I know, I know, I promised everyone before leaving for the World Race that there would be no more visits to Third World hospitals (trust me, my three day, two night stint in Bolivia three years ago was more than enough for me), but….does it count if I go as a translator for four of my squadmates? Probably not, but the fact that I passed out in the ER and had to be dragged out of the room by nurses who were supposed to be tending to my dear friend Emily certainly makes my most recent visit to a South American hospital a memorable one! Don’t worry, I am completely fine!!
See what had happened was (haha)…I spent most of Thursday doing two things- caring for sick people and thibling/speaking in two languages simultaneously – and for a large part of the day I was doing both of these things at the same time! Needless to say, by the time my squadmate Hilary (who is a nurse) and I rolled up to the ER about 7pm with four very sick gringas in tow, I was exhausted. And for those of you who know how much I love to eat, it’s worth noting that I hadn’t consumed any comida (food) since about noon. All things considered, it really comes as no surprise that my body reached a breaking point, and more than anything I am grateful that I am one of the few P-squadders that has yet to fall truly ill here in Peru! Prayers that the Lord would continue to grant me health and strength would be greatly appreciated!
Other than the illness that has attacked my squad with a vengeance, our first week here in Trujillo, Peru has been wonderful! And despite being physically and mentally tired a lot of the time, I am experiencing a fullness of spirit that only comes from the immense joy of serving God with all my heart and getting to use a few of the gifts that He has so graciously blessed me with in the process! I have gotten to use my Spanish SO much here, even more so than I did in Ecuador! This has enabled me to serve both my squad and our ministry partners in a variety of ways! Sometimes, ministry looks like translating a sermon for the youth here in Trujillo on how to have healthy, godly relationships. Sometimes ministry looks like teaching an English class in Spanish in a makeshift classroom and laughing with an adorable Peruvian boy with no front teeth as he tries his darndest to pronounce “Thursday.” Sometimes, ministry looks like finding out two hours before church starts that you’re going to be leading worship when there’s no internet to look up lyrics or guitar chords. Sometimes, ministry looks like collaborating my team to think up a game for VBS that relates to the story of Shadrach, Mishach, and Abendego and then asking the Holy Spirit for a supernatural ability to explain duck, duck, goose to a circle of shy, Peruvian niñitos. And yes, sometimes ministry looks like an unexpected two night stay in the hospital translating for my squadmate’ steam of doctors and nurses and just keeping her company because being sick in a foreign country is never fun, especially when you’re hooked up to an IV.
In short, Peru is shaping up to be busy, but beautiful, month full of dusty feet, an abundance of Spanish speaking, and lots and lots of rice! Gracias por tu apoyo! (Thank you for your support!)
With love and wanderlust,
Cassady
ps- It look like I won’t get to have wifi for more than a couple hours once a week, but I will update you all as much as I possibly can!
