Soli Deo Gloria!

Our final medical clinic and Jesus Film showing was in Gabriela Nuñez, a village located a 30 minute boat ride down the Itaya and up the Amazon river. The newly completed church building served as our clinic for the day. Addie & Larry Garmon´s W&W Team had completed the structure just one week earlier. In fact, Addie led a worship song & Dr Garmon gave the sermon last Sunday night at the church where we worship here in Iquitos - the same church that planted the church in Gabriela Nuñez. Yes, church planting is what this project has been all about. We treated 1283 patients in the course of 7 clinics and had nearly 300 decisions for Christ during three Jesus Film showings. These are the people that our long-term missionaries will be contacting in the weeks to come and beginning their work of strengthening and building the Kingdom in areas where the Good News of Jesus Christ, the living water, will make a profound difference.

This afternoon we will have a celebration banquet with the entire team, including the 40/40´s - the long term missionaries who will be doing the church plants. There is indeed much to celebrate. Our God is an awesome God and the anticipation of things to come fills me to overflowing with excitement and joy! While we will begin heading our separate ways tomorrow (some to Cusco, some to the jungle, some back to their studies on church planting), we are one in Christ and that is a very special and empowering thought, my friends. You have been with us as well and we thank you for your partnership along this very special journey.

To God alone be the glory!

Extreme Nazarenes

Check out the pictures and short stories being posted on Extreme Nazarene´s website on a daily basis. Our own George McHendry was asked to write an article for days 3 & 4 of our clinics. I couldn´t download any of the photos on this computer, but perhaps you´ll even see someone you know.

http://www.extremenazarene.org/ShortTermDetail.aspx?ID=5

The Privilege of Prayer

We have now completed 4 days of medical clinics and impact events. We have seen730 patients - more than the number anticipated for the full 7 days of clinics! We have had to buy additional medical supplies twice now. Last night at our worship and prayer service we had the name, age and medical condition of each and every one of these patients. I felt extremely humbled to be praying over these souls. More importantly, we have had 247 decisions for Christ. God is truly present in this place and because of your prayers mighty things are happening. Please continue to pray for both physical and spiritual healings. Onward for Christ!

Living water

Today's medical clinic was apparently in the poorest community that we will be visiting. That's NOT to say that there is no poverty in the other communities, but today's poverty was palpable. Our clinic was set up outside in the dirt next to the soccer field. By soccer field I mean an open dirt area (mud when it rains) and small wooden poles set in the ground at either end to designate the goals. The medical conditions we saw were more severe than the previous two days of clinics, though most complaints were ultimately related to the severe lack of clean drinking water (parasites, dehydration, headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, lack of energy, various infections, etc). People waited in line in the oppressive heat of the day for hours to be one of the lucky ones to see a doctor and receive free medical advice and medication. Even if all they walked away with were vitamins for an undernourished child they were grateful. I can not help but think about the many things we take for granted each and every day in America - clean drinking water among them. Jesus, our "living water," assures us that those who know Him will "thirst no more." Are we taking our "living water" for granted or are we living life with a grateful heart, acknowledging with each and every breath we take that HE is the source of every good thing? From the Amazon, with a deeply grateful heart, Pastor Janette

Medical Missions Rock!

This is my first medical mission and I can´t begin to tell you how awesome it is. So, I´m turning today´s blog over to our nurse, Mandy Willmann, so you can have a nurse´s perspective on the difference we´re making:

Hello Westminster Church! Today is the second day of medical clinics and they have been two very long days. We start about 7:30 am and today we are back to the hotel at 5. The clinics have been going much better than we had anticipated. We expected our turnout to be about 50 for the first day and that day we saw 174 patients by last count. Today we topped that and saw 230 patients! Most of our patients are well, with very common parasitic gastrointestinal problems and complications from dehydration. (like headache and dizziness) This is a very hot region and their access to CLEAN water is limited so they tend not to drink enough. As you may expect, they need a lot of education regarding general health and hygeine. We give out a lot of vitamins and ibuprofen. We have limited abilities to diagnose infections but since we can narrow it down for the most part, we do have some antibiotics we can give out if they need it. While the patients are being seen, the long term missionaries are reaching out to the people waiting in the lines by showing them the meaning of the salvation bracelets. The children are all eager to hear the story and have a bracelet. After they give the bracelet they pray with the patients and invite them to the Jesus film they put on some nights. The other night at the showing of the film, they had 200 people come and had 56 children and 17 adults commit their lives to Christ. The children are also entertained by the group with games, crafts and sports. Thanks so much for your prayers and support while we are here. It´s making a difference, we know, we are all still healthy!

Tamshiyacu here we come!

This post is being written by our brother, George McHendry:

I have to admit that I was having trouble pronouncing the word Tamshiyacu before today. After spending a few hours with the beautiful people that call Tamshiyacu their home, I am confident that the name will be engrained in my brain forever. You might wonder why. Well, thanks to the folks at Extreme Nazarene, we at WCON have adopted this village of 3,000 people and are helping them hear the Good News by helping plant a new Nazarene church in the near future. Originally the boat trip up the Amazon River in the Rain Forest was just for the four of us at WCON. When word got out that we had gotten a boat to make the 24 mile trip, many others said they wanted to go as well. In all, 19 of our 22 took the one hour trip upstream on the Amazon. As we took our tour of the city, Pastor Janette stopped in at the Ecumenical service for an infusion of the Holy Spirit! To my friends who are wondering how the trip is going, my thanks for your prayers. Yes, it is hot and humid. But God is watching over us as we bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to the folks here in Peru. I believe I captured some wonderful images of WCON´s future sister church in Tamshiyacu. God bless you all. See you in a couple of weeks!

On the ground in Iquitos!

I´m writing this from an internet cafe on the Plaza de Armas in Iquitos (the main square in downtown.) We had quite a wild start yesterday. Mandy was severly ill upon our departure from Denver. We got an urgent prayer request to the prayer chain and by the time we arrived in Atlanta she was herself again. Thank you for your prayers!! We arrived in Lima on schedule, but had ïssues in customs, including the confiscation of my passport and some rather tense moments - all due to two donated cell phones in Mandy´s suitcase. Another couple bringing in a generator to show the Jesus Film were also held up. But, as always, we went to God in prayer and not only got my passport & cell phones back, but the generator as well. Can you just imagine what the Lord has planned?! Following an uneventful flight to Iquitos (thank the Lord!) we spent time as a team, went through a lengthy orientation, unpacked and organized our medical supplies and are ready to hit the ground running with our first medical and outreach event tomorrow. The long term missionaries spent the day getting the word out to people in the surrounding community about tomorrow´s clinic. It was so inspiring to see all the supplies that were donated and we thank God for each and every person who is here with us through your prayers and outpouring of generosity and love. Please pray for the hearts of the people we will reach tomorrow and for continued protection against the enemy´s schemes. Hasta luego, hermanos.

And so it begins!

When we're about our Father's business, it's pretty much guaranteed that Satan will attack. It's become so very predictable that now I can simply sit back and smile, knowing God is ready to do something amazing. Every time we prepare to head out to the mission field "things happen" to various members of the team. I left the office 3 hours later than planned, due to a miriad of curve balls thrown my way. It took almost an hour for me to check in online, due to multiple technical difficulties. I caught my little finger in the door handle of the car when unloading my final items to be packed. Looking forward to visiting with the rest of the team tomorrow at the airport to see what their final preparation day was like. I say "bring it on," because most assuredly GOD IS IN CONTROL!

Packed up & Prayed over

The team met yesterday afternoon to pack our "e-bags." That's what Extreme Nazarene Peru calls the second suitcase each participant is asked to bring, packed with needed supplies for the medical clinics and evangelistic outreach events we will be doing in the villages surrounding Iquitos. Miraculously, it all fit in to our four suitcases, each one weighing in well under the 50 pound limit! The team was "commissioned" by Pastor Brian and Pastor Loyd in our three weekend services during which time many in our church family came to the altar to lay hands on us and pray. There is a sense of excitement and comraderie that continues to build among us. We feel your love and ongoing prayer support and are joyfully expectant of all that is yet to come!

Preparing for Peru

I just took my first malaria pill, which means we'll be in Peru one week from today! My son, Josh, was in the office today helping to organize the mound of medical supplies we'll be taking with us. You may be one of the people who donated empty medicine bottles or cell phones. You may have been lifting the team up in prayer for weeks or even months. You may have made it possible, financially, for certain members of the team to go, or for our church to have adopted the community of Tamshiyacu as our first official church plant outside of Colorado. Yes, each and every one of you will be there with us, in one way or another, and we thank you in advance for your partnership. Enjoy the journey with us . . . as God leads the way!