An Unlikely Mission Field: A Peruvian Landfill
Photos by Keishi Ichikawa
A member of the Calvary Chapel Old Bridge, NJ, mission team walks hand in hand with a local girl through the garbage dump she calls home.
He raises the poor out of the dust, and lifts the needy out of the ash heap. Psalm 113:7
Outside of Trujillo, Peru, the relleno sanitario (landfill) houses an often-overlooked community. Their neighborhood consists of dwellings constructed from scraps, and though the area sees very little rain, dust incessantly showers down on them. In the distance, what looks like hills dotting the horizon are really mountains of waste. Children, their clothes tattered and covered in dust, run through the streets, laughing and playing with each other in the midst of the trash.
“Trujillo is a city that has a ton of need,” Cory Kilgus, senior pastor of Calvary Trujillo, shared. “There are people who live in terrible conditions in dumps and children that suffer. As a church, we've always prayed about having permanent places of ministry where we can make a difference in kids’ lives. And as we prayed, we discovered a man, Isaías Salazar, in our church who led a ministry to the dump. He has taken our discipleship classes and is in Bible college right now refining his teaching. As we have gotten to know him over the years and learned he had worked there [in the landfill], we decided to start sending groups and wanting to bless these kids and pour into them.”
Through Calvary Trujillo, the ministry started by Isaías has blossomed into a community-wide evangelistic outreach to the often-forgotten children living in the landfill, using games and dances to engage the kids with the ultimate goal of giving them the Gospel and changing their eternal destination.
Local children living in the garbage dump laugh and play as the mission team hosts games.
The Mission
As Cory and Calvary Trujillo partnered with Isaías, they began outreaches to those living within the dump. “We started a Bible study home fellowship in the town nearby which Isaías is leading. We send a group of Calvary Bible Institute (CBI) students and people from our church there every week,” Cory stated. “I brought Isaías into the Bible college again for more training this year, and we’re giving him a scholarship and money for his family so they can eat while he comes and studies every day. I want him to get really strong in the Word, and our goal is to have a church near the dump to continue to outreach. Our heart is that there will be a long-term impact of discipleship for the kids.”
Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble. James 1:27a
The goal of the dump ministry is not only to meet the immediate needs of the people there, such as food and clothing, but also to come alongside them to positively impact their community in the long-term. Desperately in need of physical aid, their spiritual need is even greater.
The events Calvary Trujillo hosts at the landfill involve games, songs, and dances to draw the kids in, allowing them to deliver the Gospel message in an engaging and applicable way. Children who have been rejected and cast aside their whole lives learn about a God who loves them so much that He was willing to die for them.
“This community is one of the most unloved, unreached groups around us,” noted Mario Ochoa, a pastor at Calvary Trujillo. “They're out there living in the dump, and so we want to go and love them. We want to go and do what Jesus says, that we would leave the 99 for the one; these are the ones that aren't getting love or care from anybody else—we want to go bring that to them.”
Members of a Calvary Chapel Philadelphia, PA, mission team share laughter with local children as bubbles fill the air. At center is Steve Reeves, CC Philly’s missions pastor.
Challenges
“And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’” Matthew 25:40
The people living in the garbage dump have suffered many difficulties and been largely cast aside by society. Mario noted, “Some of these poor communities are trafficking areas where kids are known to be taken from. Vans will come through and just pick the kids off. Some families will still send their children off to school, if they are willing to take that risk. Others choose to have their kids stay home all the time to take care of the younger children while the parents go out to work, or for fear of letting them leave the house.”
Cory added, “We have to continue to develop trust and a relationship there so that they know that we're not trying to take advantage of them, that we’re trying to bless them.”
Mario also shared how during the holidays, when businesses give presents and hot chocolate to local children, they do not dare to venture out to those living in the dump. While the terrible conditions of the landfill deterred many, it was the perfect place for Calvary Trujillo to be the hands and feet of Christ, despite its many challenges.
“It's like these kids are not getting resources from anybody,” Mario stated. “They don't get any of this support. We gave out t-shirts years ago and we still see our kids wearing them at the outreaches. We give out shoes that go down generations or shoes that just obviously do not fit. They cut the back sole out so they can just have something on their feet and they're not walking around in straight-up trash.”
He continued, “There's such a big need that it almost makes us feel discouraged at times, like how do we go back—they're breaking up fights over old clothes! But really, it makes us want to press in more. There’s such an obvious need for discipleship. As they’re grabbing onto the little that's right in front of them, it just screams that they need Jesus. So instead of running away from the ministry, we're wanting to press in more.”
I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:14
Left: A girl from the garbage dump smiles as missionaries and children sing and dance to Vacation Bible School songs.
Right: A young boy plays with balloons as the mission team prays over him and his family.
Going Forward
Future plans for the area top Calvary Trujillo’s foremost priorities. The team desires to bless Ruth, a firm believer from the community who has shown immense hospitality to them, with a more permanent home of her own, though the fear of others seizing it persists. The church wants to provide homes and a meeting location for all the families living in the relleno sanitario to bring about lasting community change. The challenges—the land not being owned by anyone and threats from those who seek to take advantage of the vulnerable there—have made this undertaking nearly impossible, but not for the Lord.
“The ministry has definitely grown. They know us there, and we've been consistently blessing them,” Cory continued. “We hope the Bible study nearby will become a church in this very dangerous part of town. We hope to see kids come out of there that'll be Bible college students. We hope to see healthy families and have a church that's close by; that's my heart, and I’m excited about it. There's a lot of work to be done and a long way to go, but we want to have a permanent long-term impact for those kids.”
Continue to pray for the least and the last in the Peruvian landfill as Calvary Trujillo ministers to them in the love of Jesus Christ.
CalvaryTrujillo.com
A local girl sits beside a member of the CC Old Bridge mission team, listening quietly as the Gospel is shared—an intimate moment of presence, trust, and hope.
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