A day of light in a dark place

By Kevin Murray

I wanted to share with all of you just a brief account of a trip I just got back from. I, Kahana Kalama and Kelli Murray were able to participate in a trip to Managua Nicaragua with our friends from Love, Light & Melody. This trip was the second annual Dia De Luz, or Day Of Light that is organized by LL&M. It is a celebration of hope and togetherness for a community of people that have made their homes in a dump called La Chureca.

Yes, a dump……..a huge city dump. I have never seen anything quite like this before. It was so dirty, it was so hot, small fires everywhere, dogs and cattle wondering around, hundreds and hundreds of people picking through and “working” the dump to find sources of life. It is one of those places that seem so surreal, I asked myself a number of times “be in the moment”, am I really here, and is this really a place on earth that is home for people. One of the things we say to each other here at Jedidiah is to “find beauty in the midst of brokenness”, we are all broken people. Amazingly, there was beauty in this dump. Watching the sun rise over the mountains and shine its first light on the dump was beautiful. But it always comes down to the people. Children laughing and wanting to play. Young moms caring for their babies. Proud men working all day to find something for their families. There is real tragedy among these people too; young people sniffing glue to get high along with prostitution and abandonment. But there was real beauty here also that must be seen.

The Day of Light was a one day celebration for this community. Kelli helped paint a huge mural that will hopefully last for years. Braddigan performed a concert where most of the songs were sung in their language. It was a day to celebrate. But we could not help but ask ourselves what difference does one day make. The honest answer is it really doesn’t make a difference. One day will not change the life of anyone here. But what is obvious with the people at LL&M is that it is so much more than one. Brad, KC, Daniel, Scott and all the others have made this community their passion. They have traveled their dozens of times. They know the children and the families by name. This is not one day, this is a long series of days that weave together to make a difference. Jedidiah is privileged to walk with these people and share the passion, share the burden and share the work. I encourage you to find out more about LL&M by visiting lovelightandmelody.org

 

For photos from La Chureca check out the Esther Havens profile.

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