May 24, 2012
Hi All,
I hope you are all doing well.  I wanted to write and update you about the past couple of weeks here in the Amazon.  We have been incredibly busy since the team left because as I said, there was an offering given by Global Partners to help with flood relief here in the Amazon region.  We have been busy buying food to take out to the most affected villages.
Harol Melendez who is our new pastor for Tamshiyacu took food out to the villages of Yanashi and Nueva Esperanza.  These villages were perhaps hit the hardest by the flooding.  They had flooding which wiped out their crops last year also so they are truly in dire straits.  The pastoral house in Yanashi was completely destroyed and the water rose in the church up to the church sign.  The pastor’s wife and children had made a platform to sleep on but when her one year old rolled into the water while sleeping and almost drowned, she brought the family here to the church in Iquitos for several months.(Picture below: the church in Yanashi)
This year we hope to be able to rebuild the parsonage and will have to replace the floorboards out of the churches in Yanashi and Nueva Esperanza and see what other repairs are needed.  The people in these villages said they have not seen land in months.
(Photo Left: The Poles are the only thing left of the parsonage in Yanashi) Pastor Leiter took food out to Santa Ana.  The church in Santa Ana has been struggling with leadership so Pastor Leiter spent two weeks there encouraging the church to continue onward.
Lucy and I took food out to Maynas and to San Juan de Sinchi Cuy.  In San Juan de
Sinchi Cuy, there is an epidemic of malaria and dysentery so we also bought medicines to take with us to distribute to the people.  The water there is so bad because of all the rotting leaves and wood ect in it that the people have to strain it to be able to drink it.  Lucy and I brought out own drinking water but I drank some masato  without thinking which was made with the water there and have been sick the past few days (Photo right:  Taking food to Nueva Esperanza)
with vomiting, diarrhea and fever so I did not take the trip to Amazonas with Lucy.(Photo Left:the pastoral family in Nueva Esperanza)
Lucy took food out to Amazonas and will be back today with Pastor Oswaldo from Amazonas.  Tomorrow we will be heading out to Santa Ana with him as he is going to help us out with the church there until the June team arrives.  We will introduce him there and help him adjust and then will be returning to Iquitos Sunday or Monday as Lucy has class next week. (Photo below: The church in Nueva Esperanza)
Also this week, we began buying construction materials for the church in Maynas.  A team will be coming in Sept/Oct to build that but we have to start getting the materials there now while the water is still high because around the middle of June til Oct/Nov it is very difficult to get anything in and out of there.
As you can see, we have been extremely busy and will now start buying the food, gas ect for the team that will be arriving in June.  It should be an exciting time with them as we are going to be beginning a church plant in Nauta.  We will also be going to Amazonas 1 day and Peyarote one day.  The medical team from May helped open the opportunity to share in Peyarote which is truly a blessing.  God is doing such miracles here and I feel honored to be able to be a part of it. (Photos of people receiving food)
Please continue to pray for the work here and the safety of the team coming in June.  I thank God for each one of you.  Please write to me and let me know about life there.
In Christ
Kayleen

May 14, 2012

Hi All,

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this update written.  I left Texas for Peru on the 1^st of May where I met a medical team from IWU in Indiana at the airport in Lima.  I was so worried about all my bags getting through since I had 2 fifty pound checked bags, my computer bag which weighed 20 pounds, my carryon which was a little over 40 and my fanny pack which weighed about 5 pounds.  I was not looking forward to carrying 65 pounds on my back walking through the Houston and Lima airport, but I was going to do what I needed to do to get everything there.  God is so awesome.  In the Austin airport as I was waiting for my flight, they asked if anyone would voluntarily check their carryon as they had a full flight.  I quickly volunteered and my 40 pound carryon was checked to Lima PTL. 

(Photo 1: The team)I met David Martin who was serving as the doctor for the trip in the Houston airport and we met up with the rest of the team in the Lima airport.  It was so nice to not have to spend the night alone in the airport and also to get to spend time with my friend Sue Ferguson.  Joel and Rachel Ferguson along with Lauren were the team leaders for this trip.  It is so awesome to see Joel leading teams and it is so special to me as he and I were on our first trip together to the jungle in 2001 when he was 16 and both received the call to serve the jungle area on that trip.

(Photo 2: Triage)When we got to Iquitos, we ate breakfast and the team started sorting medicines and getting ready for our trip to Maynas the next day.  Maynas is a community where just last year the church asked to be affiliated with us.  It is a wonderful little church where the people work together for the common good.  We set out in a boat at 8 am on Thursday and had a relaxing trip hanging in the hammocks.  It was a good time to rest up a bit before the clinics started.  We arrived at Maynas at around 4 pm where the villagers were waiting to help us get our things up the banks and get us settled.  Some of the team played volleyball against some Peruvian children and I think it is better to leave the scores unsaid. 

(Photo 3: Next step, the Doctor)Friday we had clinic starting at 8:30 and were able to see 158 people.  There are not even that many people in Maynas but the word got out to some neighboring villages and they came to get some much needed medical care.  What really impressed me was the patience and diligence of this group.  We did not stop until the last patient was served.  Later in the evening we had a church service where we said our goodbyes to the people then went to get packed up to leave the next morning.

We got arrived in Iquitos about 4 pm and repacked for the trip the next day to Amazonas.  We took the bus to Nauta then the boat to Amazonas and got things set up there.  We had a church service that night and the next day set out for Fatima.  I was really looking forward to returning to Fatima.  They had never had any type of medical attention given in their village.  Last year when we were there, we had to walk 45 minutes through the jungle to get there.  This year because of the flooding, we drove the boat right up to the school which is on stilts yet the water was up to the top of the steps.  In Fatima there were fewer people so we attended to all of them then headed back to Amazonas. (Photo 4: the pharmacy)

Tuesday we went to Peyarote which is a bit closer to Amazonas.  The water there was also very high and we once again drove right up to the school.  There is a lot of witchcraft ect in Peyarote so it was amazing when the governor of the town asked  if we could come back sometime and have a church service.  After clinic, we headed back to Amazonas where several of the team members were baptized.  It was really a neat time and a great testimony to the people.

Wednesday morning we held a clinic in Amazonas til about 2 p.m. where we had to pack up and head back to Iquitos.  All in all, close to 500 people were provided with medical care.  It was really a blessing to hear some of the people say that they were not given this much care even when they went to the hospital. (Photo 5: The dentist)

Thursday we had our day in Iquitos where we went to the zoo and bought souvenirs then after sad goodbyes the team left for Lima Friday morning.  We had a great time together and they were such a blessing for the area.

It is kind of strange to be alone here now, well not really alone but without the team.  It is very quiet.  We have had to start making plans for the next teams that will be coming and will have to get the September construction materials up to Maynas this month before the water drops.  Unlike the rest of the area, the flooding has not affected that area as much and the stream will dry up around the end of May to middle of June.  We also have to get the things ready for the June and July teams so things are busy.(Photo 6:glasses)

There has been incredible flooding this year and many people have lost their crops and homes.  An offering was sent from Global Partners and today the first food is being sent to Yanashi and Nueva Esperanza.  They were the areas most affected by the flooding.  If you would like to be a part of this relief effort, please make out your check to Global Partners.  I will not be going on this trip as Lucy has class this week but we will be taking food out to 

other villages as soon as she finishes.  I can’t wait to see the children’s faces.  Collin Creek Community Church has also paid for 2 wells to be placed in Amazonas.  Because of the flooding it won’t be able to be done until June but the people are very excited and thankful for this.(Photo 7:Lucy evangelizing)

As you can see, there is a lot happening this year.  Please pray for the protection of all of the teams this year and for God to continue to provide for the needs for the children here in Peru.  I miss you all already and hope that you are doing well.  I will be preaching this Thursday in Iquitos if you would like to come.  Thanks so much for all of your prayers.(Photo 8: Baptism)

In Christ,

Kayleen

(Photo 9: the team)

(Photo 10: the flood)