Pilgrimage To Peru: DAY 8

This was our last day in Chincha. I will not miss the intense heat of this city but I will miss the people who are here. The Sisters and their Associates and all those who have passed through this Convent, and there have been many, are some of the most kind and hardworking people that I have ever met.

Our group had a few scheduled stops today before we left Chincha. Our first stop was a tour of Manchitas School. This school was built with funds raised by Sister Pauline’s niece Jessica and her friend Lana from Opeongo High School in 2008. It will house 12 – 15 youngsters who are aged 2-3 years old. Maria Martinez, the teacher, proudly showed us many of the new supplies that her students will use next week when school starts. Many items were still stored in her home or in a locked closet as she was afraid things would be stolen. There were cracks in the wall where someone had tried to break the thin walls and see what could be removed from the school.

The second stop was at a family home that had recently received financial help to build a bathroom. Yvonne had raised funds for this project in her home community of Renfrew. The estimated cost of installing all the septic, plumbing and bathroom fixtures would be about $1,200.00 dollars. On our way home we made a quick stop at the “poor man’s” hospital or the state run public hospital. We went there to make a rather strange request. We wanted to get a copy of the list that a surgery patient is given before they go in for their operation. We were all amazed to learn that before an operation can be scheduled, the patient is given a list of medicines, bandages and even syringes that must be bought and shown to the hospital before a scheduled surgery can be performed. This was a bazaar list and would be unheard of in many countries.

Juana and Columbina made us a very delicious traditional Peruvian lunch of chicken soup, rice and a beef dish that is rich with tomatoes and onions. We packed up the van, said our goodbyes and began our tip back to Lima. The drive back to Lima was very calm as traffic was not the nightmare that we had experienced on Friday’s journey to Chincha. We even saw large tracts of land that had been planted with seedling trees in hopes of improving the landscape and providing root systems to help stop erosion.

I take away many thoughts and impressions from Chincha. From Padre’s visit yesterday and the schedule that I have seen the Sisters follow during the week; it is quite clear that their work is deeply valued in this Valley. The obvious respect that the people show the Convent Community could only be the result of years of service and love. The doorbell rang constantly here as people came and went seeking advice and help. They are welcomed and respected and always assisted in one way or another. There is a limited amount of funds to go around and people cannot always be given what they are asking but help is always offered in one form or another. As Sister Pauline is only here for a month or two each year, there is much to be done with the scholarship program, the funding for senior’s homes, home improvement and all the many projects that the Sisters of St. Joseph maintain here in Peru.

Sister Maria went about her duties very quietly but thoroughly. She is responsible for the Convent and all that running a 16 bedroom house entails. Her work in the Parish is focused on outreach programs for the families who are trying to improve their homes and are working with a State that is quite unsympathetic to their needs.

Sister Gloria appears and disappears at all hours of the day and night for meetings next door at the Church. She is responsible for many groups and Ministries and has people young and old to attend to. The enthusiasm and joy that she puts into her work is awe inspiring. Her life story is a mixture of tragedy and profound Faith that is so common in Peru. As I mentioned last night, her Mother was widowed and left with a young family to care for. It was a daily challenge just to put food on the table. Sister Gloria told us that in order to make money she and her brother would climb on to city buses and sing and entertain them as they traveled around the city. Her brother played the spoons or whatever he could find to use as an instrument and the young Gloria sang traditional songs. They asked the passengers to give one sole, a Peruvian dollar, and said that amount of money would not make the children rich and it would not make the people poor. Sister Gloria was 6 years old at the time. When she was 8 years old she left her family home and went to live and work in a home to help care for a baby. Education was a priority for her even at that early age. When the family did not give her the opportunity to go to school she found work with a family that would allow her time to go to school and work. She is certainly not ashamed of her early beginnings. The night we traveled to El Carmen we were finding the trip rather long and she stood on the step of the van and gave us as sample of her “routine” including the sales pitch with the promise of “passing the hat” later on. Her singing was simply beautiful and the traditional songs told of a longing for her beautiful Chincha. In typical Sister Gloria style, when I took her picture after the song, she told me that the photo would cost two soles extra!

Good night and God Bless. Joan