I did not come here just to do nice things for others. I am not here just to feel bad for people in need. I did not come here to just have fun or feel good about myself. As hard as it’s been at times here–not everything is exactly as they were supposed to–I know that God is here. I am not here to do X amount of ministry so that my supporters feel their monies are being well-spent.
What Breaks Your Heart?
It breaks my heart to see stray dogs starving to death, dogs that follow tourists around hoping for any food. It breaks my heart to say ‘no gracias” to childeren no older than 8 when they come around with things to sell. It breaks my heart to see elderly women, nearing death beds, on the streets, begging for money.
The following is from New Life & Peace Ministries church in Antigua, Guatemala, where my team Hot Mess and 180 attended last Sunday.
Guatemala is the land of the eternal spring, with breath-taking scenery and jam-packed with intriguing tourist sites; but few know the real Guatemala–its face of poverty and sorrow.
Civil War and hardship have taken their toll on Guatemala, resulting in a thrid-world country, with high death rates and limited medical aid for the poor. Even with ten years of peace, it is far from peaceful; it is a land where the rich thruly live, leaving the poor hopeless and depressed. The Government is only now starting to get back on its feet, from the years of corruption that have deeply penetrated government offices.
There are countless amounts of abandoned children; some who are fortunate enoughh to make it to an orphange, yet many remain, left to scratch out a survival on the streets. Alcoholism is a large problem in Guatemala, and remains the primay reason for child abandonment. There are many hopeless cases, where the parents give their children to orphanages, not being able to feed them or take care of them.
The rural mountain children who are privileged enough to have parents are not much better off. Their families are poor, often cruel and violent and force the children to start working at a very young age in order to survive. The high infant mortality rates causes parents to have more children in hope a few will survive to help them support themselves. Many of the children that do live to a decent age are burdened with these sorrows, keeping them from breaking free from their property.
