Over spring break, from March 7-15, two current Geneva nursing students and a recent graduate from the program were able to go on a mission trip to Huaycán, Peru. The trip was led by a team from First Presbyterian Church in Beaver, PA, in cooperation with World Servants and Peru Hope. Those on the trip worked to provide a women’s ministry, a children’s education program, two eyeglass clinics, help with constructions projects, and a training seminar led by the nursing team.

Julie Wilson, a member of First Presbyterian and a nursing instructor at CCBC, brought the opportunity up to some of the Geneva students who were in or had recently completed the program at CCBC. Having been to this community in Peru several times before, Wilson wanted to be able to provide for some health needs she had noticed in the past. She collaborated with World Servants and Peru Hope to reach out to the local community and ask if they would be interested in having a nursing team come on the trip. The community appreciated the idea and shared that people in the area wanted to learn about first aid, which guided the focus of the nursing team’s presentation.

One nursing student on the trip, Kristina Butler, had felt that God was leading her to participate in missions work, but, by the time she learned of the trip, had only two months to fundraise and prepare. “I said, God, if you can pull off the finances for this, I’ll go. Sure enough, he provided, I went, and it was a very good experience.”

Kristina already plans on returning next year. She found the experience to be eye-opening because of the needs that existed in Huaycán, and residents’ low access to emergency care. In talking with others, Kristina found that the nearest emergency room was over an hour and a half away.

“I think it gave me more compassion for people—just to see that there are needs everywhere.”

In providing for some of the community’s more basic needs, the nursing team led an interactive presentation for about 20 attendees. The presentation covered a range of topics including first aid, CPR, managing diabetes, checking heart rate, and handling ticks and dog bites. Participants got to practice many of the skills that the nursing team taught, performing CPR on a dummy and bandaging each other. They also received first aid kits for their own homes.

Building relationships was another key aspect of the trip for Kristina. She was able to connect with many community members as she tested their vision for reading glasses and helped with the children’s ministry.

“Getting to know the community and showing the love of Jesus to them was really special to me. There were two sisters that I saw several times throughout the week, and they would always come up to me and ask so many questions about America. They were just very excited to be friends, and it was amazing to foster relationships with these children who live in another country.”

Emma Daku-Treas, a senior nursing student who went on the trip, also noted the strong relationships between First Presbyterian’s team and the local community. Because First Presbyterian has been returning to Huaycán for many years, their arrival felt like a reunion to Emma, with people catching up and checking in on each other’s families.

When Emma heard about the trip, she was excited for the opportunity to brush up on the skills she had learned at CCBC, and put them to use in a new environment. Emma was able to assist in teaching by covering material on managing diabetes and allergies, including what to do in case of anaphylactic shock. She also helped with eyeglass fittings and blood pressure screenings. Even though Emma spent the trip serving others, she also learned from and was blessed by the trip herself.

“Having a better understanding of different cultures will help [in the nursing field] because you’re not only going to be helping people who are just like you. Maybe there will be a language barrier or some other cultural difference. It’s definitely important to be able to say, we might not understand each other perfectly, but I am here to care for you.”

Although she plans to eventually work in an emergency department someday, Emma enjoyed using her nursing experience in missions. “I loved getting to serve alongside people, because when you serve others, they’re genuinely pouring joy back into you. It’s a back-and-forth relationship. When we’re serving each other, that brings us joy because we are fulfilling our purpose of glorifying God.”

Reagan Shields ‘26