Ministerios Buena Vista: Work in the Dump

"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
- Matthew 25:40

Children living in squatter homes inside the city dump

One week is never enough time to spend working in and around the city dump in Guatemala. I am blessed to know that God has called our family to this place of extreme poverty to be his hands and feet, to be the Body of Christ, to share his love and to share the Good News of the Gospel of Christ.
This past week we were given the opportunity to take our own children into the dump to work and make home visits. On day one, Brayden and I went to look at a job site where a new home needed to be built for a family that lives inside the dump. The existing home had dirt floors, a tin roof that leaks when it rains (which is everyday this time of year), and siding made of tin, cardboard, tarps, and anything else you can image that the family could find in the dump to use. After looking at this site we went to other make-shift homes in the dump to make home visits. We took food bags into these homes and prayed with the families. 4 people came to know the Lord during these visits! Brayden did an awesome job being patient and loving to the families. He didn't stare or ask questions. At one time he almost tripped over a man sleeping on the ground, but didn't look back or ask any questions until after we had left. He made me, his father, very proud. I can't imagine how he made God, his heavenly Father, feel. Days 2-4 in the dump was hard. When I say "hard" I mean extremely hard. The team tore down two squatter homes and prepared the grounds for construction. Rock, sand, and cement had to be hauled in by hand with buckets and then mixed with shovels on the ground on site. Rats and large cockroaches are only one of the many everyday problems for the people that live in this area. Disease and sickness are found in about every home here.

Existing home removed and ground prepared for construction

The team was able to provide and construct homes for two families. The homes are basically very small pole barns made with wooden posts, tin siding, and a concrete floor. But these homes are much better than what these families were living in before and they were extremely happy and excited to get them. We were also able to make many more home visits in the dump community. We passed out Bibles, food bags, hygiene supplies, and blankets for kids that the Fairview Church children's ministry made. Many more people came to know Christ for the first time, and seeds were planted in others for God to water and harvest in time.