You Are Who You Are and Nobody Else

These last few weeks we have jumped through hoops to get 3 of our reintegrated boys registered.  In Mozambique, you are registered as an infant and receive a document called a “cedula.” With a “cedula” you can then request a document to process your BI, which is your official ID card with your picture on it.  Once that document is ready, you then go to the BI office and stand in line forever to have your information entered into the computer and your photo taken.  Then, sometime in the next 2 to 24 weeks, your ID card is ready to be picked up. . . and no, that is not a typo.  The official receipt says your ID card will be ready in 15 days but it sometimes takes months!

An ID card is necessary for many reasons – school, employment, playing on a sports team, random police checks, getting a passport. The “hoops” we have to jump through are often created because parents never registered their child as an infant.  So here we are with a teenage boy who, according to the government, doesn’t exist.  To register him at this age, we end up paying a fine.  Another “hoop” is that by the time a boy is a teenager, parents are often separated and we have to track them down to register their son.  Then there is the "hoop" of nothing in this country being digital.  Everything is still hand written in large books.  If a cedula gets misplaced or lost, you must go back to the office that it was processed at and flip through all the books til you find where your information was recorded.  If you don't remember the date you were registered, this task is nearly impossible.  These hoops are just something we endure for our boys because we know having an ID card is vital to their futures.

There is a book I love called “Chronicles of the Wind” by Henning Mankell.  It is about a Mozambican street boy named Nelo.  The author captures so beautifully the value street kids place on an ID card:

“They lay there in silence while Nelo considered.  ‘An ID card,’ he said at last.  ‘A document with a photo that says that you are who you are and nobody else. . . that’s what we dream about.  ID cards.  But not so that we’ll know who we are, we already know that.  But so that we’ll have a document proving that we have a right to be who we are.’ . . . If anyone had asked him what was the fundamental need of every human being, he would have known the right answer at once:  a roof and an ID card.  That was what a person needed, in addition to food, water, a pair of trousers and a blanket.  It was by having a roof over their heads and ID cards in their pockets that human beings differed from animals.  These were the first steps toward a decent life, an escape from poverty – building yourself a roof and obtaining an ID card.”

The hoops are worth it if, in the end, we help a young boy prove that he is who he is and nobody else.

Back To Normal Life and My Health

Sorry for the long absence from the blog.  Roberto, Melina and i had a wonderful time in the states with our family and friends.  Roberto survived a real winter and enjoyed his first American Christmas, very different than Christmas in Mozambique.  Thank you to each of you who made time for us.  Our time in the States each year is such a refreshing break.

Some of you may have read my post after Melina's birth, C-Section...A Blessing in Disguise, and know that I underwent a lot of testing while I was in the States to find out what is going on with a mass the doctor found on one of my ovaries.  I am happy to report that it is not cancer!  It's a dermoid cyst and unfortunately, it is considered pre-cancerous and will have to be surgically removed.  This surged will involve removing one of my ovaries as its impossible to remove the cyst alone.  The doctor says its not a huge rush and can be done in the next year or 2.  Also, the doctor recommends that, if we are done having children, removing my tubes as well as a precaution against cervical cancer.  So Roberto and I have a lot to process and pray about as we make decisions about whether or not to have more children and how long to wait before having the surgery.

Thankfully, I am not burdened by this news.  I know that God is in control of my health and our family and that He will reveal His perfect plans to us in His timing.  I am thankful for the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.

We are back in Maputo now and back to normal life.  Roberto is waking up at 4:20 am every day to open Armadura, the income-generating gym for Masana.  And as of tomorrow, I am back to Masana full time.  Though I'm not excited the boys are still on the streets, I am excited to see each of them again and the opportunity we have to help them reach the place that they are ready to return to their families.

 Melina and her Granny

 Melina and her cousin, Josh

 the family with our Christmas stockings my mom made us

 Nap time with Paw-Paw

 Melina and Uncle Shane

Melina with her great-grandparents

Will You Partner with Us?

hello family and friends!  Roberto, Melina and I are happy to in Georgia for the holidays!  One of the tasks we have each year during this time is to raise our support for the following year.  Below, is a summary of 2013 and information for those who would like to support us as we continue ministering to the street boys of Maputo.


2013 was truly a year of family for Roberto and I as we welcomed our little Melina!  She has been a joy to love and care for.  Melina has fit perfectly into the Masana family where all of the boys love getting to play with and hold her.  It's beautiful to watch the street boys care for little Melina and we hope and pray that her presence among them will remind them of their siblings back home and that their desire to return and be big brothers will be ignited.

At Masana, we helped 17 boys be reunited to their families this year!  These boys range in age from 12 to 18.  Some were on the streets for as long as 3 or 4 years.  We were able to help these 17 leave the streets and begin their lives back home by buying clothes, blankets, and shoes for them as well as registering them in a local school and providing their school materials.  Over the course of the year, we visited these boys and their families numerous times.  During these visits, we are able to sit with the family and teach on Biblical principles needed for a family to function.  Each visit, the boys and their family members look forward to the traditional stories Luis, our director, tells to teach Biblical characteristics. 

In 2012, 5 street boys started saving up their money to take swimming lessons at a local pool that Roberto was teaching at.  It's amazing how that hour or 2 a day of participating in a sport and being around "normal kids" transformed these boys!  All 5 of them went home towards the end of last year but only 2 of them have done well at home.  These 2 boys continue to participate on the swim team but now paid for by Roberto and I rather than money they make on the streets.  We have the privilege of having these 2 boys over to our house every Sunday for church and lunch and a time to catch up.   

Armadura Gym was opened in January 2013 after many months of prayer, fundraising, and remodeling.  It is Masana’s first business to help the center one day be self-sustainable!  The gym is in Maputo and currently has over 100 clients with monthly contracts.  After rent and employee salaries are paid each month, the rest of the income goes towards the general budget of the Masana day center.  Roberto manages the morning shift at Armadura.   During this time, some of the older street boys have the privilege of working out which gives Roberto the opportunity to build relationships with them and help them realize that God’s perfect design for them includes their families. We have also been able to employ 3 former street boys at the gym so that they have an income!

There are 6 boys who live at Masana.  These 6 boys lived on the streets in the past but their family circumstances were not ideal to return to so they became our Masana family.  They live at the Masana house with Ian and Alexis, 2 other American missionaries.  Roberto and I have really tried to continue to be a part of their lives even though I no longer live at Masana by eating dinner with them at least once a week, helping some of them with activities like swimming and guitar lessons, and opening our home to them.  Our apartment is close to Masana so these 6 boys often stop in to visit, play games on the computer and watch tv.  Though we are an odd looking family of Mozambicans and Americans, we are none-the-less a family.

We are grateful for our family and friends who support us year after year so that we may continue this ministry of restoring families in Mozambique, Africa.  With the addition of Melina to our family, our annual budget has increased a bit and we are in need of additional support.  We are working towards raising $34,000.  If you are able to help, donations can be made online at www.abbasambassadors.org or mailed to Abba's Ambassadors, PO Box 523, North Myrtle Beach, SC  29597.  Please just indicate that the donation is for the Mondlane Family.  All donations are tax deductible.  

We pray God's richest blessings over you and your family this holiday season!

Roberto, Sarah and Melina

The Lost Boys in Neverland

Sometimes I find myself asking what is so alluring about the streets?  Why, when the boys have perfectly good families, do they keep returning to the streets?  And that’s when I always think of Peter Pan and the lost boys. For the street boys, the city of Maputo is like Neverland! Each day they wake up and beg at the red lights for a few coins to buy bread and then they spend their day looking for treasures in the trash dumpsters.  At night, they find a place to sleep – sometimes in a shopfront or abandoned house and sometimes they build little houses out of cardboard, sticks, and plastic.  All day long, they roam the streets looking for adventure.  No adults telling them what to do and when to do it.   No one forcing them to bathe or wash their clothes or go to school.  It’s a carefree life. What 10 to 15 year old wouldn’t love that life?!

But then there is the harsh realities to life in this Neverland.  Sickness.  Drug addiction.  Crime.  Nights of suffering because of the cold and rain.  Beatings.  Rape. 

I see boys that have been on the streets since 2009 when I began working with Masana and I am shocked at how old they look.  They are growing up on the streets and because of their addictions and lives of crime, it’s like they’ve aged 10 years in these past 5 years.  Their innocence has been lost.  Eventually, Neverland looses it’s allure but for many of these boys it feels hopeless.  They have been estranged from their families for so long that its hard to go back.  They know no other life. 

But there is hope.  The God I serve is a God of redemption.  He longs to restore the hearts of these boys to the hearts of their fathers!  And so I’m reminded that God is still at work in the hearts and souls of these boys.  He’s still using Masana to restore these “lost boys” to their families. 

Proof?  In the last week, 2 “lost boys” who have been on the streets for 3 or more years decided to leave Neverland behind and return to their families.  God is restoring their hearts to their family.  That’s what He loves to do.

Melina and Her Brothers

A few pictures of Melina during her first days at Masana:

 Melina's first visit to Masana

 Melina and Luis

 Melina and Jorge

 Melina and Simeão

 Melina and me with Jorge and Little Luis

 Melina and me with Big Luis and Jorge

 Melina is one adored little girl :-) 

Melina with "the baby whisperer"

Sunday lunch with 2 reintegrated boys, Jose and Erson

Paito and Melina

Big brother Felix with little Melina

Mommy-Daughter Time at Masana

After 2 months away from Masana on maternity leave, I started back this past Monday.  Roberto and I spent much time discussing our options for Melina once I was back at Masana - hire a nanny, ask a family member to watch her, or take her with me to Masana.  We opted for option 3 and week number 1 was great!!  

Mama Julia, Alexis, Deanna, and Izilpa are all a huge help taking turns holding Melina and giving her a bottle. The boys love the chance to cuddle with her between naps.  It is amazing to watch these often hardened street boys interact with Melina.  Each morning, as we enter Masana, the youngest boys run to kiss Melina's cheek.  One of the toughest boys at Masana, Joao, is one of the best at getting Melina to stop crying.  Simão, an older boy who does his own thing most of the time, loves to talk to Melina and pinch her little cheek.  As I watch the boys interacting with Melina, I find myself praying that these little moments they have with her will remind them of younger siblings they have back at home who they should be helping take care of.  

I always wanted to be a mom who figured out how my baby fit into my life rather than completely changing my life to accommodate my baby.  And so far, Melina is fitting into life at Masana perfectly!  My prayer for her is that as she grows up around these boys, she will develop the heart of a servant filled with compassion for the least of these.

Melina with Mama Julia in the Masana kitchen

C-Section . . . a Blessing in Disguise

Two weeks ago today, I was in the hospital awaiting the birth of my little Melina.  After hours of contractions, we went to the hospital at 5:00 am.  Contractions were coming every 4 to 6 minutes but I had only dilated 2 cm.  The doctor decided to break my water to bring on labor faster.  Over the next 4 hours, the doctor monitored my labor that seemed to be lessening rather than progressing.  At noon, I had only dilated to 3 cm and contractions were slowing down rather than increasing.  So my doctor made the decision to proceed with a cesarean.  From there, everything happened super fast....an operation room was vacant, I was given papers to sign as I was being pushed down the hall, different doctors were introduced to me, my epidural was topped off, Roberto appeared all dressed in scrubs to sit by my side, the surgery began and minutes later we heard the beautiful sound of our baby girl crying. It was a beautiful moment that will forever be etched in my memory.

Roberto then had to leave the operating room with the nurse who would be taking care of our precious Melina.  And I found myself all alone.  Yes, there were doctors and nurses all around doing their jobs...but I was all alone.  And then my doctor peeked over the curtain to tell me that he had found a lump on one of my ovaries and was a bit concerned so he had called another doctor to come have a look.  And I felt so alone.  That is not the kind of news anyone wants to hear but especially not someone who had already been through a battle with breast cancer.  As much as I prayed in that moment, my mind automatically went to the worse and the tears started flowing.  It felt like an eternity as we waited for the second doctor to arrive.  He came in and was introduced to me as I fought back tears not wanting to show how scared I was.  The two doctors discussed what they were seeing but I was not able to hear.  I was later told that the second doctor felt it was best to close up and wait a few months as it is very likely the lump had been aggravated by my pregnancy and would shrink some.  My doctor said that he doesn't think the lump is cancerous based on how it appeared but that further testing will be needed in about 6 months.

Roberto and I quickly realized that my labor failing to progress and the doctor recommending that we proceed with a C-section was actually a blessing in disguise.  Otherwise, we would not have known about this lump.  And now we pray and wait for the doctor to continue with further testing.  Please join us.