For those of you who don’t know, Chrislyn has a gluten allergy. This allergy of hers results in her and I having to go out for meals quite often. For the whole month in Peru, teams took turns cooking meals for the whole squad of 45 at the church/school at which we were staying. Unfortunately for Chrislyn, many of the easiest meals to cook involve bread or pasta, both things that she cannot eat due to her gluten allergy. So anytime this would happen, she and I would go for a walk to find a local restaurant at which we could eat. Although it was a bit of an inconvenience at times, both she and I were generally happy to do this as we love to explore the local cuisine in any place we travel.
At first, we made a conscious effort to try new places as we wanted to survey all that the neighborhood had to offer food-wise. Not too far into the month, however, we found a little restaurant about a mile from where we were staying that soon became Chrislyn’s favorite. “Lomito, no?” the owner and cook would ask anytime she saw Chrislyn. More often than not, she was right, as Chrislyn had not only found her favorite restaurant, but also her favorite meal in all of Peru. Grilled strips of beef with sautéed tomatoes, onions, and peppers, served over a bed of rice and fried potatoes – lomito saltado! And though we were there because of Chrislyn’s allergy, I also reaped the benefit of getting to enjoy Betsabe’s wonderful cooking.
As we continued to show up, day after day, our conversations with Betsabe lengthened, as much as our limited Spanish would allow. She was a single mother of four, one of her children being a special needs “child” (24 year-old daughter). And not only did she run the restaurant, but also the adjacent shop. She was quite a busy lady. We invited her to come to the church where we were staying, but her schedule wouldn’t allow it. And so we continued to eat lunch at her restaurant. Not only was her lomito some of the best around, but it was the only way that we could continue to build a relationship with her and share the love of Christ with her.
As the month drew to a close, we sadly counted down our last few lunches at Betsabe’s restaurant. On one of the last days, we brought our whole team with us (though certainly not for the first time) so that we could pray with Betsabe before we left for Ecuador. We took a few pictures with her and hugged goodbye.
Sometimes when we visit a town, our ministry is to great numbers of people. Sometimes our attention is pulled in so many directions as there are so many who want and need it. The most rewarding interactions we have, however, are when we are able to pour into the same individual, one on one, day after day. The funny thing is, our access to such opportunities was much greater back home in St. Louis before we left for this mission trip around the world. I spent day after day with the same coworkers. My neighbors were constant, as I didn’t have to move every month. So many relationships that I took for granted and failed to pour into as I should have. It’s a shame that I have to travel around the world and lose that stability in order to finally appreciate those relationships and invest in them with the sense of urgency that comes with knowing that each individual person truly matters and that time and life is precious. May you learn from my experience and approach your relationships with coworkers, neighbors, and family members, with a renewed sense of urgency and purpose. God bless.
