I can 't put all the pictures on , but here are a few . They are of the kids and people we fed at the dump . The big pile of dirt is the dump . These pictures just show a fraction of it 's size . This is the pile that used to be an open pile of garbage where the people lived . We are finally on the last leg of our trip home . Honestly , I am ready to be back . I love Mexico , and don 't mind being there . But I 've had enough of being a tourist . If I go back to Mexico again , I want to go as " native " as possible , even with my northern white skin . Even though I 've done missions work in Mexico before , this trip was different for me . Maybe it 's that I 'm older , or the work was different . Maybe it is being a mom now , and seeing these kids who had nothing to eat and wore dirty clothes . Either way , there are a few heart memories and lessons that I will take away from this trip . I loved the time I had with the girls making bracelets . The smiles on their faces as they made something for themselves were just priceless . I loved helping them make something so simple yet beautiful , and I cherish the memory of them calling me " teacher . " I am wearing the two bracelets right now that were given to me , one black and white and the other pink , purple , black and white . I know these people have nothing compared to me . But what they gave me with their love at that moment was worth more than I can ever say . Kevin will also always be in my heart . His eyes were so bright as we marched around the school pointing out things . How he would try to form his mouth and lips in the proper English sound was so precious ! Kevin was so patient with me and my deficiencies in his own language , and was so eager to learn mine . I know there is a drive inside of him , and I pray that he keeps that drive alive so that he can escape the life that is usually certain for many of these people . That I was bold enough to seek this out , and confident enough in my words in two languages speaks volumes for the work that God has done in my heart . I love that Kevin was sent into my path to show me the person that God has created me to be . There are many other things I will carry in my heart and memories from this trip . The one during worship with my son is so special to me . I asked him later why he did that , he just said that he wanted to do what I was doing . Oh , that I can continue to be such an example for him the rest of his life ! I 'll also remember the kids without clothes and shoes , coming up and getting bread . The children racing behind the truck , slapping its sides , with huge smiles because they know they will get food . And the women and men of the dump as they stood in line for their daily bread . And Chabba Salvador . I will never forget him . His smile that first night in the dump told me that there was something special in his heart . I didn 't care that his hands had just been digging through trash ; I HAD to shake his hand . After talking with him , I realized what was so special about him , and it is that realization that I will keep with me . Chabba lives a life of trust and faith in his God for everything . His daily bread is supplied by God , and he knows that . He doesn 't question why this happens or why that happens . He just believes . I hope that I can have and keep that attitude in life . When problems come to my life , I want to remember Chabba . I want to ask myself … . is my situation any more impossible to solve than his ? Is mine any more or less important to my God ? I want to continue to have that faith , and that knowing that God is going to take care of me , no matter what the situation . My God is a god of miracles , and he is a god of love . I saw his love for Chabba , and I know he loves me just the same . Without Linda coming here 13 years ago , I 'm not sure if I would have been here now , meeting with such as man as Chabba . But God knows the future . He knew that I and my family would eventually end up here , with the groundwork laid by Linda . He knew what our situation would be like now , and how we would need a touch from him . He knew that we needed an affirmation of his love and care in our lives . They call it " The dream that never dies " here in Puerto Vallarta . It was the dream of just one person . This morning was our last morning to get up lazily and have a nice breakfast . We fly home bright and early tomorrow morning . I 'm actually ready to be home . I have loved every minute that I 've been here , whether it 's been in the pool with the kids or feeding the people around the dump . I think that I could definitely live in Mexico , and do work like this church is doing for a while . But since it was just a short trip , my mind is already at home where I live , wanting the routine , the comforts , and the normalcy of home life . I look forward to when I can come here again . My stomach was upset today , and felt like it was flushing stuff . Not sure if that means the Crohn 's was acting up , but I don 't like it when it does this . I had some D and stomach discomfort , and a general lack of appetite . It will be good to be back home and eat food I know should be okay . I have some Brasco Broth in the freezer , and some homemade yogurt already , so I think for a few days I 'll go back to intro foods on the SCD , just to reset my system . I don 't think any permanent damage was done , so all in all , I 'm relieved . This morning we went to the local church , Perdon Y Amistad , that is running all of these programs . It is the same church and the same pastor that Linda came to 13 years ago . It was a good sized church , with probably 250 people in attendance or more at the second service . The facilities are nothing spectacular , but I know a church is not the building but the people . The sanctuary looks like a gym , and it 's very basic . The people are so warm and inviting that it feels like home , even if we don 't look or speak the same . We start off the morning with 45 minutes of worship , which was awesome ! I love to just sing and sing and sing praises with God 's people . Even though I didn 't know most of the songs , the words were up on the screen so I could make it work . It was an amazing time . They had a man lead the first half , and then the ladies came up and did about 4 special songs . Those girls can sing ! Towards the end , one of the girls sang Michael W . Smith 's " Above All . " Even though I forgot some of the words , I still remembered the chorus . " Crucified , laid behind the stone . You lived to die , rejected and alone . Like a rose , trampled on the ground … you took the fall , and thought of me … . Above All . " I was able to sing on the chorus , and just raised my hand in gratefulness for all that he has done for me . My son was sitting on my lap at that moment , and so I sang in his ear . Pretty soon , he gently took his hand and laid it on top of my upraised hand for the rest of the song . We sat there together , worshiping , me singing the words gently into his ear and his heart . It was a magical moment . After worship Pastor Saul came up to speak . I 'm not sure what I was expecting , but the man I saw standing up there fit exactly . If you look at him you wouldn 't immediately think he is a pastor . You might see him as a professor at a college or something . He is a dignified looking man , I would guess in his 60 's , with gray hair and a gray beard . He 's not tall , nor is he short . When I saw him , I thought of Acts 4 : 13 , which talks about the disciples of Jesus being just ordinary men with no special training , but they had been with Jesus . There is a spark and a life about Pastor Saul , and he is one that I would follow in an instant . He is nothing special , but he is following how God leads , and God is pouring his blessings down upon him and his congregation . Pastor Saul spoke today about the things you are given , that you hold in your hand , which soon become ordinary because you have held them for so long . He talked about Moses and the staff in his hand . It was an ordinary staff that he had used for 40 years tending sheep . But in that instant when God touched this tool , it became something extraordinary , and was used for His purposes . He talked about Joshua , and about the woman who had nothing left in her house but a few drops of oil . He then gave an example of modern times , about a race car driver . Each of these people had something in their hand or their house that was ordinary , but which God wanted to use . His exhortation to us , from what I could gather , was to look around and see what we are holding onto that is ordinary but God wants to use . What have we had for years maybe , that God wants to touch . And once we find it , believe ! It was a good challenge to hear , and I look forward to pondering it more with my husband and those who were also there . After church we gathered together again to head back to the resort . None of us felt like much food , so my family went straight to the pool . Since it was our last day here , I let the kids play for 3 hours in the pool . I also played , and got some sun . I figured I needed to get some color on this white skin of mine to show that I had been out of the rain and in the sun ! Towards evening Rachel took our kids so Mark and I could have some time together . Instead of go to the resort restaurants , we took off walking down the streets . This is much more our style … to " go local " and get away from all the tourist stuff . We stopped at a few stores , and bought a few things , and stopped by KFC to get dinner for Mark on the way back . J We got the kids , settled into our room , and packed for our early morning . It is our last night here , but I will sleep well knowing that I will be home tomorrow . Not sure if it 's the heat or the Crohn 's , but the dizzies are coming back again . Usually I can just take a deep breath and wait for it to pass . It 's not to the point of passing out , so I should be good the rest of the trip . I 'm still just eating eggs for breakfast , a stir - fry for lunch and dinner , and as much pineapple as I can handle . I think the Lara bars are a good supplement , and there is no way I could do this without them ! My side feels better today … . . no dull ache . I 'm very glad about that . All in all , I am very pleased that I 've been able to go to Mexico with Crohn 's and survive . This morning I took the kids down to the beach for a short playtime . Even though the water was calm and we only were in up to my knees , it was amazing how much power the waves hold as they pull back into the ocean . I had a hold of both kids with a vice - grip , and we had a great time playing . We traveled to a market later this morning . It wasn 't quite what we expected though . Mark and I both remember shopping in Mexico City , and how we were not harassed at every turn to spend our money . Instead we were able to just browse at our own leisure and enjoy the day . Since PV is a tourist town , they are used to rich American 's coming and spending money , and I guess we look the part . Sigh … . . One guy even got it right as he said , " come buy more junk ! " That 's right … most of it is just little trinkets that will quickly be forgotten . Still , it was good to get out of the resort area and into a more local area , even if it wasn 't what we thought it would be . We found a few things to buy , and the kids got some " treasures . " I didn 't want to stop , but the rest of the family was done being in the heat , so we left and came home . The taxi driver tried to get Mark to buy some cocaine on the ride back , which was an interesting bit of local " color . " No , he doesn 't do any , so it just ended up making him mad at the guy . Thankfully the trip back to the hotel was short . Tonight we go back to the dump . Even though this is an optional time , I think our whole group is going . I 'm glad about that . I feel we are here to serve , and so it 's important to serve whenever we can , wherever we can . I think it will be good for my kids to see , one more time , what it 's like to live with virtually nothing . Before we went out to the dump tonight Veronica took us by a tamale stand . My goodness , those things were huge ! And they smelled oh so good . I love authentic Mexican food , and so wished I could each one . Maybe I will be able to another year . I 'm amazed at how much of the Spanish is coming back just in being here a few days . I find a comfort in being able to go up to people and at least converse a bit . I still have a long way to go though ! Our driver took us from the tamale stand out to the areas surrounding the old dump . As I 've explained , these people live in poverty . No other way to say it but that . We took the same route we did last time . It was so cool to hear our driver sound out the call for food : BEEPBEEP , BEEPBEEPBEEP . Over and over again until kids started running after the bread truck like my kids do after the ice cream man , and people start the emerge from their houses . They know where we are going , and by the time we get there already a line of kids is waiting at the truck . I help this time with bagging the bread . The kids each get one sweet bread or donut , and we take 3 breads and put them in a sack for the adults . I don 't get to interact with the people much at this stop because I 'm busy getting things ready to hand out . Pretty soon we move on to the next area . It is light out this time as we drive by the dump . We can see even more clearly the people inside , sorting garbage , or sitting in their " sorting " area , taking a break . The smell is the same as before … . rank garbage . I see again the buzzards sitting atop the big hill before I go and bag some more bread . This was the stop last time where the mom had her 2 month old girl who didn 't have a name . I so wanted to see them again . There was a faint hope inside of me that maybe we could help her give her child a name . But … . . I didn 't see her . There are many stops , and we soon load up to go to another neighborhood . This next neighborhood was one that we did not visit before . As we got out of the vehicles we saw the shacks . These are not houses made of bricks and stone , like some of the others were . Those at least were solid , if lacking in comfort . These houses were like " pretend " houses … . the type of houses you would make as a child out of whatever you found lying around in the grass or the kitchen or the recycling bin . They were very basic structures ; I 'm sure with a dirt floor , and a basic roof and walls . Dirt courtyards were littered with old furniture and toys . Looking down a street I see kids smiling as they carry their bread and candy back to their " homes . " Many of them have no shoes , and their clothes are dirty and ill - fitting . In one place the family is cooking . There are about 5 adults sitting under a makeshift canopy . They have cut a hole in the middle of a 55 - gallon drum , and into this they place whatever wood they can find to make a fire . On top of the drum is a bit pot of something cooking . A woman comes out with dough for tortillas . She rolls them out by hand , quickly wipes a rag across the top of the drum , and places the tortillas there to cook . There are many adults at this place , and even though it looks like there are plenty of tortillas , I know there will not be enough to go around . Pretty soon the tortilla lady comes and asks for bread , and we gladly give some to her . There is an old camper trailer on one corner , with an awning out the side . This would look like a good place for someone to live , I would think . And then I look behind at the 15 - foot pile of trash that serves as their backyard . I cannot imagine my kids living in an area like this . The roofs to the houses look no more than 6 feet tall . And all of them look as if a stiff wind would blow these down houses of cards . Our next stop is at the dump . We are prepared this time , so it doesn 't take us by surprise . We have lemons to bag and give out this time , and before I can even get started on this task there is a line of 20 people waiting to be served . We dig in and do the job , and everyone gets fed . It seems to go by very fast . When we are done , I look around . I wanted to find the man I spoke to the other night , the one whose heart was so different . My heart was drawn to talk with him again . I saw him by the truck , talking with our driver . He had on the same dirty clothes , and the same dirty hat , as he did the other night . I walked up , put my hand on his shoulder , and said , " Senor , como estas ? " ( Sir , how are you ? ) . He looked over , smiled a big wide smile , and shook my hand . We tried to talk with each other , but the Spanish he was using had lots of words in it I didn 't know . Again , my heart understood the jist of what he was saying , but his smile and hand motions told the world of his story . I wanted clarification , to make sure I understood , and so I asked Veronica to come and help . She said that he is just so thankful in his heart for God , and how he provides . Every day he provides the bread that he eats . His needs are taken care of , and he trusts his God to do that . He is happy because he knows all will be okay . I was so touched by his faith . When you literally have to have the faith for your daily bread , to believe in " give us this day our daily bread ' you have a mighty faith indeed . I asked Veronica what his name was , later , and she told me it was Chabba Salvador . She also told us that when his children were little , their mother abandoned them , and now he works in the dump to support himself and his two kids . I want to remember Chabba , and pray for him . He has touched my heart with how simply he trusts God . It is a lesson I need to carry each day in my life . We leave the dump , and make one more stop . There are a few kids that come here , but not many adults . We see the girl with the injured leg again , and wonder how she is . We saw her the other night , and Pastor Bill ( the one with the healing charge on his life ) prayed for her foot . I couldn 't really figure out how to ask her how her foot was , but that 's okay . We fed her again , and I 'm certain that one day soon she will walk without her crutches again . This was an amazing night . We fed 324 people with simple pieces of bread . Yet look at how much their hearts and souls are being fed . As we walked back to our vans from the dump , smiles of genuine gratitude graced the beautiful faces of the people . I saw a Spider Man doll clinging to the fence that surrounds the pile of dirt that was the old dump . He clings there seemingly with hope , not letting go , just as these people here do . I smiled in the fact that someone still believes in heroes , enough to put him up there . I think this church and all that they are doing qualifies them as being heroes . This morning it was wonderful to wake up ! Our family was exhausted , so we slept in . Around 8 : 30 I looked over at the kids ' bed to where my son lay . He was awake too , but neither one of us wanted to get out of bed yet . So instead , we both held our hands up and out , then drew them to our chest , and we gave each other an air hug . No words were said , but none needed to be said . I tried to go back to sleep , but it wasn 't working . So , I jumped out of my bed and jumped right in the middle of both my kids ! I snuggled under the blankets , and they snuggled up to me , and we lay there in perfect happiness for a short time . A memory was made . After breakfast we got in the vans to take us back to the same schools we have visited before . My group went back to the first school I went to , where I met Kevin . I so hoped that Kevin would be there . I wanted to see if he remembered any of the words we worked on ! But when we got to the school , we found out the kids had been let out early , and most had gone home already . Only 15 - 20 kids where there , and none were the ones I remember . Still , we fed them and gave them juice . My son ended up playing peek - a - boo with a boy not much older than one , and it was fun to see him taking that initiative . It was also fun to watch the moms as my son played with their sons ! We didn 't stay long , and then were on our way again . As we drove on , Veronica took us by the dump so we could see it in the daylight . As we drove , I was able to get more details . Apparently this dump was the main dump site as recent as just a few years ago . It was that scenario that Linda came into when she asked to go where no American would go . The garbage would come to this huge open pile of stuff , and be dumped on the ground . Yes , people actually lived IN the dump . As soon as children could walk they were most often working alongside their parents , digging through the trash . There was no wall between the big pile of garbage and the neighborhood , and the houses were made of whatever they could find . Massive amounts of people lived and worked under its shadow . The sewage ran free down the streets , and when it rained a black stream of water would pour off the mountain of garbage and into the streets . I guess that the smell was horrendous , and in general , things were much , much worse . Now , about 500 or more people live around the dump . The structures , some of them , are still constructed using whatever materials can be found . Many are basic brick structures furnished with the things that people found laying around that they could use . The kids still run half naked and without shoes , and the smell is still there . A new dump was built a few years ago , and dirt was piled on top of the stinking pile of garbage that was here . I don 't know how high this dirt pile is that used to be the dump … . I 'm guessing 100 feet tall ? It looks to me to be a couple of football fields long , and just as wide . I 'm not good at measurements , and so it very well could be even bigger than that . Regardless , it is huge . Now , all that comes into this location is the garbage that is to be sorted for recycling , and the main bulk of garbage is taken to the new dump . At the new dump , they do not allow people to work among the garbage . But here , at the old dump , a small population of people still makes their living sifting through the rotting stuff that other people throw away . That was who we saw , and those are the people that we fed . They still are I believe … the poorest of the poor . The church that we work with here has done an amazing job . Their pastor , Saul , has said that he doesn 't need to rest as long as there is work to be done . " I 'll be dead soon enough and I can rest then , " he has told some of our group . I like that attitude . Right now , the church feeds 1 , 100 kids a day . A DAY . That includes the kids at the dump , at the schools , and I believe at the 4 daycare centers that they run . And there is sooo much more that they do . This church is a GIVING church , and because of that they have made a huge difference in this town . Veronica said that about 20 % of the money needed to run all the programs comes from sisters churches like ours . The rest comes from the church members . Wow ! It is amazing what can be done when God 's people give . Even though there is not much garbage being dumped at the old dump , there are still tons of buzzards that surround the area . As we drove through I first thought the dark spots were cows , they seemed so big , but it didn 't make sense that there would be cows on the side of the dump . Pretty soon I realized they were these huge birds , looking for a meal . I cannot even imagine a small child chasing one of those things away for a half - eaten sandwich . We drove past the dump , and then visited one of the daycare centers . The parents pay $ 60 US a month for their child to come here . For that , their child gets 3 meals a day , full care while there , and preschool and kindergarten services . It sounds like a lot compared to what the people at the dump make , but the people who send their kids here are in a different class than those of the dump . The kids were so cute at this school … splashing in a little kiddie pool , and the workers were all nice and seemed to love what they were doing . I was glad to see one of these centers so that we could get a better idea of more of what this local church does . This afternoon we simply swam , a lot . I 'm pretty tired , but I 'm not sure if that 's from the heat and sun , or if it 's this Crohn 's again sapping everything I have . Or , could it be the lack of true sustenance for me ? Not sure . I know how to push through , and that 's what I 'm doing . I woke up with a small ache in my side , so I 'm wondering if the Crohn 's is acting up . Es la vida , no ? Tomorrow we 'll go shopping in a local market , and then tomorrow night at least Jacob and I will go back to the dump . My son wants to go . I will not stop whatever drive is in him right now . Tonight after we got back into the room I left to find a quiet spot to myself . Hah ! ! ! There are not any quiet places in a resort filled with people drinking all they want , whenever they want ! Regardless , I went down by the ocean and found a lounge chair away from everything else . I was going to do a bit of a bible study I brought , but I ended up just sitting , looking at the clouds , and listening to the waves crash below me . It was a much needed time for me to just breathe , and do nothing else . I reflected on this trip , on the people , and about all that God is doing . It 's all good , and I look forward to whatever He brings into our lives . I 'm back in the hotel right now , and it is late . We just returned from the dump a short while ago . I got the kids snuggled in bed , talked with Mark , and then came out onto the deck to write . I can hear the waves crashing just down the way , the air is heavy and warm , and I wouldn 't want to be anywhere else right now . I want to look back on tonight , and get it all down , before any of the images escape my brain . We piled into the vans and headed out to meet the bread guy . He brought a bunch of sweet breads and donuts to feed to the people . We drove out towards the dump , and pretty soon Ramon , our driver started to honk the horn . Honkhonk … . honkhonkhonk ! ! ! Over and over and over again he honked for the kids and families to come and get fed . Pretty soon I saw one boy , and then another , take off running in front of us , trying to beat us to the spot where their bellies could have food . Mothers with smaller children came out and started walking after us . In the meantime , right at that moment , my son suddenly had to go to the bathroom , and bad ! So bad that he was almost crying , and holding himself just trying not to have an accident . Finally I went up to the front of the van and asked Veronica if there was somewhere he could go . I didn 't have any hope that there would be a bathroom nearby , but I at least hoped she would point us to a tree or something that would be acceptable . She spoke to Ramon , and then said to me that there was a sister from their church who lived right in this area , and they might be able to let him use their bathroom . Thankfully they were there , and answered the door , and let Jacob in . There was a small courtyard where a small SUV was crammed in , safe and sound for the night . We walked through the doorway ( I won 't call it a door for I can 't even remember if there was anything more than a curtain ) and into a very dark enclosure . I was walking into a house that represented all that was typical of the structures I had driven past for 3 days . The front room held an old couch , and nothing else . No carpet or tile was on the floor . There were no windows , and there was no light there . The nice lady led us to a curtained off area , and thankfully turned on a light . This was the bathroom . It was a triangular shaped room , with a toilet in one corner , a shower head in another corner , and storage in the third . The walls were the same concrete blocks on the inside of the house as the outside . The toilet had no flWhen we came out , a ton of kids were already lined up to get food . And by food , I mean that it was one donut per kid , and one cup of juice - water . We had the 3 little kids of our group handing out the food , and I think there were over 50 - 60 kids that came . One thing I noticed was the lack of shoes . I know that many little boys hate wearing shoes , but some of these kids ' feet were so white from all the dust that I wonder if they ever had any shoes . I didn 't take too many pictures here , because it felt like I would have just been an obnoxious American taking pictures to show off to my friends back home . I can 't imagine that many of these people feel good about the way they live , but I didn 't need to make it worse by getting it on film . I did manage a few pictures though , for which I 'm glad . After the kids got food the adults lined up for a bag of bread , which contained 3 sweet breads . There was only one bag per adult , along with a cup of juice - water . Everyone knew the drill , and it all went very smoothly . Pretty soon I didn 't know what to do , and I spied 3 girls standing off a ways . I didn 't want anyone to miss out , so I asked if they wanted any " pan " ( bread ) and they said they already had some . Then this one little 11 year - old starts talking to me in flawless English ! I asked her where she came from and she said PV , and then California , and Oregon , and then back and forth to PV . She is the second child I 've met who has come from America back to these parts of PV . I desperately want to ask how they adjust to the difference , but feel that there is no way I can do this . How do you ask someone if they like where they are living compared to where they came from ? The girls and I had a good little chat though , and in the end I got their picture . I asked the girl who spoke English about this feeding program . I asked specifically if this is the only food that some of these kids get each day , if they don 't go to school , and she answered yes . She said that for her family , no , because they are not as poorA few other kids came up for their food , and I discovered that they all wanted their picture taken . This opened up the entire rest of the night for me to take many more pictures . From this location , where we fed over 100 people total , we went to a second location . This place was directly by the dump , probably less than 200 feet from the wall , and as we turned down the dirt road we passed the dump where we could see the piles of trash and people walking through collecting things to sell . When we came out of the vans the stench of garbage hung in the air , but it was manageable . I kept looking back at the hill with its lights and the people going to work to earn a few dollars worth for the night . At this second location our kids again handed out food , and then started to blow some bubbles with the children . I 'm not sure if the Mexican kids really got into it , but our kids had a great time blowing bubbles at them ! Pretty soon I saw my son going up to two little kids sitting on the side , and began blowing bubbles directly at them . I think these kids were too young to really grasp that this could be fun , and they didn 't react much . One little boy had no clothes on at all , and just sat there without engaging any of us . There were a few moms there with babies , and pretty soon we were " talking . " One mom had a one year old boy , I think , who was very cute . I wasn 't able to talk much with her , but did tell her that my son likes to make faces at and play with the little kids ! She smiled and understood . The other mom had a 2 month old girl . Rachel ended up holding this girl for a time . When she gave her back to mom she asked for the little girl 's name . The mom said in halting English that she doesn 't have a name yet . Oh ……… . that just breaks my heart . As a mom myself … . . I can 't imagine what one must go through for you to not be able to give your child a name . Sigh …… The third place we went was the dump itself . When our guide Veronica told us this was where we were headed , the mood turned somber in the van . Many of us had never been there before , but we had driven around it enough to know to be shocked . And yet , what we experienced was nothing compared to what it was 13 years ago when Linda started coming …… We drove in through the gate and parked the vans , and immediately noticed the large pile of trash sitting in the middle of whatever space this was . It was night , and so it was hard to determine all that was going on . There were probably 30 or so people all working in this same area . Many of them had bags tied around their waist so that they could put the things they found in it . Most had dirty clothes . The smell of rotting garbage was intense . These people are fed like this every night , so pretty quickly a line had formed . Two of our little ones ( my son included ) gave out bags which held 3 sweet breads . Many people thanked us , and many just walked on after getting their food . Each person or family had an area set aside where they could sort their trash , and many went to those areas to rest . Or they just sat down where they could . It didn 't matter , because they were all waiting for the next truck to arrive . Towards the beginning I saw a man who struck me as different , and I went right up to him to say hello . The world would have told me to be afraid and to stay away . He wasn 't anything much … . maybe 5 ' 8 " , 150 pounds , and looked to be in his mid 50 's , though it is hard to tell how old someone is here . His clothes were dirty and stained , and when I went to shake his hand his fingers curled in the early stages of arthritis and the calluses were so rough that his hand felt like sandpaper . Still , my heart told me that there was something special about this man , and I wanted to meet him . We said hello , and his smile was bright , along with his eyes . He said something to me that I couldn 't make out , so I asked him to repeat it . He did , and then raised one hand towards heaven . I smiled , and nodded , and think I said , " Dios . " He smiled , and nodded as well . I understood that he was saying God is good . Even with no common language , we have the same heart and Lord . I patted him on the shoulder as he walked away and said " God bless you . " Later , that same man came through the line . I don 't know where he gets his faith , or what his story is . Maybe he just believes God to take care of his every need , when most of his need is feeding his family . Maybe he sees the power of God at work in the little things each and every day . He doesn 't need to wonder if God really cares because he KNOWS that there is a God who loves him . Regardless , there was something real and deep about his heart , and I was honored to meet him here in the dump , when he took a break from sifting through the garbage . We continued to give out the bread and water , and I was so proud of my kids . My son , the timid one on this trip , stepped right up to hand out the bread without any fear at all . Common sense would say to stay away from these dirty , stinky men and women who you cannot talk to . But something took a hold of my son , and he bravely served the needs of those he came to serve . I am so proud of him . It was almost time for us to leave when a garbage truck pulled in . My husband called me over to witness what was about to happen . As soon as the truck stopped , the people around us dropped whatever they were doing and ran over to it . Even those who were eating or still waiting to get food , left us to go dig through garbage . This was a " fresh " truck that had untold money stashed inside in the way of cardboard and plastic . This is where the real money is made , and before the truck was even done dumping there were probably 20 or more people digging through this pile . My husband said that these people can get six pesos , or 50 cents , per bag of cardboard or other recyclables , and that they try to get 12 - 15 bags a night . A bag worth 5 pesos is almost as tall as a small man , and probably is 30 gallons in size . Think of the huge black garbage bags that people use to put their leaves in , and you get the picture of how big a bag they needed to fill for 50 cents . We watched them for a while , and then piled into the vans to leave . I asked Veronica about the dump , and found out that the big hill of dirt behind us was the original place of the dump , where Linda had come all those years before . That it was here that she saw a young child fight off a buzzard for a half - eaten sandwich , and it broke her heart . Now , it is much cleaner , if you can say that . I think the garbage is sorted by the people here , and then dumped in the big pile , and then covered with dirt so it doesn 't smell so bad . Still , each of these main players in this drama had their own " place " there in the dump where they can go and rest and eat during the night , and take the things that they collected and sorted before they go to sell them . Do they live IN the dump anymore ? No , but seeing the houses that they call home , it doesn 't seem like there is much of a difference . There were a few bags of bread left so we went to one more location . At this place no adults came out , and I wondered if it was because they were all working in the dump . We had 15 - 20 kids show up , and we gave out all the rest of the bread that we had . All total tonight we fed over 250 meals to the people who live around the dump . And this happens with this church each and every night . Back at the hotel we did a quick wrap - up , and found out we can go out again on Saturday and do the same thing . My first reaction was a selfish one , as I wanted to rest , but I quickly pushed that thought aside . Then my son raised his hand and said that he wanted to go . I was floored , shocked , flummoxed , and amazed . How many American boys , 6 years old , would volunteer to go back to the dusty streets , and back into the garbage , to feed kids they don 't know AND can 't talk to ? Not many . My heart aches for those children , but it aches in appreciation and pride for my boy . As I sit here on my deck writing all these things , God has been giving me a show in the sky . I can see the night sky light up with huge bolts of lightning in the clouds every minute or so , and hear the big boom of the big kettle drums of heaven . It just reminds me that He is in control , and all power and glory belong to Him . I stand up to go in , and ask , " Okay God , send one more big one , just for me . " I wait there holding my breath , a smile playing on my lips . Before one minute has passed , a huge lightning bolt reaches down from heaven and touches the earth . This morning I took the kids out to the beach before breakfast just to enjoy the sand and the waves . I love the sound of the ocean , and could listen to that for hours on end in total peace . Of course with two kids nearby it wasn 't exactly " peaceful " but it was fun nonetheless . I especially liked just watching my daughter as she stood mesmerized by the waves , exclaiming every so often , " Mommy ! That was a BIG one ! ! ! " Very cool . Breakfast was good and soon it was time to pack up the vans to go to another school feeding . We followed a different route this time , though the beginning was the same . We ended up out in the " sticks " as we would call it , in a very country type of setting . For a long time we followed a single - lane dirt road with fences and what looked like pasture - land on either side . I laughed because at one point in time a bicycle passed us on this road , because we could only go so fast over all the potholes ! The houses here seem to be mostly made of concrete blocks or bricks , and are spaced further apart . I almost got the impression that there was a bit of land with each house , though I doubt that was the case . These houses definitely though were not the houses of made - up materials scavenged from the dump like the other houses we saw around the other school . This school was set against a mountain , and was a spot of color amidst the brown . There were bright blue accents to go along with the nice white walls of the school building . Patches of grass were interspersed with concrete walkways , and small trees dotted along in the grass . A tall fence surrounded the entire compound , and was topped with razor wire . This was a change from the other school in that the other school just had high concrete walls surrounding it , and not razor wire . It 's kind of interesting that here , where there is obviously a smaller population , there is more security around the school setting . As we stood there waiting for the bread and juice to arrive , we glimpsed some of the kids inside . They were all in nice white shirts , skirts for the girls , and pants for the boys . When it was time for the kids to line up , I was very impressed with the discipline here . I was told later that this school actually is poorer than the other one , which surprised me . It seems , with how nice the school and the kids were , that this must be the richer . But these are more rural kids , not as much city kids as the others , and have even less means than the kids we 've seen soLater this same little girl came and asked me where I lived . I told her , and then she asked if it was very hot there . I said no , and tried to tell her that it rains a lot where I 'm from . The best I could come up with was there was a lot of " water from the sky . " She picked that up , and thankfully taught me the word for rain ( which I 've forgotten already ! ) . I then tried to push my luck and tell her that it snows every now and then . Boy was that fun ! I again told her about the rain falling from the sky , only when it 's really cold out , and that 's it 's white , and what do you call that in Spanish ? She didn 't know , but turned to one of the moms who was sitting outside the gate . The mom smiled at me , and it was then that I realized she had been watching us the whole time ! I went up to the fence and spoke to her , me in halting Spanish and her in halting English . I said that this heat isn 't too bad for me , but it 's hard for my kids . Another mom laughed , and basically said that it was hot for them ! I said that yes , for just a few days it 's okay for me , but that if I lived here full time I know it would get to me . The first mom then said something that really struck me deep . She said , " Yes , when you are only on vacation for a few days here it 's not so bad . " She didn 't say when you come here to help us , or on a mission . Maybe that 's not in her language or understanding , and " vacation " is all she knows for a word to put with it . I began to wonder just how many " tourist " groups come to these schools to " feed " and take pictures , and then go away . Is it one of the things you can do from the cruise ship … . " see the locals ! " I know it sounds harsh , but it feels like they are used to groups of strangers coming to the schools , just to see how things are here . I would go back each day for hours just to teach the kids and play with them , if I could . I wonder what God is calling me to , with the stirring that is being raised up ? I know Mark and I both said we would love to live in Mexico and teach , but do not feel that that is where God has called us . We continue to be called to where we live right now , and to do what we are doing there . Back to the hotel we go to swim again and eat again and rest again . I 'm sure glad we brought our Ipod and attachments to hook it up to the TV so our two kids can watch cartoons in English . We need them to rest , and they are beyond naps , so the best thing for them is to let them watch cartoons . Watching them in a different language just isn 't the same . J Tonight we head out to the dump . It 's apparently going to be quite the experience , and I 'm looking forward to it . I don 't know what to expect , but I 'm open to whatever is thrown my way . Oh , on another note , we got some clarification this morning on the stone at the School of Champions . Apparently it was not erected by Linda , the woman who was killed on the airplane with her husband Joe . This was her mission field , yes , and she was very determined to make a change in Puerto Vallarta . But it was erected a few months after the plane went down by their son Jeff and his wife Melinda as a remembrance to them and I 'm sure , to what they had started down in this area . Again … . can one person change the world ? I 'm seeing that the answer is yes . Just ask all these little kids that now have running water , showers , and food if one person has made a difference . Ask the kids who used to work in the dump if they appreciate that their younger siblings don 't have to do the same thing . Ask the parents if they are glad to have food to feed their family and if they like knowing their kids don 't have to work in the filth anymore . Ask the parents who know that their child might just have a way out now .