September 23, 2016,
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house.”
— Acts 16:31-34
It started with a box of food…
In October of 2015, Bobby and I, our daughter Julie, along with our young missionary Kaeli and several of our Haitian workers, visited a large dump site near Cité Soleil, Haiti. It is known as the Truttier Waste Disposal Dump, where many children were living with their parents in the filth and diseases of human waste. We knew that we had to help these poor people so we included them in our Feeding Program. We gave out food, tee shirts and hats that day; they were so happy! I could not help but cry.
The dump site was originally a reservoir that had been used to dump all the rubble from the earthquake in 2010. It was also the dumping site for many of the bodies of people who had died in the earthquake, along with the medical waste and bodies of those who died from the Cholera epidemic later that year. It was the only water source for those who lived in the poor community called Cité Soleil, which was, and still is, known as the Western Hemisphere’s most dangerous slum.
Over 300 families live on these 200 acres of smoldering human waste, scavenging for various recyclable items like aluminum, plastic and metal cans and bottles. The children also look for food as they may have gone days without anything to eat. Many of the inhabitants are under eighteen, gang members, and drug users running from the law (such as it is in Haiti). It is one’s worst nightmare, but for many, it is the only source of income and home to well over 1,500 people.
We started distributing food to many of the families who live in this dump site. This is one of the worst areas of Haiti, and many of these families moved to the garbage dump after the earthquake destroyed their homes. Each day, children and many of the adults pick through the garbage by hand, looking for food… it was so heartbreaking that we could not put it into words.
We started coming here each month as we included the dump site in our Feeding Program. We had also discovered three generations of one family who were living in a large, rusty shipping container.
This is the family of Madamn and Papa Pierre, their children and their grandchildren. They had moved to the dump site because living in the slums of Cité Soleil had become so dangerous because of roving gangs, and they feared for their lives.
Each month that we returned here, the conditions were getting worse. We felt so sorry for the families, especially the children. They lived in inhumane conditions. After heavy rains in the area, we found, beyond food, the people desperately needed small tent tarps. They were living in ripped and tattered tents and the heavy rains had washed many of the shelters away. We needed enough for 47 families who were in the worst condition, and we couldn’t find them in any store in Haiti. We are so thankful to Calvin Babcock, who somehow found a way to get these tarps to us so that we could give them to these poor families. One lady “kissed her tarp and hugged it!” Thank you, Calvin! We love you!
The next day, we were up before daylight getting ready for our big food distribution at the Truttier dump site. We thought it was bad “last time,” but the heavy rain had made everything worse. We walked through garbage, pig feces, mountains of flies, broken glass, and rusty tin cans. We had to wear masks because it was so hard to breathe, but the people were so thankful for their food… it was so “worth the sacrifice.”
Bobby and I, and our team had never, ever experienced anything as nasty, or as filthy, degrading and as sickening as seeing “little children” acting like savage animals for a small piece of food. Honestly, it is hard for me to go there. I am asking you to pray with us, to see “what does God want us to do” for this area. Food is the start and love is the start. Now we are praying about what the Lord would have us do next.
The Pierre’s extended family was working so hard to survive among the mounds of garbage, but we could see that for all they did to subsist day-to-day, that would not help this poor family move beyond their inhumane situation. Even in their dire circumstances, these little boys had big dreams… “One day we will find somewhere to build a house for Mom to live, and we could also go to school.”
Little did they know what God had in mind for this precious family…
Espwa fe viv
Haitian Proverb – Hope makes us live.
“How can the people see the love of Jesus, if they don’t see it in our lives. For people to see the love of God in what we do, the people must see that we walk alongside of them, and they will see the love of Jesus for them.”
– Debbie Click
Meanwhile, in Miracle Village, some wonderful people had come together to build two new homes for this special family from the Truttier Waste Disposal Dump. Pastor Randy Landis sent a group down to Haiti to construct two new houses in Miracle Village.
We were moving our first two families out of the Truttier Garbage Dump to Miracle Village!! The Life Church Building Team and the Worship Center Building Team, under the direction of Mark Ostrander, got these houses up and painted in two days. Thank you for all your hard work!
Take a look at the two miracle houses in Miracle Village that we had just finished painting. We then moved in the furniture. Thank you, Julie and Kaeli for working so hard to get all the furniture ready and moving it into each house. Nelio, we thank you too! Soon, the two families from the garbage dump area would move in!
Back at the dump site, the family was getting ready to come to Love A Child for what they thought was a visit and lunch. They all dressed up in their best clothes and were very excited about coming to visit us. As we drove towards the Love A Child Compound the family clapped and sang “We are going to see Madamn Sherry” and they were all so excited at seeing our beautiful area.
When they arrived we welcomed them to Love A Child, and then sat down for lunch. We had never seen such joy on the children’s precious faces, and they were so happy to be at Love A Child where they know that we all love them so much.
We had never seen these children express pure joy, until today…
Madamn Pierre spoke about her own feelings on their outing that day, and how much Love A Child means to her and her family.
“I feel like I am in Heaven. I feel like I am living the life that God intended for me. God gave Love A Child the strength to walk the journey to find me. They continued to visit over the year, and today they invited me to their home for lunch. I also saw how far they traveled to bring us food in the garbage dump. The only thing I would ask them now since God has placed them in my life… is to help me move out of the garbage dump. That would make me very happy.”
They have no idea that God is about to provide them with two new houses.
So now the time had come to take them to their new homes in Miracle Village. On the ride over, we told them a little bit about Miracle Village, and that it was built after the earthquake. I then went on to ask Madamn Pierre if she liked it here, and isn’t it beautiful? And we also pointed out the Love A Child school, the fire department and the soccer field. The smiles on their faces were all we needed to see. Then as we pulled up to the two new houses, I asked, “Do you like these two houses? The yellow and the green ones? They are for you.”
We handed her the keys to her new home!
This is your house!
As Madamn Pierre got down on her knees crying and thanking the Lord, she said, “I pray for health, courage, and blessings upon Madamn Sherry and everyone around her!”
The joy in this child’s face when he saw what was waiting for him, expressed it all.
Not only had Julie and Kaeli, along with the members of the Worship Center put furniture in each of the new homes, but clothing for the children, and adults as well. At the time we moved the families into their new homes, we told them to leave everything behind because we did not want diseases to spread into Miracle Village. It was so hard for these families to walk away from the garbage dump with only the clothes on their backs, but they did. Love A Child supplied them with clothes, cooking supplies and other necessary items.
One of the best things about this day was when we told the children that they all would be able to attend school. We have never seen children so excited about the opportunity to go to school. A dream come true for two little boys…
Now, these families are living in a nice clean house and their clean water source is right outside the front door. Praise the Lord! We were able to set up two young men from these families with a small business. They make mattresses and are selling them at the Grand Miracle Market.
At the end of the day, it was this young child’s look of wonderment that really showed us how big a deal this really was for these families. That night they all slept safely in their new homes, and I imagine there were some very excited children who are just now discovering a new world.
One of the families from the Truttier garbage dump that just moved into one of the two new houses went to the Miracle Village Church on Sunday. The older man, Papa Pierre, did not go because he was sick, but four of the adults in the family gave their hearts to the Lord Sunday!!! Madamn Pierre told me today, “I will serve Jesus and only Jesus, because He has been good to me!!!” What a story of love, and a journey out of darkness! One of the young men who was saved HAD NEVER BEEN TO CHURCH BEFORE IN HIS LIFE!!!
We are so grateful that so many of you have the love and compassion to help us bring, not only food and clothing to the poorest of the poor, but some hope and dignity to these wonderful people of Haiti.
If you would like to make a contribution, and make a difference in the lives of other poor people who also suffer in the Truttier Garbage Dump, please email us at [email protected], or if you would like to speak directly to one of our staff members, please call 239-210-6107.
God Bless you,
Sherry