About six months ago we had the idea to start an exercise group for the patients we see in the clinic. We discuss the benefits of being physically fit with the majority of our patients and we wanted to give them a free resource to learn and participate in exercises. I wanted to create something that women of any age and fitness level could be a part of. I also wanted to build a space where relationships can be made. Katie has also been a huge part of this exercise group and has co-led with me.
I started with a small survey of about 15 patients that seemed interested in the group to see what day, time and location would work best. I ended up choosing Saturdays at 7:30 AM at a park in our community. (This is the same park where we meet on Sundays.) Our first day was July 11, 2015 and we had one person show up besides Katie, me and some dogs running around the park. That person was Paty! Since that first Saturday Paty and her sister Lola have come every week.
Through a connection between Lola, Beth and Andy there is also another woman who has been coming every Saturday. Her name is Sonia and she lives with her family here in our district of Hunter. This has been really exciting for us! There have been other participants who have come and gone but she has been there consistently. I hope and pray that we can continue to build on our relationship with her and her family.
I love seeing God work through this group. Something that just started as a hope has now become something much bigger. We have the opportunity to spend time with Lola and Paty every Saturday. These two women are such a blessing to our entire team and I love getting to know them more. Another way I see God in this is that we have an evangelistic opportunity and we are able to walk alongside Peruvian Christians throughout the whole process! An added bonus to all of this is that together we are becoming physically healthier.
I would ask all of you who are reading this please to pray for this group. Hopefully it can expand to more than one day a week in the near future. I don’t know what God will do with it exactly but it is incredible to see how He is already working through it. Also, don’t forget to exercise!
