I had heard Seth talk about the dump as a place that was good for everyone to go to now and then, to humble you and was over all just good for the soul to experience every now and again. There is a group that goes their every Tuesday, and i go every other week with them. I grew up going to the dump every now and then with my dad back at home. I had a general idea of what dumps where like, but what i experienced was something i was not ready for. About a dozen of us piled up in a truck with a table, some food, tang, water, and soap. We took a fifteen minute ride ending with a long dirt road with trash along the sides. We pulled up (where looking out the back so we couldnt see what was in front of us), then made a U-turn and were greeted with a sight that made your heart fall to the floor.
The once beautiful volcano was a little less majestic.
We set up the table and the food and got ready for the people to come.
Osirus tuned his guitar, and we began to wonder where everyone was.
Then we saw them, sorting through the trash that the truck brought in, collecting bottles, or any other recyclables they could find. The dump, perpetually burning to control the size, was filled with smoke, blown towards us by the wind.
When there where no more trucks for the workers to compete over, they slowly began to come up to us. We joined hands and prayed, then sang a few worship songs. They then formed a line to wash there hands (5 gallons of water and a thing of soap for about 40 people), and then get some food and tang. Some of us served the food, some of us sat and talked with them, there where young kids, older women, middle aged men, families, and even dogs. You could feel their hopelessness. After about 10 minutes, we began collecting plates, cups and forks from the people who where finished.
Then one by one, they began to return to the dump, searching through the trash among the buzzards and smoke for whatever they could find to get food that night for them and their family. I dont know how you could advance from this lifestyle, and thats where the hopelessness comes in. There are no jobs here for the people (over 50% unemployment), so people will do whatever they can to get food. Most of the time kids need to come as well to help support their families, so they cant go to school. With no education, the kids have nothing else to do but work in the dump for the next 40 years, breathing in smoke with all kinds of toxins all day, until they die. With no real choice in the matter, its back to work for the mothers, fathers and children, as we load up for the ride home. It was a lot quieter of a ride.
Please keep these people in your prayers, as well as all others in true poverty.
This is really sad. This just screams for some type of business. We spend so much money trying to be green or environment friendly or solving global warning. It would be so nice to invest some money recyclying stuff here that would not only assist in cleaning this place up, but provide jobs and hope.
I know that is a simplistic idea, but this really is a simplistic problem – people need hope. Of course, i guess that is the biggest problem – hope requires Christ. BUT WAIT – I have heard that someone is down there preaching the Gospel and helping out! Could it be hope is coming? Could it be possible that change is coming? Jesus has done far more miraculous things!
Thanks Tom – for your obedience and heart to serve.