The last couple of days have been surreal for me. Two days ago we got a tour of the places we will be serving this month—the Tondo Dumpsite and Navotas Cemetery. First we visited the dumpsite—people lined up, waving at us as if we were celebrities. Barefoot children run up to us, begging us to take a picture with them.
After touring the church, we walked through human feces and garbage to the section where they burn the garbage. The burning allows them to make money on the charcoal.
While the smell of the dump was overwhelming, the smell from the burning was so intense, it quickly became hard to breath.
While after only minutes I felt as if I was going to suffocate from the smoke, it didn’t seem to bother the kids. They ran and played on stacks of garbage as if their smoke filled lungs didn’t hold them back.
Boy playing amongst the smoke
Burning garbage 24/7
Young boy watching the garbage burn
While the dumpsite was intense, I was not prepared for what I saw at the cemetery. When I picture a cemetery I think of manicured lawns with graves placed with love by grieving families.
Driving in, the road is lined with carelessly stacked coffins over 5 stories high. As far as the eye can see boxes are stacked, filled with the bodies of people who once had a story.
Stacked coffins
To us cemetery’s are not a place to play, a place you don’t want to be at night.
But, in Novatos the graves have many uses—boys play on top of them, jumping from one to the other.
Women gossip down a quiet ally, resting against a tomb for support.
Families use them as their homes foundation, providing an even surface to build.
May was born only 6 days before me..
It was dusk and our host took us on a tour through the cemetery town.
It felt as if I was cave diving, walking deep into the darkness of coffins. Carefully balancing on wooden planks, the ocean crashing below us, garbage floating amongst the waves.
It was easily the craziest thing I had ever seen, done or heard of in my entire life. At one point we were standing on a plank over the ocean in a maze of makeshift homes made out of coffins. A mixture of fear, amazement and sorrow washing over me.
Grasping Wendy’s hand as we walk on wooden planks through the town
We arrived at a makeshift church also providing a home and school to have a short bible study with 20 of the kids that live in the cemetery. We sang and worshiped. I quickly forgot my surroundings as I watched the kids sing praise to God. Despite their circumstances, God reigned and He was enough. It was the most beautiful praise I had ever heard. The pastors son told us how he found out he had cancer in his leg and the doctors amputated both his legs but his family couldn’t afford the chemo so he stopped going into the doctor. We only months to live, his entire family prayed. He has been alive and well for 7 years now. His spirit of hope and thanksgiving is so amazing.
Pastors family
What an emotional yet encouraging couple of days it has been–It will never cease to amaze me how joyful and content people can be when they have so little. Praise be to God who brings joy and love to the ends of this earth!
he poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
