Team members help rebuild local pre-school.

By Michael Rinker, Best Friends Senior Editor

Expanding its mission a bit during its last weekend in Peru, the Best Friends team spent its off day Sunday helping to finish the rebuilding of a local pre-school that was heavily damaged in the earthquake.

The pre-school was owned and operated by the mother of Miguel, one of the Peruvian vets who’d been working with us. He would travel about an hour and a half each day to help with the animals, then make the return trip to help his mom rebuild the school.

Our team’s schedule was to work six days a week, then rest on Sundays. But on their final Sunday, team members decided to return the good deeds Miguel had been doing for the animals. “It was clear to all of us that we were going to Pisco to help with what ever they needed,” said Rich Crook, Best Friends rapid response manager.

“Once we arrived Miguel gave us a quick tour of the school and put us to work. We painted, cleaned, moved lumber and supplies, basically helped in any way, all to prepare for the reopening, which happened to be the next day.”

Miguel showed everyone pictures of the pre-school and of his veterinary clinic that used to be across the street, but now is completely gone. “My entire life changed in just 4 minutes,” he said.

Rich observed, “The only thing left that might give you a clue that it was a clinic was the painted dog prints on the last standing wall.”

Miguel was inside his clinic when the quake hit and his father was across the street. Miguel had pictures showing where they both were when the walls started coming down. It was amazing they survived.

Miguel said that during the earthquake the ground was moving so violently in all directions he could not stand up.

“We experienced a 4.8 tremor for 45 seconds while we were here,” Rich said. “It sends chills down your spine to think that these folks endured 4 minutes of an 8.0.”

Miguel’s mother treated team members to a wonderful dinner and shared stories of the earthquake that changed their lives.

Losing their material things was not important, family members are just thankful they all survived.