So Much to be Thankful For . . .

I miss being in America on Thanksgiving.  It's always been my favorite holiday.  The crisp, fall weather and beautiful leaves.  A day to gather with family (without the pressure of giving gifts).  Delicious food that my mom spends weeks preparing.  Writing on the tablecloth the thing I am most grateful for this year.  And then at the end of the day, the Christmas decorations start to go up.  It's always a beautiful day.


But here I am on the other side of the globe where most people have never even heard of Thanksgiving Day.  And my day was so very different than it would have been had I been in America.  I spent my thanksgiving day with 30-ish street kids at our center, visiting 2 former street boys who are now off the streets and back with their families, and helping one boy begin the process of reuniting with his family.  Not the traditional thanksgiving day at all but it certainly was a good day and a day so full of tangible examples of God's faithfulness.

 Meet the 2 boys I visited and please keep them in your prayers:  Joao (above with Glorianne) went back home at the beginning of September.  He is living with his father and step-mother and doing so well!  Mario (below with Alexis) had been on the streets as long as I have been working with Masana...4 years!!  A couple of weeks ago, he got really sick and was hospitalized with malaria.  I think his sickness was a wake-up call about the danger and loneliness of life on the streets.  When he was released from the hospital, he was ready to go home.

Praise God for Joao and Mario and the transformation in their hearts that has brought them to the place that they want a different life.  Thank you Father for all of the boys who have made that decision this year and who are today, off the streets and with their families.  

Happy Birthday Felix!

In 2009, my life was forever changed by the friendship of one of the street boys, Felix.  We became the best of friends.  Often as I would walk to Masana, I would end up a few yards behind Felix.  I always got the biggest kick out of the clothes he wore and the silly games he made up as he walked the streets. A sight I will never forget is Felix in a trench coat and black boots that were way to big for him walking down the street with a large piece of styrofoam that was his "steering wheel" as he weaved in and out of the crowds.  

In October, 2009, Felix decided to go home.  We made the hour and a half drive to his father's house.  The months that followed were filled with ups and downs for Felix as he was put in the middle of family issues.  One of the hardest home visits I have ever been a part of to this date, was with Felix's grandmother and an uncle.  We sat and listened to a family explain that they had given up hope on Felix and that he was no longer welcome to live with them.  It was the first time I cried on a visit.  I didn't understand how anyone could reject this precious little boy I had come to love.

In October 2010, we made the decision to invite Felix to live with us at Masana.  We contacted his father and made arrangements for Felix to stay with us during the week and visit family over the weekends.  Over the weeks and months that followed, I began to see Felix maturing and growing into a strong young man.  Now Felix is respected by all members of his family.   It's a joy to watch him interact with the father that he was once afraid of, now full of joy and self-confidence.

Last week, Felix turned 15.  He is living proof of the impact being in a loving family can have on one's life.  Our Masana family is not your traditional family . . . but we are a family.  And we serve a God who is a loving Father and who takes joy in setting the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6).  

Thank you Father for entrusting Felix to our family.  Help us to raise him up into the Godly man You have created him to be.  May his life always bring glory to Your name.

Happy Birthday Feliz Navidad!!  

Answered Prayer....Chico is Home!!

This picture was taken at my wedding on July 21.  It's Chico and his little brother Bruce.  Their mom was also at the wedding helping out in the kitchen.  Chico has a very special place in my heart.  He lived on the streets on and off for a couple of years but in March made the decision to return home.  You can read a little more about his story here:  My Sweet Chico

Sadly, A few days after the wedding, Chico decided to return to the streets.  His mom called right away and told us he had not returned home.  I searched for him many times around the city.  He did a good job of hiding from us.  I finally found him one Saturday afternoon playing video games with some other street kids.  We talked for about 20 minutes with Chico barely making eye contact with me.  I reminded him of how much I love him and that God has given him a beautiful family that he needed to return to.

After that day, Chico worked even harder to hide from us.  No one from my team was able to speak to him for over 2 months.  One teammate found him twice and twice Chico ran from him.  While I was in the States, I asked people at a couple of churches to pray for Chico to stop running and return to us.  A week ago, I returned to Mozambique.  When I saw all the boys again, one of my first questions was, "who knows where Chico is staying?"  I was given lots of answers and I checked most of them out....the video arcade, Maputo Shopping Center, Mimmo's restaurant, the park in Baixa....but to no avail.  I emailed some friends and churches back home and again asked them to pray.

Thursday morning, God answered those prayers.

Chico stopped running and came to Masana.

I cried as I shared with him how much God loves him....that people in America were praying for him to stop running and come back and how faithful God is to answer our prayers.

Chico spent the day with us at Masana, had one last night on the streets, and now is back home with his family.

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened.
Matthew 7:7-8

Final Wedding Celebration

Saturday we had a beautiful wedding celebration in Georgia with many of my family and friends.  Bob Beckwith, the pastor of the UGA Wesley Foundation, did a beautiful job of sharing about God's faithfulness in giving me the desires of my heart and how His goodness follows us.  We had a group of pastors and leaders from the churches and organizations that support our ministry pray over us.  And then we enjoyed the spread of food my mom worked so hard to put together.

Here is the video we showed highlighting our Mozambican wedding day:

Our Civil Service

Church weddings in Mozambique are not recognized by the government so we had to schedule a civil wedding with a judge. Many people do both their civil wedding and church wedding/reception on the same day. But we knew the wedding day was going to be really full so we decided to have our civil service a few days before the actual wedding.

Guess this means we have 2 wedding anniversaries to celebrate each year....July 16 we were married in the eyes of Mozambique and July 21 we were married in the eyes of God!

The civil ceremony was held in a government building. It was all very formal. We had to enter with our godparents, Luis and Lurdes.

The judge read the Mozambican laws about marriage.

After exchanging our rings, we had to sign the official wedding registry with our godparents also signing as witnesses.

Then the judge signed making it all official!

And in the eyes of Mozambique......we were married!!!

Wedding Preparations

A wedding in Africa requires an early start. We had 60 chickens, 2 goats, and a rabbit to kill. Not to mention the garlic to peel and crush, peanuts to grind, and vegetables to buy. The feast was organized by the wonderful Mama Julia, our Masana cook with lots of helping hands. Aside from the food, there were decorations to make and boys to get outfitted with cute clothes.

Enjoy the preparations:

The amazing Mama Julia!

Athens Link sent over a suitcase full of clothes for the boys to wear to the wedding. We had a fun day of letting them each pick out their outfit.

One of 2 goats given to us for the wedding feast.

Luis, our godfather and dear friend, preparing to kill the goat.

Lots of helping hands for the chicken killing day

This is a special chicken that was given to Roberto and I for the wedding day feast.

I was not exempt from helping with the chicken kill!

Mama Julia chopping over 80 lbs of beef

We had to peel and crush TONS of garlic

mom, deanna, and the boys making heart decorations

All of this work to produce this:

And one happy couple:

First Wedding Celebration

On June 30, the wedding celebrations began with a 4 hour drive up north to the home of Roberto's grandmother, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. We were greeted by women and children singing and dancing.....well i think this part of our wedding celebration is best told in pictures:

Aunts, cousins, neighbors....all singing and dancing as we arrived. This culture is full of singing and dancing!

Mom and dad with the rabbit and chicken we were given....they were later killed and prepared for Roberto and I to eat in our new home.

Roberto with the goat we were given as a gift. (It was later killed and prepared for the wedding day feast)

The women prepared a wonderful feast for us.

Such beautiful women working so hard!

Roberto and I were given a capalana, a traditional wrap that serves as a skirt, baby sling, cloth to sit on, blanket.....countless uses!

My mom and Roberto's mom.

The family members formed small groups and presented us with gifts. Each group sang and danced and they approached us. This group of women presented us with sugar cane and lots of oranges

A few of the gifts we were given. The wooden cups were hand made and painted by one of Roberto's uncles.

The women heard we wanted some cashews to take back to Maputo with us so they picked and roasted them for us

Roberto and I choosing the "special parts" of the goat we wanted to eat....the tongue, stomach, intestines.

Packing up all of our gifts in the car as the women sang and danced some more

My new family :-)