Maria de la Luz

On my first flight from Chicago to Mexico City.....I had one of the most beautiful GOD encounters. I was sitting next to the window, then there was no one sitting next to me, then there was an older Mexican lady sitting in the third seat of our row nearest the aisle. We didnt really talk for the entire flight, but she was really sweet and told me that I could stretch out my legs and lay across the seat in the middle of us if I wanted to. Then with like 20 mins left in the flight we began talking, just small talk at first....She was so so sweet right away. :) She told me that she was from a city outside of Mexico City and that she had been visiting her daughter in Chicago. She had on a necklace that at first glance looked like a Saint of some sort, so I went ahead and told her all about my Saint Rose necklace that I was wearing, my faith, my trip to Lima.... She immediately lit up and completely opened up to me all about her faith and her experiences growing up with 13 siblings in poverty in Mexico. We talked for a while, and then towards the end of the conversation finally introduced ourselves. When I told her my name was Ana Maria, she became so genuinely happy and couldnt stop smiling. She told me that was her mother's name and she had never heard of anyone else with that name before. Before I knew it, she was taking off her beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe necklace and handing it to me. She told me that her Our Lady necklace was a gift from her mother many years ago. Her mother has been dead for some years now....and now she wanted me to have the necklace so that I could remember her. I told her that I couldnt accept it, but she insisted. The most moving part about all of this....she told me that she has worn that exact necklace on her body for over 25 years!!....And she freely, selflessly gave it to me, a complete stranger, in a matter of 15 minutes. She then went on to tell me that the necklace would protect me on my trip to Lima, and be a reminder that she is always praying for me. Ahh, God is so good. And her name....Maria de la Luz. Could that be any more beautiful? Literally, Mary of the Light. Ahh, thanks be to Mary Mother of God for sending an angel onto my flight, and showing me how much she cares about me. :)  I will cherish that necklace always...especially on this trip. 

ESTOY AQUI EN LIMA! I am here in LIMA! :) Its beautiful!!! And my host family, so kind and friendly. :) 

Out of the 1.5 days I have spent here, my favorite thing so far?! ...Accompanying my host mom with her job today! Dilcia and her husband transport girls to and from school on daily basis in their privately owned "buses." Unlike the US, Peru doesnt have a public school bus system to transport kids to school. Today I sat in the front seat and tagged along as Dilcia picked up and dropped off around 20 little ninas from school to their homes. :) The girls were absolutely adorable (all around age 10-ish), and were all fascinated by Dilcia's new red-headed "sobrina" de los Estados Unidos sitting in the front seat. Dilcia has brought many of them to and from school for years now, and I could tell by the love spilling out of the tiny bus windows how much they truly see Dilcia as their own mama. Everything here is so personal, so connected to family. All of a sudden, the idea of a big, overcrowded public school bus seems completely ridiculous to me and extremely impersonal. The small family business of Dilcia y Lucho quite beautifully exemplifies Peruvian culture.....jamming with the girls to Peruvian music throughout the route, stopping to talk with each parent as the girls are dropped off, and simply knowing the personality and family background of each chica in their specific barrio. :) me gusta mucha esta experiencia. :)