Chaco Indians are not easily accepted by the people in Asuncion. Fermina had been left to sit alone during the service so I went to introduce her to a few people.
When she was with me for lunch she shared that she was in Asuncion for treatment for cancer and that she was about to begin a course of chemotherapy at the Central hospital (a very basic, goverment funded place). Fermina was staying in a hostel here, which was ridden with rats and dependent on the owner's dogs to chase them away. Then the dogs died so Fermina loved to come to my flat to escape her environment.
During the course of the year Fermina has come to the church whenever she could and I have invited her home on several occasions. She loves the Lord Jesus. Our friendship developed because our Spanish is about on a par. Fermina is a native Enxtet speaker and I am a native English speaker. We have often shared a time with our Bibles, she would read quietly in Enxtet and I would read in English and sometimes we would read one of my Spanish Bibles together. We shared about our families, whom we both miss and we prayed together.
When I heard that she is at the hospice with terminal cancer and that she had asked for me, I immediately went there with nurse Beryl Baker. The Lord has been so faithful to Fermina. After a life of hardship he has now placed her in a beautiful Catholic hospice, the only hospice in Paraguay. It was funded by Italians and it is a remarkable building in the middle of a rich residential area, with a pseudo-castle as a backdrop. It has all sorts of ammenities, including a massive hall, church, school and conference centre.
The hospice takes in people who have nowhere else to go and they do not have to worry about medical insurance cover or finance. The presence of the Lord is so tangible there. All the staff are wonderful and nothing is too much trouble. Also, they are discreetly watching to protect their patients from any harmful influences, so much so that on my third visit, when Pastor Ronnie accompanied me, we were called to meet the founder of the hospice, an Italian Bishop.
We were invited to have an Italian coffee in the little log cabin cafe on site. It was like being in the Italian mountains somewhere. Then began a long, interesting chat about all sorts of issues. We were obviously being checked out. In the end they were happy that we were not from some weird sect. When I told them that I was a teacher at St. Andrew's they were quite happy, as our school supports the hospice. We were both told that we were welcome to visit at any time, not just in visiting hours and were asked to call in again for coffee. We ended up being hugged as a brother and sister in Christ.
Fermina and I are having wonderful times together. I go whenever I can. It is a three hour round trip by bus, including my time with her. I dread going on the bus in the heat but the Lord always sees to it that somebody gives me a seat (it is usually rush hour) and my blood pressure has not yet gone up too high for me to go.
I have now met many of the patients and their families. To my surprise we share lots of laughter together. Fermina and I read the Bible together and I pray with her. Others sometimes come and share with us too. When I forgot my Bible Fermina decided to read to me in Enxtet from her New Testament. When she read aloud I realised that she cannot read very well so, to my own surprise, I joined in and helped her. Yesterday we shared the story of Christmas. (After I told her that I had been making storybooks with the children at school, she wanted to read it). We read in her language together. She always smiles when I tell her that I do not understand what I am reading. I don't think that she believes me.
These are all precious moments and a joy to me. Fermina has such peace and I feel very blessed to have the privilege of sharing her journey with our Lord.
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