Psalms 10: 1-2, 8, 10 - 18
Why, O Lord do you stand far off?
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, "God has forgotten;
he covers his face and never sees."
Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account?"
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.
The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the
afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen
to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the
earth, may terrify no more.
Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
In his arrogance the wicked man hunts down the weak,
who are caught in the schemes he devises.
He lies in wait near the villages;
from ambush he murders the innocent,
watching in secret for his victims.
His victims are crushed, they collapse;
they fall under his strength.
He says to himself, "God has forgotten;
he covers his face and never sees."
Arise, Lord! Lift up your hand, O God.
Do not forget the helpless.
Why does the wicked man revile God?
Why does he say to himself,
"He won't call me to account?"
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;
you consider it to take it hand.
The victim commits himself to you;
you are the helper of the fatherless.
Break the arm of the wicked and evil man;
call him to account for his wickedness
that would not be found out.
The Lord is King for ever and ever;
the nations will perish from his land.
You hear, O Lord, the desire of the
afflicted;
you encourage them, and you listen
to their cry,
defending the fatherless and the oppressed,
in order that man, who is of the
earth, may terrify no more.
Four years ago Judy Hill experienced a La Chureca that was terrifying, dangerous and oppressive. Armed guards were at the gates, few children under 6 worn clothes, girls acted provocatively, houses were temporary and there was little hope.
The La Chureca that we saw today was a simple walk down a dirt road, there was no feeling of danger and sometimes the atmosphere was friendly. The air is filled with smoke from the constant spontaneous burning but the children had clothes, the tin and scapmetal homes had a silent dignity to them. The people have water and electricity. Some front yards were swept clean, some children washed. A clinic sits open for a few hours for medical care. And a school sits as a wonderful oasis to teach hopeful children. God is here and working. He is defending the fatherless and oppressed.
As we painted the school before session starts in February, children joined us grabbing paintbrushes and helping us work. One boy, Antonio, took great pride in his school, carefully wiping up paint and teaching us the right way to paint his school. Wendi, a little girl about 6, had an infectious laugh. We hugged them, laughed with them and will hopefully pray for them.
Our feelings after leaving La Chureca are so hard to define. We can see hope, but we also understand the things that still happen here. Wendi, in a few years, may begin a life of prostitution. Antonio, a smart boy who can quickly figure out how to use a digital camera, may become drug addicted and old before his time working in the dump. But things are happening. Small movements toward hope. God is on the move. Students are graduating from the school and going to night school in hope of a better life outside the dump. Others are returning to become teachers. And another decided to marry her boyfriend with whom she has two children, a flicker of hope in a seemingly hopeless place.
There are churches in La Chureca and Verbo has just started a new ministry in the dump in December. The first Verbo church service had 60 people show up. People are hungry for God and God is answering.
Pray for Verbo church as it starts this new ministry
Pray for our hearts as we process what we saw
Pray for the children of La Chureca -- that they will have a heart filled with a desire for God
Pray for the school that it will stay constant in its ministry there
The La Chureca that we saw today was a simple walk down a dirt road, there was no feeling of danger and sometimes the atmosphere was friendly. The air is filled with smoke from the constant spontaneous burning but the children had clothes, the tin and scapmetal homes had a silent dignity to them. The people have water and electricity. Some front yards were swept clean, some children washed. A clinic sits open for a few hours for medical care. And a school sits as a wonderful oasis to teach hopeful children. God is here and working. He is defending the fatherless and oppressed.
As we painted the school before session starts in February, children joined us grabbing paintbrushes and helping us work. One boy, Antonio, took great pride in his school, carefully wiping up paint and teaching us the right way to paint his school. Wendi, a little girl about 6, had an infectious laugh. We hugged them, laughed with them and will hopefully pray for them.
Our feelings after leaving La Chureca are so hard to define. We can see hope, but we also understand the things that still happen here. Wendi, in a few years, may begin a life of prostitution. Antonio, a smart boy who can quickly figure out how to use a digital camera, may become drug addicted and old before his time working in the dump. But things are happening. Small movements toward hope. God is on the move. Students are graduating from the school and going to night school in hope of a better life outside the dump. Others are returning to become teachers. And another decided to marry her boyfriend with whom she has two children, a flicker of hope in a seemingly hopeless place.
There are churches in La Chureca and Verbo has just started a new ministry in the dump in December. The first Verbo church service had 60 people show up. People are hungry for God and God is answering.
Pray for Verbo church as it starts this new ministry
Pray for our hearts as we process what we saw
Pray for the children of La Chureca -- that they will have a heart filled with a desire for God
Pray for the school that it will stay constant in its ministry there
3 comments:
It's hard to comprehend how to prepare myself for all of this. I mean I've done the study and all of that, but I just can't even imagine.
It is good to hear about the changes since Judy was there 4 years ago. Good to hear about how God is working in the midst of it all.
I wish we weren't passing in the air. I wish we could see you all before we go. I think that even though we aren't going to be there at the same time, we will still feel a deep connection to one another through our shared yet separate experiences.
I wish Val wasn't such a good writer! (Just so you know people out there....next weeks posts probably won't sound so eloquent. She is a way better writer than me!)
Shannon,
Thanks for the nice words but Nicaragua will inspire you! Can only write as good as the subject and you will have so much to write about that you won't know how to get it all down. Much of what is here is a compilation of what we say each night in our round up. Everyone has such great things to say.
Also You will find that you have so much to say and not enough time to blog. I can't wait till we can get together and talk -- both teams -- about our experiences. It will be fantastic. Look for us in the airport -- you never know. . .
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