-therapeutic consultation! Very moving: in the family we were received with incredible hospitality and joy, could see shining children's eyes when they were given small gifts and clothes, shared faith and food - that has impressed us very deeply!!! People are so grateful and generous, even though they have so little themselves. This is where the support comes in directly and helps the children, makes school possible, and with it, opportunities for the future. The second oldest daughter, Ester, and the youngest daughter of the family, Dina, urgently need sponsors. But the need is also there for others.
The consultation in Chaccrampa at an altitude of almost 4000 m showed us very clearly the trust that people have in Bine. They come to the town hall where the consultation takes place, wait more or less patiently up to 3.5 hours to be taken seriously and examined by Bine in their problems. In this time Bine treats in unbelievable patience approx. 30 children (project children and also emergencies) and also approx. 10 adults, whom she simply does not have the heart to turn away. Often there are small problems, like headaches, which are caused by too little liquid. Here Bine creates constant medical help and hygienic basic education! She organizes appointments for hospital visits in Lima and Cusco and also stays and diagnostics in the mission hospital Diospi Suyana in Curahuasi.
Another highlight of our trip was visits to Christian volunteers who help Bine translate into Quechua during examinations and especially during conversations with women from the highlands who do not speak Spanish. They don't have much themselves, but generously give their time and other gifts to casayohana: e.g. Rosalinda, herself a mother of 6 children, who translates for Bine during office hours in Chaccrampa despite her own stress, or Hermana Isabella - a pensioner, sick herself, but always there when needed. Impressive role models for us!!!
At Bine's house, therapies of disabled children, guidance of their relatives or even pastoral care meetings with the women take place at least three days a week, often more frequently.
Megumi, herself a dentist, has been an open-hearted, caring and empathetic "receptionist" and support. She has great potential to relieve Bine in the future in the therapy of the children. .
It is impossible to imagine Bine's life without her "Peruvian" family, Chabi Mama, daughters Fiorella and Anabel and big sister Evelyn: they clean for Bine, do delicate tasks, look after the house in their absence and come to their godmother Bine in matters of faith and life. This is very nice to see!!!
Last, but not least, we of course paid a visit to the new property: it is a little elevated with a wonderful view over Talavera and it is super suitable to house casayohana. Here everyone is waiting for the architect to finish the final plans for submission to the office.
We are strongly moved and extremely impressed by how Bine manages the diverse and countless small and large decisions and tasks in her positive and open way every day, showing joy, laughter, humor, but also depth, patience and incredible empathy. .
At the end of our trip and our report, we can summarize:
We met the project at a stage where it is growing strongly through diverse demand.
We marvel at our incredible God who cares so lovingly for Bine, for the people of the Andes of Peru, and for casayohana.
That is why the Foundation and our efforts to support come at exactly the right time: financial resources, professional expertise, material resources and people who are personally and prayerfully involved are fundamentally necessary for the work!
We ask God to make people ready to help and to the commitment of all supporters in Germany give his rich blessing!
Annette and Matthias