Doris Manco – a stroke of good fortune for our Media Centre
On 24th May 2016 the Peruvian Doris Manco arrived in Curahuasi. Meanwhile she has changed the address on her personal identity card (DNI). After four years the head of our Media Centre, who bubbles over with energy, fully identifies herself with Diospi Suyana’s work. She spent a decade holding a senior position at the “Grupo Pacifico Radio TV” media group. There she wore high heels. But since living in the mountains trainers now grace her feet. But who is this lady whose height of under 1.65m is inversely proportional to her intellectual creativity?
Doris’ father held a high-ranking military position and was positioned in several Peruvian cities. Hence every few years the family had to up sticks. But after the parental retirement the upper middle-class family made their home in the capital. Fixed principles and a well-above-average work-ethos characterised the Mancos as did their Catholic religious world view. A positive attitude to life and far-sighted proactiveness completed the picture.
But during her studies – Doris was in her mid-twenties – she was haunted by three nightmares that always had the same content: a dark cloud presses down like an evil force onto her body, so that she can hardly breathe. She awakes bathed in sweat from these dreams and is not sure what to make of these nightly horror trips.
Then some time later she travelled through Argentina and tells her cousin about these dreams. He gives her a sound piece of advice: “Entrust yourself to God and follow Jesus Christ!” That was 29 years ago. The evangelical Christian lives and works for her faith 24/7. Her heart beats for God, for the poor living in the mountains and for her life’s work.
On 19th January 2016 a German-Peruvian makes her an unexpected offer in a guest house in Lima. “Doris, come to Apurímac and become head of our Media Centre!” At that time only a few walls of the future building had been erected next to the hospital building. Frequencies or transmitting stations were nowhere to be seen. She hesitates. Is she up for such a job? Doris asks her old father for advice; he immediately encourages her to go for it, and she does.
Flashback to 2009. Doris and her father are spending a lovely short holiday in the tourist metropolis Cusco. “How far away is the Hospital Diospi Suyana?” enquires her father. He is very keen to see the missionary hospital for himself which has become popular in Peru, because of the more than 40 TV-documentaries that have been made of it.
Three hours later the two of them are walking through the missionary hospital’s corridors. On just that same day Dr Klaus John had returned from a European Tour and one cannot explain why, but he took 90 minutes of his time to show this small group around the various departments. Since that day Father Manco is certain that his daughter and Diospi Suyana would make a good team.
“Doris, what have you learnt during your years at Diospi Suyana?” The lady with the shining eyes answers immediately: “I have got to know the real power of God and his mercy!”
And already we are reminiscing about an adventure in Puno, the city on Lake Titicaca. Together with Udo Klemenz and Chris Welch we were searching for an antenna location. Where was Carmencita Sardón? A fairly reliable source had informed us that this lady owned the antenna mountain overlooking Puno. Its name is Llallanuani which we could hardly pronounce. A contact person pointed us towards a street corner where we could obtain further information of the aforementioned Señora. On that Thursday morning while most of the shops in Puno were still closed we starting knocking on the front doors always asking the question: “Do you happen to know Sra. Sardón or even better have her mobile number?” Most of them simply shrugged their shoulders. “Yes, actually one house over there on that corner belongs to her family!” That was as much information as we could gather.
Finally the four of us stood on the street and had no idea what we should do. We asked God for a miracle.
“Can I help you?” asks a young lady who had suddenly come up behind us. Unbelievably she was a relative of Sra. Sardón and “happened” to be passing by. Within moments we had explained why we were looking for her. Three minutes later we were the proud owners of Carmencita Sardón‘s address and mobile number. At 2p.m. the next day the desired meeting with Carmencita Sardón took place and a day later Diospi Suyana became the proud owner of 100m² of land on the mountain with an altitude of over 4,000m. For more than two years now the 0.25mio people living in Puno City and Province can tune into Diospi Suyana’s programme.
Our conversation in the office is drawing to a close. “Doris, did you expect that our media work would one day grow as much as it has?” “No, I had no idea.” was her slow, but firm answer. “Back then I had no clue that one day Diospi Suyana would reach hundreds of thousands of people via satellite and its own network with “The best message for the world.” I went this way, because I felt that God had prepared it for me!” /KDJ
