Summer Trip Details

Who are we and what are we going to be doing?

This summer, I am joining a Medical Missions team to the Amazon Jungle of Peru through Global Partners, the missions arm of the Wesleyan church.  Although part of me is really interested in sustainability of healthcare, this trip is really centered on meeting the more immediate health needs of the Amazonian indigenous peoples.  Because our focus is on immediate needs, we are going to be holding medical clinics in several rural villages along the Amazon.  The team is comprised of an interdisciplinary team of dentists, doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, public health students, EMTs, and students.  Because I am getting my Masters degree in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health, as part of my schooling I am going to be collecting some research data regarding gastrointestinal (GI) parasites which can be used in the future to make these short term medical trips more holistic and sustainable.

What is the clinic set up?

We have 5 stations in each of our clinics, a triage station, pharmacy station, dentist station, medical station, and a Gospel station.  The triage station is where the GI parasite data will be collected as well as the gathering of basic medical information for use by the clinicians.  The pharmacy station is where all the medications we bring with us are set up, organized, and dispensed.  The dentist station is where dental work is done, because hygiene is virtually nonexistent, we mostly just pull rotting teeth rather than doing other dental work.  The medical station is where the doctors and nurse practitioners will be treating physical needs and prescribing necessary medications.  The Gospel station is really the most important.  Providing free healthcare functions not only as an inlet for the missionaries to make first introductions and begin building relationships with people in villages, but functions as an act of goodwill that begins to build trust with the people there.  Those relationships turn into life-changing conversations, new believers, and the seeds of new churches springing up all throughout the rainforest!

St. Francis of Assisi said, “Always preach the Gospel; when necessary use words.”  By caring for the physical needs of people, the love and compassion of God is made manifest in places where the name of Jesus has never before been heard.  The full-time Global Partners missionaries in the Amazon Rainforest accompany our team into every village talk with people as they wait in line to be seen in clinic.  Each and every person that comes through the door is prayed for by the missionary by and receives a Bible in their language.

What are our methods of travel?

Of course to get to Peru we are going by airplane to the country’s capital of Lima.  While in Lima we travel by Flipper bus.  Because we are traveling to the jungle which is located in the northeast of the country and Lima is on the central coast, we will also go by airplane to the largest jungle city of Iquitos.  Throughout the city of Iquitos we travel by mototaxi which is like a converted motorcycle with a covered seat - these are much like the Thai Tuk-Tuks and were originally shipped to the Peruvian jungle from India.  To get to the villages we go by large boat and canoe-like boats with motors.  Everywhere we are we tend to do a lot of walking which is pretty fun in the cities especially.  In 2011 I led a team to the same area in August which was during the dry season, and when we went to one of the villages we had to hike about an hour through the jungle to get there which was awesome; we were able to see a lot of Peru that most travelers don’t get to see.

How do we bathe, eat, and sleep?

We usually set a base camp in one of the villages so we don’t have to take all of our stuff with us everywhere.  We take a bigger boat from Iquitos to get to the base camp, and then to get to all of the other smaller villages we take the smaller boats.  In that base camp, we sleep in army hammocks which are hammocks that have netting built in to prevent mosquitos from getting in.  That is sometimes a challenge because we Americans are heavy so ally of us hanging could make the small, poorly built houses fall down.  Sometimes we use blow-up mattresses on the ground, so we partially hang and partially lay on the ground.  It sounds really uncomfortable, but its actually not all that bad.  The heat in the middle of the night is the worst part about it - I've never sweat so much as I do in Peru.  We also bathe in the Amazon River where the natives also bathe – in safe areas hopefully free from piranhas and other dangerous animals.   The river isn't all that clean, but it isn't any different than swimming in any lake in the US - other than the possible dangerous animals of course.  Every trip we go on we bring a couple of cooks with us, who are associated with the Wesleyan church in Iquitos, along with several live chickens.  There is nothing like eating foods that are normally eaten in Peru like fresh fried chicken, plantains, yucca, and local fruits.

Where do we go to the bathroom?

In Lima and Iquitos they have indoor plumbing and have normal bathrooms.  They might not be as fancy as you are used to in the States, but they are very nice in comparison to what you get in the jungle.  One strange thing that you have to keep in mind is that many of the houses in Iquitos have a delicate plumbing system with small pipes so when you go to the bathroom you have to throw the toilet paper in the trash can.  Yeah that really does get pretty disgusting.  Just make sure that you don't throw away anything that you didn't mean to because you aren't going to want to put your hand into the trash.  In the jungle, most of the villages have at least one latrine or outhouse that is basically just a toilet bowl and a barrel of river water to 'flush' with.  Most of the village people don't use the outhouse though, they just go in the jungle which is why parasites from the fecal-oral contraction are a problem.

Why do this?

There is nothing like helping people, especially using your talents.  It takes a lot to live in the jungle, sleeping in hammocks, and bathing in the Amazon River, but helping people and meeting some of their basic needs makes it worthwhile.  It is hard to see children malnourished or with medical problems, and just being able to put a smile on their face rocks your world.  I recommend this to anyone to get out of their comfort zone and do something for others.  It is also a way of sharing the Gospel using your whole self instead of just your voice.  When there is a cultural barrier and a language barrier, sharing Christ using your actions and your heart is an unbelievable spiritual journey.