All summer long we’ll be spotlighting team members of our Medical Mission Team to Peru this upcoming Fall. In our inaugural segment we interviewed and got to know medical team member, Rosemary Russell for a look at how she is involved in OLMC’s first Medical Mission.
Why did you choose to be part of the Medical Mission team to Peru?
About two years ago, Fr. Dan and I had lunch and we were discussing volunteer efforts. Most of mine were ending and I mentioned that I’ve always been involved in good organizations but with efforts that served a local community. It was time for me to think about doing something that would have more of an impact on communities with greater needs. He clearly had already thought about this and asked if I would be interested in organizing a medical mission trip. Neither of us, at that time, had a real understanding of the work involved but the challenge, the chance to do something meaningful to others, persuaded me to say yes.
How are you helping the team prepare?
Organizing has meant a variety of tasks. Organizing the group and running meetings where we picked a community to serve and defined what our mission would entail is the easy part. Dealing with the details of obtaining temporary medical licenses, collecting items, organizing the shipping, etc. has been quite challenging. We have an excellent group of volunteers and several of them have stepped up to serve as a steering committee of sorts, so we’ve gotten through a lot of the tasks together. Also, help has surfaced from unexpected sources in the community. It’s truly a community effort, not the least of which has been the spiritual and financial support of the Parish and the Academy.
What would you say to parishioners who perhaps want to join a ministry but are a little hesitant?
There are still times when I wonder what I’ve gotten myself into and how we’re actually going to pull it together at the end. (And, of course, all of this is Phase 1 as we hope to establish a connection with the José Galvez area and the Carmelites that serve them for ongoing missions.) At those times, I really just have to trust that God will provide and something always happens to confirm that we’re in good hands. To anyone thinking of taking on a ministry, I’d say that the ministry has to have an appeal in the first place. But at some point, you do just have to make that leap of faith that you can do it and remember that God put it in your path for a reason. You don’t need to move too far out of your comfort zone to find something that you feel is important—there is so much need in the world today.
Is there a specific feeling, memory or story you want to share about the team’s preparation?
The most important memories are still being made. There have definitely been milestones. The first was the meeting where we agreed that José Galvez was the site for us. There was an electricity in the air that day, a feeling that we were definitely moving forward. The second was actually kind of funny. The licensing and shipping requirements seemed to be growing, creating huge obstacles and it was definitely draining energy. We had one meeting where all of a sudden solutions were surfacing. You could sense spirits soaring. And, of course, we recently had our first group social event around a meeting and packing. It’s great when everyone gets to know more about others in the group.
At A Glance…
Medical Mission Team Member, Rosemary Russell
Hometown:
I grew up in Bergenfield, graduated from St. John’s (when OLMC was a rival basketball team) and there are several of my grammar school classmates at OLMC now.
I like the parish of OLMC because…
OLMC always seemed warm and welcoming. My kids went through religious education here and my son was active in the youth group. To this day, he is connected to those friends he made at OLMC. OLMC offers so many opportunities to become attached to the community.
When I’m not in church or at work you’ll find me…
I love to read, go to the theater and play platform tennis.
Fun Fact:
I just finished my term as president of the New Jersey Women’s Platform Tennis League, which is statewide and includes about 120 teams at 50 different clubs or towns. I’m mediocre at several sports but I enjoy being active and enjoy the friendships I made from sports.
Personal Motto:
I don’t really have a motto. The one thing I always tell my kids (who are hardly kids anymore) is to keep breathing. It’s kind of a shorthand for a lot of things. It means never stop trying. It means don’t get yourself all riled up about a problem because that doesn’t solve anything. It means slow down and be thoughtful, look around and appreciate where you are and what you’ve got.