As part of our Engage Mylife Nicaragua team entered into the dump to minister to the people a few weeks ago, I found one of my little friends asleep under some cardboard. I lifted up the cardboard to awaken him and see if he wanted to play. Anthony and I have played several times together and his smile is infectious when he's happy and can forget about his sadness and hunger. The joy in sharing the love and hope of Christ with him and all the other children in the dump breathes life through me. However, this time was different. . . very diferent. When I lifted the cardboard I saw a large open wound on his head. I woke him from his sleep and came to realize he had fallen and injured his head 3 days earlier falling from the back of of a garbage truck. There he laid for 3 days. Why?? I asked myself. . . Why???
Day in and day out we live here amongst the people, but that does not make it any easier to process the extreme poverty, constant devistation and tragedy that the people we know and call by name have to face on a daily basis.
I picked my little buddy up and cleaned his wounds then went in search of his mother with some of our ENGAGE girls. When we arrived at their shack we found an 11 year old girl who is the oldest of 7 kids. I asked where her mom was and she said she has been gone for 3 days and never came back. I proceed to ask why no one went searching for her little brother who had been hurt in the dump. Then that moment I'll never forget happened.... she was silent. She looked at me, then looked at the 6 month old in her arms, then looked down at the 18 month old clinging to her leg while the 3 year old was crying at her feet. She was speachless and so was I. She just simply couldn't do it. 6 siblings to care for and only a few grains of rice in a bag. Why?
It can be easy to get caught up in thinking about the problem and looking for answers instead of focusing on the solution. There is one answer. There is one solution and it is JESUS! He is enough for me and He is enough for the hungry, the hopeless, the weary and the broken.
Give thanks to God for the life He has given you! May you use the life He has granted you with to share His love and hope with those in need all around you.
Thank you to each of you who were part of this day with us. May you never be the same and may Antony's little life change and shape the way in which you pasionately pursue Christ and share His hope with those in need. Always remembering that Jesus is the answer.
