There are some places in the world that I never imagined I would be. I visited one of those places last week.
The day started when 17 of us piled into a small van. We began driving to Milagro, the local garbage dump community. This area has supported the town of Trujillo, Peru for many years. As we pulled up layers upon layers of trash cover the landscape. I looked into the distance, an ocean of garbage and the smell of rotting refuse overwhelmed my senses. My eyes began to water, the smell was too strong to ignore.
A garbage dump and the word “home” have never been synonymous to me. But the reality of what I have seen has proven my idea of the world wrong, once again. People live here. Little children call this place home. These were the thoughts passing through my mind.
I walked past a pile of cow carcasses, piled high in the middle of the road. There were little children playing all around it. I was angry about their situation and wanted to do whatever I could to help.
I was informed that we weren’t even in the garbage dump, we were still on the outside of it. We were in the “neighborhood”. And all the adults worked over the wall, collecting anything of value that they may find. This is not a hired job, this is work that families have been doing for generations just to survive.
We walked into a building that houses a children’s ministry each Saturday. It’s a 20×5 structure made entirely of thatch, tarp and garbage bags. Children filed in and we did a drama of David and Goliath. The kids lit up as we did our terrible, but best interpretation of the story.
I began to think, how can I help. In the moment, acting out a bible story just didn’t seem like enough.
Our purpose of ministry in Peru is building a children’s home. I was overjoyed to find out that the children who are orphaned in the garbage dump will be the ones living in the home. It is so comforting to know that even when you feel disabled from helping, God is still working toward His eternal plan. Even though I don’t know His plan, He has it all under control. All I can do is follow the Holy Spirit and do my very best where I am at.
