There was something serious in her voice that night.  Knowing Kyla's dedication to helping others,  her long term interest in Africa, and her numerous "odd comments for a child" over the years about having a non-profit organization, I understood something.  This was not a passing fad... and Kyla would drive me crazy if I forced her to go to Paris.  I also intuitively felt something bigger was happening here.  I sensed that it was important for us as women to follow this inspiration, to believe in the power of one or two, and to trust our intuition. Since I felt Africa was too challenging for me, I said, "Do you think you could save a life in a different way in a different country?"

A passionate conversation followed and before I knew it I was agreeing to do a service project in a Spanish speaking country, since Kyla speaks Spanish.  Then we came up with the idea to combine two of our passions: books and helping others, by building a library.  

I told Kyla that we would have to learn everything involved in creating a non-profit business, building a library, raising funds, and whatever else we don't know that we don't know, together-- and then she can take what she has learned from this experience, have her non-profit business for the future, and go on to Africa or wherever she is called to go in her life.

Why Peru?  That very day, Aidan's Chick-Fil-A® meal had a free picture book inside, and it happened to be about school children around the world.  I had shared the story with the third graders around the lunch table and we spontaneously talked about what it might be like in Peru.  I was still touched that moment at school and given the conversation we were having, I shared the story with Kyla.  We both agreed that Peru was the new destination.  Fittingly, that's how we chose the site for the new library--from a children's book!   

Kyla and I came downstairs and shared our new plan with the family and everyone responded like it was the most natural thing.  I reminded my husband, Blair, that we knew nothing about building a library and now was the time to talk us out of it, but he told us that we'd learn what we needed to learn and that we could do it.  Our family was totally behind us!

For some reason that night the thought never occurred to me that this might be too big a task, or that we were crazy to even think about doing this, or that we might not succeed.  I just don't know how articulate how right building this library feels, or the surreal way we came to the conclusion that we were the ones meant to build it.  It's just meant to be. 

I asked my Peruvian art teacher, David Sovero, if he could help us pick a safe town in Peru that might need a library.  As it turned out, his hometown of Huaripampa needed a library and he offered to help us make connections.

I know my strengths and weaknesses and  building a library in another country is not what I would have thought I'd be doing this last year before Kyla goes to college and starts her new life.  But I'm ready to learn whatever I need to to do this. 

The thought of seeing a child's eyes light up while reading a book in Huaripampa inspires me.  It's ironic, or another "coincidence", but it was a children's picture book that taught me about Peru.  If one child reads a book and is transported to another world, real or imaginary, is inspired to dream, or is taught something new like I was...wow, then this project is so worth it to me.

I know that Kyla and I will never regret taking this risk and going into the unknown, trusting that we're doing the right thing for someone we will probably never meet, nor will we ever know the impact of us following this whisper, our idea.  We don't know where we'll end up, or how we'll get there, but we're taking the journey anyway. 

From that fateful night where our mother-daughter trip turned from Paris to Peru, amazing people all over the world coincidentally showed up at the perfect time with words of encouragement or amazing offers of help.  This library is so meant to be!  

Fearless, I am not!  When motionless one day, I sat in my car outside of Whole Foods and begged the Universe for a sign.  Nothing happened!  Then I popped the lid off my Honest Tea and under the cap it  read:

 
 

Another children's book!  Okay, You got me.  I'm all in.  100%! 

  --Renata--