Many people have asked about our mission plans in Peru.
These are the seven most common questions we’ve fielded. Jaclyn also answers
another FAQ, “are you ready?” in this month’s team newsletter which should be
out in a few days. If you haven’t done so already, you can subscribe to the
team newsletter at www.teamarequipa.net
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1. Where will you live? In a mud hut?
No, not a mud hut or in the middle of the jungle.
Arequipa is a city of almost a million people. That’s about the size of San
Francisco or Indianapolis and it has a higher population density (people per
square mile) than New York City. For about the first six weeks we are staying
with a Peruvian family in their home. Home stays help immensely with the
language and culture acquisition process. After that, we plan on renting a two
bedroom apartment.
2. What is it like there?
Arequipa is a city with one of the fastest
growing economies in all of South America. People from the rural areas are
moving to Arequipa for jobs and opportunities. It’s a major hub of culture and
economics in southern Peru. The city is about 7,500 ft above sea level. Andean mountains dominate the skyline.
There aren’t many buildings higher than four or five stories because of the periodic earthquakes. In Arequipa you
can find malls, movie theaters, banks, and department stores downtown, but you
can also find cinder block houses with no electricity and no running water on
the outskirts of the city. It’s a dry, mild climate. Temperatures stay between
50-80 degrees year-round. There are really only two seasons, the dry season and
the rainy season.
Arequipa skyline with "Misti" in full view. Misti's peak is 19,101 ft.
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3. What will you do on a day-to-day basis?
Once we get acclimated, we will be
volunteering in a medical clinic in one of the lower-income districts of the
city. Our main push is preventative medicine. Because there are so many
patients to see each day, the providers don’t usually have time to educate
people about how not to get sick in the future. That’s where we come in. We’re
starting with diabetes screening and education. There are also opportunities to
work with schools doing health education and eventually we would love to do follow-up
home visits for patients who visit the clinics. Our plan is to offer our
services as “expert volunteers” and use this as an avenue for sharing the good
news about Jesus. Our goal is to love our neighbors by providing exceptional
healthcare and make disciples of Jesus along the way. Jesus’s model of
discipleship creates exponential growth of the church.
4. Who supports you? You know, where do you
get your dinero?
Several individual families and a couple
small churches support us financially. My (Jake’s) home church in Bonne Terre,
Missouri is our official “sending congregation” that collects the funds and
provides accountability and spiritual oversight. A Christian grant program
called Project MedSend is paying our student loan payments.
5. Will you have a car, or will you ride
llamas?
We do not plan on getting a car. Public
transportation in Arequipa is cheap and easy. City buses, or “combis” travel
through all the main districts and one out of every two cars on the street is a
taxi. If you’re willing to cram into a combi, you can take it from one side of
the city to the other for about $0.30. Riding in a taxi is about 4-10 Soles
($1.50-$3.50), depending on how far you need to go.
6. Is it safe?
Pick-pockets are more common here than in
the states, but violent crimes are less common. Crime tends to follow the
illegal drug trade and, based on what we’ve heard, Arequipa is not part of
their route. Peru’s government is historically one of the most stable in South
America and is not opposed to missionaries coming here. Of course we don’t know
what will happen, but we rest assured that God is in control and that He has
led us here. Is following God safe? Probably not by most people’s definition of
safe. Is NOT following God safe? Absolutely not!
7. Are you scared? What is your biggest fear?
Of course uprooting and moving into a whole
new culture is scary. It will be tough, but we know God will be with us. The
most overwhelming thing here in the beginning is learning the language.
Although we have some Spanish background, we have a long way to go. Our biggest
fear is looking back at the end and not feeling like we accomplished what we
came to do. We need the prayers of everyone reading this. Please make it a
point to pray specifically for our cultural adjustment and for receptivity
among the people of Arequipa.
Panoramic view of the Plaza de Armas including the cathedral
in downtown Arequipa. The city was founded in 1540.
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