Panama Mission Trip: Slums of Baghdad

Life has kept me quite busy lately. Between school work, my day job, youth ministry and spending time with the family I’ve struggled to find a few minutes to post this blog. As it so happens, I’ve probably been most eager to share about this experience more than any other. So you can imagine how anxious I’ve been to post this story.

In the last blog I shared about the Rakatakas and how surreal it was to see police officers on every corner holding AK47s in the open. Some officers never took their hands off the holster. The Rakatakas really did make Harlem seem like Disney World yet God did a glorious work there. I also allude to how the slums of Baghdad appear as if reality clashes with our worst nightmare! And that’s no exaggeration. Yet, God again declares his Love like never before in this environment and leaves an unforgettable imprint. So let’s get to it…

April 5th, 2010 – Our team was on the road again, this time heading to the slums of Baghdad. This area is ruled by gangs–a stronghold dictated by violence. I really wasn’t sure what to expect since I could not imagine a more eerie place than the Rakatakas yet Walker Moore noted that Baghdad was one of the worst of the worst places in Panama.

Suddenly a complete silence falls upon our team after a gasp for air. The bus stops in front of three buildings; standing about three to seven stories high. Most of the windows and doors had bars on them for protection from intruders. The buildings were run down, trashed—almost appearing abandoned. In fact the projects did seem deserted. I don’t recall seeing anyone outside. I did see a few people on the balcony on several of the floors but no one out in the open. Those that we did see had an anxious almost fearful expression to their faces. I’m not sure what crossed their minds perhaps they thought we were a local gang coming to pick a fight with the other gang, or to terrorize the residents for their possessions. One thing I do know for sure, these people were living in fear and were oppressed.

Once the equipment was set up we started to invite the locals to come out and see a drama that told a story of hope, love and redemption. We noticed people peeking through their doors and windows. Several others walked out to the balcony. Children started coming out towards us. But many were reluctant to leave the safety of their homes. Who’s to blame them?

We decided to begin the drama and something strange started to happen. We saw smiles, heard giggles and even a few laughs. The children were truly enjoying the presentation. Vibrant colors started to appear on this gloomy, black and white portrait. There is life in this nightmare after all. Many came to Christ that afternoon but the most impressionable moments were with the children. We played and loved on them like nobody had ever done in their lifetime. A few giggles and laughs became a chorus of joy. One boy took my hand and placed it on his cheek looking for a tender touch; another took my arm and put it around his shoulders, he was looking for a hug; most were looking for love.

We played with the children for hours. I observed many of them as we played hand games. I quickly became depressed yet smiled and laughed with them. It was heartbreaking to see that most of them were filthy with layers of dirt, neglected and begging for love. Many were shirtless and almost all of them were barefoot. One child had a wound on his chest; he said he was stabbed by an older kid. Others played with coke bottles that they’ve turned into sand bombs. All of them faced the harsh reality of their hopeless and oppressed environment. But for a moment we were able to show them the unconditional love of the Father.

On April 5th, 2010 I left part of my heart in the slums of Baghdad, ironically the experience was less of a nightmare and more of a dream coming true.