Photo from Landfill Harmonic YouTube.

I saw a video the other day that reminded me just how beautiful the human spirit is.

The video, Landfill Harmonic, is about people who live in a slum on a landfill in Cateura, Paraguay. Despite their dismal and impoverished surroundings, they create violins, cellos and other musical instruments out of recycled trash. Then they give the instruments to children so they learn how to play and develop a love of music. Watch their amazing story.

These residents made something beautiful out of the trash no one else wanted – and look at the positive impact it has on the lives of the children in their community!

Boys Town looks at people the same way. Every child and every family has worth and value, and we shouldn’t throw them away just because they’ve fallen on difficult times.

Most of the children and families we work with every day at Boys Town have not had an easy time. They struggle. They suffer. They are often close to giving up. Even when we begin providing the help and hope they need, they sometimes take a couple of steps backward before they surge forward.

We just need to remember that no matter how broken people seem to be, they are children of God and can be salvaged and transformed into something beautiful and useful.

Just like the children’s instruments that were rescued from the landfill, people in need may not always have all the “traditional” parts we think someone must have to find success. But when they receive the proper guidance and care, their success can be the sweetest music you’ll ever hear.