Hello!
There is nothing more that bothers me then wasted words on wasted things...I hope I never waste the words I have on here. I do in fact have something to say. Yesterday in my English class my teacher asked us to write an essay on a moment that has changed our life. All though there are many, I thought of three, and I want to share these moments with you, because they changed my life and although you weren't there, may be in some small way they can get you to start thinking, and that's what I hope this blog does, get you to think!
The first moment I can think of (and this is pretty early on in my life, I was maybe 8 or so) is when I was in the car with my mom and dad and we were driving down the highway in El Salvador and what I saw changed my life forever.
It was a landfill; I mean there were piles and piles, hills, even of garbage. I had never seen so much in one place before! It was huge field and had a barb wire fence all around it but it was the movement that caught my eye...and changed my life. For there among this horrible wrackage were people, children! My heart lurched inside me! Innocent children picking through the trash...there were 'houses', made from cardboard and plastic and other pieces of filth. I remember seeing a mother holding her child and younger children running around her.The basic human needs and rights, denied to them, not a shelter, nor food, or drinking water...they truly have nothing!
I hope this makes you feel something, because this isn't a world vision commercial or some ad on TV, this is real raw human.
The second and third moments happened more recently, but are just as moving for me. Last year I was in Nicaragua, and as we were driving through I have never seen a country so impoverished and poor. It was a desert, dry, hot and sandy. The people weren't the nicest and they are known for being one of the most violent countries in Central America.
Well driving on the highway, I saw another thing that has changed my life. This time it wasn't a garbage dump but fields upon fields of cardboard and plastic houses. (The picture that I have included was of Nicaragua and just one of many of these places) it made me feel sick that peopl in this time and age live like this. What a travisty!
The third and one of the most moving for me, was when (on the same trip as Nicaragua) I was in El Salvador. The streets were empty (because it was Sunday) and as I was walking down the road a saw an old blind man, he was standing on the other side of the street in ugly ripped clothes and holding out a cup, for money. I pulled out all the change I had, maybe 75 cents in all and I went to his side of the street, touched his hand and put the money in well saying "Dios lo bendiga", which in English means "God bless you." the man smilled at me in a sad way and said in Spanish, "Thank-you you so much sister, God bless you." and at those words and the way he said it, my life was changed again. The man had given me such a heartfelt thank-you and I think I was more blessed that day then anyone. I walked away with tears in my eyes.
If I were to give the amount of money to a homeless person here they would just complain. But there, some of the people truly have nothing and know what the meaning of the word 'suffer', better then we could ever imagine!
"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:3
Those people despite their pain and suffering have something so special at the end of the day that we up here in our riches could never have. They are like Jesus in that Jesus had no place to live during his time here on earth and he had no guarantee of food or rest or any other earthly comforts. He understands what it means to go without the basic human needs and rights. And because these people are like this they have something so special that I envy with all my heart. Because I want to be like them in that the kingdom of God is theirs. And one more verse I wanted to add before I close.
"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..." Matthew 5: 11-12.
I hope what I’ve had to say moves you, I hope it starts you thinking and I hope it can change your outlook and maybe what you do with your time here on earth.
Yours truly
Skyler Blue
