"You Only Live Once"

You Only Live Once….

The popular phrase with today’s youth is YOLO.  You hear it music, on television, and pretty much anywhere you turn.  It is the abbreviation for “you only live once”.  I was not fazed by this saying until a few weeks ago.  For the past 2 years I have been surrounded by new relationships, new marriages, new roommates, and soon to be newborn babies.  After turning 23, I began to reflect on where I am at in my life spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  God began to open my eyes and show me how He is better preparing me through all of these “new” changes.

I reflected back upon the last 3 years that I have spent here in Mozambique.

From the person who I was to the person that I have become…God has been hard at work!

Here are a few things that have occurred over the past several years that make my life here very unique:

Moving to Africa when I was 18

Having the privilege to work with these precious street boys

Being able to see God transform these boys into young men

Having malaria and pink eye for 5 months straight

Seeing hope restored within these boys’ and their families

Being the only women living amongst 9 teenage Mozambican boys

Being able to learn and speak 3 languages fluently

Being able to travel to more than 7 countries before the age of 23

Having some of the best friends that are all under the age of 15

Having a whole grilled chicken, fries, and salad as a “fancy meal”

Spending late nights in the emergency after a drunken brawl

Playing with 250 little orphans is “vacation”

Getting gross worms in my pedicured feet

Seeing little boys dumpster dive for food, clothes, or anything useful

These are just a handful of things that have made me laugh, cry, scream and just truly rely on God.  I pray for many more years to come in Mozambique.  I love this beautiful country, and I am proud to call it home.  

Little Salvador....

Little Salvador…

A few months ago a little boy named Salvador started staying with us at Masana due to medical reasons.  He later decided that he was ready to go home.

His neighborhood is located about 30 minutes outside of the city, 15 minutes down a bumpy dirt road, over a railroad track (that probably hasn’t functioned since I was born), and into what we would call the “the middle of nowhere”.  Out of Salvador’s home walked his grandmother, who was in her late 60’s, and his two little brothers who were cute and playful.  His mother had remarried several times but never took full responsibility of her three children, leaving them in the care of their grandmother.

Salvador’s unfinished three-bedroom house was full of dirt, unwashed dishes and a few broken chairs.  As I sat there I wanted to cry.  I thought of little Salvador’s future… I thought of the huge responsibility that rested on this 10 year-old’s shoulders.  I thought back to when I was 10 years old when all I worried about was my next dance competition.  This little boy has to worry about what he is going to eat, wear, cook, clean, and how he will take care of his two younger brothers.  I sat there in awe.  I struggled to comprehend why his mother did not want to care for these three precious boys.  I wondered if Salvador was truly going to leave life on the streets for “being back at home”.  We left Salvador at home that day, but only a few days later he was back on the streets.

Salvador is a sweet, energetic little munchkin…Every weekend his friends carry him to our front door and beg us to let Salvador in to sleep because “he is sick and cannot move or walk”.  I know the truth is that little Salvador feels safe at our house.  He feels the love of our Father here.  Salvador continues to believe that life on the streets is better than remaining at his own home with his grandmother and two brothers.  Our pray is to see the day come where Salvador is ready to take responsibility for his family.  Please pray for little Salvador…Pray for our group of missionaries to mentor other boys like Salvador to grow up and take responsibility even if they are only 10 years old.

being a Woman in Mozambique....

being a Woman in Mozambique…

A Mozambican woman is expected to work and serve all the time. Culturally it is their responsibility to do all the cooking, all the cleaning while taking care of their little children and husband.

Imagine everyday tasks taking twice as long as they should, for example:

No running water – means fetching 5-gallon buckets of water 10 times a day

No washing machine – means hand-washing everyone’s clothes

No dishwasher – means hand-washing dishes

No refrigerator – means cooking everyday with no left overs

No bathtub or shower – means bucket baths for all the kids, your husband and youself

No hot water – means boiling hot water just to have a hot shower or hot coffee or hot food

No electric stove/No Microwave – means starting a fire to cook or even survive

Imagine these simple utilities that make our everyday life more simple, especially for mothers.

Ever since I was young girl, I have always had the dream to get married and have children. The thought of being a stay at home mother has always been a dream of mine. When I was called to Mozambique, I was always scared that my dream would never come true.

Over the past few months God began to show me how my love for Mozambique and family began to connect. Recently we received two more boys into our permanent housing (Olivio and Cesar) and one boy in our temporary housing (Salvador). I am currently living with a total of 8 young men.  Yes I said 8 YOUNG MEN!!Being the only woman in the house is sometimes a handful. The boys all study at three different times of the day and they are also involved with various sports.

They all have different personalities:

Felix is the type of person that can make you smile even when your having a bad day

Paito is the talented guitarist, whose music fills the walls of Masana (its amazing)

Nedved is an intelligent, headstrong independent

Olivio is a wanna be gangster but a complete softy

Cesar is one of the strongest young men I have ever known

Salvador is a sweet, rambunctious little munchkin

Hilario is calm and mysterious

Mr Ian is the man of the house, the carpenter, the electrian, the overall handyman

And I am the ONLY WOMAN!!!

Sometimes the house isn’t as clean as I would like it to be, sometimes we don’t eat as healthy as we should and sometimes we watch way to MANY KUNGFU chinese fighting films (ughh) but I wouldn’t change the little family God has blessed me with for the world.