Not Discarded: A Story of Hope for Communities
Rapha staff working with families in Mae Sot, Thailand.
NOT DISCARDED: A Story of Hope for Communities, by Joseph Lang
In February, I walked through a community built from trash.
Cardboard boxes became walls. Rusted metal, discarded wood, and scraps of plastic were repurposed into homes. This was Mae Sot, Thailand—just over the border from Myanmar—where refugee families have fled conflict, only to settle among the heaps of a landfill. Piles of trash tower in the distance, surrounding the land where they live.
I’ve been here before with Rapha International, but each time, I’m struck by the same thing: the relentless, relational love of our Rapha Thailand staff. The work is deeply meaningful to the staff at Mae Sot; they know each name, each story, and they step into community with these families. Their desire is to walk with them toward wholeness and healing. They live out a love that doesn’t flinch in the face of brokenness. A love that sees beyond poverty to the person. Beyond trash, to treasure.
As our U.S. team visited families in the community surrounding the landfill, I watched as our local staff were welcomed as good friends. Children ran up to them with smiles. Parents embraced them through weariness. These homes, though pieced together from what others threw away, were filled with something beautiful: families, connection, and quiet strength.
Community Yard Sale hosted by Central Christian Church in St. Pete, Florida.
Fast forward one month and I’m back in the states and helping at a community yard sale hosted by Central Christian Church in St. Pete, Florida. Every item was donated and each dollar raised would go to support the most vulnerable children and families served by Rapha in Thailand.
A kitchen chair for sale reminded me of one a mother sat on in Mae Sot—salvaged from the dump, now a place for conversation and community. A cardboard box being used to carry someone’s purchase reminded me of the very walls families use to shield themselves from rain and wind.
The contrast was stunning, yet the purpose beautiful: what could be discarded as trash is redeemed and seen as treasure.
From a trash dump in Thailand to a yard sale in Florida, I saw the same truth echoed across the globe:
People are not simply problems to solve. They are people to love. People who are looking for healing and hope. We all can make a difference when we see people as humans who deserve dignity and a better tomorrow.
