Today I went to the most horrific places I have ever been to in my twenty-eight years of life: La Chureca, the Managua city dump. I hopped into a taxi and met up with my blue eyed friend Daniel, an American who works with the residents of the dump. We entered the site in his pickup. There were mountains of trash burning. Smoke filled the air. Daniel explained that there are chemicals in the garbage that combust and react to the heat of the sunlight and it starts fires. There are cows, dogs, and horses scavenging through trash competing against children for a day’s treasure. Daniel rolls the window down to talk to a woman, Karla, and her husband. Flies swarm into the car. We listen to the couple tell us that they are there finishing up a day’s work, “a day’s fight” in the word’s of the man. We pass some people working and sifting through the most recent garbage brought in off of one of the trucks. They chose what they can to sell or recycle and wrap it in big plastic sacks.

We make our way to visit Daniel’s friend, Jessenia. We get out of the truck and my feet land on a combination of burnt earth and trash. A cute dirty little boy wearing only underwear meets us outside the house and immediately jumps into my friend’s arms. I begin tickling him and asking him his name and he just giggles. I sit down on a frame of what used to be a wicker love seat but the seat is long gone. Emilia comes out and greets us and calls for Jessenia. Daniel explains that she has been feeling sick and wants to check on her and arrange a time to take her to the clinic. A young gaunt woman with disheveled hair emerges from the house and says hello. I notice that the woman has dried glue near her lips. Many people who live in the dump sniff glue as it is an appetite suppressant. We chat with her for a while and then the kids invite us into their house to protect us from the drizzling rain. We take them up on the offer. The house is amongst one of the poorest houses I have been in since moving to Nicaragua. The conditions remind me of La Esperanza in Port. We play and chat with about five different children. Each kid begs to be picked up and played with. One little boy climbs into my harms and starts giggling out of control. I begin tickling him and quickly notice that he has the worse case of scabies I have laid eyes on. I still continue to hold him, bounce him around, and tickle him. Another little boy tells me that he wants to show me the bedroom. This is the only room in the house. I scoop him into my arms and drop him on the bed, an old foam mat on top of a platform. He then shows me a rope hanging over the bed and proceeds to swing on it like a monkey. Soon the rope has three little kids hanging on it and laughing. Each one of them swings, laughs and waits to be caught by my friend and I. Next we move outside where it is sprinkling and we play on an old log. One of the little boys grabs my sunglasses off of my head and begins dancing and giggling. Daniel emerges from inside and we say our goodbyes. The kids wave and tell Daniel that they will see him soon.

My friend maneuvers the truck around more mountains of garbage and we pass a few more houses. Daniel explains that this is the residential area of the dump. We come to a brightly painted building: Hope School. We get out and peer through a hole in a large gate to the school grounds. I see a beautiful school. He tells me that not all of the kids go to school but a few hundred kids are able to receive an education there. We then walk to the other side of the school and begin climbing upwards. In a few moments I find myself looking down on La Chureca. There is a small pond that has trash. Smoke fills the air below. There are people working and animals wandering. This is the closest to hell I have ever been. We take in the scene for a few moments and then make our way back down to the car.

Once in the car, Daniel tells us it is getting late and we need to get going. There are a few ragtag teenagers that jump on the back of a the truck for a ride. We leave the dump and the kids wave and jump off. We hit the main road in Managua and begin passing “modern civilization”. I begin asking Daniel questions about the organizations working there and about the lives of the residents. He tells me that there are churches and some groups that are working and that they are beginning to see differences in the lives of the people. He says that there is hope for these people. Then he remarks “Erica, these people in the dump are no different from people of our own country. They consume garbage instead of treasure. Are we feasting on God?”. This comment still lingers with me. I am challenged to the core by what I see and hear.

We are beginning Inductive Bible Study with some of the older girls but first we have decided to begin with some of the women in leadership positions at Verbo. This month we are going to begin an inductive study on Sermon on the Mount. I would love to bring back Inductive Study Bibles in Spanish for four of the women (Damaris, Ellieth, Alba Iris, and Betty). The price of these Bibles is $42.99 and can be ordered from www.precept.org . I would like to bring these back with me to Nicaragua on July 12. If you would like to help out with this project and purchase one of the Bibles or Bible Study material, please contact me and I will get you the information. They will need to be ordered by the end of this week to be shipped here by next Thursday July 11. If you would like to send the money to purchase one of these items, that may be done as well.

Please pray for these women as they learn to study Scripture in a new way. Pray that our hearts would crave God's Word and His Truth. Pray for wisdom as I prepare to teach this in Spanish! These women are also older than me and are leaders in my life: pray for wisdom, grace, and humility for me! Pray we will all be teachable!

I am in need of about 100 dry erase markers. I use these in the classroom at school with students for games and review activities. If you would like to donate these-that would be awesome! Just send me an email and I will get you the mailing address they can be sent to so they can get to Nicaragua before the end of the month.

Please pray for the kids as they prepare to take exams next week. Pray for me as I finish out the the semester at school. My kids are learning English and seem to be enjoying it, praise God!!!

I am going home to the U.S. in under 2 weeks. Please pray that this team will be a time of rest and restoration as I spend time with family and friends. Pray that I will effectively communicate God's work in Nicaragua.

I am going to be teaching Sunday School twice a month along with one of the older girls from the orphange, Ana Luz. Pray for us as we prepare. We have fifty kids ranging from ages 6-9--it will be nothing short of an adventure!

We are also starting inductive Bible Study with the older girls when I return in July. We are beginning with Phillipians. Please pray that the Lord will put a love for His Word in their hearts and that they will not study out of "obligation" but ouf of devotion and love for God.

Pray for the CFC youth team that is coming in next week. They will be ministering to the orphanage kids and to the river community of Krin Krin. Pray for their safety and that their eyes would be open to God's work here. Pray that they would love wildly on the Nicaraguans!

Recently, I have been wanting to get involved with some of the local church members in outreach. On Sunday afternoon I had the opportunity to go and visit the sick  at the hospital with some of the ladies from church and Ruper, one of the boys from the discipleship house. We took along with us packaged cookies and plastic bags of Tang to give to patients and visitors. We would enter into a room and visit with patients and pray for them.

We entered into ICU and one of the women from the church, Isabella, told me that one of the ladies waiting in the room felt like I was suppose to pray for her. I approached the bed to find a woman lying under a sheet who had just lost her foot. Her eyes were partially opened and distant. She smiled and her mother explained to me that she had lost her foot and had not been able to open her eyes nor speak for three days. I closed my eyes and prayed for Maricela in Spanish. I sensed God whispering words into my heart to offer up as intercession for this woman. Isabella prayed along with me.

After we were done I talked to Maricela's mom and she told me thank you and tears started welling up in her eyes. She told me that she had seen me before in her village. I inquired of her as to what village she lived in. She responded "Betania". My church from the States and the local church here have been working for seven months in the village helping reconstruct one hundred homes. She gave me a big hug and then whispered "your church built me another house after I lost everything in the hurricane". I felt God's hug and blessing. She asked me if I would come back and visit her. I told her that I would try my best.

Today I had the opportunity to go back to the hospital and visit Maricela and her mom Paula. I entered into ICU to find Marisela in high spirits. She smiled and gave me a kiss and then explained that she was feeling better and that the following day she would be transported to Managua for further treatment. I prayed for her and her husband's trip and for their children that would stay back in Betania with Paula. After a bit, I slipped out of the hospital onto the busy street and ran into some shops and bought some food for their family. When I went back into the hospital Paula gave me a hug and asked me to pray again for Marisela. She expressed her gratitude towards me and towards the church. I felt so encouraged. It is amazing to be able to be a part of God's work: it stretches out over time (it is not a single experience) and He is concerned about touching every need.