2 More Boys Back With Their Families

We recently helped 2 boys leave the streets and Maputo and return to their families!!! Here are their stories:

Thomas

Thomas has been living on the streets on and off again since he was 10 years old. He is now 17. For 10 years he would leave home for no real reason, live on the streets for a few months, and then return home when he was ready to. Thomas has a great father who is a pastor. His father just does not understand why Thomas chooses to live on the streets when he has a family that loves him and provides for him.

In the past, other centers have helped Thomas return to his family. Why do I think us helping him this time will be any different? Thomas' father had a great and encouraging answer to that question. He said that there is something different about Masana and the way we have gone about reintegrating Thomas with his family. We are the first project that has invested time in talking with them as a family and getting to the root of what drives Thomas to the streets. We are the first project that has provided a bit of counseling for Thomas as he makes this transition back home. And we will continue doing all of this for at least a year.

Fred

Fred has one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen on the streets of Maputo. He just shines! He has a slight tendency to tell tall-tales but he is a good kid. He doesn't get into much trouble. He doesn't steal. He is one of the boys that hung around the house with us more often...one of the boys that we were able to connect with on a more personal level. And now he is home with his family.

Fred is 15 years old. Both of his parents have passed away. He is now living with his brother and his brother's wife in a community not far from the city.

I find this happens often: God will highlight a certain boy and give me and my housemates a special bond with him. He'll be one of the boys that we trust a little bit more than the others. He'll be one that opens up to us and shares about his life on and off the streets. And these are usually the boys we see making the decision to return home. And that is what our being here is all about.

Reintegration: Luis

Today we took Luis back to his family. He had been on the streets of Maputo for a few months. He is one of the sweetest most respectful boys at Masana. I never heard anyone say anything bad about him or things he had done. His family is in a rural area near Maputo. We took a ferry across the bay and then a chapa (local mini bus) to his house. We walked the last 15 minutes to his house. All along the way, neighbors would call out, "Luis" as we passed by. They were all so excited to see him back!!!

Luis had left home a few months ago after getting into some trouble with some of his neighbors. He and some friends had stolen a chicken from a neighbor and eaten it. For whatever reason, Luis decided to run away rather than be punished. We had a good talk with him about being careful about the friends he chose to spend his time with.

We'll return to visit Luis in a few weeks. At that time, we'll take him clothes, blankets, and a few other basic necessities. We'll also help him start up a small business. He and his mom are talking about the possibility of starting a chicken business where they raise chickens both for eggs and to sale. I am really excited about this possibility as it is a business that can keep its self running as long as the chicken's are taken care of. We're going to do some investigating on the start up cost of this. If its not way out of our normal budget I think it could be a great one to try out! And Luis can replace the chicken he stole from his neighbor!!!

Please be praying for Luis in these next few days as he readjusts to life at home. Pray that he may be overwhelmed by the love of his family and neighbors. Pray also that he will find a church near his house that he can get connected to.

Another son is back home tonight!!!

Corey and Paito

From time to time, we get some visitors at the Kunhymela House. Some come for a couple of nights and some stay for a couple of months. Since late July, we've had Corey, a university student from Oregon, staying with us. He is really gifted in carpentry and has completed a few projects for us around the house including some more beds. One of the street boys, Paito, has become Corey's assistant. Its such a blessing when a visitor is able to teach the boys something valuable like carpentry.

Thanks Corey for taking time to teach Paito....you may think of him as just someone to assist you with your projects but the time that you are investing in him is helping him to see the value he has in God's eyes. And that's our purpose in being here in Mozambique with these precious boys.

Fabiao: Revisited

A few weeks ago, we did our first follow up visit with Fabiao. If you haven't read about his reintegration yet, you should check out that post. It was the most joyful reintegration yet!!!

He is doing really well at home. His family wanted to treat us to a meal as a thank you for all that we did to help their son. We had told them what time we'd be arriving, in hopes that they would have the meal prepared already. But of course that didn't happen. His mom insisted that they had to catch the chicken and kill it while we were there so that we knew they were serving us fresh food and not leftovers! Here is Fabiao and Nelson, another Masana boy, with the chicken:

While the women prepared the meal, Fabiao was able to try on all of the clothes we had brought him. He insisted that I take a picture of him in every outfit. I had prepared a notebook for him to continue learning to read and write so I was able to go through it with him and his older sister so that she could help him. Fabiao also blessed me with a gift...a mat that he had made for me. Here is Fabiao in one of his new outfits:

Finally the food was done and we were served. This is always a bit awkward for me because custom here in Mozambique is that guests are served and everyone else watches us eat. After the meal, we all gathered in their house so that the rest of the family could see the clothes, blankets, and other things we had brought for Fabiao. Fabiao's mom was so excited that she stood up and started dancing and singing. She is seriously one of the most joyful women I have met in Mozambique!!! Here is Fabiao with his family (the mat they are sitting on is the one Fabiao made for me!):

After a great time celebrating with this family, we made the 3 hour drive back to Maputo. We will be back in Xai Xai, where Fabiao lives in a couple of weeks which means we'll get to visit again! It is always a blessing being a part of seeing families restored!

Peace in the Midst of Rioting

A little over a week ago, Maputo experienced 3 days of rioting as the people protested the increases in the price of electricity, water, and many basic food items. One street over from our house was one of the worst areas on the first day of rioting. For hours, the sky was black with smoke from burning tires. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowds. Cars were destroyed. Shops were luted. 2 innocent children lost their lives.

Despite the commotion on the street, our house was a place of peace. We had 24 street boys with us that day. They were grateful for a safe place to pass the day, safe from the danger on the streets. I was blessed to see them here rather than out participating in the riots. What a joy to provide a safe place for these boys.

In response to the rioting, the government found ways to help with the cost of living by supplementing bakeries so that the price of bread could remain the same and lowing the taxes on importing goods from other countries.

Thank you everyone who prayed for us during the riots.

LIfting My Eyes

This morning, i read a verse in Isaiah that led me to reflect and rejoice at the work God has done in the short 19 months that i have been working with Masana.

"Lift up your eyes and look around; all your sons gather and come to you. As surely as I live, declares the Lord, you will wear them all as ornaments; you will put them on, like a bride."

Isaiah 49:18

one of the deepest desires of my heart is be a bride...a wife and a mother. with the life that i have chosen to live, i am not sure that that is going to happen. so this verse is a beautiful promise to me. though i have no sons of my own womb, when i lift up my eyes and look around, i see that God has given me so many sons. and i have the beautiful privilege of seeing these sons reunited with their earthly families.

these are my sons that are now back with their families:

Felix

Aderito

Fabiao

Janerio

Abrantis

Castigo

Biggs

Emilton

Marcus

Leonel

Danilio

Carlos

Fazenda

Antonio

Antonio

Pedro

Declesio

Gito

Semera

Crazy Hat Day!

Some days, the boys show up at Masana with the funniest clothes and other treasures they’ve found on the street. Each evening, as venders that sale clothes on the sidewalks are closing up shop, they will give the boys random pieces of clothing that they probably won’t ever sale.

Thursday, it was crazy hat day! Wednesday had been a cold and rainy day so the boys must have worked hard to find warm clothes…including these great hats:

Mario

Solomon

Issac

New boy whose name i don't know yet

Fred

Another Mario

Felix