Mateo 28

Mateo 28 is an outreach run by my church once a month. Last Saturday we went to Chua, a small village on the shores of Lake Titicaca. I really enjoyed the trip because it not only covered a spiritual aspect, but also the physical. We worked alongside the local Adventist church, which will hopefully allow the church to be viewed in a more positive light. I helped with the dental work, which basically involved filling needles with new points and with anesthesia. I’ve never seen so many rotten teeth up close. I had to hold heads and hands because some teeth had large roots and we had to work quickly. My other job was holding heads and hands, to make sure that they didn’t poke the needles in deeper. I am looking forward to the next trip and hope to be able to pull a few teeth myself. Many children would get a tooth or two pulled and then head out to watch the puppets reenact the Good Samaritan.

Escuela de Campo

Recently, I've been changed my focus from wells to agriculture, mostly supervising "escualas de campo" (country schools) and a new tree nursery that we are starting. An escuela de campo involves teaching locals how to plant high-grade potatoes that we bring from the city. A local tradition is to plow the earth using two cows, place a potato a foots distance from each other, and on top of the seeds pour sheep manure. If there isn't enough seed then the larger potatoes will be cut in half. We want local farmers to place the manure first and then the potato, so that more nutrition will enter the roots. Also, we are encouraging farmers to seal the cut potatoes with ash, so that no diseases will enter. In theory, using our high-grade potatoes (we sell these at half-price), placing the manure first and sealing the cut potatoes with ash will increase production and quality, providing local farmers with a more competitive edge on the market. I hope it works...