January 2009. The John family are spending a two week vacation in Eibenstock/ Ore Mountains, Germany. At the end of their winter vacation when the landlady, a certain Mrs. Schreier, watches a laptop presentation about Diospi Suyana she waives the rent. Over a lovely evening meal, Mr. Schreier mentions that he used to work in the elevator business. “An elevator – that is exactly what we still need at the hospital”, exclaims Dr. Klaus John.
15 October 2009. Upon recommendation of Mr. Schreier, Dr. John attends the world’s largest elevator fair in Augsburg, Germany. Mr. Schreier arrives from Saxony. Armed with hospital brochures both walk through one exhibition hall after another. Seven components are needed, in other words seven companies will have to get in on the hospital’s project.
The two men present themselves at the stand of Ziehl-Abegg AG. This company based in Künzelsau, Germany, sells the needed drives (cost: USD 10,000). As the general manager is not around Dr. John and Mr. Schreier leave a brochure for him. They return to the stand at 2 pm and get to speak with the general manager, Mr. Arnold. He says: “When I first heard that two men had asked for an elevator drive for a hospital in Peru I thought ‚no way!’ Then, as I opened up your brochure I noticed it was about the same hospital my brother-in-law visited the year before. He was ever so enthusiastic when he showed us pictures of the project. It was immediately clear to me that we needed to help!”
In the evening of 15 October seven companies had agreed to provide the project’s components, their value totaling more than EUR 40,000. Subsequently, “Life Report”, the magazine of the German Association of Elevator Manufacturers, published a 5-page article in German and English about the elevator for Diospi Suyana Hospital.
The Schreier family also donated material to the value of several thousand euro to the project. In July 2010 they travelled to Peru at their own expense to install the elevator. It all began with some strange vacation guests in Germany’s snow blown Ore Mountains. An atheist might argue: „You were just very lucky!“ or „Coincidences do happen!“ As Christians, however, we feel that God’s power is just as real as the vacation cottage in the Schreier family’s garden.
