No matter what your background is or where you come from, everyone has a mission in life. This mission is an important assignment carried out for political, religious or commercial purposes. Each and every one of us has talents that we use in our everyday lives. Some of these talents are readily apparent and others are hidden, waiting to be brought to the surface. The Ark-La-Tex community is blessed with many talented members who use their gifts to help others. Many organizations, nonprofit centers and churches dedicate time and resources to our local community and abroad. We received overwhelming support and donations from the Texarkana community that would create a ripple effect that radiated to Peru.

*Dr. Brian Steele overlooks the trail to the Sun Gate at Machu Picchu.*

A little over one year ago, Dr. Belinda Hutcheson and her brother, Bruce Burnett, began organizing members of the Texarkana community and others from out-of-state to change the lives of the people of Peru. God put together a team, and we had the privilege to serve the beautiful people of Anta, Izcuchaca, Peru. The Texarkana medical mission team consisted of Drs. Jim and Belinda Hutcheson, their children Katie, Andrew and Nathan; and brothers Johnathan Steele, Dr. Stephen Steele and myself. This mission trip didn’t happen by accident. Many of the people who didn’t know each other prior to the mission trip were brought together by a young woman they never met, Kiley Stuesse.

*The medical mission team at Machu Picchu.*

Kiley’s story began as a young woman whose wish was to travel the world and tell people about God. Kiley was not a superhero; she was really just an ordinary 20-something young lady whose uncompromising YES to God fueled an adventure that most can only dream of. This adventurous 27-year-old unfortunately was given news that none of us want to hear, cancer. Kiley was diagnosed with an incurable brain cancer that would have left most of us devastated and down. Instead, Kiley’s desire was to spend the remainder of her time making a difference in the lives of orphans and teamed up with Your Mission Matters and Zona Zegura to start the Kiley Stuesse Mission Center in Cusco, Peru.

*Dr. Brian Steele and his brother, Dr. Stephen Steele, prepare for a full day of patients.*

Nestled high in the Peruvian Andes near the ancient Incan capital of Cusco, the mission center serves as a launch pad for ministry, providing hope and redemption throughout the region and beyond. The story of the Kiley Stuesse Mission Center is a true testament of God working in the lives of his children to ensure the whole world hears the Good News of Christ Jesus. It’s a story of how God used different lives, thousands of miles apart, in multiple countries and generations, to cast a vision much bigger than anyone could have imagined.

Each day, patients would travel to the mission center from hours away by foot and bus seeking care at the mission center. Patients would begin lining up at 4 a.m. hoping to be seen by our medical mission team providing medical, dental and vision services. We would work until the evening hours and still have patients waiting, hoping to be treated. Over the course of 4 days, 1,100+ patients were seen by the medical mission team. It was a true testament to God’s power and dedication of our talented team. Small mission organizations show up, offer whatever they have, and witness God totally reconfigure their understanding of themselves, of others and God himself. A mission trip is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life and helps you to have an appreciation of what life is like outside of the United States.

Despite losing her battle with brain cancer, Kiley’s missionary spirit and legacy remain. The Kiley Stuesse Mission Center is being built to honor and carry on Kiley’s missionary spirit. The vision for KSMC is to construct a student camp, vocational training center for orphans and medical clinic to serve the people of Peru. You do not have to have a background in health care in order to participate in a mission trip. I truly believe that people who want to make a difference in the world will find a way. We want to thank the Ark-La-Tex community for the outpouring love and support we received touching the lives of the people of Peru.

*Dr. Stephen Steele, Dr. Brian Steele, Andrew Heyman and Johnathan Steele at the Moray archeological site.*

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