Starfish

So many things I would love to share with you all today and I don't know where to begin and don't have the time to share it all...

The first thing that comes to mind is the meeting that we had with Padre Jose today. Padre Jose is an amazing man orginally from Brookfield, WI he has done so much for the poor and has really been the master mind and hands in the buildup of the Parish and all that they do. During our meeting Padre shared a story that has been passed down with us that really touched me and makes my time in Piura feel even more important. His story went like this....

"A man was walking along a beach at low tide the morning after a large storm. Thousands of starfish had been washed-up onto the beach and left stranded.
As he walked he came across a young girl carefully picking-up the starfish one by one, and carrying them back into the sea.
“What are you doing ?” the man asked.
“I’m putting these starfish back into the sea so they don’t dry out in the sun and die”, the girl answered.
“There are thousands of starfish washed-up on this beach”, said the man, “and you’re just a young girl saving one starfish at a time. What difference does it make” ?
The girl looked at the man, then put another starfish back into the water. “It made a difference to that one”, she replied.
The man stood in thought for a while. Then he began to help the girl collect starfish and put them back into the sea."

I continue to be amazed by the people of Piura always giving all that they have even though they have nothing. For example, we went to the drug/rehab center for men today, Vida Nueva (New Life) and they told us our stories of their stuggles with addiction.We listened and received a tour of their home but before we knew it it was time to move to our next clinical site. We really did nothing except come and spend time with them and promise to come again soon. In gratitude for us coming they gave us a huge picture of Jesus to be hung  College of Nursing at Marquette that they had made.  They gave me a picture frame they made from newspaper being rolled and painted and also gave me a braclet. And on top of their gifts they asked us when we would be coming back for lunch and whated we wanted to have--if we wanted duck, their fattest rabbit, or chicken? They had nothing and still wanted to give us the best.


I also got to meet our Marquette Nursing family today that we adopted. And they were the greatest just sooo thankful for everything that we have done. It was so touching to meet them because we have heard so much about them, but to actually meet them put such a different perspective on everything. The little girl, Kiara, took incently to me and was climbing all over me not wanting to let go.


After being in Piura for only three days these people have already changed my life. If Americans could only act like these people half of the time we would be in such a better world.