This past month the Make A Miracle team got together fully for the first time in 19 months. Our team from the United States came down to San Juan de Lurigancho and it was my first trip there

Everyone needs a day off. It's even more essential to take a hiatus from day to day routines for those living in an underserved country. Daily life can be oppressive and give you little hope for a better future.

"There is one thing nobody can take away from you...your education." Over the years I have used these words to encourage many of our college scholarship students as they have faced major roadblocks in their journey towards a college degree. Thankfully they always find a way to keep moving forward so they can achieve their goals. Their perseverance and determination should be an inspiration to us all.

First of all, I want to thank God for allowing me to bring joy to my childhood community this Christmas season in Acobamba, Huancavelica (Huancavelica is a farming region that is considered the most impoverished area in Peru where the majority of residents are indigenous and speak the native language of Quechua. It is a 15 hours drive from Lima with windy roads that are in terrible condition). Being there overflowed my heart with joy and made me recall my days as a kid.

If you’ve ever been to San Juan de Lurigancho, Peru, you probably noticed the huge issue that we have with stray dogs and cats roaming the streets. As someone who lives here and as an animal lover, it’s hard to not bring every single one back to my two bedroom apartment. This was particularly true for a dog I met while building our Wellness Center in San Antonio de Padua.

One of Make a Miracle’s most dedicated team members has been with us since the beginning. Enessa Mikhaliants started as my intern more than 6 years ago.

When I first met Papa Jack many years ago, I barely spoke English. I even remember having my bilingual dictionary on my hand all the time in order to communicate with him. Even though it was a little bit stressful not to speak the same language, he was always with a kind smile on his face.

I am lucky enough to say that I work every day alongside a real-life hero. If you have met her down in Peru before, you know that Giovanna Caceres is a force to be reckoned with. Standing at a mere 5 feet and some change, her work ethic is almost hard to believe.

Right now I would like to brag about my middle daughter, Rachel Canouse. Rachel went to South Africa on a team trip when she was 12 years old. She absolutely fell in love with mission work. The next year I decided to try out mission work as well, and joined a trip to Peru with my 3 daughters, Casey, Rachel and Elise. It was much closer than South Africa and also more affordable.

I have known Lady Caceres since she was 12 years old. I met her while doing mission work through another nonprofit, and Lady always made an effort to stay in touch through Facebook.

Make a Miracle is incredibly lucky to have such a great team, both in the states and in Peru. We have faced almost every type of adversity in our 6 1/2 years, and I have incredible stories of perseverance about each and every one of our team members.