One More Visit

As our time in Peru draws to a close, we were blessed with the opportunity to visit one more grandma. Through our friend Anita, we met the widowed Grandma Rosario. This visit was a profound experience, filled with beauty and grace. Not only was it profound in meeting Rosario and assisting her by cleaning her humble home, but God’s hand was also evident through everything that led up to this encounter.

As FMC missionaries, we often say our goal is to encourage the local people to become domestic missionaries, essentially working ourselves out of a job. My heart was filled with joy when Anita shared how she recently visited Rosario, who lives alone and has been struggling with loneliness since losing her husband four years ago. Rosario’s children do not visit often due to a daughter-in-law allegedly casting witchcraft to distance her from the family.

Anita invited our young adult group to visit Rosario to pray with her, and to help clean and paint her home. The response was overwhelming; messages of support flooded our group chat. We began our time with Rosario in prayer together, and then eagerly went to work.

It was evident from speaking with Rosario how her loneliness, combined with her failing eyesight and hearing loss, was taking a significant toll on her. As our young adults worked diligently to make her home more suitable, Rosario spoke to me with tears in her eyes, expressing her simple desire: “I just want to live in harmony with my family.”

I comforted her as best as I could, then I called in the reinforcements: three of our six children joined me that morning. Rosario’s smile lit up the room upon greeting our young children. What a gift!

We gathered again to pray a deliverance prayer with Rosario. Our friends prayed fervently for her well-being and her family. It was truly inspiring to see young people serving their fellow neighbor on a Friday morning before heading off to their full-time jobs or classes.

This experience was a beautiful conclusion to our time in Peru. Witnessing our friends take the initiative to pray and serve those in need was incredibly moving.

As we reflect on our journey in Peru, we are grateful for the opportunities to serve and the incredible people we’ve met along the way. This visit to Grandma Rosario was a poignant reminder of the impact we can have when we come together in love and service. We leave Peru with hearts full of gratitude and hope for the future of this community.

Andres, a Peruvian friend of the Peñas, says:
“The presence of the missionaries has helped us to persevere in our Christian life and to continue motivating others to live their faith. The Peña family made us feel like another member of their family, feeling that warm family love. Seeing their children inspires us in our faith to imitate the saints.”