Sarah-n-Africa

So This is Masana

2009-12-14T17:02:00.002+02:00

(thanks gregg and jason for putting together this video!)

Masana and The Vine

2009-11-29T22:55:00.004+02:00

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

2009-10-29T16:19:00.004+02:00

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

2009-10-16T15:17:00.004+02:00

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

2009-09-27T17:37:00.003+02:00

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

2009-09-23T15:16:00.007+02:00

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

2009-09-12T13:55:00.004+02:00

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

2009-08-29T13:05:00.004+02:00

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.

1 Death, 1 Prodigal, 1 Feast

2009-08-15T19:13:00.003+02:00

Today we went up to the Gaza province to take visit Fazinda and Castigo, 2 former street boys who have now been living with their families since May and to take one street boy, Pedro, back to his family.

As we walked up towards Fazenda's house, his grandmother, who normally rushed to greet us and get us chairs, sat on the ground crying. Fazenda was not there as he had been sent to fetch other family members from a near-by town. In Shanghan, the local dialect, the grandmother began to tell Luis, my coworker, that her only living son was in the hut dying. He had returned to his parent's home 6 days ago because he was sick. They had taken him to the near-by hospital where he received some medicine and was sent home to die. Luis went inside the hut to check on the son. He reported back that his heart had stopped beating but there was still life in his eyes. We began praying for his healing. Moments after we finished praying, Fazenda's grandfather arrived and went to the hut to check on his son. The son was gone. He called over his wife who began weeping. Now 14 year old Fazenda is the only family they have left.

Seeing death like this reminds me of how harsh life in Africa is. We left the family to mourn with promises to return in 2 weeks.

Next we went to Pedro's house. Pedro is 12 years old and has been living on the streets of Maputo for 3 months. He originally came to the city to live with his grandfather. One day as he was out in the city, he damaged something in someone's garden. The security guard took him to the owner, 45 minutes outside of the city, to confess what he had done. The owner was gracious and decided not to punish Pedro or make him pay for the broken belongings. But they didn't offer him a ride back to the city. Pedro eventually found his way back to the big shopping center in the city. He asked a street boy if he could tell him how to get to a certain area of the city. The boy said he didn't know. So instead of returning to his grandfather, Pedro stayed with this boy who brought him to Masana. And tonight he is back with his family in a little village about 2 hours from Maputo.

Another prodigal son returned to his family after 3 months of living on the street, begging, and stealing.

We left Pedro with his grandmother and siblings and continued on our journey to Castigo's house. As we walked up, chairs were brought out for us to sit in. No one came over to sit with us but carried on with what they were doing. It didn't take us long to figure out they were preparing a meal for us....the honored guests. Family member after family member appeared as word spread that we had arrived. As the women cooked for us, I kept myself entertained by making silly faces at all of the little children who were so captivated by the white people visiting. The women prepared a delicious meal of rice and chicken. After eating, all of the women and children gathered around. The grandmother of the family, said "In our village, first we eat and then we greet you." She then spoke on behalf of her family in expressing how grateful they are for all that we have done to help Castigo return to his family. As we left, they lavished us with gifts - a large bucket full of tomatoes, 3 or 4 large heads of cabbage and a live chicken.

Now back in my Maputo apartment, the tears have flown as I've reflected on the day and allowed my heart to truly process it all. Time after time, our home visits remind me of the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15. First there was death to self as the son chose to humble himself and return to his father asking for forgiveness. Then we read of the beautiful reunion between father and son as the prodigal returns. Their reunion is followed by a feast in honor of the son who was lost and now is found.

Today we too experienced all 3 - death, a prodigal returning home, and a feast.

Land Mines

2009-08-13T22:10:00.003+02:00

A couple of days ago i was flipping through a book at Masana. Its a book used in the public schools here in Mozambique for grade 5 and teaches grammar and vocabulary. I was very impressed that all of the texts in the book did a great job of describing Mozambican culture - communities, farms, ceremonies, etc.

The following title caught my attention: Cuidado com as Minas! That translates to "careful with the mines." It was followed by a comic strip of a girl who is sent out to collect fire wood. As she's picking up wood, she comes across a land mine. Just as she is about to pick it up, a man rushes up to her and tell her not to touch it and then gives her a brief lesson on the dangers of touching things when you don't know what they are. She then goes around the community with this man informing the neighbors about the location of the land mine so that they know to avoid it.

Definitely not something you'd find in an American grammar book. The book was published in 2005 so it's not very long ago that land mines left over after the civil war were very much a concern.

Such a different world I live in.

Break In At Masana

2009-08-05T15:41:00.003+02:00

A couple of nights ago, someone broke into the kitchen at Masana. They climbed over a wall with barb wire on it, climbed up the outside wall of the kitchen and in through an opening about a foot wide between the wall and the tin roof. Once inside, they stole a stack of 40 plastic plates, our electric tea kettle, and all of the chicken for the month of August that was in the freezer. Then they exited through the same space between the wall and tin roof . . . breaking part of the wall in the process.

It could have been a lot worse as this is our only storage area at the project so all of the school supplies are there, our guitar, footballs, and other kitchen supplies. We are now in the process of figuring out how we are going to block off that space between the wall and roof. Please pray for protection over the project. . .the Lord is really doing great things among us!!!

Our New Guitar

2009-07-30T17:02:00.005+02:00

Thank you to Chick Music in Athens, GA for donating this guitar to Masana!!! The boys are enjoying learning how to play. We have to keep reminding them that there is only one guitar and that they will have to take turns. They are all so eager to learn a few chords. And our worship times each day are much more fun with the guitar. The workers at the project are enjoying it as much as the boys!

I bought a strap and a couple of pics at a music store here a couple of days ago. Who knew that pics would cost $2 each in Mozambique?!?! If anyone would like to send us some guitar supplies (tuner, pics, strings, etc) we would put them to good use. My address is:

Sarah Olds

Suite 337 Private Bag X11340
Nelspruit 1200
South Africa

This Is Mozambique (T.I.M.)

2009-07-30T16:30:00.008+02:00

This week I have been reminded of just how different life is here in Mozambique.

today some workers cut all the branches on the tress outside of my apartment building. hopefully it will take care of our mosquito problem! it was quite entertaining to watch as the men shimmied up the trees barefoot and chopped the branches with a hatchet. no buckets to lift them up or ropes holding them in case they fell or other "normal" safety measures taken. they didn't even block off the road to pedestrians so i just watched them running as branches fell. i was planning on taking my car to work today so that i could get the dent (see next story) looked at but my garage was completely blocked by the tree branches. T.I.M.

yesterday, i parked my car outside of the church i work at in the city. the church is on the bottom few floors of a tall apartment building. as i was walking back from my portuguese lesson, the church guard called my over to look at my car. there was a large dent and white marks above the front wheel. he then began to pick up pieces of this "rock" that had fallen out of the window of an apartment above. the "rock" was actually sea coral and was knocked out of the window by a gust of wind. we eventually found the man who lived in the apartment with the falling coral. he takes no responsibility. . . says he rents the apartment and the sea coral belongs to the landlord so it's her fault. T.I.M.

after the falling coral incident, i went to matola, a city about 20 minutes outside of maputo. there was a bad accident on the road. I eventually just turned off my car and sat for 45 minutes doing portuguese homework. they finally opened up one lane of traffic. there was an 18 wheeler carrying bags of cement involved in the accident so they were cleaning up all of the spilled cement. it took me 2 hours to get somewhere that should have taken 20 minutes. when i headed back to the city a couple of hours later, they were still cleaning up the accident!! the rush hour traffic was backed up for miles every chapa (public bus) stop was packed with 50 to 150 people waiting to get a chapa home. the woman who works in our house said she didn't get home until 9:00 last night and she left our house before 4:00! T.I.M.

this is normal life in mozambique. and i do love it!!!

addition to TIM: i took one of the boys, naldo, to the doctor today. he got stabbed last week and had to get 8 stitches. we were supposed to get them removed today. at the local health center, they told us to come back tomorrow because they didn't have any of the supplies they needed to see patients today. T.I.M.

Police Search And A Knife Wound

2009-07-23T16:36:00.004+02:00

The first boys to arrive at the project this morning were Abrantis, Ernesto, Naldo, and Mario. Right away, Abrantis and Naldo gave me some money to hold for them in my pocket. I am always leery of guarding their money because usually its earned by stealing lights from cars and selling them on the black market. But I took the money and was quickly distracted by Abrantis, who we jokingly refer to as "Malouco" which means crazy person. He gave me some folded up newspaper and told me to open it. As I did, whatever was inside of it started to move so i screamed and threw it at him as all the boys laughed at me. It was some contraption they had made with paperclips, a rubber band, and the tab off a can of coke.

Their joke was interrupted by an undercover police officer entering the project and asking to search all of the boys. He had followed them from the black market where he had watched them selling stolen lights. He asked that we gather all of the boys. Two of them quickly went to the wash basin where I heard the clanging of metal. I went and peeked inside the basin and saw that they had discarded the "keys" that they use to steal lights from cars which is actually a flat piece of metal.

The police officer searched 8 or 9 of the boys. He found 2 lights in Mario's pocket. Surprisingly, the police officer was not there to punish the boys though. He is working in the black market to try and arrest the adults who use the street boys to steal things for them. So Pastor Paulo, our director, Mario, and 2 other boys accompanied the police officer to the black market to point out the people they sold stolen lights to. It's so encouraging to see the police targeting the adults who benefit from the kids stealing. If we see the day when the black market no longer exists, then maybe the kids will no longer steal.

The rest of the day continued as normal.....we went to play soccer, had our church service, and ate lunch all together. A group of 10 or so of the boys walked me home so that they could get a soccer ball from my house. I gave them the ball and off they went to play at a court here in the city. An hour later, my doorbell rang. It was Naldo, Mario, and Jito. Naldo had a piece of scrap paper stuck just above his eye and it was soaked in blood. He had gotten into a fight with one of the other boys, Luis, while playing soccer and Luis cut him with one of the "keys" they use to steal lights.

Thankfully, I live right across the street from central hospital. So i grabbed a washcloth to replace the bloody scrap of paper and off we went to the emergency room. After accounting the story of what happened to the worker at the front desk, a police officer, the doctor, and 2 nurses, we left the hospital with 8 stitches. And it took less than 2 hours which is pretty fast for an ER in any country!!!

An eventful day to say the least. I love the boys I work with and I so desperately want to see transformation in their lives. We talk to them so much about stealing and fighting. They are such huge problems to tackle and I know that it is only God that can cause the change in their hearts. If they could only grasp His love for them and learn to love other people with this same love.

Our 10th Boy to Go Home

2009-07-16T14:40:00.003+02:00

Today Albano "Biggs" left the streets of Maputo and returned to Beira where his family lives. Biggs is 17 years old. He was living on the streets for the past 6 months. He originally came to Maputo to live with his uncle and work. However, his uncle got into some trouble with the police, sold all of Biggs' things and fled to South Africa.

Sadly, this is a common story. Many young men come to the city in hopes of finding work and making money. It's not so easy though and they often end up living on the streets.

I will miss Biggs. He is such a sweet young man. He would come to my house once a week and wash my car for me. Even this past Monday, he was walking down my street when I returned from South Africa and stopped to help me carry my things up to my apartment. I know that he needs to be back at home with his father but I hate to see him go. It's the bitter sweet part of my job.

Please join me in praying for Biggs. Pray that his transition back to life with his family will go well. He'll be living with his father and stepmother. Pray also that he'll find a church to go to in his community where he can continue to learn about the Father. Biggs is very smart and has completed grade 8 so far. He's excited to return to school when the new term begins in January so pray also that everything gets sorted out for him to return to school.

Last night before, Biggs stopped by my house one last time to say goodbye. Our last words to each other were "até nunca." Normally you would say goodbye with "até logo" which means "see you later" but for Biggs its "até nunca" . . . "see you never." And that is my prayer for Biggs...that he will prosper at home with his family and never again return to the streets of Maputo.

The Great Chicken Kill

2009-07-01T20:37:00.006+02:00

These were the chickens that became lunch on Children's Day.

The pictures speak for themselves!

They were yummy chickens!!!

Playing Cards with Emilton

2009-06-19T11:13:00.003+02:00

Today we went to check-in on Emilton, one of the boys we have taken back to his family. He is doing so well!! Morgan Collins, who goes to The Vine UMC, has sponsored Emilton's reintegration. She had sent a package for him with a few card games and some candy. So I delivered the package to him today and got to teach him how to play the games. There was one game called Blink that was so funny to watch as he was learning. Its a game where speed is the key to winning. His aunt was watching us play and just laughing the whole time!!! Thanks Morgan for sending that package for Emilton....he told me to tell you thank you for everything.

Reintegration is a huge part of what we do at Masana. Our heart is to see the boys ready to leave life on the street and return to their families. Since January, we have taken 9 boys back home. For each boy that goes home, we meet with the family members, register him for school, buy him clothes, school supplies, a uniform for school, and other things he made need at home. For the older youth, we help them start up a small business. And with one boy we have had to help him build a small house as his grandparents live in a small hut that only has space for 2. If you are interested in sponsoring one of the boys as we reunite him with his family, please email me at solds19@gmail.com.

The Black Market

2009-06-17T21:57:00.003+02:00

Here in Mozambique we have this horrible thing known as the the black market. its a very bad place. and here is why: it feeds the theft around the city. people steal things...such as lights off of cars. . . and sale them on the black market. then the owner has to go buy them back at the black market. this has happened to my car twice now in the past month. and each time it has cost me $120 to get the lights back. what a waste.

T.I.M. (this is mozambique)

A Day of Home Visits

2009-06-14T15:44:00.002+02:00

Yesterday, we went to check in on 4 of the boys we have taken back to their families in the last few months. The first boy, Fazinda, lives in Maniça about an hour and a half from Maputo. We stopped along the way and bought 6 large sheets of tin for the construction of his house. Then we headed to Castigo's house which was over an hour from there. We got a little lost trying to find his house and a neighbor in his village had to get in the car with us and direct us to the right house! This was our first visit to Castigo and Fazinda since they had gone home so we took each of them a suitcase full of blankets and clothes. We'll return to their houses again in August to help them start up a small business. Next, we drove to Xai-Xai. I was determined that I wasn't going to backtrack an hour to the main road just to go back in the same direction. I knew there had to be a more direct route . . . and there was but it was mostly dirt roads. So the shortcut didn't really save us any time. But we made it to Xai-Xai where we visited 2 boys, Antonio and Leonel. Antonio was having some problems with the village chief about registering as a resident so we went to his house and spoke with his wife and got it all sorted out. Then it was off to Leonel's house. . . sadly at this point it was already after 3:00 and we still had more than a 3 hour drive back to Maputo so we did not stay long.

All of the boys are doing well with their families! Leonel is the only one in school right now and he is making good grades. In January, when the new school year begins, we'll help the other boys get registered for schools in their communities. Antonio's small business of selling cokes on the beach near his house had failed but he surprised us with the news that he has gotten a job at a little shop near his house! I put together small gifts to take to each of the families - a plastic tub with some basic food items. And thanks to my brother, we were able to take a soccer ball to each of the boys...which was their favorite part of our visit!!!

Lug-nuts Are Very Important

2009-06-05T17:57:00.001+02:00

Monday night I went to dinner with some friends. As we left the restaurant, one of my friends, Dominique, commented on some strange noise my car was making. My car is always making some new strange noise so I didn't think to much about it. Tuesday night, I was driving home with Dominique after our children's day celebration in Matola and the car was doing really strange things. A chapa (minibus) behind me started flashing his lights at me. About that time I felt what I thought was a tire blow. I pulled off the road and as I did, Dominique looked out her window and said "the tire fell off." All of the lug-nuts were gone and the tire had fallen off!

As we got out of the car, the chapa driver pulled up behind me and told me he was trying to tell me i was fishtailing. Thankfully there were a couple of guys standing right beside where the tire fell off. They very graciously volunteered to put the tire back on. We removed the lug-nuts from the spare tire and the guys got to work. It took quite a while because when I pulled off the road, only the front tires made it over the curb before the tire fell off. I do like to provide a challenge for the guys coming to my rescue! They were very kind though and even went and got chairs for Dominique and I to sit in while we waited.

Still have no idea what happened to my lug-nuts. Stolen? Fell off? A combination of both? T.I.M. (This Is Mozambique)!!

Children's Day in Matola

2009-06-04T12:50:00.013+02:00

We had such a wonderful time celebrating children's day with the kid's in the village in Matola. They were so excited to receive the simple gifts we gave, play games, and eat chocolate cake! Here are some pictures from the celebration:

We started the celebration with a little math lesson

Then I taught the kids about the parable of the prodigal son and talked to them about being children of God.

In the parable, the father gives his son a pair of sandals upon his return to symbolize his position in the family. We gave all the kids flip flops to remind them that they will always be children of God.

Each child got gifts - a coloring book and crayons, flip flops, a tooth brush and tooth paste, and some candy.

Nelson did a demo for the kids on how to brush their teeth!

Then we played games....this is one of the kid's favorites called "Terra/Mar" (in english that is land/sea)

Next was musical chairs. We didn't have music so the youth helping me just sang random made up songs in Shanghan!

The winner of each round of musical chairs got hoisted up in the air for a victory photo.

Then the kids wanted to race. We paired them up and they ran down the path beside Lena's home, to the trash pile, and back.

Finally, all of the kids got a piece of chocolate cake and a coke.

And that was children's day in Matola. Thank you again to everyone at Sanctuary Baptist Church that gave so that I could do all of this for the kids. It really was so amazing to watch them enjoy the simple games and gifts. So much joy was brought to those kids through your giving!!!

Children's Day at Masana

2009-06-04T11:55:00.005+02:00

June 1st is a holiday here in Mozambique honoring children. The festivities surrounding the day are similar to Christmas - presents and a big dinner! At Masana, we had 27 street boys come to the party. We had a big lunch with chicken (that we killed ourselves!!), potatoes, salad, rice, cokes and chocolate cake. Each of the boys received a gift bag as well full of candy, playing cards, a winter hat, and a pair of flip flops. It was such a fun day!!!

The flip flops that each of the boys received had a lot of significance. Over the past months, God has continued to teach me about the prodigal son. With each boy we have reintegrated, I've felt like I was watching this parable live. A couple of months ago, we reintegrated a boy named Emilton. You can read Emilton's story here. After this, the Lord really began speaking to me about the significance of the shoes given to the son upon his return home. Everyone who was a member of the family would have worn shoes...only servants went barefoot. So for children's day, each of the boys received a pair of flip flops. Luis and I did a teaching on the prodigal son and talked about the flip flops symbolizing their position as sons of God. My heart for the boys at Masana is that they would truly know their identity as a son of God.

I want to thank everyone at Sanctuary Baptist Church for your gracious giving. The boys were so blessed!!!

The Loss Of 2 Precious Little Ones

2009-05-26T18:24:00.002+02:00

Death is a always a hard thing to deal with....but for some reason it seems so much worse to me when its babies, children, or youth who die. Today I went to Matola for kid's church at Zacarius' house. I was greeted by a bunch of the kids as soon as I turned off the main road. This has become their new tradition...waiting for me at the road each week so that they can jump in the car and ride with me the mile back to their house. Only today they were all quite as they entered the car and began telling Manuel, Nelson, and Binario (the 3 youth from Iris Ministries who help me each week) about the tragedy that had struck. I was clueless as they spoke in Shanghan, the local dialect. Then Nelson, who has really taken a leadership role with Kid's Church, turned to me and told me that 2 very bad things had happened. 2 babies had died since our visit the Tuesday before.

Baby Nelson, was around one year old. He and the Nelson from Iris had bonded week after week as they shared the same name. Last week, older Nelson had carried little Nelson around in his arms during the Bible lesson and as the kids played games. I remember just before we left, I took a package of washing powder away from little Nelson and told older Nelson to watch his little friend because he was eating soap. We enjoyed a laugh together at how cute little Nelson was. Not long after we left, little Nelson wondered off by himself into the bathroom. In an African village the bathroom consists of a deep hole dug in the ground. Normally the toilet is covered when not in use but on this day, the cover had been left off. An hour later, as Lena, Zacarius' mom, and some of the neighbors sat around, they smelled the toilet and sent someone to cover it. That's when little Nelson was discovered. He had fallen into the toilet. Lena rushed him to the hospital as his mom remained at home, to upset to move. But it was too late. Little Nelson was dead.

That was the first tragedy.

On Saturday...only 4 days later... Lena's sister, Lisa, who also lives in the village, was rushed to the hospital. She was at least 8 months pregnant. The doctors wanted to do surgery to deliver the baby but because of a condition with Lisa's heart they were not able to and the baby died. Lisa is still in the hospital. She has been given medicine to induce labor and is just waiting to give birth to her baby...without life.

That was the second tragedy.

The lives of 2 precious little ones taken before they had really begun. But in Africa, surrounded by such poverty, I find myself wondering if these little ones aren't better off. They are with Jesus now where they will never have to know the pain of going days without food or freezing at night because the family can't afford blankets.

Yet the sadness lingers...both with me and the families in that little village in Matola. Please pray for the comfort of God over them as they gather in their homes tonight and over Lisa as she lays in the hospital.

2 More Boys Went Home!

2009-05-25T17:30:00.006+02:00

another blog entry from dominique who captures it all so beautifully:

we woke up at 6am to go meet the boys here in the city, in maputo. there were two of them and they had been living on the street for about a year and the other for about five months. today though, we were going to drive them back to their villages and see if their families would allow them to come home, welcome them back--- sometimes, on other occasions when sarah and luis have taken boys home--- the mothers didnt even look at their sons and they were not allowed to return.

we drove away from the city. the landscape grew more grassy in places, open, with people or children walking or playing near the road. cashews in plastic bags hung from different trees for miles and miles, also alongside the road, as venders waited in the sun or shade for a car to stop and buy some. we eventually did but from a little town. then continued on.

the first home was for a boy named Fazenda. for his home we began to drive through a village and then pull into an area off to the side, more hidden, with dead corn stuck in its growth yet much green around, gardens of vegetables, and large trees that created shade over the sandy places. we got out of the car and walked through a path between corn stalks leading to the shade where his grandmother sat, watching us, taking in that this boy who had been missing was now there walking towards her. her face was without expression. she stood and with a swiftness went to her hut--- to get a white plastic chair. but since the hut was collapsing, the doorway was no longer the size it once had been and the chair could not go through. she called facinda over to help her. her first greeting, so to speak. and he did, twisting the chair at different angles to get it out. finally it was free. she brought it beneath the tree and offered the chair to the three of us--- Sarah, Luis, and me. We greeted her with a kiss on each cheek and found a place to sit.

Luis, is mozambican and speaks the language of Shongan. He explained to her how Fazenda had been living on the streets in Maputo and how he found his way to Masana which lets the boys bathe, wash their clothes, eat two meals, study, and hear life lessons. The boys can not stay or sleep there, because it is Masana's heart that they would one day be reunited to their families. The grandmother asked if she could go get the grandfather and left for awhile to find him. When they came back the grandfather spoke telling us a story similar to the one Fazenda had told, that Fazenda's father had died when he was young and his mother had run away to South Africa. Fazenda had been living with his aunt and one day when given money he had disappeared. They do not know why he went. But his grandfather, wearing green and highwater boots, squatting near us because of no seat, said that this place is Fazenda's. it is Fazenda's home as much as it is his. it was almost his way of expressing that he welcomes him back but also this is so very much his home. the grandmother watched him as he spoke. in that moment i could see in their seriousness their great love for the Fazenda; he was somewhat a little distanced from them sitting behind the root of a tree, watching to see what they would say--- and in the way that he watched and listened, and in the way he chose to come back home even when there was no hut for him or anything that the streets of the city had... i felt his hope for his family. Sometimes in families you see the gap though between how people love one another and how it still seems hard to connect that love. The grandparents seemed to have a deep hurt in them-- perhaps from him going, perhaps from the other things and Fazenda too seemed to have a deep hurt that was different, from something else. And in it, I felt like they didnt know what to do to tell him how much they love him. Perhaps when we were gone and not looking on they did. Luis decided it was ok to leave Fazenda. And with the clothes on his back, he stayed. Fazenda also was visibly giddy as well about being home.

We walked back to the car and they all walked with us. We said our goodbyes and mutual thank yous. I smiled at Fazenda and said goodbye and before I got back into the car, he called out from where he was walking again between the corn stalks, his hand lifted in the air, and sheer enthusiasm to be home in his voice 'Ciao Dominguez!" he said. "Ciao." With that we left and began our drive to Castigo's home.

To take part in returning a son home I think is an action strangely full of aching when I was in it. I cried with each of them, held tears back while Luis talked to the families.

Sarah and Luis had tried to bring Castigo home a month ago. But Castigo could not remember or recognize the roads home. They drove for hours and hours until dark and then had to return him to the streets of the city. Today, as we tried again we didnt know if we were going to find his home but he noticed a road he had missed before--- it was over an hour and a half from the city. During the ride I was astounded at the thought of Castigo even making it to Maputo when he ran away. There was almost an admiration I could feel for him for a moment as we made all the turns towards his home.

Castigo, though, is a name that means punishment or to punish. It was a very sad name for me-- I guess for me and for some-- names are so important, embedded in them supernatural direction, favor and blessing. But what does it mean to have a name that means punishment? And what does it mean to bring a son named "punishment" home? I wondered. Castigo was also a very serious boy. Even among the other boys at Masana he kept to himself. While most boys were friendly and tried to talk to us, he did not. I would say hi and give him space and wave or smile from a distance and everynow and then he would smile too for a fleeting moment but you could see a stunning goodness in him.

By the time we made all the turns to his house, with my friend Sarah driving the car, our two white faces in the front had attracted a bit of curiousity from the villagers who gathered in small groups and looked on from afar in a way that did not happen at Fazenda's. We got out and walked towards his home and the earth almost seemed harsher, his hut black with ash of some sort, his mother grinding something to the side of it. When she saw us, she stood, went to the hut and came out with three plastic chairs for us. Also dark grey with some stain of time. There were more people, but in a way the place did not have the peace that Fazenda's did. The mother continued with her grinding and we sat there for a time, while Castigo disappeared--- later even when family called for him, he did not return immediately. Eventually the mother came to a mat near us and sat with her baby--- I should say that Castigo's three year old sister did rush to greet him when we came. She stood near him and she could not stop smiling, laughing and jumping up and down. He watched her not knowing what to do or not wanting to show us perhaps how well he plays with her when no one is looking. The sister eventually walked to somewhere else and it was just us and the mother, a toddler, and a baby wrapped in capulana on the mat. Luis told the mother of Masana. And when she sensed we were asking if he could return home she said with out looking at us "I need my son." which she would say again later. She too called the step father over, and an uncle came, and two aunts all resting near or on the mat. They were grateful to have him home. Luis told again of what Masana is. The step- father said leaning towards us with much expression on his face "This is his home. He can make as many mistakes as he wants and we will always take him back." The aunt she also spoke saying to Luis "We thought when he disappeared that perhaps he did go to the city. And then we began to think perhaps he could be killed in the city, or hurt or something could happen. We did not know what to think. And now you come and you tell us he had been safe, and he has been coming to you to learn about God...this is God answering our worship to bring you to him. This is God. We can not be more thankful. We can not be." She clasped her hands into her lap and looked down overcome.

Eventually Castigo came back and sat in the middle of the mat with them. They said they would celebrate. And while Luis was talking to him, telling him that if he ran away again we could not take him at Masana, he gave that smile that is so quick yet so true and said to Luis "no no I'm staying."

Coloring Books

2009-05-22T18:00:00.004+02:00

I received a package from the Smith family at Sanctuary Baptist church full of coloring books and colored pencils. The boys at Masana have enjoyed coloring in them every day! It doesn't matter how old they are.....they all enjoy coloring from time to time! Most days, I end up flipping through the pages of the books with some of the boys teaching them new words in english.

Thank you!!!