It’s that time of year again!

As many of you know, I spend part of my summers in a third world country helping the less fortunate. Three years ago I traveled to Jacmel, Haiti, and the past two summers I traveled to Managua, Nicaragua. I went with the college group from A Jesus Church, previously known as Solid Rock. I have been blessed with an opportunity to go back to Managua this August.

Up until a few years ago in Managua, Nicaragua, there was a 100‑acre landfill that was home to 1,500 people and new garbage everyday. This landfill was called “La Chureca,” Spanish for "The Dump." Parents and children scavenged the heaps of garbage to collect what they could sell, and in return live off what most Americans would consider pocket change. Their homes are made of garbage scraps, which often leave ceilings with holes and vulnerable to the hard rain received during the winters. Young boys are removed from childhood to work, and girls as young as nine are encouraged to prostitute themselves to garbage truck drivers for money or a better garbage selection. It is poverty and injustice beyond anything that can be communicated by words and pictures.

Eight years ago, Forward Edge International, a non‑profit organization in Vancouver, Washington, decided to do something about the injustice. They bought a 2‑acre plot of land about 10 minutes outside La Chureca and began building homes for the young, at‑risk girls within the dump. This July marks seven years since the sixteen original girls arrived at Villa Esperanza (Spanish for "Village of Hope"). Currently there are about 30 girls living at the Villa. Villa Esperanza provides the girls with tutoring, mentorship, psychological counseling, teaching of trades, spiritual development, food, clothing, and the basic essentials every child deserves. Villa Esperanza provides each of these girls with hope ‑ hope to break the generational poverty that seems inescapable in La Chureca.

Seven years ago, teams like ours arrived at Villa Esperanza only two weeks after the original 16 girls had been removed from the dump. The girls were timid, shy, physically weak, sick, and extremely weary around outsiders. Over the last seven years, teams have witnessed transformation in these young girls beyond what we could have ever dreamed. They are all healthy, confident, and happy. Beyond that though, they are learning new realities such as: not all men are dangerous; it is not okay for husbands to beat their wives; and there are means to survival beyond thieving, stealing, and sexual exploitation. 

While God has opened up a door for me to develop a greater heart of compassion for His people around the world, the exciting part is that you will be able to share in this compassion in several ways. First, you can help pray for my team. We will need prayer for safe travel, good health, and that our efforts will be blessed by God and will continue to multiply long after we leave. We will also need prayers that our financial needs will be met. I need to raise $2,100 to attend this trip, and that is quite a challenge!