Hi, my name is Delilah DeBellis and I am a graduate student at Loma Linda University for the Masters of Occupational Therapy program. I chose to become an occupational therapist, because I love its holistic approach. An OT looks at the whole person, such as one's spirit, physical, cognitive, and mental health areas. An OT can help babies reach developmental milestones, children with disabilities to participate in school, help people recover from injuries to regain skills, assist individuals with mental health diagnosis to be independent, prevent injuries and illnesses from occurring, educate and adapt environments for older adults experiencing cognitive and physical changes, and many more! I think it is beautiful and very humbling to help a person reach their independence again after going through life events. A highlight that I love about this field is that an OT practitioners ask, "What matters to you?" not, "What's the matter with you?"

One of the many reasons why I chose to attend LLU was because of their mission to look at the whole person and treat patients with their own personalized care, while incorporating compassion, empathy, and faith into each treatment. I knew LLU’s mission and opportunities to share this mission through international mission trips, so I quickly applied. It would be an honor to share the skills that I have learned throughout my education and personal experiences to the community in Peru. Please help support me through this goal and mission. Thank you very much for your support and taking the time to read this!

ADRA Peru has invited SIMS to bring an interdisciplinary team of students and faculty to the Chuquicahuana Training Center & Camp, a facility located in the Department of Cuzco. ADRA utilizes the training center as a home base for a variety of community outreach projects in communities surrounding the center. Additionally, ADRA hosts several week-long camps emphasizing health themes throughout the year for children, adolescents, and adults in the community. The goal of the camps for children and young people is to expose them to new ways of thinking regarding their physical and mental health. In addition to these service activities with ADRA, SIMS is partnering with the local Seventh-day Adventist church to offer community health education workshops and health fairs.

As participants on this trip, students from all the health professions will have an opportunity to contribute their knowledge and skills to benefit the local community. ADRA and SIMS are working to confirm the final activity details, which will include: