Our trash gets picked up twice a week here in Costa Rica. Usually the garbage truck comes very early in the morning, so most of the time I set our trash out the night before. Tonight I set our trash out at a little after 9:00. At about 11:15, I went outside and took this picture. You might think, "Ahh, those pesky dogs got into the poor missionary's trash." Wrong! Missy looked out of our apartment window not long before I went out to take a picture and clean up the mess, and there was a man rooting through our trash trying to find some goodies. So you might think, "Ahhh, that's disgusting!" And yes, it is disgusting, but it is also a sad reality of life down here in Costa Rica. Even though we are living and a wealthier neighborhood while we are attending language school, there a still plenty of homeless people roaming the streets just trying to survive.
Now, I'm going to ask you a thought-provoking question. If you were a missionary here and some down-and-out looking person came to your door begging for money, what would you do? You could give a monetary gift, but it very possibly would go towards beer or drugs. I once gave an old man some money after he told me than he was going to run up to the bakery to get some bread. Just a few minutes later, he came walking back down the other side of the street, heading the opposite direction of the bakery. There was NO way that he had time to make it to the bakery and back.
OK, so money might not be the best option. What if they ask for a tube of toothpaste and a bar of soap. We gave a man those items one day, only to be told a couple of days later that people will habitually ask for things like that, and then either sell them to buy drugs or just trade them outright for drugs.
OK, so toiletry items don't make a good option either. But food is always a good option, right? We were told that one beggar was given a nice bowl of soup from a home, and the guy took a couple of steps, turned around, swore, and through the soup on the ground right in front of the lady that gave it to him. One day a man came to our gate asking for food. He was very specific, asking for either a canned item or something in a plastic container. When I gave him a bag with some bread and cookies, he looked very upset. Guess what? People take food and either sell it to buy drugs or just trade it for drugs outright.
OK, so what would you do if you were the missionary and someone came knocking at your gate asking for money, food, or other items? We have to make those decisions all the time.
