Great experiences, memories, laughter, tears, blessings…. this has summed up my month here in Honduras. However, today was by far the most emotional day yet. All morning we prepared Honduran style spaghetti, and around 10 AM our squad took a bus out to the city dump (located on top of one of the many mountains in this country) to feed the poor.
I have no idea what I was expecting to see- but as soon as we started going up that mountain- I felt emotions I have NEVER felt before. I had goose bumps all over my body… and I just knew that God was going to show His love strong in the little time we would be there. One of the first things I noticed were the large black birds, soaring in circles over the mountaintop. As we finally made our way to the top- there was nothing but trash. You couldn’t even see the ground because of the inch or two of debris covering it for miles and miles. There were tons of dogs and even cattle in the mix of people- all trying to get their hands on whatever scrapes of food could be found. We were told about 2,000 people live in the dump. There were so many faces- old, young, girl, boy, tired and worn, etc. but ironically-I don’t remember seeing any hint of sadness or tears. Almost every face had a huge smile on it when we pulled up.
We all slowly made our way off the bus- and I quickly asked the Lord to be with me as I approached these people. Only 7 people from our squad were needed to hand out the food from the truck- so the rest of us were advised to stay in small groups as we walked around the area to minster and spend time with the people.
A couple girls and I started to walk around. The smell was horrible, but we put on our happy face and pushed through. All the little children kept coming up to us asking for our shoes. If they were lucky- they had an actual pair of shoes, more or less shoes that actually fit their feet. It was one of the saddest things I’ve ever experienced first hand.
As we made our way through the debris- there was an older lady with a little girl (who looked about 10 years old) that immediately caught my attention. As we approached them- I gave the older lady a hug and asked her if this was her granddaughter. She said yes. They were working together to collect bottles and cans to turn in for money. Being that our Spanish is still extremely limited, we simply started helping them collect the items. We exchanged smiles and with no words at all- connected in a way that I have no way of explaining. Actions really do speak louder than words sometimes. After helping them for a little bit- we walked them over to the food truck so they could enjoy some spaghetti and fresh water. As we were walking- the little girl kept hugging on me and holding my hand. Her name was Destiny and I can still see her beautiful face looking up at me with a smile that melted my heart.
The Little Girl- Destiny. Her grandmother didn't want to be in the picture.
We also came across a pregnant 23-year-old girl, who had a face that looked like she was 40. She was speaking with my squad mate Daniel, who is fluent in Spanish. She explained that she was due to delivery the baby next week and she was trying to collect baby clothes. So, I started helping her search through the rubbish to find little boy baby clothes. Right before we had to get back on the bus to head home, he ended up praying over her for a healthy and safe delivery. She was so happy and full of joy.
As we pulled away from the city dump- I burst into tears. I had asked the Lord to show himself strong in our time there, and boy did He show up!! I can honestly say- he broke my heart for what broke his today. I vividly started imaging my own family’s faces and what it would be like for us to be in their situation for even just one day. I saw both of my grandmother’s faces walking with me through the dump- searching for cans and bottles to raise enough money for a possible meal at the end of the day. Then I reflected on how my life is- and how incredibly blessed I am. It pierced my heart in ways that I can’t explain- but all I know is that the tears kept flowing for a good hour the whole way home. I felt emotions I have never felt before.
I started thinking about how selfish I am and have been in the past. Remembering times when I HAD to have this or that- or get something THIS WAY OR THAT WAY…. I started to think about how upset I’ve gotten when things didn’t go my way. These things don’t even BEGIN to compare to their every day reality, and despite it all- they were so happy and full of joy to be with one another.
We started sharing stories on the bus ride home, and one of my squad leaders told me about an experience she had with some teenage girls. They were acting like typical teenagers- dancing around and laughing with each other. A squad mate asked if she could pray for the girls; but before she knew it, one of the teenage girls started praying for THEM instead. I couldn’t help but start to cry with her. With all the blessings in life, I have nowhere near the faith that these teenage girls have living in the city dump. Our squad was there to bless them- and they ended up blessing in more ways than I count on my hands and feet. It really starts to put things into perspective….
After we got back to Zion’s Gate, all I wanted to do was call up each and every one of my family members and tell them how much I REALLY LOVED THEM AND APPRECIATED ALL THAT THEY DO. However, with no internet- this was impossible, so I simply prayed. I prayed that God would touch them in a special way wherever they were in that moment….
I am continuing to learn so much every day in Honduras, and as this first month comes to an end- I’ll be sad to leave. Tegucigalpa will always have a VERY SPECIAL place in my heart… but I’m also excited to move on to the next country and continue to see God do his THING!!!
I LOVE YOU MOM, DAD, TIMMY, AMIE, SARAH, and MATTHEW!! I can’t wait to hug each of you when I get home- in 10 short months 😉
~Pamela~
