Farewell

Sister Jackie and the abuelos wave farewell

Friday was our last day at Los Martincitos and in Peru. A week of volunteering with CCS is never enough, yet I am ready to go home. We made a lot of new friends and my admiration for the work that Sister Jackie and the other permanent volunteers do in Villa El Salvador is beyond description. I received more hugs and kisses in farewell than a person would usually get in months.

We watched a documentary from Irish television telling the story of Villa El Salvador. I could go on for hours about these strong, resilient people who were dumped in the desert and told this place was to be their new home only 40 years ago. It may not look like much, but they have built schools, clinics, churches and a community out of nothing.  If you study what the residents of Villa El Salvador endured during the terrible years of violence in the 1980’s and early 90’s, it’s hard to imagine how they survived. They were targets of the government, military and the Shining Path revolutionaries due to their successful non-violent social programs. The documentary was especially meaningful since there were several people we worked with from Los Marincitos who were included in the story.

Every time I have stepped outside my comfort zone to tackle a volunteer assignment with CCS, I have learned as much about myself as I have about the people I have chosen to assist. I may work hard and  give them my time and attention, but I come home the recipient of gifts far more valuable than I have given. I am constantly reminded that although we may live differently and speak different languages, most of us want the same things – food on the table, security, education for our children, a purpose for our lives and for the world to be a better place for all of us.