At the moment, the Spanish Government (don't ask me why they are in Nica... I have no clue :P) is attempting to "cover up" La Chureca (Managua's city dump hundreds of people call home). Today, the landfill looks nothing like it did even a year ago. What used to be a mountain range of trash is now mostly covered up. They pick different spots to dump the city's garbage, and once that spot has had enough, they cover it up and move to another spot.
Keep in mind that the people who live in La Chureca work on the landfill and make money off what they collect. So as the landfill gets smaller, the less jobs there are available. This means the families of La Chureca must find other ways of making money. I can't help but think this is a bad thing, but part of me is aware of how this has been a blessing to many people living there. One woman, mother of one of the girls living at Villa Esperanza (a home for 24 girls who previously lived in La Chureca), has been able to open a store with donations from people like you. But I believe the store is in La Chureca, and that may or may not be a good thing- it might not be around for much longer.
The Spanish government is also planning to build homes right smack dab next to La Chureca (the area in the picture above). They are going to attempt to move the families from La Chureca into these homes. Many people think this is fantastic news. But others, including myself, don't think it will work... at all.
A lot of people in the past have tried to do similar things. They figure the answer to all the problems in La Chureca, is just to get the people out of there. That's nice and all, but its more than just a place to live- its a lifestyle. I don't remember who, but someone helped a family out of La Chureca at one point, and they did great for a while. They had a job and everything. But soon enough, they were right back in the filthy dump. They just couldn't handle it... and they had no desire to handle it. Its taken years for the kids in the rescue homes, Villa Esperanza (FEI), Casa Havilah and Casa Robles (Open Hearts), to adjust to lives outside La Chureca- and they have lots and lots of help.
People always ask why they would return. Why don't they want a better life? I love what the Buzbees (missionary family who run Open Hearts) say about this. Of course, I don't explain it as well as them :P La Chureca is just a visual representation of what all of us look like in our sin. We are all filthy. How many times do we tell the Lord that we're sorry for a particular sin, and that we won't do it again, but find ourselves doing that very sin a week later? Just as the people of La Chureca return to the filth, we too return to our filth.
So there are a lot of uncertainties when it comes to La Chureca right now. What will happen to the families? What will happen to the school? Will the abuse continue? The drugs? The prostitution? The disease? Its just like what they say- "You can take them out of the dump, but you can't take the dump out of them".
The little girl in this pastel (looks absolutely nothing like the actual girl :P) simply represents a reminder the Lord gave me. The day we said our goodbyes to the kids in La Chureca, I actually met three little girls who live right next to where the Spaniards are planning to build homes (and a mama with a SUPER CUTE BABY!!!). I thought it was ironic that I came to say "goodbye", but ended up saying "hello". I was reminded that there are so many kids living in filth and darkness. There are kids everywhere under these conditions- not just the visual filth, but the filth of our hearts. And even though I was sad about going home to where everything is clean and houses aren't made from garbage, the need is still the same- the kids are the same.
It doesn't matter if you take this girl out of the dump. Things could go well for her and her family, but where is her heart? Or her and her family could be right back in La Chureca... but the question remains the same- where is her heart?
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