Today’s Inspiring Story

We left the Sacred Valley for our final two days of service projects in Cusco at the Albergue, a home for 22 children between the ages of 10-18. Most of them have parents who live on farms and in villages that don’t have access to schools, nor can they afford them, so they apply for their children to live at the Albergue and hope to get lucky. Most of the children have been sponsored to live here and go to school for at least 5 years. Some are fortunate enough to be educated for up to 7 years. When they leave the Albergue, they have a basic education and they have acquired some life skills in carpentry, sewing, metalwork, cooking, and gardening. Some of them will go on to become educators in their villages so that they can help their own communities. 

Upon arrival at the Albergue, our two teams were pumped and ready to work. One group started building the Adobe brick walls of a future classroom and the other group started sanding pre-cut logs for a fence. It was a lot of heavy lifting, muddy, dusty and tiring work, but very gratifying when we were done for the day. We could see progress and were ready to continue working the next day.

But before we left the Albergue for the day, the kids treated us to a surprise talent show showcasing their traditional song and dance. They even managed to get some of us to get up and participate with them. After the performance they all came around and gave us hugs and thanked us for our time and effort with beautiful cards. Seeing their beautiful smiles made the day’s hard work all worthwhile.

The next day, our team was anxious to make more progress even though we knew the work would have to be continued and finished by future volunteers. It was satisfying to see the structure coming up, especially the log fence which we managed to get up and even paint. The younger volunteers really enjoyed the painting. It gave them an opportunity to leave a personal touch and made the fence more fun for the kids at the Albergue.

We enjoyed another healthy lunch before saying goodbye to all. We even had time on the last afternoon to hit the cobblestone streets and main square in Cusco. We really enjoyed the walk, the sights, the shopping, and could not decide where to grab dinner. One of the most beautiful sights was the church at the hotel Monastario. The carvings were so intricate and the colors so vibrant. 

Our trip to Peru was a lot of fun. We really enjoyed all the sights. Machu Picchu was definitely a highlight, but all the service projects we worked on throughout the week were truly inspiring, fulfilling and really gave us an opportunity to interact with the local Peruvian people. They are very friendly, grateful and welcoming. We came home with a perspective we will treasure for a lifetime. 

Today’s Inspiring Story

You may remember one of my previous newsletters which featured Emmanuel (Manny) Ohonme, founder of Samaritan’s Feet. I was truly honored to be working with his team on his incredible mission to put 10 million pairs of shoes on the feet of 10 million orphans and impoverished children around the world. Manny wishes to make a difference in the lives of millions by continuing the legacy of love and hope which he received with his first pair of shoes at the age of 9 in Lagos, Nigeria.

Vacations That Matter had an amazing opportunity to collaborate with Samaritan’s Feet to include a shoe distribution service project for the extended family with a mission to serve in Peru. And the privilege was all mine to join them with my 11 year old daughter to experience giving in such a unique way.

On the afternoon of June 20, 2011, 48 of us boarded a bus to one of the poorest areas of Lima to distribute 300 pairs of shoes with our local representative for Samaritan’s Feet, Pastor Samuel Santa Maria, and his dedicated friendly translator. What a humbling experience it was to wash the feet of children, women and men, and to provide them with a new pair of shoes while giving them a message of hope. Seeing the smiles and excitement in their faces was well worth the long bus ride to get to the distribution site. Even with our limited Spanish language skills, we managed to get our message of love and hope across to them.

We could have stayed many more hours and distributed many more shoes because the need so outweighs the supply we had. It just gives us a reason to want to go again and serve those who we sadly missed.

As one of the teenagers in our group said, “Everyone is the same, no matter how different our lives are. Each person has value and deserves to be treated with no less respect than anyone else. I really picked this up when washing people’s feet. It really was a humbling experience”.

This experience was not exclusive to a few, but was felt by the entire family group. What could be more gratifying than sharing these moments with your loved ones while enjoying the sights, culture and people of Lima and Cusco.

As you may have guessed, a trip to Peru would not have been complete without a visit to the awe-inspiring kingdom of the Inca’s, Machu Picchu. The scenery was breathtaking and definitely worth the hike.

Stay tuned for the next couple of newsletters where I will share the other unique service projects that we participated in during the same trip to Peru.