I expected the smell. It was the constant assault of flies, the cows, and the hundreds of hovering vultures that took me by surprise. On Tuesday, we visited a dump to serve a meal and pray for those who wanted it. About 2,000 families live in and around the dump, making a living off of the garbage that comes in on trucks throughout the day. I expected chaos, but, what I saw instead was a community with their own protocols, private jokes, and way of life.
Until a few years ago, children sorted the trash with their parents, but a local pastor started a school for the kids. The parents refused to send their children, wary of the $1 a day per child that they would “lose” by giving their children the opportunity to attend school. So, the pastor started a sponsorship program, and families are paid $1 per day per child to send their kids to school.
It's hard to imagine living where we only spent a few hours. Once we were in fresher air, we realized that we still had the stench of the dump lingering on our clothes. But all we had to do was change and shower. The sometimes squishy ground beneath our feet was only a memory. It is beyond me to understand that what was just a passing unpleasantness for us is everyday life for thousands of people.
My closing thoughts about the dump? The people at the dump make their living by searching through garbage looking for things that are valuable. The “valuable” things they find aren't worth much, but it's enough to get by. Sometimes, I live my life like that. I spend my day distracted by “valuable” things that aren't actually worth anything. It's enough to get by, but it's not the abundant life that Jesus promised. To find that, I have to lift my eyes to heaven and search for the real and lasting treasures that are hidden in Christ. Anything else is trash.
This week there were no fights at IHNFA. (See previous blog.) Thanks for praying. =)
