Mission Peru

Fires burned. Garbage smelled. Flies buzzed. Smoke filled the air. Yet, we were greeted by faces filled with joy. Jesus lives there.

Tears were shed. Hearts were broken. Lives were changed.

Here are three accounts of the garbage dump experience from today:

2. Bananas and Garbage
by Mikhaila Dykstra
West London Alliance Church

Today we went to a market in Trujillo to buy fruit and to the garbage dump to hand it out to the people that live and work there.  I wasn’t really sure what to expect from today but I wanted to be changed by it.  I wanted God to break my heart for the things that break His.  I wasn’t disappointed. 

Driving around the city to go for dinner or to the day care you can see garbage everywhere.  Despite the amount of garbage that doesn’t make it to the dump there was mounds and mounds of garbage.  Standing still you look all around you and all you see for miles and miles is garbage and more garbage and smoke from the garbage being burned. 



Once I started walking around in it and climbing the piles of it I could see farther and I realized that the piles of broken glass, broken shoes, clothes, rotten food, dead animals, and unwanted dolls and other children’s toys continue for what seems like forever.  It just never ends. 



We started walking around to find people to give the fruit to but we had to turn around and back track a couple times.  The smoke from the fires is so bad you can’t see directly in front of you. 



We turned around and kept walking around and finding people digging through the garbage.  We would call out to them and they’d look up from the work they were doing.  We would trek through the piles of garbage to greet them and give them a banana.  These people were covered in dirt and garbage and yet it felt so wonderful to just give them a hug.  They would smile back at us (some with toothless smiles) and say thank you to us.  Some would say more but it was really hard to have a conversation with them because of the language barrier.  I’ve been learning the language for three years now and I still found it hard to communicate with them.  

As crazy as it is that there are people living like this, it breaks my heart that there were kids there.  In the small amount of time I was there I saw four children.  I think back to when I was their age and I didn’t really think about anything that wasn’t part of the world I lived in.  I was content to be with my family and friends, joyfully playing with my brand new toys. Then there are these kids.  They sit in and dig through the garbage all day.  The only toys they would have are the broken and unwanted ones they find in the piles of garbage.  I don’t even know how they got to where they are now.  Is this the only life they live? I had been holding back tears for the majority of the time that we were there but I just lost it as Christine handed one of the kids a new clean blanket.  This child didn’t know what she was saying and he just sat there as she handed it to him.  I don’t think he really understood what was happening but he took the blanket and hugged it close.  I don’t know what God has planned for him for the rest of his life will be like but I truly wonder if that blanket is the only new thing he will ever own.  

Another thing that really made me think about how I’m living my life at home was the bananas.  Such a simple thing made so many people so happy.  Then I think about how much we paid for them.  At home I hear people suggesting that we give up Tim Hortons or Starbucks but I question how far the little amount of money that I spend on my tea and donut will go.  I have now realized how much of a difference that will make.  At the market we were put into groups of 5 to go with translators to help us buy the fruit.  The five of us were given 20 sols (the currency in Peru) to buy as much fruit as we can in 10 minutes.  Most of that money went into buying bananas. We bought 100 bananas for 12 sols.   12 sols works out to be just under $4 (US).  That means 1 banana would cost under 4 cents.  That one banana has brightened someone’s day! It only took 4 cents to give someone that has absolutely nothing something that can make them smile.  I challenge you to think about how the next dollar you spend on something you really don’t need could buy 25 bananas for people in Peru.  I want this realization to change the rest of my life and I hope that I will never forget this feeling. 

I saw so much this morning and as much as I can try to explain it, I don’t think I can share the emotions I felt.  If you ever have the opportunity to do something like this I suggest you take that opportunity.  Go into it with an open mind and let it change the person that you are.

3. Joy, Love, and Heartbreak
by Christine Gaunt
West London Alliance Church

There have been so many wonderful experiences here in Peru and I am so thankful to have the opportunity to be here and serve the Lord! J I have had a lot of fun working on the construction site, especially knowing that one day kids will be living here. It’s so exciting to see all the progress we have made as a team, but today was a very different experience. We went to visit the garbage dump this morning as a whole team. That was a very emotional experience for me, and something I hope I will never forget.

Before visiting the garbage dump we all took a trip to the market to purchase some fruit to hand out to the people working and living in the dump. That was a lot of fun, but it was sad to think that this would be some of their only food for the day.  When we handed out the fruit, the men and woman were so grateful and all smiles. They were so happy. I feel that they blessed me more than we blessed them. They had next to nothing, and were digging for food and sellable items in the mounds of garbage, yet they were full of joy. It was absolutely wonderful to see the smiles on their faces when they received the fruit and was so encouraging to me. Giving them hugs and kisses when handing out the fruit was also something I will never forget. It felt so good to love these people with just our actions. It was beautiful!

There was so much garbage. Everywhere you looked there were piles and piles of garbage with a lot of smoke, as they were burning a lot of it. It was very depressing to actually see people living there and depending on others scraps. There were many dead animals lying around as well as some toys and old shoes. This made me realize that we have so much in Canada and we don’t really think twice about throwing things away.

Throughout the day, we were to stay in groups of five and I was with Lauren, Emmalyn, Nikki, and Leslie. As a group, we had the opportunity to pray with two Peruvians. The prayer was in English, but it meant so much to them that we took the time to pray for them. That gave me a fantastic feeling; one I can’t describe. It was wonderful to feel close to them and in a way, a part of their community even though we don’t know them personally. 

What I really wanted out of the trip to the garbage dump was for God to break my heart for what breaks His. On the 30-minute bus ride to the dump I prayed over and over and over again that God would use me for His glory and to break my heart. I wanted to experience a piece of what God sees everyday all around the world. I wanted to serve and be the hands and feet of Jesus. I am so thankful to say that God answered my prayer, as He broke my heart. I kept thinking that it wasn’t fair and the people didn’t deserve to live like that, but the joy that they had written all over their face showed otherwise. It seemed that they don’t think twice about their situation and are happy to be where they are. Joy like that only comes from the Lord. They had so little, yet they had so much! During this whole experience I realized that life is not about how much we have, but it’s all about living your life for Christ with a willing and positive attitude, and a lot of love <3.

I had the opportunity to give a blanket to a little boy at the dump that my neighbor had made for me to bless a child with. It was heartbreaking and wonderful to see the shock, surprise, and happiness on the boy’s face when I told him it was his. He didn’t fully understand me, but he took it and hugged it close. The blanket may be the only thing that he will ever own. After giving him the blanket my emotions were building up so I turned away and walking back to the bus I lost it. I don’t think I will ever fully understand why people have to live like that, but I do know that God is in control and He loves them with a never-ending love that we could never fully imagine.

I am so blessed to be a part of this team and I am so thankful to God for allowing me to come on this trip. We have a fantastic team and it has been so cool to see and feel God’s presence in the many different circumstances. God is absolutely amazing and my prayer is that He will continue to use me as His servant and will continue to work in and through me the rest of this week and for the rest of my life. I want to feel closer to God and that He will pull me closer and never let me go. I also pray that God will allow the feelings that I have here not just to stay here, but that they will come home with me and I can somehow be a better, new person. I can’t wait to see how God will continue to use this team!