One of the ways you know where you stand in society here in Guatemala is by what your background is, and by that I mean whether or not you are indigenous/ Mayan or by being catholic. However, there is a group that doesn’t really fit into any of the boxes here in Guatemala. They really are the forgotten people of this land.
The people that I am talking about live about an hour away from where I am currently living here in Guatemala in a town called Escuintla. However, they don’t really live in the town, they live just outside of it in the landfill. Yes, you read that right; there are people that live in the landfill. While to Americans that may seem impossible and not allowed, but here it is.
The people that live there are not of Mayan of decent and the Catholic Church doesn’t recognize them or reach out to them. In fact, most of these people don’t really even know who God or Jesus is when you talk about Him. Also the majority of these people can’t read or write so they couldn’t even read a bible if you handed it to them.
Team Sonflower and Team Branches of Peace have gotten the opportunity to partner with an organization called BuidlinGUATE twice within the past two weeks. This organization goes out to these people three times a week and teaches them about Jesus, helps in the schools, feeds the people at least once a week, have breakfasts in the schools for the kids, provide housing for some the families on their property. Our teams got the chance to help with one of their construction projects, and also to go back and help with a soup kitchen that reached out to the entire community around the landfill.
As we were there I saw kids whose mom’s were working in the landfill so they sat outside and played in a ditch, while trash and tires were burnt inside the landfill. As the soup was ready to eat the children lined up to get bowls for themselves to eat and then fill up containers for them to take home to their families.
Amidst all the bad stuff that I saw there, I saw children that were genuinely happy, and people that were there to love on them and tell them about a God that loves them so dearly that He sent His Son to die on the cross for them. I saw people to dedicated to this cause that they put down their lives so that they could reach out to the people that needed them the most. Today, I went to the land of hope, where I indeed did find hope in the most genuine of forms.
If you are interested in helping out BuildinGUATE with their many projects that they have going on in the community here is the link to do that http://www.buildinguate.com/how-to-donate.html. At this link you can see the projects that they have going on and a way to sponsor a project if you feel called to do that.
