 Well, hi everybody. I'm here with two recent CCU grads with Matthew Hodgson's and Emily Simonitis, and they are both in Italy And they've been involved with Samaritan's Purse in the response to the coronavirus. So thank you so much for joining us Absolutely. Thanks for having us. And tell us what time is it where you are because it's the middle of the day here It's 840 at night. We've just finished our day shift and now the night shift has come on Which is mainly doctors who are here treating patients Okay, and where exactly are you described? You know, not only the city, but the actual place you're in right now We are in Cremona, Italy just outside of Milan and we're right now We're sitting in a hospital, a field hospital in a parking lot outside of the actual hospital here in Cremona So we're in a tent in a parking lot Wow, okay. That's great And how is Samaritan's Purse responding to the coronavirus in northern Italy? Italy's been in the news a lot Yeah, yeah, especially a few weeks ago Italy was kind of all over the headlines and now the United States has been starting to be hit even more But Samaritan's Purse responded starting on March 17th they sent over a Emergency field hospital that was specifically decked out as a respiratory care unit and it's got 68 beds 12 of those are ICU beds that are equipped with ventilators and the rest of those are for just regular patients All of the patients that we're seeing are COVID positive They have tried to really simplify the work that we're doing So we don't do any sort of triage. We've partnered with a hospital here in the area That's why we're in their parking lot and they do all the triage They positively test their patients and then they send them over to us when they're ready for us to help assist them and Why did there there are a lot of locations that Samaritan's Purse could have gone to? I know they've set up tents in Central Park in New York City. Why did why did they choose northern Italy? Yeah, so um At the time that we deployed Italy was the epicenter of this disease There have been over 20,000 deaths so far, which is only surpassed by the US now and So it just it made sense We also we never go anywhere without being invited or Without permission by the government and the government allowed us to come in And support them in this way. And so we're very honored to be here The the Italian government actually reached out to us specifically the Lombardi region Which has seen over two-thirds of the deaths that for Italy, which has up in northern Italy And so we asked them where we could be of greatest assistance And they wanted us to specifically partner with this hospital Cremona Hospital, and that's why we're here hmm and For the two of you why why did you choose to go to Italy? Were you on another assignment with Samaritan's Purse? Or how did you end up there? Yeah, so both of us actually had other assignments that we were going to be doing I was preparing to go to South Sudan for the next three months to a year and that could still be happening but as as a Country started to close their borders those assignments were kind of temporarily postponed and Really the focus for our ministry for Samaritan's Purse is on our response here in Italy and New York So many of us in our program are here. There's there's a handful of us, and then there's also a few that are responding in New York Yeah, and you just graduated in in May right this past May, so did you ever think? That you'd be doing what you're doing right now Not at all. This is a huge surprise like Matt said we were at we didn't even know What our jobs would look like at this point let alone that we would be here in Italy So it's been crazy, but we are so grateful for this opportunity And can you tell us a little bit about what you each of you are doing right now? What what your work involves? Yeah, I'll go first So when I got the call to come they wanted me to work with procurement Which is basically going out and interacting with vendors Going to stores and getting buying all the the items that are needed for the hospital And just for the operational staff to can continue helping with the running of it We don't purchase any of like the the medical supplies themselves that goes through the pharmacy here but my typical day I go out to Grocery stores to hardware stores, and I'm interacting with Italian store owners with vendors And getting the items that we need also the first day that I was here I was asked to be the fleet manager, and I had no experience driving stick shift and that's what a lot of our vehicles are So I've learned how to drive stick shift on the streets of Italy, and then I'm also in charge of the laundry here So any of the scrubs and other linens that are used in the hospital So mainly working in an operational role just supporting the medical staff in any way I can Hmm and then my role is also primarily operational. I am working in medical logistics, so Obtaining supplies and all of our PPE anything that the nurses and doctors use throughout the day I work on storing it Procuring it as well as I'm stocking the hospital so that they are ready to go at all times day or night. I Was I was speaking with my my sister this weekend and she Quoted one of the Psalms that I think David had written about how it's better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than Something else and that really resonated with me because sometimes I'll spend like hours folding laundry Counting scrubs making sure that they have what they need and it doesn't always feel like You know the the glorious work necessarily But truly, I'm I'm just grateful to be here. I'm grateful to be a part of the work that we're doing And so even if that is as a doorkeeper as the folder of laundry It's it's just really cool to be be a part of this and to see how that is moving Yeah, yeah, that is an important role and I think that's Psalm 84, you know Yeah, and it's about the temple. I love that you're dwelling places and somebody's saying Rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my god than a dweller in the tents of the ungodly so yeah But a very important supportive role in this whole thing Tell us a little bit you've been on, you know, what many of us would consider to be the front lines of the coronavirus What have you seen that you just didn't know before you left about this whole thing? Yeah, I guess I would say I didn't Realize the full extent of how bad it could be I remember one of the first days we opened we had Reporters here and I don't even think Some of the Italians realized how bad it was here And so we had some reporters on the front lines with us and as a patient was being brought into the ICU He was intubated and on a on a ventilator. The reporter just dropped to his knees and In tears and so I think Just the full Depth of how bad it actually is or can get has really been huge Yeah When uh when I was back in the states, I didn't know any friends or family or neighbors who had actually You know become sick with COVID And since being here because especially this region has been so hard hard hit It's hard to come across someone who doesn't have a family member or a friend or a neighbor Or someone who they go to church with who's died from it And so they take it very seriously The whole country has been on national lockdown since uh march 3rd And it was originally supposed to end the lockdown today and they extended it to may 3rd And so when I go out to to go to the store, uh, there are no cars on on the streets There's very few people who are walking around. Um, there's very strict parameters on who's allowed to leave their home Everyone has to be wearing a mask. So it's it's very surreal driving through the streets of italy. Um, you don't see any children Most most homes they have to nominate one family member who's allowed to leave and that's not the children So in all in the three weeks that we've been here. I've probably seen only a handful of children And yeah, it's when even going to the store Only essential items are allowed to be purchased and so whole rows are closed off Most stores are closed. There's only a few essential stores that are open Um, and so yeah, it's just been pretty crazy to see um, I guess just how How much this can really affect a community, uh, a nation Because at the time when I was in the state, so I hadn't really seen Um, how how deadly it could be Mm-hmm Most of us, uh, you know, this is all this is new for everybody But since you're on as it were the front lines of the pandemic, can you can you Walk us through your day like what so you mentioned a little bit of what what you do But what's what's a typical day like for you and and the hours that you're having to Yeah, um, so we uh get up in the morning and we go We all go to breakfast and we have devotions together And just pray together to start the day and then we all come over to the hospital together And we each go off and do our own thing. So I start the day by Stocking all the racks making up for all the supplies that they've taken over the night shift Um restock the PPE so that as soon as the nurses are in scrubs, they're ready to go in um, and then I help out in any area needed until Um lunch and dinner when we restock again. Um Some days it's 12 hours. Some days it's 17 hours. Um, it's it's Yeah, it's been very intense, but So worth it. Yeah, our our team here is working on a 24 hour schedule So for the medical staff, there's a day shift and a night shift both work 12 hour shifts typically the the operational support which is what Emily and I are doing We're here during the day Sometimes Emily does come and spend the night here. Um, and that makes her days 18 to 20 hours long Even on Easter, you know, our whole team was here. So that's been one of the challenges typically our our day is about 12 hours of working and The the days off are pretty hard to come by typically it's a morning off here and afternoon off there So I think that's been one of the hardest things just to kind of sustain that pace And to I guess just remember, you know, why we're here I think it can be so easy to just get caught up in the work and the doing When you're on that that hectic schedule But ultimately Samaritan's purse is not just here to be treating patients physically they are here to be You know addressing the spiritual needs and we have we have chaplains who are in with the patients We have chaplains who are out here Like ministering to translators and military officials who are working with us And that's one of the coolest things is seeing some of our patients accept price See some of our translators accept price and just hearing reports from Hospital staff who we've partnered with From just people out in the community about what a light we are here Italy is a Catholic country But for in Catholicism, there's such a separation Between God there's not always that personal relationship. It goes through a priest And so for for our food staff who are around us and they see the way we pray For those who just watch the way that we interact with each other They're seeing just a representation of what personal relationship with the Lord looks like And I've just been amazed at how receptive so many of the Italian people are the patients It just seems like the Lord has uniquely softened their hearts and prepared them for for the message that we've come to bring Yeah, wow That's Just to be right there To be every day offering yourself to say Lord, use me in whatever way is uh, it's You never know where it's going to go, but uh, but he will open up some amazing opportunities I'm joined with our vice president of student life Jim McCormick and I believe you know Jim very well. In fact, he's the one who said Hey, we have two recent grads who are on the front lines in Italy and wouldn't be wonderful if we'd connect with them Jim, thank you for joining us Absolutely guys. We are uh, just so proud of you over there. Um And uh, just uh our hearts go out to you and the work that you're doing And I think you know right off the bat as I hear what's happening over there in your lives and the hours you're putting in And what's at stake? Obviously What sustains you during this time? What what has sustained you during this time as you keep getting up in the morning with another 12-hour day ahead? What are the things that have sustained you and and you know provide you the energy to do your work? Um I think as Matthew kind of said, um, just remembering why we came to begin with How important the gospel is it's not um a day by day thing. It's an eternal thing and it has eternal weight and eternal purpose um, and I think We like we're all in this together. There's um 70 plus staff sometimes and um, we really are It's been incredible to see people actually acting as the hands and feet of christ And I think I see that in each staff member here And so I think we really do draw off each other off of um each other's faith Um, the bible calls us to that to build one another up in faith. And I think that's really what is happening here Um, we've also seen some incredible things happen. Um, we've had there have been deaths There have been sad things, but we've also seen incredible miracles as far as people Healing and coming off of ventilators and being discharged. And so it makes it all worth it at the end of the day Yeah Yeah um The italian people love their espresso. So I think espresso is one thing that's been sustaining us One of the very first days that we were we had a donor donate two espresso machines for our tent So we're we've been really relying on that right now I think uh, you know every single day there's things that that do sustain us and I think it's the lords Grace and his timing of when he brings those things We've seen over 220 patients here and 140 discharges and every time that we have a patient discharge where they're walking away on their own power Um, we have the entire staff out there and that we're cheering Um, and every time that we get to do that. It's a celebration And I think we're always looking for the opportunities to celebrate Um, when I when I was an r.a. On uh, cali tyrannous team That was one thing we always tried to work in weekly with celebration And I think that's just something that really helps bring perspective. So even today Some of the build team they built just like a little sun shelter like just a tarp like a portico And one of our italian team members They actually held a little ceremony for the tarp where we sang the italian national anthem and we And we had a bunch of the patients out there singing with us and so just little things like that Just like keeping keeping the spirits high Um, because you're right going 12 hours day in day out without much much time to rest It can kind of just feel like the days blur all together Yeah, I I can imagine um that they do And you know celebration is is interesting. Um, if if you read richard fosters work, exactly It's actually one of his 12 Disciplines and he says that celebration is the foundation to all spiritual disciplines So I'm glad we talk about celebration Because uh, that is the first step of us just Giving back to the lord what he's given to us in that situation. So that that is great to hear Well, obviously one of the things that I want to know right off the bat Being in the position i'm in and watching you guys run around the campus for a few years here Is as you look back over your time at ccu What do you think kind of prepared you? How did ccu prepare you for where you're at now or did it? Um, I would say there were a lot of ways that my face, um Grew during my time at ccu So that is definitely one. I think another Uh as a biology major I took classes like bioethics and things like that where we dealt with some tough issues Um, it was a really good class, but it was really hard and it really forced you to think and so, um We come across bioethical issues here every day Um, so in that sense, I think it really prepared me and then I also I worked as a missions intern for kelly nichols for a little while and um He has a lot of connections Around places and so I've run into some friends of his all over the world multiple locations So it's always fun to meet people and see people that um, yeah, you never would have thought you would have had a connection with Yeah, I think for me, you know, I was looking at going and pursuing an accounting route And after doing an internship while I was at ccu had realized that that just wasn't what the lord had for me And I came back my that fall semester of my senior year Not really knowing what I was going to do kind of panicking a little bit And it was actually through ems that I had an opportunity to get an interview with samaritan's person That's what opened up the door for me to do the internship, which has led into these other opportunities So yeah, I I give a lot of thanks to ems for opening up that door Um, that's that's part of why I'm here. I think what and we talked about was ccu to the world I think that played a really big role in just I guess affirming my sense of calling for this type of work I'm calling to the nations Um, I remember my very first ccu trip. I went to uganda and while I was there I actually had malaria and I remember I while I was sick erica green Can't she doesn't work there anymore? But she had come and spoken to me and said hey, I've got jim mccormick on the line He he's asking if you want to get airlifted out of there and you know, I was okay I I didn't need that to happen But I think what it showed me was god showed me that even in the midst of really Hard situations really scary situations that he's with me that he he sustains me That went when he calls us somewhere that he does protect us and I think having been through something like that it really I guess It just comforted any fears that I might have responding here Um while we were flying over like I'll I'll admit that it was going through my mind What happens if I get sick with with coronavirus? What happens if if our team is is affected by this and just being able to think back to that time when I had Malaria on a trip with ccu and remembering just how the lord had sustained me through that It just comforted a lot of those fears and then I think just how how I was prepared relationally um I I just have to think so highly of the res life staff that's there. I spent three years with res life um And just my time with neil and with callie and others there um just really you know building my capacity for I'm just connecting with people with with empathizing with people I think that's played a big role in my ability to connect with patients and translators here um And yeah, I think one other thing is just callie. She's always talking about self-care And I think just going back to the how do you sustain your time here when you've got 12 hour days and there's no days off It's it's finding how can I maintain self-care physically emotionally spiritually in the midst of that? And I think that my time with res life really prepared me for that Well matthew and emily we're going to have to wrap things up in a minute or two here Any words you'd like to share with the ccu community. So watching this will be faculty staff Possibly some current students But mostly faculty and staff so anything you want to communicate Yeah, I've got something um One of the things that I've asked people to be praying for a lot is the physical health and protection for our team and I just to give a praise to that our our team is healthy And we have 68 beds here to treat patients, but we also have an additional staff Award that set off to the side in case any of our staff were to get sick We've been here for over three weeks now and even having over 70 staff come through here treating patients day and night We still have no no staff who've been sick And I I think that's nothing short of a miracle you you're hearing all the stories of medical care medical health care workers around the world who are are getting sick from this because of how contagious it is And every single morning we we start our day with devotions We we pray for that protection from the Lord and when we come in in the morning and we see that that tent is still empty That there's no staff that are in there. It's just a reminder of God's hand of protection over us So I just want to thank you for for everybody there who has been praying I've gotten emails from Jim and and neal and calli as I know that they're all praying and I know that that's It's been spread around ccu. I'm just people praying over us and it's it's working I see God responding to those prayers and I see the situation in Italy getting better So thank you so much for those prayers and I ask that you just continue to be praying for that And also just that we would have continued opportunities to minister to the patients to translators because I just see such a Such a softness of hearts and and we're seeing people come to christ every every few days, which is so cool That's wonderful. Emily. Emily. You want to add anything? Um, I think that's great. Um, I would also just say God is working and he's moving. Um, he prepared the way for us before we got here and I know Cases may rise in the u.s. And continue to rise, but he has already prepared a way Forecare there Samaritan's purses there other people are there and so Um, just encouragement for people in the u.s. Who are either already hit or might get hit. Um, God is still there He's still working. Um, he is preparing a way and so don't lose don't lose heart in that Well, we're grateful for you taking the time. I'm gonna ask Jim to pray for you in a minute, but I just wanted to say on behalf of ccu. We're proud of you We're thankful for your service there because Our hearts go out to all those who are on the front lines You know, we have nurses who are graduates who are in the hot seat. We have people In a lot of different capacities, but you are With samaritan's purse in a very critical place So so may the lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you As you serve others in the name of jesus Jim Guys, I wanted to you notice the I don't know if you knew it was the year of evangelism here at ccu and This year and the lord gave me a verse early this year. I want to pass on to you from luke 12 35 And it says be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning And I just get a vision of you guys being dressed every day ready for service And keeping your lamps burning that those things that the lord is doing in your life You know burning and visible As you go. So I just hope that the lord strengthens you and guides you During this time and and let me pray for you over there lord. We just thank you for Emily and for matthew As they are dressed every day ready for service ready to serve you Ready to move down the path that you have set for them You tell us in songs that you have established the work of our hands and you've established the work of Emily and matthew's hands there in idly and lord you're using it in a mighty way I ask that you be with their energy their attitude that you would be with Their sustenance as they as they go that their service would be Something that moved the effort forward There in idly ask you to be with samaritan's purse as well and franklin As they meet the needs of the world during this time lord You have put them right into a situation right now You have them right where you want them and lord They are ready to serve you and are serving you in many places around the world Lord as we look at the path ahead Disaster that you would be with emily and matthew's health That you would be with uh, they're Just their work every day and that lord that you would just give them a Sense that that you are in everything that they are doing no matter how small no matter how big But you were right there with them and it's asked that you would be especially present with them during this time You would bring folks like us around them to support them to encourage them and to pray for them and they would feel that lord So lord, we just give you all the glory honor and power You deserve today And lord, we just thank you for the blessings that you give us every day in jesus name amen amen Thank you so much for joining us god bless you both guys great Good to see you. All right. Bye. Bye