CHILDREN OF THE DUMP

Children playing in a pile of caliche gravel at the city dump in Matamoros, Mexico.

The city dump outside Matamoros was an enormous place with mountains of smoldering trash rising over the landscape.  Birds constantly hovered over those mountains and flocked around the garbage that always lined the perimeter.  People were also around the heaps of trash as they dug through the discarded items looking for things they could recycle for a few coins.  In fact there was a small colonia situated at the base of the dump and it was called Colonia Bermuda.

Many families lived in Colonia Bermuda. There were lots of children who lived there and played there.  Even though the surface of the ground was littered with glittering broken glass, they ran barefoot between their dwellings laughing and playing.  It didn’t seem to matter to them, life was peaceful at the dump.

We found the city dump one day when we were driving around looking for people who needed  Bibles, food and clothing.  And we were attracted to the people we met there along with their beautiful but dirty children.  Soon we were making regular trips to the city dump.  We saw that there was no electricity or running water into Colonia Bermuda, so we also took candles and matches as gifts. These were very much appreciated because when the sun went down it was dark inside their makeshift dwellings.

The picture above is one of our favorite families.  Maria and her 10 children.  I'm holding Baby Maria.

We always prayed for the sick, and because of the polution there were always sick people. Many babies were born deformed or brain damaged from the continual smoke from the refuse. Our hearts went out to these people, and many times we wondered what circumstances brought people to this lowest of places to live.  We did learn that migrants from the south often found themselves stranded at the border. But they could always camp out for awhile on the edges of Colonia Bermuda.

One season we took a group with us each week to visit the city dump. On these occasions we would all gather in a central place, usually near the tiny Catholic chapel near the entrance to the colonia. The leader of the colonia, Miguel, would ring the bell and everyone would come running.  Actually there was no bell - Miguel would strike a tall empty metal LP gas tank and it sounded exactly like the most beautiful bell from the top of a cathedral!  And for a time that’s what we thought we were hearing!

Someone would light a bonfire, one of our group would bring out a large metal container for popcorn. Someone else brought from our vehicle either hot chocolate or some other drink. Then we all gathered around in the light of the fire while we visited together, sang and prayed together and had a time of worship.  These visits to the dump were great times for us to share God’s love to the men, women and children who lived in the humblest of places and in the poorest conditions.  But we all enjoyed these times, the people of Colonia Bermuda gave back to us with their love.  We’ll never forget the children playing in the moonlight, running up and down the dirt roads while the bonfire lit up their surroundings.

David was playing with two long sticks.

There were always things to play with at the dump, children found old broken toys in the piles. But besides that, there were sticks, old pieces of board, old bottles, all sorts of unusual castaway things that were interesting. And to our dismay, they also found things to eat!  Once we watched as toddlers passed around and drank from an old bottle of hot sauce they’d found in the dump.

One family in particular had many children who were all filled with personality. We grew attached to David and his little sister Maria.  They would run to us and want to be held. There were 10 children in that family.

We met one young couple whose baby was born with problems. The 18 month old infant had some type of paralysis and he was always very stiff in my arms.  Baby Ricardo died that winter, leaving the young parents and the grandmother devastated. The baby was another victim of the polluted smoke and fumes from the city dump.

Above, I'm holding Baby Ricardo a short time before his death. His young mother stands nearby with Lloyd.

Several years have passed since those visits to Matamoros city dump.  We understand conditions have changed in that area and that Colonia Bermuda no longer exists at the foot of the mountain of trash. New regulations between the United States and Mexico have quelled some of the smoke that drifted northward across the Rio Grande River and into Brownsville, Texas.  But we often wonder what became of little David and Maria and all the others who were our friends in Colonia Bermuda.

But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14