THE TRASH DUMP

It all started in a trash dump called La Chureca in Managua, Nicaragua. It was the largest landfill in Central America. There, about 1500 people lived and worked everyday picking up recyclables, in horrific conditions. Large families were living in small tarp houses with dirt floors in the middle of mountains of trash. Children were huffing glue to fight hunger, and the smoke from the burning trash lowered their life expectancy every day. It was right there in La Chureca I felt Jesus’ love and desire to give. The idea was simple—take portraits of families, print them, and give them to the families as gifts. I had experience taking wedding photos in the U.S. and saw the impact photos could have on lives. But for people who didn’t have very many possessions, much less photos of themselves, the call of Jesus seemed simple—to bring a little light and a little joy to a dark place.