Through a series of events that I’m still trying to process, I’ve found myself in Lima, Peru, for a year-long fellowship with AVSI-USA. My first week here was less than stellar: I was ill from either the food or the water, and was struggling to adjust to speaking Spanish 24/7. Given these circumstances, my initial reaction was to look for a cheap flight and head back home. However, I’m still here. Why? Because I have found myself surprised and taken care of, even in a completely foreign country. When I was sick, my friends from the AVSI office called multiple times a day to check on me and ask if I needed anything, to which I replied, “Crackers and something carbonated.” I came knowing no one and now have friends who love me even more than I love myself. I’m grateful to Don Gius and the movement of Communion and Liberation, who have taught me that being free doesn’t mean doing whatever I feel like doing, but rather it means adhering to Reality, to what is put in front of me. I stay here because I’ve found that even amidst the struggles, and perhaps because of them, I’m becoming more myself and learning what it really means to ask everything of Christ…even down to saltines and Sprite.