If you ask him, you get the right answer
“I would like to donate some money to the Diospi Suyana hospital,” says the friendly man in his sixties. In Peru, such an example is highly unusual. Even the rich are discreet with their donations. It’s mostly about themselves and their immediate family. The common good is not a high priority. So why on earth is Don Lorenzo from the town of Andahuaylas putting such a large sum of money in the small wooden box?
“I have been operated on twice at the Hospital Diospi Suyana,” the grateful gentleman remarks. “My wife also received good treatment here!” The gratitude of a person who could not learn this quality in Peruvian society comes through. The Peruvian way of life really does not express itself with genuine gestures of gratitude. Pompous speeches are made on all kinds of topics. But the rhetoric cannot drown out the lack of practical application.
In September 2022, Nicolás Lúcar, probably Peru’s most prominent radio and TV presenter, commented on his visit to the 15th anniversary of our hospital in his TV show “Hablemos Claro”. He said that the people of Diospi Suyana have a power that has overcome human egoism. An interesting statement from an atheist who originally came from the radical left-wing scene.
Back to Lorenzo. If you look into his mouth, you will see a whole row of missing teeth. A sign of poverty in every country in the world. As a cleaner, his earnings are modest. But the grateful ex-patient is also a committed Christian.
He believes that all good things come from God and that “it is more blessed to give than to receive!” His astonishing behavior is based on the “Book of Books”. He discovered that our willingness to sacrifice for others gives us an inner gift.
Many Europeans, Americans and his fellow Peruvians can learn from Lorenzo. The amount of his donation is probably equivalent to around 25% of his monthly salary. He does not give out of his abundance, but out of his poverty. And when he goes home with his wife, he will thank God and Diospi Suyana too. /KDJ
