Soy and I have been privileged to be involved in Guatemala missions for the past several years as a couple.  However, this current trip is different for us because we are experiencing it with our two toddler girls.  Since becoming parents, we definitely have changed our perspective on some things, but it has never been truer than our experience at the El Tejar dump this past Tuesday.  We asked Lazaro and Glendy to take us mainly because we were curious about the dump, but not expecting to be completely humbled and speechless at the site.  As we approached the dump, the children digging through the trash immediately caught our attention.  It was impossible to look at the innocent faces of the children, ranging from ages four to twelve, and not have thoughts of Lizzi and Sydney flood our minds. Having to mentally and emotionally process the thought of a mother and father taking their children to dig through a dump in order to survive is still a bit too much for us to comprehend.  The four year old boy found a bottle of juice from the disgusting trash and began to drink it.  The twelve year old girl should be at school playing with her friends, receiving an education, and not having a care in the world, however, she is searching for bottles to be recycled in order to have an income for the family.  The family said they are able to make approximately Q100 per week for the recyclable objects ($13).  It is a means of survival for the family, not by choice but by necessity.

We drove away knowing that Jesus Christ loves those children as much as he loves our girls.   We  drove away with heavy hearts.  We drove away knowing that there must be something more that we can do.  We visited the dump again on Thursday with sandwiches, chips, cookies, and drinks.  It is not much, but we are praying that by meeting a physical need then we will begin to meet a spiritual need.  In broken Spanish, we tried to explain that we are here because Jesus loves them.  We are praying that somehow God can use us to show them that Jesus Christ loves them so much that He willingly became the Ultimate Sacrifice for their sin debt.  We are praying that God will use us to make an eternal difference in their lives!