Blogger would not cooperate and let me move this picture, but you will see how it relates to the post!
The guy on the left is John. John lives at the trash dump and is one of the leaders. When I visited the trash dump the first time he helped us get the younger kids in order and pass out the food and clothes. He did not eat and he did not get any new clothes, he gave it all away.
On our past trip to Ethiopia, we spent Saturday at a sports festival for the kids at trash dump. We visited them in the dump first, and then took a walking tour of the landfill to get to the open field where the soccer game would be played.
John does not speak much English, but he's got jokes. Walking through the trash, I was pretty much focused on my feet and "regretting my no sock decision" (thanks Shawn for pointing that out!) and did not notice the height differential between the mountain of trash we were on and the field below until John jokingly says "we need a bridge".
A what?
A bridge? Why do you need a...oh. Oh no. Surely we do not have to scale down the side of this mountain of trash. Surely we do.
Thankfully, we had lots of helpers who apparently had lots of experience. John was my personal hero! I am looking forward to seeing him again soon, and hopefully helping him get a job...he would make a good mountaineer.
When we got to the bottom, I looked up and watched a goat come down the side of the mountain with no trouble at all, and I was reminded of one of my favorite verses...
The Lord God is my strength, and He has made my feet like hinds' feet, and makes me walk on my high places. Habakkuk 3:19
God is good all the time.
4 comments:
All the time God is good!
I still think it would have made great stadium seating for those soccer games! ;)
I love hearing the tales of your adventures. Makes me wish I could sit with you for an afternoon just to hear the whole story.
I would climb that mound of trash 100 times if it meant I could spend another day with those kiddos. I am humbled to think that my better half is on the other half of the world and will get to love on them for me in a couple of days. I am a little jealous and extremely blessed to have gotten to meet them.
Keith
Beautiful story...makes me feel like I'm there. I didn't know any of the leaders still lived in the dump.
Praise God for John's generous and unselfish spirit!
Love,
Laura
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