Their paddles brushed through the water, tickling the surface and making small ripples that bounced off the edges of the river bank. Mindy Schreven, Martin Corona, and Kevin House with their new Peruvian friends Joel and Mario crept down the waters on a clear but very relaxed mission. They were going to go fishing. Equipped with a spear, a net, and a few antique fishing poles the five of them searched out the scaly creatures. But of course, as they shouted and laughed the fish swam away and by the end of the day they had captured only 4 fish. But the trip was less about the fish and more about building relationships. They docked the boat near an old deserted home and searched out a new prey, fruit. They ate around 30 guavas, a long slender fruit with a juicy-white flesh covering its dark-purple seeds.     Towards the end of the day, when their stomachs were full with jungle fruit, the passengers climbed aboard and Martin reluctantly accepted his elected position as captain. They snaked all the way home, laughing hysterically each time they were forced to push off the river bank before becoming stuck. For Mindy, it is these moments that make her excited to serve in Peru.
    “I feel like I have two Peruvian brothers,” says Mindy. “I absolutely love Tupac; I could live here for the rest of my time.”
    Mindy is currently teaching various public health topics to about 20 students. The number is smaller because of Tupac’s size but is allows her to teach more in-depth about subjects such as nutrition. She extended the previous 1 nutrition lesson into 4 separate lessons that dig deeper into health issues. Other improved topics include vitamins, water, snacking, healthy weight, massages, vegetable washing, teeth brushing, hand washing, etc. Though it is hard to tell them to eat more vegetables, which are hard to come by in Tupac Amaru, her students seem be responding well.
    “They ask questions and are excited,” says Mindy. “People are understanding the importance.”
    At first, these same excited students were somewhat stand-offish. You had to “dig into their little lives” according to Mindy. She noticed an incredible change when mothers and children began to complain to her.
    “You didn’t visit me!” they’d say.
    “But, I visited you in the morning and we already had your lesson.”
    “Yes, but then you walk past my house again in the afternoon and didn’t visit me!”
    Now Mindy is finding more time to stay and talk to the people who enjoy her visits. One woman enjoys the visits so much that both Mindy and Brittany Gimbel, the nurse assigned to her home, come to teach and talk with her.
    “With these people, if you don’t build up relationship they won’t pay attention to you,” says Mindy.
    This week she is finishing her lessons on nutrition and will begin discussing vitamins and water next week.

Mindy Schreven
Nursing/Public Health Team