Masana and The Vine

I am "home" with my family for a few weeks. It is a much needed break as my last month or so in Mozambique was pretty hard. While I'm here in the states, I'll be connecting with the churches that support me. Today I got to worship at The Vine and share with the children at their church. I am always blown away by this church and their heart to come alongside me and truly be a part of my ministry in Mozambique.

Throughout this past year, The Vine helped 5 boys leave the streets of Maputo and return to their families. A team of 4 from the Vine even came over to visit me back in October and got to meet these 5 boys. Now their children's ministry is raising money to help another boy. A few weeks ago, I sent them information about a 12 year old boy named Antonio and they set out on the task of raising $500 so that Masana can help him return to his family. The children had the goal of raising all the money by Christmas. Well today, after only a few short weeks, they already have $560 and are going to try and come up with $1000 so that they can help 2 street kids return to their families!!!

I was so blessed as I heard David Walters, the pastor of The Vine, describe to the church some of the ways the kids were raising the money. One boy went around to his neighbors with a jar and Antonio's picture and raised $50. Another little boy gave his birthday money. One girl drew pictures and wrote short stories and sold them to family and friends over thanksgiving for a total of $62. I am so touched by these little kids who have a heart to help one of the least of these...a young boy in Mozambique, Africa that they have never even met.

Because of the hard of work of these precious little children, Masana is going to help Antonio return to his family. We'll buy him clothes and blankets. We'll make sure he is registered for school and has a uniform and all the supplies he needs. We'll even help him start up a small business so that he can contribute to his family's income.

Thank you to The Vine for your love and support!!!

Felix is Home

This past Saturday, we took 12 year old Felix home. He is one of my favorite boys. He is one that really marches to the beat of his own drum. Sometimes I would pass him on the street and he would be marching around talking to himself and playing his make believe games. . .lost in his own little world. Anytime he saw me rather we were at Masana or on the street, he would greet me with "Malunga" (which means white person) and I would greet him back with "Mulando" (black person). He always made me laugh.

This is the hard part about our work with the street kids...telling them goodbye when they are ready to return to their families. But it's so the decision I long to see every one of them make.

Felix left home back in January after getting in trouble for stealing some money. He has been living on the streets for the past 10 months. I'll never forget the image of his father meeting us as we approached his house, stopping, and shaking hands with his son. It's so beautiful to see the hearts of children and fathers turned towards one another.

Luis, my coworker, spoke to Felix about how its his father's responsibility to teach him and discipline him. He spoke to the family and neighbors about the need for them to look at Felix, not as a street child but as a they would any other child in the community. He encouraged them to continue guiding Felix in the right ways.

Please be praying for Felix these next few weeks. Pray that there is no temptation to return to the streets. Pray for his family to be bonded together in love.

Paulo Cossa

This past weekend, Paulo Cossa, one of the boys that i was closest to last year at the Iris Children's center, passed away. Paulo came to live at the children's center just before I did in December, 2007. He was quite sick when he arrived but with nurses looking after his health and proper nutrition, he improved greatly.

Paulo and Inacio were best friends and they were quite attached to me. And i loved that. We had so much fun together....from trips to the city for dinner at Mimmo's or going to the market to buy vegetables and then give it away to people in the community. Even after I moved to the city to work with street kids, Paulo and Inacio would come running anytime they saw my car driving into the center.

But Saturday of last weekend, Paulo left us. He went to be with Jesus. I can say with confidence that he knew the Lord. Paulo was one of the most beautiful kid to watch during worship. It was obvious that he was lost in the presence of the Lord. 1 John 3:1 says, "how great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be children on God. . . and that is who we are." Paulo knew that he was a child of God. He was confident in the love of his Father.

Paulo was such a beautiful young man. I am so thankful that the Lord allowed him to be a part of my life for a short time and that I was able to lavish love on him.

Worms

Just a quick funny story from my day:

Here in Mozambique, we occasionally take pills to kill any worms that might be in the stomach due to food eaten. The Ministry of Health gathered together street kids this past Thursday and gave all of them these pills.

One of my boys, Felix, who is quite the animated one, just told me "esta a sair uma cobra." In English that means, "there is a snake coming out." One of his friends showed me with his hands how big the "cobra" was and another of his friends began to reenact how the "cobra" was coming out. They then offered to take me and show me where Felix has gone to the bathroom so that I could see the "cobra."

I declined the offer.

But oh how I love these boys!

Street Kids in My Home

One of my favorite authors, Erwin McManus, says, "home is ultimately not about a place to live but about the people with whom you are most fully alive. Home is about love, relationship, community, and belonging and we are all searching for home."

the past week or so i have been having some problems with my landlord and neighbors. i live in a building with 5 other apartments and my neighbors have been complaining about the street boys being around. my landlord wants me to set better boundaries between my work and my home. i've tried to explain to him that this is not work for me. i gave up everything to move to mozambique and minister to these kids. that ministry doesn't just end at 2:00 when the center closes. it is so important to me that the boys be able to visit me in my home. they sometimes come to play with the toys i have here or just to ask for a cup of water. they also come to me when they are sick or injured. i love that they do these things!! to me its a very small way to share the love of God with them and its all a part of building a relationship with them so that they will receive the Truth that i speak into their lives. i've spoken to all the boys and asked them to help me by not loitering around the building waiting on me to come home or wake up in the mornings. i've also asked them not to come after dark. in the end, the landlord agreed to give me a couple of weeks and see how it goes with these guidelines for the boys. i'm pretty sure it will be a one chance thing and that if a neighbor calls to complain again i will have the option of telling the boys they aren't allowed here at all or moving out. i would choose to move out before i would tell the boys they aren't welcome in my home. i hope it doesn't come to that though and i ask you to pray. pray that the boys will be more respectful of the other people that live here. pray also that the hearts of my neighbors would be softened towards the boys. the boys aren't doing anything bad but there are so many negative stereotypes about street kids. i've been able to talk to them a bit about this and challenge them to start making better choices about how they behave, treat other people, and even their appearance. i've told them that they can't expect to wake up one morning and magically their life be changed. the responsibility to make wise decisions is theirs and they have the power to help break some of these stereotypes put on them.

i'm only here for 2 more months. november 21, i'll be going to visit my family and friends in the states. when i come back to mozambique in january, i'm planning to live with some friends who are starting a new project called kunhymela house. the heart of this ministry is to provide "a home that serves the disenfranchised just as Christ served them during His walk on earth, by living in community with them and focusing on relationship over all else." i will continue working with masana and we will partner with kunhymela house when we have street kids who are really sick or for the boys who are preparing to return home. it will be such a blessing to live with a other people who have the same heart as i do for the street kids!!!

Bird Catching

Today some of the boys met me at my house at 9:00 in the morning and off we went to the bush so that they could show me how they caught the little bird they had given me a couple of weeks ago. We drove about 30 minutes from the city. Our first stop was this tree:

The boys climbed up the tree and picked berries.

Here is Ernesto with his berries. Inside is a white substance.

They put the white substance in their mouths and chewed it up. Then they stuck it on the ends of sticks. Once mixed with saliva, it becomes sticky like a glue.

Then we drove to another area where there were lots of masala trees. Ernesto climbed up to the top and tied the sticks with the berry glue onto the highest branches.

Then we all hung out in this tree and waited for a bird to land on the stick and get stuck in the berry glue.

Here is the first bird we caught!

It was a cute little bird with bright yellow feathers.

Abrantis poured water into a bottle cap for the little bird to drink some.

Jito got the second bird. He tried to feed it some berries.

And that is how you catch a bird in the bush. I have seen people selling the birds on the street. Not sure who buys them or what they do with them but now I know how to catch them!

My Bird

Today, 3 of my boys showed up at the door with a present for me....a little bird. They named is Sarina which means "little sarah". I have no idea how they caught this bird but they brought it in a little plastic box that holds computer disks. They even found some kind of plastic thing that works as a water and food bowl. When I asked them what I was suppose to feed it, Abrantis responded "whatever you are eating today."

Feeding Sarina some granola.

Abrantis "Malucu" with Sarina

Abrantis wanted to make sure Sarina had a friend so he found some "friends" in my toy box. Sarina was afraid of the cadbury bunny that clucked.

But I think Sarina likes the rubber duck!!!

Not really sure what I'm going to do with Sarina. For now she's on my veranda. I love the little ways these boys show they care!!!

UPDATE: Sadly, Sarina de Passarina did not make it through the night. But she is one present I will never forget. . . just as I'll never forget the boys who gave her to me. . . they have a place in my heart.