Second quarter began with a trip to Peru. The focus was spending time with the 'little ones' at the Arequipa orphanage. My relationships deepened with the children as well as the staff. Nearly all of the children have accepted the Lord. However, there are a few very deeply wounded kids who have 'hard shells'.
My
May trip was focused on the most hurting of the
kids. Also I took a group of five
(first 'group'
mission trip to Peru)---two
from Twisp, two
from Lima and one from
Sweden. The Twisp folks
(from my church) fixed the bus
and VW vehicles (brakes,
engine rebuild, etc)
so the kids would have SAFE transportation to
school, etc. One person
felt moved to contribute money to
facilitate six more kids to come to the
orphanage (they are waiting in police
stations, etc for a place to
sleep).
The HIGHLIGHT was Saturday evening before Mother's Day. The girls put on a program for 'appreciation' of their caregivers (four women total). Many of the girls had lost their own mothers. One (whose father killed her mother) was reading a 'thank you' poem and erupted into uncontrollable weeping. Several others followed, letting out their grief. The pastor, caregivers and myself held many of the children while they cried. The girls comforted each other. There was much prayer and tenderness, followed by a great idea: The pastor acknowledged the past hurts of the kids, affirmed their 'safety' here and the love of the adults for them, and encouraged them to thank the Lord for how He had provided for them. Then we had a 'celebration' with 'Chipmunk' music with dancing and the popping of balloons. I watched the mourning turn to joy. I had a very special time personally with 'Gaby', holding her while she sobbed a long time. She never cries, and it was good for her to let out her sorrow. It was one of the most memorable evenings of my life.
Also during the May trip I met with political leader Lourdes Mendoza. She came for a 30 minute meeting but stayed for three hours. We had an incredible meeting and she promised to be a supporter to the Lightshine ministry. I also met briefly with Oscar Mauruta, the Foreign Minister and for an extended visit with his wife, Lourdes and with all the wives of the present cabinet ministry. In July 2006, the government of Peru changed and now Dr. Lourdes Mendoza del Solar is the new vice-president. She has a great heart for the poor, especially orphans, and we wish her much success in her new responsibility as Vice President of Peru, serving with Dr. Alan Garcia, installed as president of Peru on July 28, 2006. Vice President Mendoza has agreed to endorse the Lightshine conference in Lima (November 2006) (See Nov 2006 Conference)
Dr.
Niels Rygaard, a world-famous expert on
Attachment Disorder, has committed to head up a
conference for the needs of orphans in Lima November
17-18. Miguel Angel
Velasquez, Consul of Peru, has promised
to help me organize this. We sat down
and plotted out the logistics,
cost, potential steering
committee, and 'guest
list' from Peru and other Latin American
countries. Miguel arranged for me to
meet President Vicente Fox of Mexico and
his wife Martha. I gave
her a personal invitation to send delegates from
Mexico to the Lima convention.
Dr. Rygaard is one of the world's
leading experts on 'attachment
disorder' in orphans and
abandoned/abused kids. The Lord has put
this together in a marvelous way!!
ABOUT THE ORPHANAGE
Torre Fuerte: The orphanage in Arequipa is called 'Torre Fuerte'. It was founded by Pastor Dario (a pastor in Arequipa), his wife Indira, and Rick Daviscourt, a missionary from Maple Valley (Extended Hands Ministry). I have made several visits to spend time with the children (all girls, ages 4 to 15). In May we took a team from Washington state to repair the vehicles used to transport the children. This fall, we hope to take another group from Washington state. We are planning trips to help the children, and have received commitments from a dentist, a physician (originally from Spain) and two Spanish-speaking psychologists (one already visited the girls in July). Part of our funding/budget is earmarked for teams to visit the orphanage. CONTACT US, if you are interested in volunteering! l They have grown from 21 to 34 in the last year.
LONG TERM DIRECTION
The Lord is opening up great opportunities to help orphans in Peru and in Latin America. I am filled with JOY and energy! I am so grateful to have my life used by the Lord this way! And so let us come together and celebrate what the Lord has done... is doing... and will do!!
We wish MUCH SUCCESS to President Alan Garcia, our friend Vice President Lourdes Mendoza, and others, such as Dr. Cecilia Thorne, who are the real key to helping the children of Peru. In 2005, Lightshine made contributions of vitamins, toys, clothing, food and other necessities to orphans at 'Aldeas Infantiles', the government supported system of 27 orphanages distributed throughout Peru. As funds become available to expand our services, we hope to assist children in both private and state-run orphanages in Peru (and else where, as we grow!)
Blessings,
Paul Eklund