HOPE AT THE GARBAGE DUMP

November 24, 2008

 

During the first week of March, a team of students from Evangel University, Springfield, Missouri, came to Macedonia to work alongside missionaries Brian and Colleen Thomas. Their focus of ministry was to the Gypsy children living in the garbage dump known as Shutka, which literally translated means "refuse" or "garbage". Back in 2002, Save Europe's Children partnered with Convoy of Hope there in a large outreach event. A tent was set up and by the end of that event, a weekly kids club had begun.

Today, a tin church and small building stand where that tent used to be and there the kids are served a hot bowl of soup and a piece of bread three days a week. There's no running water in the building so water has to be brought up in buckets, bottles, and cups from area homes. The room has a puppet stage on one end and there are tables and chairs set up around a wood-burning stove that heats the room and cooks the soup. There are around 70 kids each time the doors are open - they must attend the Saturday Kids Club in order to come to the soup kitchen.

Sarah Taylor, teams coordinator of Save Europe's Children accompanied the Evangel University team in March. She relates, "We got ready to eat potato soup and the missionary said, 'you don't eat if you don't sing,' and suddenly the kids were singing at the top of their lungs. The missionary's 12-year-old son, Samuel, came to me and said, 'you're not singing.' I told him I didn't know the words and I asked what they were saying. The kids were singing 'with God all things are possible, all things are possible.' What an incredible thought that these kids whom society has cast aside to live in a garbage dump and are told it's not possible to hope for anything beyond this life, are now being offered hope through Jesus Christ. Our God is an incredible God who loves making the impossible become possible!

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