The van slowly rocked and rolled forward in four inches of liquid
mud as we got our first glimpses of the Filipino dump. Naked and caked
with mud, children walked barefoot in the flooded corridors of sewage,
playing with makeshift toys that had been abandoned by their previous
owners. All around us 5,000 families lived and
scavenged for metal and plastic scraps that they could sell.
We
continued to drive through the sludge when the van suddenly took a sharp
turn and we arrived at a building made of cinder blocks and flimsy tin
roofing. The permanent structure looked strangely out of place among
the make-shift homes surrounding it. As we pulled into the building in
the midst of this destitute the wide smiles and enthusiastic waves of
children welcomed us. This is where the Philippine Christian
Foundation built a school to give the children of this community a better opportunity.
continued to drive through the sludge when the van suddenly took a sharp
turn and we arrived at a building made of cinder blocks and flimsy tin
roofing. The permanent structure looked strangely out of place among
the make-shift homes surrounding it. As we pulled into the building in
the midst of this destitute the wide smiles and enthusiastic waves of
children welcomed us. This is where the Philippine Christian
Foundation built a school to give the children of this community a better opportunity.
The following days we spent helping the school with some organization.
Although they receive donations from various charities and other
non-profits, they have little idea of what they actually have. I, along
with three of my team members were asked to tackle the donation
closet. Now let me tell you about this storage
closet.When it rains, the whole school floods, including this room. The piles
of boxes almost reach the roof and the first couple layers have
suffered severe water damage. The first day we took inventory of the
boxes that were not too terribly damaged, but the second day, that’s
when when the fun really started.
We dawned our battle gear and faced colonies of cockroaches and
came face-to-face with two spiders, about four inches wide, laying
eggs. Your heart gets going when you pull out a box and that monster is
on the side of it. Day three we expected cockroaches, we expected some
more spiders, but did NOT expect the huge rat that crawled out from a
pile of rotting cardboard, nor the three that followed later in the day
and their 11 rat babies barely a few days old. The epitome came when we
lifted the pallets that kept the boxes out of rising water and played
“wack-a-roach” as they scattered for freedom. I am glad to say that job
is done!
came face-to-face with two spiders, about four inches wide, laying
eggs. Your heart gets going when you pull out a box and that monster is
on the side of it. Day three we expected cockroaches, we expected some
more spiders, but did NOT expect the huge rat that crawled out from a
pile of rotting cardboard, nor the three that followed later in the day
and their 11 rat babies barely a few days old. The epitome came when we
lifted the pallets that kept the boxes out of rising water and played
“wack-a-roach” as they scattered for freedom. I am glad to say that job
is done!
Afterbeing here a week I am amazed at how my heart has been transformed by
this place. In preparing for my trip I heard stories of the dump; I had
seen pictures, but none of that
can ever prepare anyone for what life is really like here. Even though
the families living here have no electricity or running water, they
seem to lack very little. As we played with lice-infested children and trudged through the mud in our over-sized goulashes we saw
families who have close to nothing, yet are so rich in love for each
other. Even at the school, surrounded by cockroaches, the children are
so grateful for their sponsors and an opportunity to learn. There is a
spirit of contentment that is unlike any in Western, commercialized
society. I see God all around. I saw His Love and His Grace. He is
blessing these families and children, and we can truly learn much about
His peace and joy here.
When we asked God to take us to the hard places, we had in mind the
places that no one else wanted to go, but what makes the dump hard
isn’t the smell or the mud and the gunk. It’s how it challenges your
obedience and humility. His Love is the same everywhere and it isn’t in
the stuff of life or comforts of home, it is in His people, sharing in
his Love.
places that no one else wanted to go, but what makes the dump hard
isn’t the smell or the mud and the gunk. It’s how it challenges your
obedience and humility. His Love is the same everywhere and it isn’t in
the stuff of life or comforts of home, it is in His people, sharing in
his Love.
