Pasitos de Fe

The first time I tried chicken heart kebabs off a street cart, I was on a short volunteer trip with Mission Peru and Inca Link to Trujillo, Peru. Most of the trip involved the construction of an orphanage, Pasitos de Fe. An intern working at the orphanage, Marion, had started a local women’s ministry and invited me to join her, two middle-aged women and another elderly woman, Sulano, on this weekly endeavor. Marion was giving knitting lessons every week to women in the local area. In turn, these women would be able to use these skills to earn some more money for their family. But for Marion, meeting these women every week just to teach them to knit was not enough – she wanted to get to know them and help them find healing and joy in their lives. So she decided she would visit each and every one of these women at their homes and talk with them, along with Sulano and her two friends. We were only able to visit two women, but hearing a little bit of their stories and being in their homes was a very special experience. Their lives were hard but they did the best they could. But what was most striking to me was the love that these three women had for those they visited. They traveled far in order to reach the orphanage. They spent a long time at each woman’s house, talking, listening and singing songs of praise. They offered me so much love as well, though they had never met me. I didn’t know very much Spanish, but they showed me that love needed no words. As we headed out of the orphanage, the women walked on ahead, conversing in Spanish. Sulano noticed I had fallen behind and waited for me. When I reached her, she quickly took my arm. She continued to give me the brightest smile as we walked to each house. We exchanged very few words but her eyes conveyed so much love. As we neared the end of our walk, Sulano saw a food cart. She rushed over and asked me if I wanted a snack. Before I could reply, she had already bought a kebab for each person. And I’m glad she did–it was delicious, and all the more so because of the amazing woman who had given it to me. Chicken heart kebabs will forever remind me of Sulano, the woman who loved everyone around her, stranger, friend or family.