I can only anticipate the responses I will get from those who know me when I share my thoughts about being unable to speak…Most of the comments will be shrouded with humor and a high percentage will be laced with truth.
I was ready to travel back to Peru, after being home for a whirlwind month, where I was able to enjoy the spring weather for a few days and attend some meetings on the Washington coast. It was great to be home with family and friends.
The day before departure, I woke up with very little voice. It was not the first time – and usually will pass in a day or two – but the next day I had lost the last of my speaking ability, and was aware that attempts to do so would be difficult and awkward for myself and those listening, so the silence began.
I did a lot of smiling during the security screening and there simply was no attempt at connecting with people at the gate while we waited. I became that traveler who made very little eye contact, wore my earbuds, the new social cue for “don’t speak to me” and every time I squeaked out some friendly words, I was reminded that my ability to engage was limited and the retreat to silence was immediate and comfortable.
This resulted in an incredibly quiet 28-hour trip to Peru.
The first two weeks were a challenge. There were many things to discuss but any vocal progress I made at night was lost by the end of the next day. I had continual encounters where my opinions, questions, and contributions were lost because I didn’t have a voice.
Frustrating? To say the least.
People of Peru Project has been the voice for thousands of People who have been silenced, simply by the poverty they were born into. Nothing more and nothing less.
I have tried to imagine the thoughts of those around us, in the jungle city of Iquitos, when they see multitudes of people who have everything they need simply because they were born into a family a few blocks away.
Last week we welcomed 13-year-old Angela into POPPY’S House.
She was three months pregnant and desperate for help, only to have her mother, who abandoned her, return and pull her back into the vortex of poverty, guaranteeing that this girl and her baby would never receive an education.
In her family, the cycle of ignorance, poverty, and suffering will continue.
When will her voice be heard?
By the time she is old enough to make her own decisions the rut will be deep, her children will be dependent, and her opportunity passed.
We Thank God every day for the 20 girls just like Angela who are in our care.
You are their voice. You have empowered us to empower them. There are over 100 children who received educational support this year, because of you. There are professionals changing lives every day, because of the consistent sacrifices you have made, to join our fight and give voices to the silent.
Amazing things are happening at People of Peru Project. Our free dental clinic is open five days a week and this year the volumes of paperwork and bureaucracy needed to build our surgery center have ended.
We have signed all the contracts, and the work has started. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we enter an arena that will impact the health system of this city.
Two of our girls entered the University program this year.
These two are amazing and have already found their voice as they have shared their stories at public forums, pleading with parents to rearrange the priorities in their homes, provide education for their children, create stability, and turn away from the destructive lifestyles that affect their families.
Every day I am grateful to you, the amazing people who have supported this work, and the multitude of volunteers who have come to transform passion into action.
It has been 24 years and I am overwhelmed at times with what God has done through you. I believe this is just the beginning.
We need your continued support, to give a voice to the silent.
Sometimes they find a quiet voice, to give comfort or encouragement to others who have suffered the same way, and sometimes that voice grows into influence and leadership.
Sometimes, those once silent voices speak for nations but there is nothing more special than the moment when that voice first says, “Now I can.”
Live to serve…Serve to live,
Paul Opp
President
People of Peru Project
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