After a hearty meal of pancakes covered in peanut butter and honey and one of my daily glasses of Coca tea, a group of us went to do "construction," but it was really just moving piles of dirt. We shoveled until the wheelbarrows were full and then carried them about 30 feet until we dumped it. Once the moved pile of dirt was high enough, we raked it smooth. Then a tamper, about 30 pounds, was used to pound down the dirt even more. All this dirt moving is the foundation of a new soccer field at a church. It was impressive how the group managed. Being a little more acclimated to the altitude change definitely helped since we were doing something so strenuous. An older Peruvian who was there helping us out was the most humbling person to watch. He must have been at least in his 60s. He was working harder than all of us combined. The only time he wasn't moving from dirt pile to dirt pile was at the end for a group picture. When we were finished, we walked down to where they kept guinea pigs. They had soft music playing for them to keep them calm so that their meat stays tender. Can't wait to double-fist that for dinner tonight. Yes, dinner. Maybe I'll put some mayo on it. It's what all the Peruvians do.
When I came back to the hotel for lunch, I took my socks off and a poof of dirt came out. I guess that means I'd been working hard. We had a traditional Lima meal called Lomo Saltado. It consisted of beef, potatoes, onions, and red peppers all on top of rice. Pretty much stir fry. So yummy. Afterwards, everyone went to VBS. About 4 of us stayed back to go to the hospital and pray for patients that wanted us to. Inside, it was crowded and a chaotic with a lot of people filling the hallways. We asked what section we could go to and ended up in the maternity ward. The rooms could hold up to 10 women. One family we met just had their baby yesterday. It was so tiny and cute. It was exciting to get to celebrate their new arrival. Some others met a woman who was only 15 who just had a baby and a woman who was 17 and ended up miscarrying. It was interesting to see how different the hospital worked but not as challenging to talk and pray to the people I thought.
This experience has been very exciting and humbling so far. The people seem to be so accepting and grateful for the love we have to offer them. I'm also surprised at how well I've been able to communicate with the 10 Spanish words I know. I could say so much more about other things I've seen but I don't want to write a novel.
Love to all the people reading this.
Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Adios, amigos!
-Suzannah Carroll
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