LDS quake aid easing pain in Peru

Both Audencio's adult niece and his 9-year-old nephew are nursing legs that were broken by falling walls and adobe. He hopes medicine will arrive to cure the neighbor children's chest colds. He worries the cuts on the heads and faces of some of his friends might become infected.

But Audencio said he has much to be grateful for. No one from his tight-knit church congregation was killed in the quake. "And we are all eating."

Others say they are not so lucky. Dozens of people line the sides of the Pan American Highway near Pisco, raising cardboard signs that beg for help and food from passing motorists.

The compact grounds of one LDS meetinghouse north of Pisco have become a tent city for 184 people. Many are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Others are not. All have lost their homes to the quake. Reymundo Saiigo Tinco reluctantly spoke of the night the quake arrived and the enhanced panic many felt believing a tsunami would soon follow. He wants to hope for better days but admits to seeing things in the quake's aftermath that have left him scarred.

The people here do what they can to counter the mix of boredom and desperation that might be found in a traditional refugee camp. Each day, a schedule is created at the encampment that includes time for family and quiet study, LDS-themed films, meal preparation, recreation for the kids and service projects. Older folks chat on the benches surrounding the chapel, while teenagers shoot hoops with a faded ball on the outdoor basketball court. Several portable toilets line the outside of the church property.

Help with a Utah tie arrived Thursday night when an LDS Church-sponsored charter plane landed at a Peruvian Air Force base outside of Pisco.

Church officials had hoped to deliver the 80 tons of food, medical supplies and other essential provisions days earlier, but mechanical problems on the chartered aircraft delayed delivery. Still, the cargo will benefit thousands needing supplies and sustenance.

At the same moment the LDS cargo plane was touching down on Peruvian soil, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the church's Quorum of the Twelve was in Lima offering counsel to stake presidents and other local LDS leaders. On Friday, Elder Nelson met with church employees in Peru, telling them that the huge shipment of supplies will bless lives, "but this is just the beginning of the help that will be needed."

He added the church will be helping earthquake victims in Peru long after the last box from Thursday's cargo shipment had been delivered.

The church does not have endless resources, but assistance will continue.

"The hearts of members want to help. They will give money and go without food in order to make things available for the people of Peru," Elder Nelson said.

Government and church officials are already focusing on the long-term challenges facing earthquake victims. Besides finding suitable housing, many will be looking for work. It's unknown when schools will open. But amid the desperation and grief here were glimpses of resiliency. Late Thursday, a group of Pisco boys cleared an area of rubble and played a haphazard game of soccer. They jostled for the ball and cheered each others feints and moves.

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E-mail: jswensen@desnews.com