Andrea with her enthusiastic musical entourage.

This is the word that comes to mind when I think about spending time with Andrea Owen. Andrea and Amy Owen were some of my favorite girls to babysit. They always wanted to play creative games, they loved reading and books, and they were sweet. Their parents, Glenn and Gabriela, were some of my parents’ good friends. As I left home and heard reports of the dear Owen girls, Mom always told me how smart they were, how they could speak so many languages, how wonderful that they were going to college in California. It seemed like one or another was always somewhere lovely, studying abroad, wearing a scarf.
As adults, Will and I got to participate in a diverse book club which included the Owens. It was meaningful to reconnect with them and for them to know Will. We especially enjoyed sharing our heart for medical missions with them since they too have the bug and have prayed through moving to various places, including Guatemala.
So it was not a complete surprise when Andrea, who is now finishing medical school, wrote to ask about a rotation at Diospi Suyana. I wasn’t sure it would all work out, but was pleased to hear that she was indeed coming. Since Gabriela’s mom is German, Andrea speaks some German and of course, is fluent in Spanish. She has lived overseas several times and in the Third World. Plus, she is a good doctor, an enthusiastic and willing learner, curious about everything. This makes her the perfect candidate for working here. Did I mention that she’s also friendly and easy to talk to? She made immediate friends with all the other volunteer doctors and students at the hospital. Tina, the hospital director, trusted her and enjoyed working with her from day one.
Andrea arrived on a Sunday, went to church with us, having spent the night in the Lima airport, then came over, helped fix lunch and clean it up, listened to a million of our kids’ stories, and passed out warm hugs and gifts from the States. After her first day at the hospital, Will came home and said, “I’m pretty impressed by Andrea!”
She is getting married to the lucky, lucky Parker in April, so we had fun listening to her speaking of love and plans and it was fun to shae marriage insights and remember those heady engagement days along with her. We loved having her for dinner. Her stimulating conversation, joy, and affection were an encouragement straight from God. We have had a aggravating time this summer with so many house delays, which leads to cultural frustration, a bit of dread at all our American friends leaving, and we needed someone to come and cheer us up, someone to love on our kids and to say, “I understand what it’s like here. I see you.” God sends us blessings