Today I was able to go the dump communities. In Galatians 2 it says to not forget the poor, in fact we are to remember them continually. I came face to face with poverty today. Children without food or water; mothers digging through mountains of ash; and Satan's strong hold on these desperate people. In the morning we went to the lower, poorer dump to make house visits to some of the local church members. God burdened my heart for my brothers and sisters living in this daily nightmare, but God reminded me that He alone is all that any of us need. Not that we should not serve these people by meeting their physical needs, but that we should not be consumed by the magnitude of poverty and make their lack of (fill in the blank) our focus instead of the God who overcomes and is good in everything. In the afternoon, we met these precious girls from the Tabitha house. Their story, of sexual abuse, forced prostitution, unwanted pregnancy, abortions, and utter darkness, broke my heart.
We went to see the family, who had forced their daughters onto the street for drug money, my instinct was disgust towards the parents. Yet Christ calls us and shows us that we are to love those chained to sin, for we are all sinners, each of us has gone astray and He died for and loves each of us. So how does loving this man that openly mocks us, commits incest and abuse, and this mother that sells her daughters for drugs look like? I could only fall to my knees in prayer as they sat in front of their daughters, blaming their daughter for everything wrong that had happened to them and openly showing they didn't care for any of them. I wanted to scoop up all 5 of these girls and run out of there as I thought about what had happened in this shack. Thoughts of "What has happened on this bed I'm sitting on?", "What have these 3, 5, 7 years old girls seen?", "How could this rapist sit two feet away from us and these girls without any sign of guilt, remorse, anything?" We were finally able to take the two oldest to the Tabitha House permanently, so that they could be cared for and go to school. The parents' only requests were that we keep them locked up in a room all day, everyday, and the father said we could take all of them for all he cared. The third youngest latched onto me as we left begging me with each smile and laugh for me to take her with us. It broke me to have to leave those innocent beautiful children in this place so held by Satan. But when the two girls that we could take finally made it to the van, the looks of relief and hope that flooded their faces. When we pulled up to the Tabitha House, the oldest turned to me, and said with breathless relief, "Finally, I am home." God is already using them for His glory.
He awakened us to the reality of Satan in this world, His heart for the voiceless, and radically realigned my heart and focus to Him. For He is the only one that saves and heals, and this is what each person I have met desperately needs. Please continue to pray for them.
Kathleen Nolin
