Traveling to the airport, I got my “last” glimpse of what life is like here, in the United
States. Heading to a different country, I didn’t have many expectations other than to give a
helping hand and hopefully make someone's day better. In retrospect, those twelve days
exceeded my every expectation and gave me a new perspective on what I had. Being from
Vietnam, many of the sights of poverty were not shocking but were rather very moving. What
was indeed compelling, was the exceeding amounts of love, compassion, and sense of
belonging I felt and received there.
Soledad and Adriano are two people who I will always feel a connection with. Soledad,
this cheerful and kind woman, is one of the people connected to the mission that lives in Peru
and she showed so much love to all of us and I can never say thank you to her enough so I
would like to carry her name and legacy back into my own life. The aftermath of a pane of glass
falling was a small nick on my ear, but Soledad, being the kind and gentle soul she is, ran
almost a mile up and down a MOUNTAIN, with a child in hand, to get some kind of anti-bacterial
ointment for me. She would proceed to overly care for me but to this day, I reflect upon her act
of kindness and hope I can do the same for others in different ways. One day, she wasn’t there
on the mountain with us, but she was at home, cooking a delicious meal of beef heart, guinea
pig, and many more Peruvian dishes worth weeks of her salary, in order to thank us for our
work. I tend to stay composed, but her love for all of us and specifically for me makes me want
to shed a tear at the fact that I can not do much but thank her.
Adriano, this kid who I believe was around 7, was another person who taught me a
lesson. You might not think you can learn from a kid, but I surely did. Just like how I hope I can
embrace Soledad’s love and share it, I would like to share Adriano’s happiness with others. He
spent an hour running around with me, a random guy from a different country, throwing bottle
caps, racing, and was very mature when he was offered a sweet treat from the store. This kid,
along with many other people from Peru, will live on in my heart forever.
A part of me will always remain and live there knowing that I had touched the souls of a
couple of people. Making my little corner of the world slightly better is all I can and ever wanted
to do even if it is a 7+hour flight away. Our work there was small compared to the millions of
people suffering, but I can affirm that what we did was meaningful. The houses we worked on to
gift to the people, were nothing compared to houses in the U.S. but the reactions we got, made
it seem like they were gifted mansions. The food drop of potatoes and other simple foods
seemed like a 5-star meal the way the people received it. Those twelve days in Peru have
changed me, molding me into the person I am meant to be. The lessons I have learned I hope
to share and to use my perspective to live life more grateful and to its fullest. Until I can go on
the mission again in 2023, I hope to live life to its fullest and work to improve the community
here at home.  ~ Peter Nguyen, Peru missionary, 2022 & 2023