Food for My Body and Food for My Soul
This month we bring you a marvelous reminder of the POWER behind YOUR GIVING and support of this ministry. Your generosity is transforming lives in a beautiful way! Before we get into the featured story for this month, we thank you sincerely from our hearts for your faithfulness and the open door of ministry that your financial support provides us. Every month we count on supporters like you to make possible the results we witness. This month we yet another example of how YOU are changing lives with your donations to Home of Refuge International.
Tomasa Tárraga Valer was born on May 7, 1945, in Paccarectambo, a small village in the mountains of Cusco, Peru. From an early age, her life was shaped by hard labor and limited opportunity. Her parents believed education was unnecessary for girls and denied her the chance to learn to read or write. When Tomasa expressed a desire for education, she was met with ridicule rather than support. “If you want to study, take your animals to school with you,” they would say, making it clear that her place was in the fields, not in a classroom.
Tomasa’s childhood was shaped by daily work and frequent punishment. From dawn until dusk, Tomasa tended sheep, walking long distances along rocky mountain paths. Mistakes were met with beatings, and unfinished work often meant going without food. Though only a child, Tomasa carried responsibilities far beyond her years. The treatment she endured caused her deep pain, but she never left Paccarectambo, as it was the only home she had ever known.
At fifteen years old, Tomasa’s parents arranged her marriage to a man much older than she. She had no voice in the decision. There was no celebration and no choice, only an agreement between adults that determined her future. Over time, she and her husband built a modest life through agriculture and sheep herding. They had three children, who became her greatest source of joy and purpose.
Tragedy struck when her youngest son traveled to Puerto Maldonado in search of construction work. Months passed without word, until friends returned with devastating news. Her son had died in a construction accident. His body was never returned, and years later Tomasa learned that it had been thrown into the river. She was denied the chance to say goodbye, a loss that continues to affect her deeply.
Not long after, Tomasa’s husband became ill. Without access to medical care, he passed away, leaving her widowed with two children still dependent on her. With no steady means of support, Tomasa made a heartbreaking decision. She entrusted one of her children to his godparents, who promised to raise him as their own. It was an act of love shaped by desperation.
Later, those same godparents helped Tomasa find another companion. While this marriage was born out of survival, not love, it became a turning point in her life. Her second husband was kind and hardworking and treated her with respect. Together they worked the land, raised sheep, and built a stable home. They had two daughters who brought joy into their household.
Those years were marked by effort but also by peace. With few resources, they raised their children with strong values and a sense of family responsibility. For the first time, Tomasa felt protected and valued. Sadly, her second husband later passed away, leaving her widowed once again. By then, her daughters were grown and soon formed families of their own, leaving Tomasa alone.
At sixty years old, Tomasa traveled outside Paccarectambo for the first time and visited the city of Cusco. There she attended a gathering where she heard people sharing the Word of God. Until then, she had never heard that God knew her personally and loved her. Though she could not read, the message reached her heart and gave her hope.
From that moment on, Tomasa placed her faith in God. Over the next fifteen years, she remained faithful and shared what she learned with others in her community. Her circumstances did not immediately change, but she found strength and purpose through her faith.
When Tony and those working with him began reaching into her community, Tomasa saw their presence as an answer to prayer. Through the ministry, she now receives weekly food packages with basic staples such as rice, sugar, oil, and flour. This support allows her to live with dignity and without the constant fear of hunger.
For Tomasa, the food assistance is deeply meaningful, but it is not the only gift she has received. The teaching of the Word of God and the personal care shown by the ministry have had an equally strong impact. She values the opportunity to learn, to listen, and to grow in her faith, despite her lack of education. “Before, I knew nothing about God,” Tomasa says. “I only suffered and wondered why so many things happened to me. Now I know that He had a plan for me. I am deeply grateful to the ministry...because they have brought me food for my body and food for my soul. I want to keep learning with Pastor Tony, because I know I still have much to learn about my Lord.”
Tomasa’s story reflects the reality faced by many elderly in the rural communities where your giving makes a difference. Theirs are stories of hardship, loss, endurance, and faith. But because of your support, new chapters of HOPE are being written into their lives. Your partnership makes this work possible because your partnership paves the way for us to reach them with the love of JESUS! Thank you for what you do. You are financing “food for the body and food for the soul”, and that is worth writing about each month.
As we continue moving forward to reach more people in need, we ask you to firmly stand with us, doing what you can to share the love of Christ through your faithful support. Your giving matters, and it is storing up for you a reward that far outweighs the sacrifices we make on this side of eternity. May His love and peace guide you.
Deeply Grateful,
Tony and Rosa Rivera
Home of Refuge International, Inc.
