I was hungry and you fed me; thirsty and you gave me a drink…

 by goservetolead

“Very hot, very dirty, very smokey, very dangerous. Everything here is in the extreme! Very hard existence… very sad… We gave water and raisins and bag lunches, knowing it was not enough, but very much needed and there were many thanks. This is everyday folks, EVERYDAY!” DR Team member- Charlie Burns

 Charlie said it well when he described our experience ministering to the desperately poor in the garbage dump in Sousa, DR. Our team made the hour long trek into the garbage dump to take water and food to the workers. We traveled the path walked daily by men, women and children alike, who hike in and out of the dump scraping out a living among the dangerous, smoking refuse.

It is a heart breaking experience and one that haunts the minds and hearts of those who minister in these extreme situations. For the children of the dump, life is spent collecting metal, glass, plastic and anything they can sell to eat for another day. Many of them long for the day that they can dress in a school uniform, sit in a classroom and dream of a better future.

My heart breaks for the parents, who want a better life for their children. Who want to see them reading and writing in a classroom rather than walking through mounds of burning debris and hypodermic needles. But in this place, everyone must work so everyone can live.

One of our Asheville High school seniors said, “The most impactful and pivotal moment for me was the dump. As I walked among the people, within the smoke, within the swarms of flies, my mind swirled with emotions of sadness, anger, and helplessness thinking of how unfixable that dump seemed and how I wanted to help them to a much greater extent… as I handed out hygiene kits and bagged lunches I began to understand that what I was doing was help enough in that moment. The fact that I was there in person and that I cared deeply was help.” Chris was helping and continues to want to do more. His experience has motivated him to action and he is beginning an effort at UNCA, starting a club focused on educating college students about global challenges and mobilizing them to participate in medical relief work with Heart of the Cross.

In a world where over one billion people live on less than $1.25 a day we must ask ourselves, what do we live on? What do we need and what can we give to benefit another? We must search our hearts and make choices that reflect the love of Christ in a broken world.

Join us as we explore ways to help the children of the Sousa dump grow and thrive and live in the fullness of life that God has planned for them.

in Mission Trips Abroad