When my sisterʼs hip started to fail she would limp as she walked; no longer with the steady sound of a comma after every step; but with a distinct semicolon, semicolon, semicolon sound.

A few months ago my Ruthie began to limp. Her happy comma became a semicolon. I thought she would get over it by herself. Then I heard her moaning and I took her to Lima when I went to my Prayer Breakfast business.

The doctor ordered a battery of tests. There were some abnormal counts in the blood. Doctor Collichon suggested seeing our oncologist, but Doctor Santillana was in the USA so we could not see him just yet.

Back in Huanta, Ruthieʼs pain increased, so we went to Ayacucho to see some specialists at the hospital. I parked our truck twenty-five feet from the emergency room.

After an hour with a doctor we were referred to another doctor nearby who accepted to see us immediately.

I opened the door for Ruthie and she started to climb into the truck by holding the upper handle with her right hand and stepping on the side step bar with her right foot, while her left arm rested on the back part of the passenger's seat.

As she pulled herself up to pass her left leg between her right leg and the passenger seat, she heard the “loud crack” of her femur bone and started to slip slowly toward the ground still holding the handles and screaming that she had broken her leg.

I grabbed her under the arms and slowly put her to the ground as she look at me with a look that pierced me through the heart.

Within a few seconds my nephew Danilo was next to me along with our friend Roberto who saw the incident. A third man who was holding a wheel chair at the door of the emergency room came running and all four of us put Ruthie on the wheelchair and rushed her to the x-ray room at the order of a doctor who “happened” to pass by.

Because the excruciating pain seemed to be coming from the knee, the x-rays were ordered for the knee area. But the x-rays did not show up any fracture and a new order was given to take x-rays of the ankle.

Another doctor concluded that Ruthieʼs problem was a serious problem of muscle decay due to her cancer history.

After a five hours ordeal and several consultations with several doctors, at 8 p.m. we made a “bed” in the back seat of the truck and with painkillers we drove for an hour back to Huanta. We placed Ruthie for four days on a sofa. (Toughest four days full of pain for Ruthie)

It was not until the third day that the Dr. Galarza from Huanta found out that it was the leg that was broken. He cast the leg and Ruthie was evacuated to Lima with the help of our MTW friends and our Nathaniel to whom we are very grateful.

Once in Lima, able hands operated on Ruthie for about four hours and put a rod through her knee all the way to her hip and drove several screws to secure the leg in place.

After two weeks Ruthie was able to fly a commercial airline to Atlanta and now she is in the care of Erlanger and Siskin of Chattanooga undergoing rehab. She is also receiving treatment to her cancer in the capable and loving hands of a Christian doctor.

If you are wondering what my reading on the matter is:
I think God has decided to hug us a little tighter.
God is teaching us new dimensions of trust and a sweet dependence.
Even though there are dark clouds on the horizon announcing new rain on our lives, we rest fearfully confident that God does all things well.

We can say with Job: “Though he slay me, I will hope in Him.”

For our God wounds as well as he himself heals. We would rather die in his arms than elsewhere.

Consider the following with the eyes of your heart:

As we arrived to the Erlanger Hospital we were received by our sons and their wives and grandson Jeremiah Nathaniel. (Food for the heart)

Caleb and Kelly brought a basket full of “goodies” and flowers carefully and lovingly arranged (Food for the body).

Nathaniel and Alicia had a board with some perfect verses from Psalm 94:18-19 that expresses so adequately what is in our hearts.

We read it every day but never without getting our eyes clouded with tears. (Food for our spirits)

Psalm 94: 18-19
"When I thought, "My foot slips," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul."

Our Lord whom we serve together with you in holy partnership is answering your prayers just fine and always on-time and always well.

Gerry Gutierrez

PS: What am I doing besides chewing my liver to pieces by playing amateur doctoring?

Writing and recording sermons every day and editing them with Nathanielʼs help and sending them to Peru in order to get them there on time to be aired on Radio Amauta at one oʼclock p.m. and at seven oʼclock p.m.

Remember, it is just a semicolon, not a period what we are going through.

For latest updates on Ruthie's health visit Nathaniel's website: http://www.servinginkas.com

Gerry and Ruthie Gutierrez
Casilla # 1 Huanta-Peru.
Phone: 011-516-632-2169