Walking on the Water
End of July Diospi Suyana’s third book “Walking on the Water“ was published. It speaks about the risks and the dangers we have encountered, but also about God’s faithfulness. Over the past years more than 0.1 mio books about Diospi Suyana have been sold worldwide. Many of our volunteers and several of our supporters were inspired to help Diospi Suyana through the reading of one of these books. At this juncture it must be mentioned that the English woman Janet Yashoua has translated all three books into English free of charge.
On 3rd August, it was a Monday evening, we received a phone-call in which we were invited to give the Peruvian President a presentation in his residence the next day. However, since there were no domestic flights due to the pandemic, a taxi-driver and Dr John shared the 930km-drive through the night to Lima. When the two of them turned on the car’s radio at 6a.m. the next morning they heard on the news that the Prime Minister (head of the Council of Ministers) had just been ousted out of office through a no-confidence vote after a 20-hour marathon debate. Suddenly Peru found itself in a political vacuum. Of course the Head of State now had his work cut out in forming a new government. Under these circumstances a meeting with Vizcarra seem totally out of the question.
A small group of people prayed from the bottom of their hearts for a miracle. Despite the state’s crisis the President saw the PowerPoint presentation consisting of 147 pictures that afternoon. This visit in the Palace was a welcome backing in such hard times.
The Corona-pandemic hit Peru especially severely. According to a report in the New York Times the actual number of casualties lies by around 0.1mio. So far 12 patients suffering from Covid have died at the missionary hospital. But Alexander Campana survived. After five weeks he could leave the hospital in a wheelchair having endured a heavy Covid-lung-infection, septicaemia, a pulmonary embolism and cardiac arrest. His wife, children and also we at Diospi Suyana were delighted about his recovery.
Despite our doctors and nurses, understandably, having a queasy feeling in their epigastric region we continued treating patients. Since some hospitals sent patients – who were suffering from totally different illnesses – under the pretext of them having contracted the Pandemic away, the Hospital Diospi Suyana was the sole place to go for countless people seeking help.
In order to protect our staff Diospi Suyana invested lots of money in setting up protective measures. Nevertheless roughly a quarter of our missionaries contracted a Corona-infection, but we thank God that not a single member of our staff has died.
We refute conspiracy theories at Diospi Suyana. We know from experience that a Corona-infection can bring many people to a critical point where it becomes a matter of life and death. Almost every Peruvian knows someone in his acquaintance or among his friends who has died from Corona.
The teaching staff of the Colegio Diospi Suyana produced a whole series of didactically valuable videos that our pupils can watch online at home. It appeared that their creativity knew no bounds. But the extra effort in lesson design was immense. Respect and recognition for head of school Christian Bigalke and all our teaching staff.
Out of nowhere the intensive care physician Dra Claudia Ramirez applied to work at our hospital. Her salary is sponsored by a professor from the MD Anderson Hospital in Houston. The Columbian is providing first class service at the missionary hospital.
For several years now the clinic Hampina Wasi in the city of Andahuaylas uses Diospi Suyana’s logo to lure patients through its doors. This private institution is, however, only interested in increasing its profits. The use of our logo should suggest to patients that Hampina Wasi is a branch of our mission. After a prolonged tug of war the Trademark and Patent Office “Indecopi” finally spoke a word of power: no one in Peru may touch our emblem, since it stands for only one organisation called Diospi Suyana.
The GAT-cooperation of German lift manufacturers had sponsored the project. Since October the outside lift of the Eye Clinic is working. For walking- and visually-impaired patients the laborious ascent up the steps is now a thing of the past. A dankeschön to all companies in GAT for this useful donation in kind.
Around 11:30a.m. (Peruvian Time) the missionary hospital’s computer system identified Sra Yolanda Roman as our 400,000th visitor. The 30-year-old (wearing a blue jacket) came for a check-up after a shin-fracture. Yolanda and her husband Nicanor live in humble circumstances and earn their living working as agricultural day-labourers. At home they mainly speak Quechua, the language of the ancient Incas.
Dr Haßfeld is missing on the picture, since immediately after giving the celebratory address the gynaecologist was called to an operating theatre to perform an emergency operation.
Doctor Lukas Steffen who treated the patient stands next to Yolanda. At this juncture, however, he was in hospital himself with severe typhoid. But to witness this occasion he managed to crawl out of bed. A further proof for the theory that a William Tell is in everyone hailing from Switzerland.
Diospi Suyana’s third book describes how difficult it was for Diospi Suyana to renew its operating license back in 2018. After a complete year of going to the authorities time and again the Health Ministry intervened in our favour. We were expecting another such run of the gauntlet for our renewal in 2021. But in December the Health Authority not only sent us a new license for our intensive care unit, but also renewed the license of the whole hospital, completely without our application. With this document in the cupboard the missionary hospital can legally open its doors to the Peruvians and thus continue to be a blessing to them.
ARTE’s successful TV-documentary brought Diospi Suyana into the living rooms of people living in Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland. The TV-editors called Diospi Suyana a unique project with exceptional people who keep everything running.
In all the wonderful coincidences that have happened since our organisation’s founding we see God’s handwriting. And if God exists then forgiveness, security, help and hope are no illusion.
The 2020 review was more or less a chance selection. Even 100 photos would not have sufficed to depict the full meaning of the past twelve months. Staff and missionaries gave their best and have excelled beyond themselves. Our friends’ solidarity has given Diospi Suyana a new record of financial donations and a flood of encouraging emails. Thousands of them did the same as we did: pray for God’s blessing and protection. /KDJ
