Link to Huntsville Times Article

The times sent me a link to the article:

http://blog.al.com/living-times/2010/08/mission_report_southwood_presb_1.html

Huntsville Times Article

The Huntsville Times published a trip report about our team in today's (8/13) paper.  It is on page C-3.  It is not online yet.  When they post it we'll provide a link to it.

More Pictures...

Whew!  We've been back almost a week now, so I apologize for the lack of updates.  I have a bunch of pictures to share, but I'll be spreading them out over the next few days, so keep checking back!

Polly Feeding Baby Zoe

Zoe was getting a lot more at each feeding with the bottles that Jason and
Dr. Vinit Mahesh were able to get before we left!  She'll be big enough for her
surgery in no time!

Tim, Holly, Tristan, Sean, Caleb, and Katie Anderson

Holly is the Powlisons' eldest daughter, and she, Tim, and their kids are in Peru until December to evaluate whether or not God is calling them to the mission field.  Their wonderfully supportive church in South Carolina is sponsoring them 100% during that time so that they can make a wise decision!  Please pray for them!

This little boy crawled up in Kristy's lap and fell asleep almost
immediately!

We didn't think we'd be doing medical missions in Peru, but God had other plans for us.  On the day before we arrived, the Powlisons' second daughter, Ellie, fell and hit her head while playing outside.  By the time we arrived, she hadn't been able to keep food down and was still rather listless.  Keith and Ruth decided to take her for a CAT scan that evening, but there was no neurologist to look at the scans.  Our very own Jonathan Barnette took some high-resolution photographs of the scans, and we sent them back (via Facebook!)  Dr. Vinit Mahesh, a pediatric pulmonologist and Ruling Elder at Southwood.  At 10pm that night, he printed them out and took them to a neurologist buddy of his, who didn't see anything of concern.  That really set Keith and Ruth at ease!  Happily, Ellie was more energetic and able to keep her breakfast down the next morning.

CAT Scan Lab in Cusco

Back at the hotel, Jonathan had to hang the scans up in the doorway to get a good picture

The Mind of a Six-Year-Old

Home!

We made it back on time.  Travel was as smooth as can be expected for this kind of trip.

In the last few days of the trip we got back too late to update the blog.  After we have had some time to rest and relax we will try to fill in the gaps of the last few days.

There are a lot of things to be thankful for this trip.

Working under the supervision of Tim, Keith and Ruth's son-in-law, we completed the guest room and bathroom projects other teams started with just some minor touch ups remaining.  This served the Powlisons immensely and a visiting missionary will soon benefit from a more comfortable room.  Zoe now has a place to call her own for a while until she is able to be transferred to the Josephine House.

Zoe learned to drink from a bottle -- no more eating from eye droppers.  The last night she drank 4 oz!  When her weight improves doctors can begin to attend to her cleft palate.  It was a great blessing to be able to help Ruth care for Zoe.  Caring for Zoe represents the core of the values of the Powlison ministry.

With the expert skills and hard work of Jonathan, video footage of both the Powlison's and the Scripture Union ministries our church supports were documented.  This will help our congregation see where we are engaged in Peru.

We learned how to employ teams at the Josephine House.  We are now smarter on how to interact and plan beneficial activities for the kids.  This will help future teams immensely.

Our church's partnership with the Santo Tomas church continued with the second Southwood team to visit the area.

Our team engaged the local population in San Jeronimo through worship on a Sunday and gardening with Francisco later in the week. 

A rookie team leader managed to get everyone back to their families and friends.

Thanks to all who watched this blog.  It was a great encouragement to know you were supporting us as we worked.  It is a miraculous age that we can almost in real time document our trip.

Thanks be to God who made it all possible and guided our steps.

"Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."  Proverbs 19:21

Heading back home

After a great week we are back in Lima for a few hours.  We have a red eye tonight.  We get in tomorrow around noon.

Thanks for all the support, love, and prayers during our time.  It has been an amazing week.

Sorry for the lack of posts the last couple days.  We have been wiped o8t.  It has been a great joy leading this group. Gotta jet!

It's all coming together . . .

I think we're making progress on the projects we started this week!  The Powlison girls' bathroom is nearly complete, and the guest room/Zoe's room is coming along nicely as well!  One of the neat blessings that God is allowing us to be a part of is fixing up the Powlison's guest room.  A couple of weeks ago, it was just wall studs and a light bulb hanging from the ceiling.  Ruth Powlison has a friend who is 70 years old, but she comes every year to spend time with the children at Josephine House.  She always stays in the Powlison's guest room, and Ruth says that she won't believe her eyes the next time she sees it!  It now has beautiful orange walls and an actual lighting fixture!  So, there's someone that we'll likely never meet whom God will bless through the work we're doing this week!

Rick and Alan took care of Zoe during the night.  She's really eating well now, so hopefully she'll start packing on the pounds as well!  There is a surgeon in Cusco who will repair her cleft palate for free, but she has to be a couple of months older and a few pounds heavier before she's eligible.

The pump for the Powlisons' well lost its prime this morning.  Keith was in Santo Tomas with Polly, Ken, and Jonathan, and apparently it takes a rocket scientist to re-prime the pump.  Luckily, we have three on this trip.

After the well was repaired, the ladies wanted to check it out.

After jokingly being told that the alligator's name is Stevie, this is

as far as they were willing to go.

Some of our team members made homemade playdough

for the kids at Josephine House.

Little Zoe got a bath this afternoon.

She's so tiny that her bathtub is a Tuperware bowl!

There was lots and lots of painting today, and there's

more still to come tomorrow!

Jason is the Caulk Master!

We were all pretty beat after a long day's work,

but we all feel so blessed to be a part of what God is doing here!

Tomorrow, Polly, Ken, and Jonathan return from Santo Tomas, so we'll try to post an update on that trip.  There's still lots of painting, sanding, installing trim, etc. to be done tomorrow, and of course, there's still kids to be played with and a Zoe to be fed, changed, and loved on!  Tomorrow is our last workday, so look for pictures of the (hopefully) finished product tomorrow!

Gender Sensitivity Training Exercises

Rick is at the Powlison's tonight so Jason will take a stab at a post.  Rick has been doing a tremendous job blogging and everyone following should thank him.  

Now to today's events.  In an act of team diversification we are all spread out and some of us are greatly out numbered by the opposite gender.

Polly is hangin' with three dudes in Santo Tomas (Keith Powlison, Ken Stuart, Jonathan Barnette).

Jason is bloggin' at the breakfast table at the Fuente de Agua Hotel in San Jeronimo with 5 chicas (Wendy, Terry, Judy, Lauren, and Kristy).

Rick and Alan are working the night shift at the Powlisons watching Zoe tonight.  Kudos to those two for showing what being real men is all about.  They are truly great with the kids and Zoe!

The day started out with a sort-of renewal of Wendy's and my vows.  There is a 300 year old painting in the hotel where we are staying depicting the wedding of Joseph and Mary.  It is a custom for a married couple staying here to have their picture taken in front of it.  It is not enough for the picture to include just the two of us.  The owner of the hotel brought over some of the guys from our group, she brought over her friends who were ecstatic we did this.

So here we are.  Jason and Wendy reenacting their wedding with Ken Stuart officiating...

We then moved on to work.  Jason and Rick did more painting in Zoe's room.  Alan primed a bookcase.  Wendy and Judy were at Josephine House in the morning.  Lauren and Wendy did Josephine House in the afternoon.   Kristy took a well deserved rest today after a long shift at the Powlison's last night watching Zoe with Lauren.

Jonathan, Polly, and Ken split from the rest of us for a while for a trip to Santo Tomas.  They will return on Thursday.  Before going, Jonathan performed some magic tricks for the Powlison's grand-kids.

Here are Wendy and Lauren making home-made Play-dough with some of the older kids at Josephine House.

Late in the afternoon Judy, Teri, and Lauren painted trim for bathroom in the Powlison's daughter's room.  

Tomorrow we keep on doing the projects we have underway.  It is our goal to finish the bedroom for Zoe and the girl's bathroom.  Depending on some things, some of the team may do some gardening Thursday.

Thanks for all the comments people have been leaving.  It has been an encouragement to see so many people following what is happening!

Good Works Prepared in Advance . . .

Today was our first work day here in Peru. It was good to have the downtime to get acclimated to the high altitude, but we were all glad to finally get to work! Here's what everybody was doing today:

Ken and Jonathan spent the day shooting video with Keith Powlison. Keith took them farther up the mountain (13,000 feet!) to get video of some of the Quechua villages.

Wendy and Judy spent last night on Zoe duty so that the Powlisons could get some much needed rest. They got the morning off to catch up on sleep, and then they joined the rest of us for lunch at Casa Josefina. They spent the rest of the day playing with the kids.

Kristy and Lauren began the day at Casa Josefina, playing with and helping with the kids. They're pulling Zoe duty tonight, so they got the afternoon off to rest up in preparation.

Rick and Jason sanded and painted the ceiling and walls of what will be Zoe's room when it's finished. Working with Tim, the Powlisons' son-in-law has been great! That guy really knows construction and remodelling!

Polly and Teri painted trim and hung wallpaper in Ellie and Emma's (the Powlisons' youngest daughters) bathroom.

Alan put in a yeoman's effort at Casa Josefina today. He was with the kids all day, from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm! He has been really great with the kids, and they have really taken a liking to him!

View of the Powlisons' house from the back yard

Lauren playing a counting game with one of the little girls

Alan said he was learning as much from this

Spanish-English book as the kids were!

Teri and Polly painting Ellie and Emma's bathroom

 Wendy wanted to know if Jason was learning how to turn a popcorn ceiling into a smooth ceiling.  Sadly, we were a week late for that lesson.

Judy is very brave.  This cow tried to kill Dr. Tim Howard when he came with Jason, Polly, and Ken Leggett on the vision trip several months ago.  You should ask him about it next time you see him!

Tomorrow, Ken, Polly, and Jonathan will head up the mountain with Keith Powlison to visit Santo Tomas.  They'll be gone for about a day and a half.  Please pray for their journey (8 hours each way!).  There is a medical clinic and a mission church there that the Powlisons are involved with.  The rest of us will be continuing the jobs we started today.

Domingo en Peru

Sorry for the double-post. There hasn't been much time for blogging today, so I'm playing catch-up!

The church where we worshiped this morning.  We were able to follow along somewhat with the Spanish service!

Ian, one of the missionaries in Cusco.  He is from England, and he and his wife are currently learning Quechua to go and minister to that people group elsewhere in Peru.

"I love you, Jesus" posted above the pulpit

After worship, we ate at an Andean restaurant nearby.  Ken, Alan, Rick, Polly, and Kristy all had to try the alpaca.  That's right.  We ate llama for lunch!

Polly posing with some of the wares found in the central Cusco market.

These girls were walking around posing for pictures with their baby lambs.

Of course, the ladies couldn't resist.

The farmers' market near the church.  There was an amazing amount of beautiful produce!

Judy and Wendy are on "Zoe duty" tonight.  They're staying at the Powlisons' house to cover the night feedings so that Keith and Ruth can get some rest.  For the rest of us, tomorrow will be our first official work day.  Some of us will be doing some painting, wallpapering, and trim work at the Powlisons' house, while others will be helping with the children at Casa Josefina.  Jason led us in a short time of teaching and prayer tonight, and he reminded us that God prepared in advance these good works for us.  Please be in prayer for us over the next week!  Pray that we will be faithful to the work that God has called us to here. 

Baby Zoe & Casa Josefina

Here are some more pictures from yesterday.

Baby Zoe asleep under her rabbit-skin

This was the moment where Jason learned that Beltran is in the US having medical work done (good!), and may be adopted!  Southwood folks may remember a sermon of Ken Leggett's in which he referenced Beltran:  "Ole!  Ole, ole, ole!  Beltran will win!!"