Week 2 in Peru consisted of 2 days of working at the dump and then a few days “off” spent throwing up:( while my team continued to minister in the dump. (not to worry, all is well now and I’m feeling TOTALLY back to normal, praise the Lord! I also got some much needed rest due to my sickness)
Even just spending 2 days at the dump rocked my world… Basically all the garbage from a huge coastal area of Peru comes to this dump (about a 40 min ride from our compound), and on the outskirts of the dump is a community that lives and works at the dump.
The first day of ministry we went into the actual garbage dump where people work to find plastic and metal that they can sell. Typically after a long hard day of working in the heat and stench of the dump these people collect enough materials to make about 5 soles per day, which is equivalent to $2 USD. There is no running water or electricity in the dump or surrounding community. The families live in what I could graciously call “shacks” right alongside the overwhelming smell of the garbage.
In the morning as we approached the dump I asked the Lord for my eyes to be open to what He wanted to teach me…the words that came over my heart were “redefining abundance.”
As we prayed for the Spirit to lead us to the right people to minister to and bring food to, the Lord started to speak to me about what true abundance is. I will admit that one of the hardest parts about leaving for the World Race was deciding what to pack. It was hard for me to narrow down what clothes and shoes and gear I should choose to pack into a “small” 70 liter pack to carry with me around the world.
“This is a sacrifice for the Lord,” I would think to myself, “I can give up my American abundance for a year.” And even since I’ve left I’ve found myself thinking about all the things I miss from home that I wish I had.
I realized last week, after seeing the conditions these people were living in, that I have a skewed vision of what abundance looks like. The Lord began to speak to me about true abundance in Him and that even though 70 liters of stuff is sadly a very small portion of my “abundant life” back home, TRUE ABUNDANCE can only be found in Him.
Our second day at the dump, we ministered to the community outside the dump where families have lived and worked for generations. We ran a children’s program in the morning alongside some construction projects and then played sports and hung out with the teenagers in the community in the afternoon.
I met a beautiful 17 year old girl who had already been working at the dump for 7 years of her life. It was so wonderful and beautiful to get to play soccer and volleyball with her and watch her laugh and have such joy despite her life-circumstances. I was saddened thinking about how so much of their childhood was taken from them due to their environment, but it was amazing to see the hope and joy in their eyes despite their surroundings.
Stephanie, our Peruvian contact in the dump, asked us to pray for the Lord to give us a word or vision for the community during the time we were there. I was glad the Lord gave me a word the second day because unbeknownst to me, that would be my last day there! (due to getting sick)
The verses the Lord gave me for the community were in Isaiah 61:
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of joy
instead of mourning,and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the Lord
for the display of his splendor.
4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins
and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities
that have been devastated for generations…
7 Instead of your shame
you will receive a double portion,
and instead of disgrace
you will rejoice in your inheritance.
And so you will inherit a double portion in your land,
and everlasting joy will be yours.
8 ‘For I, the Lord, love justice;
I hate robbery and wrongdoing.
In my faithfulness I will reward my people
and make an everlasting covenant with them.
9 Their descendants will be known among the nations
and their offspring among the peoples.
All who see them will acknowledge
that they are a people the Lord has blessed.’”
I believe the Lord’s favor and abundance is over this community and that the words of Isaiah will be true for them and their offspring. Although their earthly inheritance is close to nothing, they can rejoice in their beautiful and ABUNDANT inheritance in Christ.
The Lord also put the song “Beautiful Things” by Gungor on repeat in my head as I served in the dump. I smiled as I sang the lyrics over that place. The Lord has abundance for the people of the garbage dump. He is creating beauty from the dust and ashes.
The main lines are, “You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of the dust. You make beautiful things, you make beautiful things out of us…You make me new, you are making me new.”
If you haven’t heard the song, you should listen to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ4yNYY1hHM
Next week we will be doing ministry half the week at a daycare and half the week doing ministry in various parks in the community, putting on programs and just loving on the kids. On the 26th we will be heading to Lima, Peru for “Debrief” where we will meet up with our squad coaches and review the past 2 months and have a time of worship and rest together as a squad.
Please be in prayer for our last week of ministry in Peru and that we would be able to have open eyes to all the Lord has to teach us in this week!! Love you all and SO thankful for your love, prayers and support!! 🙂
