Day 5 Events

We visited Laura Bozo today. It took a little longer to get there compared to our other place. The roads were nothing but dirt and rocks. It was VERY bumpy with tremendous amounts of dust flying everywhere. It cost 5 soles, which is a little less than 2 dollars to get there. It cost 5 soles to return too. Many wooden shacks lined the dirt roads as we ventured to a nearby school to set up for another day of God´s work. Dogs seem to be everywhere too. Many people were sweeping their front porch area. A lot of dirt needs to be pushed to the street as it accumulates throughout the day. We have not received any rain since we have been here. Some kids walked around with bare feet . Kids are not in school at this time. They don´t return until March. It is their summer break. This section of Pucallpa definitely has low income families. Worse than our other location visited yesterday. I tried to get a glimpse of their housing as we drove in the motorcycle carriages. I couldn´t see much, but from what I saw it was small and very dirt inside. Another suprising thing is that I have seen little smoking and drinking.

John and I were able to help about 14 people today. One girl touched my heart. She was there because she was having trouble with her tooth. Everytime she would eat or drink, pain would be a major problem for her. She did not come with a parent. She brought her 9 year old sister. I was impressed with her courage and fearless attitude about coming to a clinic and bringing her concern to a group she knew nothing about. I am very thankful for the Lord. I truly believe He brought her to us. Before we started, with the help of Elizabeth, I asked the little girl if I could pray for her. She said "Si", which "Yes". I asked the Lord to give her strength and to comfort her during the procedure that was going to take place. I asked Jesus to lay his hand upon her and to heal her. She had to have an extraction because a cavity was causing problems with a nerve under the tooth. She was brave throughout the whole process. First, I could not believe a parent would allow her/his child to come to a clinic alone. Second, I can´t believe a child would get a procedure done without a parent being present. This is just another example of how our culture is different from their culture.

Tonight we came back to the hotel and had a time for praise and worship. We sang songs and had one of the Extreme leaders share during devotional time. It was a great message about being the light to help shine the way for those who do not believe. He gave us a real match to symbolize our ability to be the light for the world around us. We have the ability to help those who are in a world of darkness. Whether that is sin in their lives or feelings of despair or loneliness. We can help! That is what God created us for.