BY SISTER SARA AND PROVIDENCE ASSOCIATE ELSA LEGUIA
For six years we have been working in the rural town of “Fray Martin”. Many families here have come from different areas in the country-side, like the sierra, the jungle and the coast. Many are young families, but there are also single moms.
There are no water and sewer utilities yet in the village. Nevertheless, there is hydro. There are no schools or health clinics. There are many children between the ages of 0 – 8 years.
For six years we have been working in this village. With thanks to the Congregation’s donations and the work that people have done, we were able to build a small and rustic wooden chapel.
In the month of November we celebrated St. Martin de Porres. It is in this month that we have many baptisms and first communions. This year we also welcomed children younger than eight years old to participate. We bought them toys, books and puzzles.
The parish is inclusive. In these times, it is necessary to promote human rights.
Children are the best receivers of this message. They know that Jesus, Our Lord wants everyone to be happy, especially the children. The theme “Jesus and the children” motivated us to organize a walk on the streets (with posters that reflected this topic) to promote their rights.
On July 23rd, our topic was “The Peru We Love”. Many families participated. Children were very happy raising their posters and the sun warmed us with its heat.
After the walk, we went to the chapel to share lunch. “May you never lack bread on the table”, “Nourish them” (Mark 6-37).