A mission team from Roswell United Methodist Church returned last week from their fifth annual medical trip to Peru.

Under the leadership of church member John Pearson, the group of 16 men and women from RUMC stayed at a hostel in the city of Huancayo and visited the small farm villages of San Juan de Iscos and Patarcocha to work at a clinic.

“Like any South American country, there is a lot of poverty. The people live in the jungle or in the mountains,” said Pearson. “There’s a lot of disease and a lot of broken bones, but there are no medical facilities.”

Pearson said the country also has very few churches.

“We’ve started several churches there, which are run out of homes,” he said. “They have a great need for churches, and you can show them that through helping them in other ways.”

On the trip, three medical doctors saw 1,108 patients, one dentist treated 91 patients and 91 patients received reading glasses.

The clinic’s pharmacy distributed prescriptions from doctors to patients, along with a month’s supply of vitamins, a toothbrush, toothpaste and one other personal item of their choice.

Missionaries also conducted a children’s program where they played games and made craft projects with more than 100 children of all ages.

Pearson also conducts small business missions to Peru where he helps residents start up businesses.

“These people crave our help,” he said. “And they have a yearning to learn about God and to know what happens after they die.”

Pearson said one of the most important things he has learned from his trips to Peru is to be grateful for what he has in the U.S.

“We see how blessed we really are. All of us here are among the rich,” he said. “But we also learn that the people in Peru are just like us. They have the same needs: food, clothing, shelter and a reason to exist.”

For more information about RUMC and its mission work, visit www.rumc.com.