I don’t like the dump! It smells and is full of garbage and objects that no one wants. Yet, last week as I traveled with the Healing Waters Transformation Team to the community of Landivar, located in the dump of Guatemala City, Guatemala, I found treasure.I can’t imagine what it must feel like to call a garbage dump home. Vultures fly high above in search of a meal. The repugnant odor of garbage fills the air. Makeshift homes of metal and scraps form communities of people who hope to make a day’s wage by sifting through the trash in search of recyclables or other items of value that may be sold. In these dilapidated shacks there are no bathrooms, no running water, and certainly no drinking water.
Healing Waters International, or Agua de Unidad, has teamed up with Cristo es el Camino Church in order to meet one of the most basic human needs—safe drinking water. Healing Waters International opened a water purification system at the church in April 2006. Pastor Saul Perez leads the congregation of about 150 people to care for the people of the dump. One way of loving these people in Jesus’ name is through providing clean water.The church building is located about ten blocks away from Landivar, the community adjacent to the dump. This is quite a distance to carry a 40 pound, 5 gallon water jug. In response to this, Cristo es el Camino purchased land in the heart of Landivar and built a water deposit for the church water system. As part of the Healing Waters Transformation Team, I was able to participate in preparing the site for its inauguration, which occurred on July 30, 2010. We worked alongside members of the church mixing concrete, painting, and building shelves for the water jugs.
The most meaningful time of the trip for me came when Pastor Saul brought us to the home of his friend Mariel. She resides on the edge of the landfill. After a short walk through the shacks, we reached Mariel’s home. She invited us in and told us of her life. She and her husband live together with their seven year-old daughter, Dulce. Life is very difficult. Both she and her husband have struggled with addiction and are in constant fear of the violence that permeates the area. She told us of her daughter being threatened by men wielding baseball bats as weapons, attempting to force her into their car. That incident occurred the week before we came.She expressed gratitude for the work of the church, for the water system and for us being there. We prayed together for God’s protection over her, her family and her community. During the prayer I was overcome with the amazing feeling of how much God loves Mariel and her family. He does not see a woman who lives in garbage but rather his beautiful daughter whom he loves.
My heart was also broken. No one should live like this. No one should have to live in a garbage dump.
I’m grateful for our time in Landivar. I’m grateful for Healing Waters International and for Saul Perez and the Church. I’m hopeful for the community of Landivar, as Saul Perez and Cirsto es el Camino Church plan to expand the water deposit to include a training center for women to learn how to sew, a shower facility, and eventually a school for the children. As a result of their work and obedience to God, I’m certain that some will no longer need to call the dump home. Yet as I reflect on the entire experience, I am most grateful that God, for just a moment, allowed me to see and feel a glimpse of the love he has for Mariel and the people of Landivar as they truly are--treasure in the dump.~Steve Annest, member of LMCC church body
...for more about Healing Waters International, click here.
THANK YOU!
