and his ministry impressive. We had an opportunity to meet and talk with his boys and tour their carpentry workshop. Keely and Val particularly enjoyed meeting George and his boys seeing first hand from whence the boxes they received in eighth grade had been made, and more importantly, by whom.
From the workshop we moved on to the public cemetery that overlooks the Guatemala City garbage dump. I know it may seem strange to visit a cemetery but it provides the perfect vantage point to look out into the sea of humanity and trash that is the primary source of income for individuals and families in this part of the city. (Actually, the cemetery is another experience unto itself. Some of what is dumped comes from the cemetery. Yes, it is what you can't bear to imagine.)
The growth of the shanty towns around the dump can be traced back to the 20 year Guatemalan civil war which ended in 1986. There are many spillover effects of that war but one was that rural farmers and artisans were driven out of their ancestral homes in the country and from the mountains into the city. Most were Mayan, and many did not speak English as Spanish is only one of the 23 languages spoken in Guatemala. The only work available to them was picking through the garbage for recyclable materials. And the only place to live was to squat on on a previously filled dump next to the existing one. It was this location where Groundwork Guatemala and a previous ministry originally reached out. And it is the home of most of the Guatemalan missionaries with whom we work and from whom we learn. I think the photos say it all. The smell is staggering, particularly in the rainy season as it is now; the visual is of vultures, men, women, and children, as well as garbage trucks, all competing for the same rewards. Keep in mind, all bathroom paper is placed in the trash rather than flushed because the infrastructure in Guatemala is not up to that challenge. Now picture that in this sea of "stuff." It is quite the reality check.
After a lunch of rice, beans, and tortillas, we headed out for home visits in two of the shanty areas outside the dump, La Libertad and Sandra Colom, where most have family members working in the dump. We spit into two groups, accompanied by Guatemalan missionaries, so I can only speak first hand about half of those visits. I do have photos from both groups, and although each visit is special and unique, there are common threads that tend to run through most visits. First, the homes are humble. They tend to have dirt floors, communal beds, bootleg electricity or none at all, plywood or corrugated metal sides and tops; they tend to be hooked to the house next door and narrow muddy paths connect them in maze-like configurations...and they are filled with women and unwashed children. Most of these homes have no men or if they do, they are alcoholics or drug addicts. I will explain more about one of the reasons for that tomorrow, but for now, struggle is everywhere. We all face illness, death, relationship issues, employment challenges, but this is that on steroids. Extreme poverty is unhealthy, it's dangerous, and filled with threats most Americans can't even imagine. This is where we were today. And still, we met kind, thoughtful, gracious women struggling to do the best they could to enable their children to survive one more day...and they tend to be doing it with great faith. We treasured our time with them and were blessed to hear about their lives. We are better for knowing them.
I hope the photos help put a face on our day's experiences. They don't even begin to capture it.
Blessings,
Sarah, Erin, Keely, Jim, Bruce, Gloria, Emma, Ben, Kelsey, Val, Sam, and Sally
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