Life is a series of moments. Impactfull, breathtaking, life-changing, heart shattering, stop
you in your tracks moments. Some will
pass you by without a notice or mention, but all of them, whether trivial or
transforming, are the sum total of what makes up your unique life. Not all moments on the race are life
changing and glamorous; painting a wall, picking up trash, getting peed on by
an orphan, riding for hours for a bus, packing and unpacking over and over and
over again. But somewhere nestled
in between all the hours that are seemingly insignificant and mundane are moments
that open your eyes, mere seconds that plant themselves deep in your heart and
change the way you choose to live your life for the rest of your life.
In Guatemala, I lived a series of moments that have changed
me forever. All over the world
there are entire communities of people that live in the dump. The very place we take our trash is
where children, mothers, brothers, grandparents and friends sleep, eat, play,
and call home. These communities
make their living through scavenging through the things people have thrown away
and find items of value, things they can recycle, sell, or even eat. Two of our teams in Puerto Barrios had
the opportunity to work with a local pastor who has an ongoing ministry and
outreach program to aid one such community.
The overpowering stench of burning trash stung my nose as I
got out of the van. The sight was
overwhelming; trash, shacks, people, pigs, vultures, and children as far as the
eye could see. Smoke was rising
from various places on the horizon, burning what was useless to make more room
for the things other people would throw out. There was a dirt perimeter that encircled the main portion
of the dump. As I walked this
outlying road, praying and inviting people to the front entrance where we would
be putting on a program for the children and handing out clothes, I was taken
back that this staggering poverty was not producing the usual emotional gut
check reaction. Had I become calloused
and used to seeing such levels of poverty over and over again all over the
world? I prayed, “Oh God, don’t let my heart be hard. I know this isn’t ok.
Break my heart for your children.�
Photo Credit: D Squad member, Robin Brooks www.seerobinfly.com
That is when I saw them and when I heard that still small
voice whisper to my heart. Off in
the distance was a family in the middle of the dump resting in the shade of a
truck, smoke from rising all around them.
I heard the Lord say so clearly, “Go to them. If you don’t tell them, who will?� Wait, what? You
want me to walk through all that trash, burning ruble, and rotting waste to
talk to them. Hesitant, I looked
around and knew it would have to be me.
Then I felt God nudging me foreword saying, “What did you come here for
anyway? If you always walk the
perimeter and never get dirty you will never reach those I am calling you
to.� So I took a deep breath and
walked right into the center of the dump.
As I walked up the family looked at me like I was crazy, but I smiled
and introduced myself. In my best
Spanish, I began to enter in with them.
Soon a translator from our group saw me from a distance and came to my
aid. We were talking, laughing,
and getting to know one another when the entire mood shifted.
A truck pulled up and a man got out of his car throwing
about 5 bags of trash on the ground.
Before he could start his car and drive away, everyone stopped
mid-sentence and sprinted toward the newly discarded bags. The children tore them open with vigor
and began sorting through them to find anything of value. Clearly our conversation was over. They all had agreed to come to the
program we were putting on so I knew I would see all of my new friends in about
15 minutes, but my heart was unsettled.
I began to walk away, jarred by the tenacity at which these beautiful
children ran after the garbage. It
was their very survival. That is
when the Lord prompted me to turn around and take in the life that was going on
around me. I didn’t want to. Everything inside me wanted to pretend
that this was not the reality for this community, but slowly I turned as I heard
the Lord say clearly, “GO HELP THEM.� Wait, WHAT?!?
“You heard me, go ask them if they need help� As a thousand excuses and
reasons why I didn’t need to flooded my brain, like I can’t speak Spanish or I
don’t think I brought hand sanitizer (first world problems, I know) my heart
knew that I would not be at peace until I went.
With much uncertainty, I walked up to a young man and in
broken Spanish I asked what he was looking for. He told me plastic bottles get the most money. Then I forced the words “do you need
any help� from my lips. A radiant
smile spread across his face as he said yes. We tried our best to communicate with one another but
neither one of our language skills were up to par. I found out he had lived in the dump his whole life, never
going to school. He hoped one day
he could get a real job and start a family. With each bottle I found and put in his bag the nervousness
went away and joy filled my heart.
He didn’t need my help to find the bottles, but he did need someone to
see him, listen, and treat him like a valued son of the most High King. He needed someone too recognize his
humanity
*Squadmate, Jill Schulenberg, happened to capture this moment.
God opened my eyes that day. He showed me that if I wasn’t
willing to dive in, and get dirty,
then I had no business being there in the first place. I would have missed out on experiencing
the fullness of His kingdom and would have passed up an opportunity to extend
His love and grace. It wasn’t
about me, or my lame and very small comfort zone, but it was about loving
people exactly where they are, even if it was in the middle of a dirty
dump. I realized that is precisely
what God is calling me to in my life, to meet people exactly where they are at,
in the middle of their mess, love them well, get dirty, and find the treasures
and pieces of value that other people over look and throw away. I can no longer be intimidated and walk
the perimeter hoping people will magically come to me. It’s time to jump in,
be bold, and get a little dirty.
This was just the beginning of an incredible day. You will have to read part 2 to find
out what happens next!
