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2007 Peru Mission Trip

By Carson Overstreet

It was so good to see all our church planning come to fruition for the 2007 mission trip to Moyobamba, Peru. We had a total group of 16, including three non-church members.  As you know, many things you plan do not happen the way you expect them to. We certainly learned many times that God’s plans are not necessarily what we anticipate for ourselves!  We left Saturday June 30, making our connections in Atlanta and then landed in Lima, Peru late Saturday night. Our guide, Jacob Goad, met us at the airport; Jacob served as our translator in 2005.  We stayed overnight in Lima and continued our travels Sunday afternoon across the Andes Mountains to Moyobamba.

We were welcomed into Moyobamba, the City of Orchids, with breathtaking and picturesque views of a lush green landscape. Our first evening began with the group attending the evening worship service at the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Moyobamba. The church greeters welcomed us with warm smiles and embraces. After the service we were invited by one of the pastors to partake in Communion. It was such an honor to go into a separate room to partake in the Sacrament with our Peruvian brothers and sisters.  Although many within our group did not speak Spanish, Communion was deeply meaningful.

Our mission trip was tri-faceted with the Evangelical Presbyterian Church of Moyobamba (EPCM). Our church relationship began with the Senior Pastor, Rev. David MacPherson, in 2005. Our three projects entailed construction at the Annie Soper Christian School, serving in medical clinics, and Vacation Bible School.

Rev. MacPherson also serves as a co-headmaster of the private Annie Soper Christian School. It is an extension of the church and has classes from pre-kindergarten through high school. Rev. MacPherson is quite a visionary and has been working to expand the school facilities. An auditorium of close to 3,000 square feet has been erected. Alongside it is a separate, but small facility for a kitchen and two separate bathrooms.

Our construction project at Annie Soper School was to complete the flooring for the small kitchen and bathroom facility. We did this by way of pouring and hauling concrete. It was a four day project working with the cement mixer and many wheelbarrows with nearly flattened tires. Our construction team worked well together and had great fellowship for the four days of work.

It was certainly exciting seeing the Annie Soper School in action with children running and playing during recess. Over the course of the week, the school utilized the large auditorium with a speech competition, which they called “Auratoria”. The best of the best among many grades spoke on the most expansive subjects. Even a first grade boy, who was an absolute darling and very poised, spoke at least five full minutes on work dogs and everything about them! One student in a higher grade spoke on the progress of pregnancy and all the gestational stages. Each child spoke in Spanish and was very well spoken. It was certainly a highlight for the group.

Our second facet in mission was medical clinics. We had a small team made of Sardis’ own Dr. Tim Eichenbrenner, a pediatrician,  and Marilyn Dougherty, a registered nurse, who worked with the St. Luke Society, a national organization of small medical clinics. They serve the community with a staff of general practice, ob-gyn, and dental care. The Medical Team rode horseback into remote villages to hold clinics for many children who had never been seen before by a physician. Tim and Marilyn treated nearly 200 children and a handful of adults during the course of four days. It was an extremely touching experience for Tim and Marilyn to see the conditions of life for many of those families with the least of basic needs being met, yet the families had such an amazing joy about them. It was very inspiring for many of us to see so many families such as these.  Despite having so little, they had the most genuine sense of generosity, hospitality, and love for family and neighbor. It makes one ponder who is the one who is truly blessed?

Our third facet in mission was Vacation Bible School, which we held again in the village of Los Algarrobos, a ten minute drive outside of Moyobamba. Upon arriving for VBS Monday, July 2, there must have been fifty to sixty children lined up and waiting for us. We held VBS for four afternoons from 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m. This year the location was at the small church we helped to build in 2005. It was a wonderful moment to see the church complete first hand. Los Algarrobos has about 100 families residing in the village. The church of Los Algarrobos is a satellite church of the EPCM and is still working to increase adult congregational attendance.

Sallie Robinson  served as “VBS Director” and planned all the Bible stories, crafts, and recreational activities for the children. We were blessed to have Sardis’ own Vernon Sumwalt and Jacob Goad, our guide, both men fluent in Spanish. Vernon and Jacob were able to translate the Bible stories and connect with the children about each lesson to learn. They also paired well musically on the congas and guitar as they accompanied the children in Spanish songs like “Jesus Loves Me”.  

The 2007 Peru trip was wonderful to be a part of again. It was amazing to see another part of the world through God’s eyes and to be drawn closer to Him. We were honored and humbled to love and serve our brothers and sisters in Peru.