Last April 2, Palm Sunday, the members of the Vedruna Youth Mission (MJV) of the Jesús Resucitado Parish of the Asentamiento Humano El Ermitaño, Lima – Peru, together with some brothers and sisters friends of the MJV, woke up early to participate at 7:00 am in the procession and mass of Palm Sunday and then set out on our way.

Where to? We went to an area on the outskirts of Lima, completely unknown to us. An area severely affected by the overflow of a lagoon due to heavy rains and river overflows. The floods damaged their homes, devastated their farmland, polluted the water and left them isolated by collapsed bridges and destroyed roads.
Why did we go there? Because we found out from a person of the parish who has relatives living there, of the chaos that many families are suffering in that area, formed by 3 small towns: Licahuasi, Collo and Arahuay. Because they were in a difficult access location, they had not received any help up to that moment.
Where to? We went to an area on the outskirts of Lima, completely unknown to us. An area severely affected by the overflow of a lagoon due to heavy rains and river overflows. The floods damaged their homes, devastated their farmland, polluted the water and left them isolated by collapsed bridges and destroyed roads.
Why did we go there? Because we found out from a person of the parish who has relatives living there, of the chaos that many families are suffering in that area, formed by 3 small towns: Licahuasi, Collo and Arahuay. Because they were in a difficult access location, they had not received any help up to that moment.
Where did we go? We went to bring support and the contribution of several friends, acquaintances and relatives who collaborated with food, clothes and money to buy drinking water; to bring a word of hope; to go out to meet them, to reach out to them, to look at them and be with them.
There were many obstacles to overcome: one of the three cars that were going to take us did not arrive, another was not strong enough to climb the hill because of the weight of the 1,120 liters of water we had bought, the bridges on the road were fragile or semi-destroyed, the road was precarious, there was no bridge on two rivers… But none of these obstacles dampened our spirits.
We had set out determined to meet these brothers, and as always, on the roads of life on mission, God never leaves us alone. He always sends his angels. We have experienced it, we have seen it, we have lived it. Several people joined and supported along the way. And once in the chosen mission places we were able to be “their hands and feet, their heart and eyes”, giving all that we carried on behalf of so many people in solidarity and friends.
We returned home after dark. Tired and weary, yes, but infinitely happy for all that we have experienced: for having met and seen him on our way, in our mission destinations and in our lives.
MJV of the Hermit
