La Esperanza: Nosotros Trabajando. Nosotros Cambiando.

When driving north on the Pan-American Highway out of Trujillo you enter the district of La Esperanza where the community of Wichanzao is located. Every morning on the way to the clinic I catch a collectivo, which is a black sedan which is somewhat like a taxi. It costs 1.20 soles (40 cents in USD), can hold about 8 people, and follows a certain route through the city. My route (B) takes me north out to La Esperanza, and on the way I pass under two bridges that mark your entrance into the district. Painted on these bridges are the words “La Esperanza: Nosotros Trabajando. Nosotros Cambiando.” Which means something like “We’re working. We’re Changing.” For some reason this phrase really captured my attention, and I began thinking what this slogan was trying to express and how it related to my experiences thus far in Trujillo.

I think that as we work here in the broken creation that God has placed us, we obviously experience change in many ways. Most of us start out strong and ready to conquer the world, and over the years we wrinkle, get sick and old. As Mother Teresa said "Each of us is merely a small instrument; all of us, after accomplishing our mission, will disappear." Life in this city is harsh for many. Work is hard to find in the city and nearly impossible in the country, which is why many people come here from the Sierra. The city is dusty and polluted and without an income and support of a community life quickly becomes difficult if not impossible. As you can imagine there is an enormous need and opportunity for the Gospel here, but this can take a back seat in the mind of a Peruvian who is struggling to keep food on the table for their kids. That is why Peru Missions various ministries fit so well here in this city. They meet people in the contexts in which they live and work and love them right where they are, teaching them to gather strength and hope from a source deeper than their own.

There is an ongoing cycle of redemption that is being played out in this city and everywhere else in the world. Sin leaves us and our world broken and tired, but as Christians we have faith that Christ will come to make all things new. This hope helps us as we work to bring justice and restoration to the world around us. So the phrase “We're working. We're changing” is given a much different (and much more hopeful) meaning in light of the Gospel, especially here in Peru where despite all of your effort and hard work change will often come slowly, if it comes at all.

Where to start?

This has been a difficult blog to begin…not because I don’t have anything to say to everyone at home, but because there is so much to say about what has taken place this week!

Winter is just now beginning in Peru, and in Trujillo although it is still 70 degrees all of the Peruvians are running around in jackets. The kids come in with temperatures and sweating because they have been running around playing in all of those clothes! The city doesn’t get much sun this time of year and is engulfed by a permanent cloud of fog and pollution. This fog is analogous in many ways to the way I feel after my first few days in Peru. I find myself focused on what is tangible and close at hand, and have difficulty looking beyond the day I find myself in. There is always more to do, and the days here go by quickly but are just tiring in every way. Even cooking here is harder...you have to find "normal" ingredients, wash everything, light the stove (We have a portable propane tank next to the stove), then wait a good 15 minutes for the water to boil, etc. Just keeping up with the pace here is exhausting!

After over 24 hours of traveling I flew into the city over the water as the sun was rising over the hills that dominate the horizon around Trujillo (on a clear day). It was beautiful, but as soon as I stepped off that plane I knew I was in another world. As the light grew brighter I saw more of the city, and although I knew it would be big I had no idea of the sprawl and expanse of it. As we drove deeper into Trujillo the noise grew and so did the number of taxis, pedestrians, window washers and sidewalk snack vendors. Finally we arrived at our destination “Larco y Espana”, the (noisy!) corner of two major streets in the city where Peru Mission’s English language school (San Augustin Language Institute also known as SALI) is located. Next to SALI is a white building (The interns call it Casa Blanca or the White House) that houses the Peru Mission office (2nd floor) and the girl intern’s apartment (3rd floor).


I live in the apartment with 5 other wonderful girl interns: Heather Campbell, Gillian Baikie, Annie White, Sarah Story and Julie Rogers. We just moved here and are still getting upacked and settled but already the place has a lot of promise and I know it will be a place of refuge and retreat after a long day of work. The other girls teach at SALI until 9 pm! I however am on a completely different schedule, the clinic opens at 8am and on normal days when we don't have short term teams in I will usually be there until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. However when we have medical teams come in from the States they will often hold a Campaign (mobile clinic out of the churches) in different areas of the city (Larco, Arevalo, Wichanzao, Clementina, etc.) On those days I will help set up in the mornings and then triage the patients that come in, translate (or at least attempt to!), and try to keep things running smoothly.