Hermano Pedro by Christine Hillebrand '11

While we were in Agua Caliente, Padre Rafael introduced us to a man whom he called hermano Pedro. Pedro spoke little English, and we spoke little Spanish, so communication was difficult but not impossible. He seemed like a quiet, gentle man, and we came to expect and enjoy his company. Later in the week, Padre Rafael told us Pedro’s story.

During the Salvadoran civil war (1980-1992), he lost much of his family to the violence. Rebels convinced his son, who was ten years old at the time, to join them and fight for their cause. Soon after that his son was killed. Pedro saw so much violence during the war, yet he never tried to run from it. Once Pedro was asked to deliver the ransom money for a kidnapped man. There were many times that he could have been killed, but he did what had to be done. He delivered the money, and the kidnapped man was released. Pedro was Padre Rafael’s self-appointed bodyguard. There was a night when this became very clear to Padre. He knew that his life was in danger, so he told Pedro to go home. Instead, Pedro told him he would sleep outside the door to keep him safe that night. After that, Padre always asked for Pedro’s company when he felt in danger.

Still, for most of the time that we knew him, we knew nothing about Pedro’s past. We only knew that he was a kind and generous man who was always there. He rode with us on our travels in and around Agua Caliente. Perhaps what all of us will always remember about hermano Pedro was the time when Bob Patrick taught him how to fist bump. His favorite part was the “explosion” at the end, when you open your fist and say “Boom!” I think that became his favorite greeting.

The phrase “Be not afraid” appears in the Bible 366 times. For me, hermano Pedro was the epitome of that phrase. He lived it, and by his example he preached it to all those around him.