Day Six

Our week is winding down.  Today was a beautiful but very difficult day.
We left the Villa at 8am to drive 1.25 hours to serve a community who lives in the landfill in Tipitapa, Nicaragua.

The church we visited on Sunday, El Faro has started another location at Tipitapa.  The pastor of the church, who also lived in the La Chureca landfill serves this community and has an incredible story which he shared with us.

 

As he shared a boy went around our circle twice hugging each of us, he was so glad we were there.

A few of us played with the kids and the rest started painting 2 rooms at the church which they use for a daycare for the families of Tipitapa.  

 

Next we got to do something that none of us will soon forget.  In organized chaos we serve 300 meals to children and a few moms that brought their kids.  The children sit and wait for what will probably be their one meal of the day, a bowl of rice, vegies and plantain pieces and a cup of juice.  If they came with their younger siblings they make sure they have food first and help feed them.  We are talking about 5 year olds bringing their younger siblings and assisting them.  It's beautiful.

After the feeding center we finished up painting the two rooms and then the pastor walked us through a neighborhood to show us the land that has been gifted to the community.  They have hopes of having a pig farm and community garden among other dreams.  We stopped by one home to pray for an elderly woman with an infected foot.  She is not healthy, but she cares for her downs syndrome daughter in a little hot shack.  It was a pretty shocking sight.  One that has caused each of us to step back, pause, breath, and give thanks.  It promoted change in each of us.  Most of us are still processing the day.

Then we packed up and started down the road back home.....