There’s one word we all keep hearing
Unprecedented. There’s a lot we don’t know and we have no guidebook to follow. What we do know is this: almost overnight, there was a 45% increase in COVID-19 cases in our community’s little corner of Lima. We have 24 U.S. volunteers (who will no longer be allowed to return on their original flights due to travel restrictions) and a total of 70 other Peruvian families and displaced Venezuelans living together in our buildings. They are working together to build a safe place where love lives out loud in small ways every day.
The stakes are so much higher than a toilet paper shortage
All of the hope and promise we have felt in our corner of Lima is being challenged now. No one is able to sell anything on the street. Personal vehicles can only be driven with special permission. There is a mandatory curfew each night from 8 pm to 5 am. Grocery prices are sky-rocketing. One 20 lb bag of rice cost 100 soles (about $30 USD) one week ago and now that same bag costs 300 soles (about $100 USD). There are police helicopters and cars patrolling the streets adding to the uncertainty and fear that many can feel right now.
A humble meal
Jason sent me this photo of their dinner last night. It’s a far cry from many of the multi-course meals this former corporate man has eaten, but that’s not what he talked about. He included a note of gratitude that each person in the building had a full belly–an abundant blessing to people who would literally not be eating otherwise. Some in the community there have decided (at their own volition) to forego one meal a day. Cheerfully.
These are not just numbers and news: This is personal.
Yes, here in the United States, we are dealing with stay-at-home orders in some places and recommendations in many others. But we still have freedom of movement. My family and I get outside every day in the fresh air. And we can walk into our local grocery store and have access to the same foods at the same prices any time we want. We are not going to sleep listening to sirens.
We can’t do everything, but we must do something
Sometimes when we feel like everything is out of our control we find that doing something really does kindle our hope. We could really use your help right now. This situation is not going away for any of us and our family in Peru is in an even more vulnerable situation than we are right now in the U.S.
Your donation today puts rice and beans in bellies and hope in hearts. Please help. Donate here.
