Turning My Eyes to Jesus

This morning I woke up feeling nervous...butterflies in my stomach.  And the reason why is quite odd.  It's because, as of today, I have set aside Wednesday mornings to be alone.  From now on, I will leave Masana on Wednesday mornings.  No street boys.  I will leave Melina and Maya with our amazing nanny.  No daughters.  I will leave Roberto to carry on our work at Masana.  No husband.

It's just me.

And that makes me nervous.

It's been a long time since I've intentionally set aside time to be alone.  But its so necessary.  These past few weeks, I've felt like I'm drowning.  I've felt so overwhelmed trying to juggle being a wife and mother and caretaker to 30 boys.  I feel like Peter who stepped out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus.  But somewhere along the way, I, like Peter, took my eyes off of Jesus.  I started looking towards my family and my ministry.  And all of a sudden, I've found myself drowning.

So today I place my eyes back on Jesus.  I reach out my hand and take His.  I put my need for Jesus before my responsibilities with my family and my ministry.  Because I know that I need Jesus to be able to love my family as they deserve to be loved.  I need Jesus to be able to serve the boys of Masana as I long to serve them.  I need Jesus.

Who Cares?

Twice now since the beginning of this year, we’ve had street boys severely beaten.  And it’s as if that fact…that they are street boys…makes it no big deal.

The first boy was beaten in a local cemetery and left for dead.  We found him a day later and got him to the hospital.  He underwent 2 operations to drain the blood from his skull.  He survived but he’s not the same.  Because of the trauma he suffered, he now has mental deficiencies that will probably plague him for the rest of his life.  But who cares?  He’s just a street boy. 

Last week, another street boy was beaten…and this one didn’t make it.  His attackers beat him so severely that he succumbed to his injuries.  The left him to die in the woods where his body was later found by some other street boys.  Yes, the young boy was in the wrong as he was attempting to steal a car radio.  But since when does stealing warrant death?!?!  But who cares, right?  After all, he was just another street boy. 

But I care.

It’s not okay with me that the police do nothing because it’s “just a street boy.”  It’s not okay with me that others hear of these tragedies and think, “oh well it was just another street boy.”  They are more than “just street boys.”  They are sons.  They are brothers. They are uncles and cousins.  They are my friends.

I pray that God will continue to give me His heart for these boys.  My God doesn’t see “just another street boy.”  He knows them by name.  He knit them together in their mothers’ wombs.  They are so precious in His sight.  He has such incredible plans and purposes for their lives. 

And I know my God is not okay with their lives being snatched away from them.  He cares.  He cares deeply.

May all of my boys know these truths.

7 Years Later

In January 2008, a little over a month after I moved to Mozambique, I met Gaspar and Zacarius who were living on the streets.  You can read their stories here or here or here or here or here or here.  In fact, the majority of my blog posts from 2009 involve them.  I've written lots about these brothers and their family over the past 6 years because they are a HUGE part of my story.  They are the reason I work with street kids today.

And sadly, they are still on the streets today. After their mom passed away in 2010, both brothers came back to the streets.  Zacarius goes to stay with an uncle from time to time but currently they are both here in the city.

Zacarius showed up at Masana yesterday after having been beaten with a rock by someone who wanted to steal his money.  He's in a lot of pain.  Ian took him to the hospital last night and he'll have some follow-up appointments this week.  Please join us in praying for his healing.  We often see God use times of sickness or injury to transform a boys hearts...to wake them up to the reality of this life on the streets they have chosen and to remind them of home.  That's my prayer for Zacarius now...that God will transform his heart and stir up a longing for home.  Home for Zacarius is complicated since him mom passed away...but God knows the perfect home for him whether that be with dad, grandma, our one of his many aunts or uncles.  Pray that God will pick Zacarius up and place him in family.

God sets the lonely in family.  Psalm 68:6

The Sickbed Under the Mango Tree

The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

Psalm 41:3

One of the unique aspects of Masana is that we are the only center for street kids in the city that has live-in staff.  That makes us the only place in the city for boys to go to when they are sick or injured, no matter what hour of the day it may be.  In the past 2 weeks, we've already had 2 boys stay with us...one with a broken arm and one with malaria.  With temperatures in the 90's most days, the shade of the mango tree has become our sickbed.  

Today I took both the boy with malaria and my own daughter, Maya, to the clinic.  Maya got a round of vaccines while the young boy was tested for both malaria and HIV...the 2 standard tests done when someone is sick in this country.  He now rests outside under the mango tree while I sit in Maya's room watching her sleep, knowing that her tiny little body is not feeling good.  But what about the boy outside under the mango tree?  Where is his mom or aunt or grandmother....someone to watch over him as he on his sickbed?  

Perhaps the unique aspect of Masana being the only place in the city for street boys to go when they are sick or injured is also a call from God to stand in the place of their mothers or fathers or aunts or uncles.  

Someone should be watching over their sickbeds and praying. 

Welcome Home!

Last Saturday, after 2 days of traveling, we arrived home to our beautiful family in Mozambique!  We were greeted at Masana by Roberto's family and our Masana family who had prepared a delicious meal to welcome us.  It was beautiful to watch Maria, Roberto's mom and Mama Julia as they sung and danced to welcome Maya to her new home.  

Throughout our travels last week, I was amazed at how God cares for us in the small details.  We were originally booked on a flight to South Africa via Amsterdam that would have been 20 hours of travel time.  But at the boarding gate, Delta moved us to the direct flight because the Amsterdam flight was overbooked.  The direct flight was only 14 hours!  God is in the details!

Roberto and I weren't allowed to sit together with 2 lap children because of the number of air masks on each row.  I was bummed about that but they managed to get us seats across the aisle from one another.  The flight was pretty full but no one else was seated on my row nor on Roberto's row!  I had an extra seat for Maya to sleep in and Roberto had 2 extra seats for Melina to stretch out across!!  Both of the girls slept almost all of the 14 hour journey!!!  God is in the details!

Now I'll admit that I was nervous about traveling with 2 babies under the age of 2.  I even bought a bottle of children's nighttime cough syrup just in case.  But didn't God prove Himself faithful?!?!

Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.

1 Peter 5:7

Ready To Go!

After almost 3 months in Georgia, we are all packed up and ready to return to Mozambique!!  Thank you to everyone who visited, met us for a meal, sent gifts for baby Maya, or opened their home to us.    We've felt very loved and return to Mozambique rested and ready for another year of ministry with Masana.

Please keep us in your prayers as we fly out tomorrow evening at 6pm.  We have a long journey with 2 babies.  But what awaits us on the other side of this trip is worth it....our home amongst the street boys of Maputo, Mozambique.  

A Goodbye

Last Sunday, I received a message from a colleague in Mozambique informing me that one of our sweet boys, Nilton, had passed away.  We were not told what illness he had but simply that he had been in the hospital and died there.  Such a common story in Mozambique.  

Nilton had left the streets in 2012 and was living with his grandmother and an aunt just outside of the capital city.  He passed by Masana often to visit us as he was always in the city playing soccer or basketball at one of the sports complexes.  He was one of those boys who, when he decided to leave the streets and return home, never looked back.  He had begun a new life and was thriving in his family.  

So as we begin 2015, I want to honor this young man and the amazing choices he made in getting his life back on track.  I pray that God will comfort his family in this time of grief...that He will turn their mourning into dancing.  And may this be a year when other boys follow in Nilton's footsteps and make the decision to leave the streets and return home for good...no looking back.  May they thrive in the midst of their families just as Nilton did.  

You will be missed, Nilton.  Thank you for the joy that you brought to our lives.