The local Dump.

Nicaragua, specifically Mangua is known for their dumps. La Chureca is the local city dump that sits on lake front property of a beautiful lake. But due to poor care the floor of the lake is over half way covered in plastic bags. But this dump is home for anywhere from 1500-2000 people. You can google it and see pictures of people who spend their days fighting for first rights to pick through other people's trash for anything possibly salvageable including their food. It is very sad.

I don't take my trash to that dump but to one much closer and much smaller but the problems are the same. There are four boys that all but live there. Every time I drive up they are running to my truck barefoot and shirtless ready to pick through my trash. I always bring them whatever food I can get my hands on and unload my own trash to give them a break. I also try and spend a couple of minutes to just talk to them, to be someone who cares enough to know their name.

This last time, I made two runs on the way home the first time I was expressing to Julio how i wanted to share the Bible with them and help them on their walk of life. On my second trip i found a ratty old book in the dumb that was the new testament. I asked the boys if they knew what this was and then looked at me like i was crazy, it was a book duh. Then I realized these kids can't read, and they barely know how to write their own name. They are 9-13 years old and don't go to school and have no one that really forces them to do anything. I am trying to get these kids enrolled in school and teach them that without learning these things they will live at the dump the rest of their lives.

I made a deal with these kids. I would buy them a new pair of clothes, bookbag, shoes, and notebooks if they would go to school. I go to the dump every week and they would have to show me their homework to prove that they went to school. Pray that this will work for these kids and the Lord will show them somehow that they need to learn these things to survive in this world.