A very heartfelt thank you to the many donors who made this possible! Thanks to your generosity, we were able to achieve our fundraising goal to get new shoes to the children. There are several dumps such as these around the city, each containing smaller communities of hundreds of men, women and children who live and work there. This October, Hope of the Poor and Guadalupe Missions were able to return to our friends with a wonderful gift.
We entered the city dump in a crowded van, with rows of seats removed and, in their place, stacks of boxes of brand-new shoes. After passing through the dump’s security and then speaking with the community leader, we were allowed to enter and set up. Beginning with balloons and giant bubbles for the kids, we spent the afternoon playing with the kids and talking with the adults. As some prepared a meal in the ramshackle cantina/general store, we put together an impromptu dance party with instruments in hand.
Once everyone was fed and things quieted down we searched for a table and chairs from what we could find amongst the garbage heaps. We then invited each child to come up with his/her parents and presented a brand-new pair of shoes to each child. The joy in their faces was clear and beautiful. As we helped each child lace up, you could see how excited they were to take off running in them. Even in their excitement, they took care to make sure their laces were straight and flat before tying them. I’ve never seen a child take such pride in those little details.
It was heartwarming to see their joy and excitement, to receive their hugs and high fives of gratitude before bounding off along the dirt paths between the trash heaps.
Your generosity made these moments possible.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support for our mission. Thank you for helping to bring light into the darkness. Thank you for giving these kids a chance to experience what is such a luxury to them and so often taken for granted elsewhere. Thank you for helping us to bring a little comfort, a little joy, and a little love to Jesus, through the suffering poor.
Matthew 25:40, “That which you do for the least of these, YOU DID IT FOR ME.”
I’ll let these pictures do the rest of the talking. They say more than I can write.
God bless you all,
Your Friends at Guadalupe Missions
