Our First Sunday

To start our day off, we woke up around 7am and hopped in the shower which was actually pretty warm. The five of us in the rooms on top of the parish, Catherine, Grace, Corinne, Erin, and I have discovered that since the water reservoir is on top of the roof, we get the hottest water when we shower, which is really nice for us but really sad for the other five in our group who are rooming on the first floor near the kitchen. Catherine and I went to adoration before breakfast since we had time. Seeing all of the people there praying and adoring God was heartwarming. I can already tell this trip will fill me with emotion and good vibes. Everywhere we go, we are greeted with “holas” and “buenos dias. The Peruvians are extremely welcoming and it is so greatly appreciated. It’s only been a day but I already feel like I’m at home.

            After breakfast, we got a tour of the facilities the church offers. We saw the eye clinic and pro life office/clinic. The eye clinic focuses on removing cataracts from the elderly population of Piura. The founder of the eye clinic told us that if we have an idea, we should run with it. So many people doubted her ability to begin an eye clinic here in Piura but she explained that God helped her find a way because he needed it to happen for the people here. Hearing her story gave me courage and new found spark for nursing. After hearing a few more stories, we headed out to tour a few of the locations Padre Jose has helped fund and create. We visited a school for preschoolers through high schoolers as well as a cosmetology and masonry school. We also visited the hospice center we’ll be working in later on as well. Padre Jose told us a story about a patient at the hospice center who would say that every night a bunch of lights would come down from the sky and they would turn into Jesus, Mary, and other saints. These figures would walk around the hospice center every night and comfort the patients. Eventually, the patient said that he began joining the figures and a few days later, he passed away. What a phenomenal happening.

            We then headed over to a Church Padre Jose presides at. He was kind enough to say the homily in both Spanish and English so we were able to follow along easier. The people at mass were again so kind and welcoming. They would come over to us and give us hugs and kisses. We received a blessing towards the end of mass but what was most special to me was that before Padre left the church at the end of mass, all of the children ran up to the alter to get sprinkled with holy water. Their hope and love for and in Christ was so rejuvenating and thought provoking.
                                                   The church where we attended mass:

                                         Padre Jose and a statue at the hospice center:

         After mass, we returned to the church we are staying at and had lunch. Shortly after lunch, we headed over to a market where we had the option to purchase small trinkets. The market was definitely an interesting experience. I was able to barter a bit and get a few souvenirs. This market was full of silver and gold jewelry and tons of pottery. It was very different from the Inca market we visited yesterday. There is a park across from the market and as we were going to take a picture in front of it, a group of kids approached us and told us jokes and asked us questions. A young girl spoke to me in Spanish and asked me why I spoke English and I replied saying it was because I was from America. She looked at the other girls with me and said that being from America made sense for them but not for me because I am a “morena”. I told her that I’m Indian and she realized that there can be different shades of “morena”. A lot of the locals here think that I’m Peruvian or a native Spanish speaker. I don’t mind at all but sometimes I make a fool of myself with my less than perfect Spanish. It’s been hard dust off all of the years of Spanish I’ve taken but I’m slowly getting there. I’m learning a lot here and I’m happy to finally put my skills to the test.

After the market, we dropped our newly purchased belongings off at the church and then headed over to an orphanage. When we got there, we realized that it was more of a boarding school for females. The girls that attend the institution study there for four years. Immediately upon arrival, we were greeted with tons of hugs and kisses, 60 to be exact. A young girl took my hand and led me to the chapel where we sat with her older sister. These sisters were eight hours away from home. Can you imagine?! They’re 12 and 14 years old and away from their parents for four years sans a few visits here and there. The girls all sang for us and then we then watched a little fútbol. The game was against Brazil and the Peruvians we were with were intensely watching the game. After about twenty minutes we were led outside to watch the girls dance. They pulled me and a few other student nurses on stage with them to dance alongside them. Their happiness and pure joy was refreshing to see and they are amazing dancers! There’s no way I could do any of what they were doing! At the end of all of their dances, we said goodbye to the girls and I was shocked at how sad I was to be leaving them. They seemed so eager for us to come back. They asked when we would return and I didn’t have an answer to them. After giving them many hugs and kisses, we got into the vans to return to the church. We later found out that the girls tend to get many visitors, especially missionaries.

All in all it was a good day. We’re visiting the hospital tomorrow as well as a rehab center. I’m looking forward to working alongside the Peruvian people and being women for and with others.