2 More Boys Went Home!

another blog entry from dominique who captures it all so beautifully:

we woke up at 6am to go meet the boys here in the city, in maputo. there were two of them and they had been living on the street for about a year and the other for about five months. today though, we were going to drive them back to their villages and see if their families would allow them to come home, welcome them back--- sometimes, on other occasions when sarah and luis have taken boys home--- the mothers didnt even look at their sons and they were not allowed to return.

we drove away from the city. the landscape grew more grassy in places, open, with people or children walking or playing near the road. cashews in plastic bags hung from different trees for miles and miles, also alongside the road, as venders waited in the sun or shade for a car to stop and buy some. we eventually did but from a little town. then continued on.

the first home was for a boy named Fazenda. for his home we began to drive through a village and then pull into an area off to the side, more hidden, with dead corn stuck in its growth yet much green around, gardens of vegetables, and large trees that created shade over the sandy places. we got out of the car and walked through a path between corn stalks leading to the shade where his grandmother sat, watching us, taking in that this boy who had been missing was now there walking towards her. her face was without expression. she stood and with a swiftness went to her hut--- to get a white plastic chair. but since the hut was collapsing, the doorway was no longer the size it once had been and the chair could not go through. she called facinda over to help her. her first greeting, so to speak. and he did, twisting the chair at different angles to get it out. finally it was free. she brought it beneath the tree and offered the chair to the three of us--- Sarah, Luis, and me. We greeted her with a kiss on each cheek and found a place to sit.

Luis, is mozambican and speaks the language of Shongan. He explained to her how Fazenda had been living on the streets in Maputo and how he found his way to Masana which lets the boys bathe, wash their clothes, eat two meals, study, and hear life lessons. The boys can not stay or sleep there, because it is Masana's heart that they would one day be reunited to their families. The grandmother asked if she could go get the grandfather and left for awhile to find him. When they came back the grandfather spoke telling us a story similar to the one Fazenda had told, that Fazenda's father had died when he was young and his mother had run away to South Africa. Fazenda had been living with his aunt and one day when given money he had disappeared. They do not know why he went. But his grandfather, wearing green and highwater boots, squatting near us because of no seat, said that this place is Fazenda's. it is Fazenda's home as much as it is his. it was almost his way of expressing that he welcomes him back but also this is so very much his home. the grandmother watched him as he spoke. in that moment i could see in their seriousness their great love for the Fazenda; he was somewhat a little distanced from them sitting behind the root of a tree, watching to see what they would say--- and in the way that he watched and listened, and in the way he chose to come back home even when there was no hut for him or anything that the streets of the city had... i felt his hope for his family. Sometimes in families you see the gap though between how people love one another and how it still seems hard to connect that love. The grandparents seemed to have a deep hurt in them-- perhaps from him going, perhaps from the other things and Fazenda too seemed to have a deep hurt that was different, from something else. And in it, I felt like they didnt know what to do to tell him how much they love him. Perhaps when we were gone and not looking on they did. Luis decided it was ok to leave Fazenda. And with the clothes on his back, he stayed. Fazenda also was visibly giddy as well about being home.

We walked back to the car and they all walked with us. We said our goodbyes and mutual thank yous. I smiled at Fazenda and said goodbye and before I got back into the car, he called out from where he was walking again between the corn stalks, his hand lifted in the air, and sheer enthusiasm to be home in his voice 'Ciao Dominguez!" he said. "Ciao." With that we left and began our drive to Castigo's home.

To take part in returning a son home I think is an action strangely full of aching when I was in it. I cried with each of them, held tears back while Luis talked to the families.

Sarah and Luis had tried to bring Castigo home a month ago. But Castigo could not remember or recognize the roads home. They drove for hours and hours until dark and then had to return him to the streets of the city. Today, as we tried again we didnt know if we were going to find his home but he noticed a road he had missed before--- it was over an hour and a half from the city. During the ride I was astounded at the thought of Castigo even making it to Maputo when he ran away. There was almost an admiration I could feel for him for a moment as we made all the turns towards his home.

Castigo, though, is a name that means punishment or to punish. It was a very sad name for me-- I guess for me and for some-- names are so important, embedded in them supernatural direction, favor and blessing. But what does it mean to have a name that means punishment? And what does it mean to bring a son named "punishment" home? I wondered. Castigo was also a very serious boy. Even among the other boys at Masana he kept to himself. While most boys were friendly and tried to talk to us, he did not. I would say hi and give him space and wave or smile from a distance and everynow and then he would smile too for a fleeting moment but you could see a stunning goodness in him.

By the time we made all the turns to his house, with my friend Sarah driving the car, our two white faces in the front had attracted a bit of curiousity from the villagers who gathered in small groups and looked on from afar in a way that did not happen at Fazenda's. We got out and walked towards his home and the earth almost seemed harsher, his hut black with ash of some sort, his mother grinding something to the side of it. When she saw us, she stood, went to the hut and came out with three plastic chairs for us. Also dark grey with some stain of time. There were more people, but in a way the place did not have the peace that Fazenda's did. The mother continued with her grinding and we sat there for a time, while Castigo disappeared--- later even when family called for him, he did not return immediately. Eventually the mother came to a mat near us and sat with her baby--- I should say that Castigo's three year old sister did rush to greet him when we came. She stood near him and she could not stop smiling, laughing and jumping up and down. He watched her not knowing what to do or not wanting to show us perhaps how well he plays with her when no one is looking. The sister eventually walked to somewhere else and it was just us and the mother, a toddler, and a baby wrapped in capulana on the mat. Luis told the mother of Masana. And when she sensed we were asking if he could return home she said with out looking at us "I need my son." which she would say again later. She too called the step father over, and an uncle came, and two aunts all resting near or on the mat. They were grateful to have him home. Luis told again of what Masana is. The step- father said leaning towards us with much expression on his face "This is his home. He can make as many mistakes as he wants and we will always take him back." The aunt she also spoke saying to Luis "We thought when he disappeared that perhaps he did go to the city. And then we began to think perhaps he could be killed in the city, or hurt or something could happen. We did not know what to think. And now you come and you tell us he had been safe, and he has been coming to you to learn about God...this is God answering our worship to bring you to him. This is God. We can not be more thankful. We can not be." She clasped her hands into her lap and looked down overcome.

Eventually Castigo came back and sat in the middle of the mat with them. They said they would celebrate. And while Luis was talking to him, telling him that if he ran away again we could not take him at Masana, he gave that smile that is so quick yet so true and said to Luis "no no I'm staying."

Coloring Books

I received a package from the Smith family at Sanctuary Baptist church full of coloring books and colored pencils. The boys at Masana have enjoyed coloring in them every day! It doesn't matter how old they are.....they all enjoy coloring from time to time! Most days, I end up flipping through the pages of the books with some of the boys teaching them new words in english.

Thank you!!!

Dominique

my friend dominique is here visiting. she is such a treasure from the Lord....so encouraging. she is a very gifted writer and i wanted to share with y'all how she described her first days here in maputo with me:

as we entered the city, it was night time and there were some street children who appeared from nowhere in between the cars--- with smiles on their faces rushing to our car to welcome Sarah back. she rolled down her window to speak portuguese to them and to ask why some of them where not home. we moved on with the traffic light. as we finally neared where she lives another group of older street boys approached the car with big smiles again--- one had a very very large bandage on the side of his neck from where he had had surgery a few days earlier to remove an abcess that had been larger than a baseball. sarah had taken him to the american embassy where a doctor so kindly did the surgery for free. now the boy was coming to the car to show Sarah that he was well and that he had been changing the bandages himself and keeping the wound clean. his name is Declesio, he is about 17 and has been living on the streets and now he does want to go home... to be reunited with his father. it has been making me think of the prodigal son in a new way, wishing that his father would rush out to meet him. but the culture here is very harsh sometimes to the children, especially to the boys... they are often very unwanted by the time they decide the streets would be better. i think he is brave to want to go home. -- that was my first evening in Mozambique.

while here, i have been going in the morning to the very humble area where the street children gather from 8-12:30 to pray, to receive bread and hot tea, to be allowed to wash their clothes, and then to be taught in two main classes for a few hours, then to have lunch and a life lesson from the word. the entire ministry team are mozambican except for my friend Sarah (who raises her money through unveiled faces to be there) and they have very little and live in the midst of the the threats that poverty makes on lives here. even this morning, before one of the teachers came to work he helped his neighbor go to the hospital because she and her two children had malaria. she will be better, but he lamented about how sick she was today. the other teacher here, he also brings the boys back to their homes--- counsels them as they adjust, leads them to see the decisions they can make...the small ones, that will make the difference in their lives... from brushing their teeth, to staying in school, to truly praying to God and knowing their lives are his. i went with him and sarah as well to visit a teenager they had brought back home--- they had helped him start a small business and all of his money was stolen, so his family took him to the witchdoctor to see if he had curse on his life... they though encouraged him to focus on school, to take the opportunity to do well in his classes and while we chatted in his dirt yard about seven of his siblings watched us. we prayed for him. and when he bowed his head i felt the reality of his the depth of his faith--- i felt that he really knew You Lord.

in another village where Sarah helped to reintegrate a boy to his family, she still visits him every week and now has a small children's church each time in front of his hut. this boy was quite young-- not a teen, about ten and had been living in the streets... now though he waits at the entrance of the village for Sarah to come, and this week about fifteen children were waiting--- as young as a year old... and then when they saw us they ran to the car ...then turned to run to meet us at the hut, some staying behind for the one year old. when we got to the hut there was an air of excitement and as soon as one village girl put a mat down, all the children immediately sat for the lesson that was about to be given by the young mozambican boy whom Sarah had brought with her. the children were hearing some of the stories from the word for the first time. a mother sat nearby listening.

Castigo

We are currently trying to help Castigo get back home. He is 15 years old. His family lives about 3 hours from Maputo. His father has passed away but his mom and 2 siblings are at home. He came to the city in February to look for work. He was unable to find any and since he knew no one was forced to live on the street. Praise the Lord for bringing Castigo to Masana so that we can help him get back home!!!

This past Friday, we took 2 other boys back home. Castigo went with us so that we could visit his family on the way back to Maputo. We spent 3 hours driving around and were not able to find his house. When he came to the city in search of work, it was his first time ever really leaving home. It was dark when he left home and he does not remember how to get back. We drove around until dusk then began the 2 hour drive back to Maputo. Unfortunately, that means Castigo is still living on the street. In a couple of weeks, we'll take him back and try again to find his home.

Please pray for wisdom as we try to figure out how to find Castigo's family.

Another Trip to Xai Xai

Last Friday, we took Antonio and Leonel back to their homes in Xai Xai, a city about 3 hours away from Maputo. Leonel is living with his mom. We spoke to the director of the school near his house and arranged for him to register there this week. Normally, we would have done all of that ourselves but because it is so far away, we've left it to Leonel and his mom. Leonel was so happy to go home. He was all smiles the entire day!!!

The circumstances with Antonio's family have changed a bit since our visit in March. At the time his older brother, Luis, was living with their mom. Their mom has since kicked Luis and his wife out. They were able to rent a house and have happily takin in Antonio. Actually, I think this is a much better situation for Antonio as he and his mother do not get along and I was worried he was not going to make it long in her house. Antonio has now moved in with his brother. We bought him a small cooler and some canned drinks that he will begin selling on the beach.

Please keep Leonel and Antonio in your prayers as they adjust to life back at home. It is hard for them to go from the freedom on the street to the responsibilities of work, school, and family life. Pray that they know the blessing that their families are!!!

Brooke's Wedding

Last year, the Lord blessed me with a wonderful friend, Brooke. We spent the year together working at the Iris Ministries children's center just outside of Maputo, Mozambique. She is such an important part of my time there and I can't imagine how it would have been with out her!!! One of the greatest treasures I share with Brooke is the family of 2 boys that were living on the street in Maputo, Zacarius and Gaspar. If you follow my blog, you've seen many posts about this family. Looking back, it's amazing to see how much that family has impacted where I am today! Thank you, Brooke, for joining me in that adventure. . . I don't know that I'd be where I am today had you not!!!

I had the pleasure of spending the last 2 weeks with Brooke as she returned to Mozambique to get married! We had a wonderful time together and I am so thankful for the gift of her friendship. The wedding was so beautiful. Now Brooke and her new husband, Valdemar, have returned to New Zealand to begin their life together. Selfishly, I hope the Lord brings them back to Mozambique very soon!!!

Here is a picture of Brooke and I with Zacarius and Gaspar's family:

Emilton's Shoes

We did another home visit today for Emilton. We met with his mom and uncle, Justino. It was a long meeting with lots of talking in circles but the mom finally agreed to allow Emilton to live with Justino!!! Praise the Lord!!! She even gave us Emilton's official documents so that we can register him for school!

Next week, we will go to the school Emilton last attended and get his documents to register him in a new school near his grandfather's house. We'll buy Emilton new clothes, some blankets, and school supplies and then take him to his uncle's house in Thursday!!!

We had a hard time finding Emilton this morning to go on the home visit. Luis, my co-worker, was out in the city at 6:00 this morning looking for him. Emilton had not slept in his usual spot last night. By 9:30 we still hadn't found him so we decided to go ahead and go to his mom's house to speak to her and the uncle. As we were heading out of the city on the public bus I saw Emilton so we jumped off, got him, and jumped back on. He was hesitant to come with us because someone had stolen his flip flops the night before. Sounds like such a silly thing but for some reason shoes are very important to these boys. They will walk the streets barefoot all day but when it comes time to visit home, they have to have shoes on their feet. It reminds me of a study I did recently on the prodigal son. One of the gifts the father gave the son upon his return was a pair of shoes. Shoes speak so much of one's position in the family. Only a servant would be barefoot. I guess the same still applies today in Africa . . . a son wants to be seen as a son.

Thank you for your prayers for Emilton. I'll continue to keep you updated!

UPDATE: Emilton is now living at his uncle's house and has begun school! Praise the Lord that another precious boy is off the street!!!