A Forever Home for Carla and Pinto

One of the first lessons Mozambique ever taught me was that a day never goes the way you expect it to go. Nothing is never any truer than on the days we go to bring children home to one of our houses. We plan out the day…travel to where the children are, put them in the car, take them shopping for clothes, and have them in their new home by the early afternoon. Sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Not! These days of collecting children are fraught with delays, detours, and unexpected events. Each of these days are different than the ones before them. None of them have ever been the same in the challenges we have faced. 

Case in point…our recent acceptance of this spunky pair of siblings, Carla and Pinto. 

We had received a call from Social Action for Women and Children asking if we had space for two children. At the time, we had space for three children and were about to finish the construction of our 6th house which would raise that number to nine. We responded with an enthusiastic, "YES!" They said they would get back to us. We immediately prepared beds so we would be ready for their arrival. And then began 7 weeks of daily calls to Social Action to ask for information regarding the children- Are they boys? Girls? How many? Siblings? Their ages? Each day, their answer was the same, “We don’t know yet. We are still preparing the documents.” This statement changed over the course of the seven weeks ranging from, “We don’t know.” … to “The documents have been lost, and we must start the process over again.” Our frustration grew by the day. 

Rarely has the information they have given us been correct. For example, we were once told there was a 5 and 8 year old pair of sibilings to place. We arrived to discover a 13 and 12 year old boy and an 11 year old girl. Another time we were told it was a trio of sisters, aged 13, 11, and 9. We arrived to a 16 and 8 year old boy and a 10 year old girl. Hmmmm…so when they finally told us they had documents to place an 8 and 4 year old pair of siblings with us, one a boy and one a girl, but they didn’t know which one was which…we were skeptical. Who knew what we would discover when we showed up. 

The day finally arrived when we could go collect the children and bring them home! The children were in Moamba, an hour drive for us. We left early at a good time and were expecting a good day…silly us! Delays, detours, and misinformation left us wondering if we would come home empty handed at the end of the day. 

The children were being placed with our foundation because they were at risk living with their elderly grandmother. She was no longer capable to provide safe care for them due to her dementia. Her house was in a village named Tenga. It was a long and challenging drive through flooded, muddy roads. Thankfully our 4-wheel drive van was able to get through. We arrived at the grandmother’s house. Her house and the surrounding yard were tidy and neatly cared for. Lines in the dirt evidenced that the yard had been freshly raked. Chickens were meandering about looking for crumbs to eat. Dishes from the day before were washed and neatly stacked to dry. The wash was done and hanging on the line in the morning sun. It was a peaceful place.

In usual Mozambican hospitality, she brought out every plastic chair she owned for us to sit in the shade of a tree. She herself sat on the ground before us. We soon discovered that only one of the children were there, but it wasn’t clear which one. Then it came out that none of the children were there. So the first order of business was to determine where the children physically were located. We learned that the little girl had been removed by the government for her safety. The little boy had been taken in by some ladies from the grandmother’s church. The grandmother broke down in tears. She had been asking for assistance from Social Action for months and had not received any help. Now that they were finally there to place the children, she began to regret her decision. She cried for fear that the children would be sold or killed. As we sat there, my colleague, Delcio, told me that when he was young, his parents taught him that if he saw white people, he was to run away. In the villages, they see white people as being traffickers who will steal their children away. I felt so sad thinking that she thought this of me. 

My heart went out to this poor woman who was so desperate and alone. I sat down on the ground next to her to share with her about our program. I showed her a photo of the home her grandchildren would live in. I told her about the nice school they would attend. I showed her photos of the other families we already have in our care. As we looked at photo after her photo and I told her about our children, she came to realize that she could trust us and that her grandchildren would be well cared for. Her only question to me was… “Will the children be raised to know God?” This was an easy question to answer as God is the foundation and purpose of all of our work. It was clear that she was a woman of faith and wanted her grandchildren to have faith as well. 

We all climbed into the car for a drive to where the little girl was being kept. We were guided to a local government office where we waited for the girl. As we waited under the shade of a large tree (on plastic chairs, of course), the caseworkers shared with us the concerns that led to the removal of the children. The grandmother vehemently denied them all. She in turn accused them of having a deaf ear to her requests for assistance. We also were told stories of the girl, Carla. They had tried placing her in school, but she would run away. She also had a tendency to wander off to a random house and take up residence saying she was going to stay and live there. I started to worry a bit about what we might be getting ourselves into. But past experience has taught me that the Lord leads us to each and every child placed with us. It is not Social Action who chooses the new children for our Sunshine family; it is God. He has a plan and a purpose for each child. 

As we waited, we never were told where she was staying, but eventually a man came down the road, forcefully ushering along a very distraught little girl. He had her by the arm and offered her no words of encouragement or consolation. He just pulled her along like an animal. I am forever amazed by the resilience of children. Can we even begin to imagine the trauma of experiencing the death of both our parents, then being forcibly removed from the only home we have ever known and from the grandmother who has been caring for us and taken to a strange place with people we don’t know? 

One thing I have witnessed with children is that family is family. It doesn’t matter how poorly a child has been mistreated, they still love their family and want to be loved by their family. When Carla saw her grandmother, she ran to her and climbed into her lap. My heart was moved to see them reunited and comforting each other through their tears. 

We returned to Grandmother’s house to complete the necessary documents. On our way, we gave Carla some cookies to snack on. Without hesitation, she gave half to her grandmother and ate the others herself. Already I could see what a sweet and thoughtful heart she had. After signing the documents, it was time to say goodbye and head back home. I felt so sorry for this grandmother, knowing she would now be alone in her little house with no children to keep her company. Carla climbed into our van and with a wave called out to her grandmother, “Vai com Deus!” (Go with God!) Yet again, she surprised me with her strong and joyful spirit. As we pulled away, Grandma turned and walked back alone to her house. 

As we travelled the hour drive back to Matola, Carla sat in the back of the van with me and my visiting friend, Julie. Carla took Julie’s phone and began looking at photos of her with her grandmother. As she handled the phone, music began to play. It was “Ave Maria”. She cuddled the phone into her chest, lay her head on my friend, and fell asleep. Julie was astonished saying that this song was not even downloaded on her phone; she had no idea how it came on. We rode along listening to the beautiful music and watching Carla sleep. As I took her in, the weight of it all came down on me. This little girl was now mine to raise. Her grandmother placed her in my care for life. I’ve brought home many precious children now, but for the first time, something about this homecoming impacted me in a new and powerful way. I felt so humbled. 

Now that Carla was placed in our care, and it was time to bring Pinto, her four-year-old brother, to join her as well. It was not as easy as it sounds. We got in touch with the ladies from the grandmother’s church who had taken him to live with them. They agreed to bring Pinto to live with Carla as long as we first took them all back out to Tenga and had the grandmother make a public apology. Apparently the grandmother had told the community that these ladies had stolen Pinto from her and were going to kill him or sell him. Their reputation had been tarnished and they wanted it restored. In the grandmother’s defense, they had never communicated their actions to her. They simply took the boy with them and didn’t tell her about it. So we did as the ladies asked, hauled everyone back out to Tenga to meet with the grandmother and the local chefe. Confessions and apologies were voiced by the grandmother and the ladies while the children played off to the side, completely unaware of the confusion that had been created. 

It was a precious sight to see these people reconcile with each other. Communication is for sure the key to relationship. We then left to return again to Matola...but this time with both children. Carla and Pinto settled in quickly at their new home with Zelda and their new siblings, Cecilia, Madalena and Antonio. Our original plan was to move them into our soon to be completed house #6 the next month. But the children bonded so well with Zelda that she asked to keep them with her. We agreed that this would be the best placement for them and left them together. They are a breath of fresh air in the household of teens. Carla is bright, spunky, and strong- willed. Pinto is just cute and fun to the core. They are both learning how to be a part of their new family. They are also now part of our larger Sunshine Family. Together we will love them and raise them up. It will be exciting to see what they become! 

Better Late Than Never

I always like to write the stories of each of our children on the day we bring them home to live in our Sunshine Houses for two reasons. One…it helps me process the day. It is such a joy to bring them home, but it is also emotionally heavy. Each of our children carry a sad story and come from situations of abuse, neglect, and abandonment. It breaks my heart to know what they have suffered and to know that many more children are currently suffering in similar circumstances. Second, it is a written record of their story that helps me to remember what they have been through. It is not that I want to look back and mourn what they have endured, but rather it allows me to celebrate their new life with us and their growth. I love witnessing the transformation in them spiritually, physically, emotionally and mentally. Once abandoned and orphaned children are placed in a safe, secure, loving environment where their fears and worries are removed, they get to be children again, free to play and love and experience life with the opportunities they now have before them. 

 I recently realized I never wrote the story of Fernando and his little brother Antoninho, whom we affectionally refer to as our “bichinho” (little bug). These two precious brothers joined our family in June 2021. Fernando was then 10 years old and Antonio was only 6 years old. They were placed with us by the Social Services for Women and Children in Manhica, about a two hour drive from us in Matola. 

 The mother of the boys had died shortly after Antonio’s birth. Their father was not suited to care for the boys and lived a lifestyle that endangered them physically and emotionally. It was so difficult that the boys chose at such a young age to leave their home and live on the street. This is how Social Action discovered them. The only location they had to place them in was an all-girls’ orphanage in Manhica. They were placed there temporarily until a more permanent placement was found. 

 Before we went to bring the boys home, we were sent this photo of them. Are they cute or what? Once placed in girls’ center, they were given the opportunity to go to school so this photo shows them proudly modeling their new school uniforms. 

This is the photo they sent to us of the house they came from. 

Needless to say, my heart was captured by them and their situation just from these photos. When we arrived in Manhica, after collecting the local caseworker from Social Action, we went to the father’s house to get information and complete documents. The living conditions were among the poorest I have witnessed. Their father was a fisherman, and not a very successful one from the appearance of their surroundings. He was also clearly not a very good father for reasons I cannot share. It was obvious the boys could not be raised in his care. He gave us their history and birth certificates, signed a document relinquishing his parental rights, and we were done. As we got into our car to leave, I realized with great sadness that at no point did he even ask who we were or where we would be taking the boys to live. 

Our next stop was to collect the boys from the girls’ center where they had been living. It was a lovely and tidy place, very well maintained. We met the boys and watched as the girls surrounded them and prepared them to go with us. It was adorable to see them doting over Fernando and Antonio. It was apparent that the boys had been pampered during their short time there. 

We said our goodbyes to the girls and walked to the van. As we were walking, I asked the boys if they would like to go and say goodbye to their father before leaving. Without hesitation or even looking up at me, they simply replied, “No”. With that, we loaded them in the van and took what has become our traditional photo with them in the back. 

It was quite late until we arrived at Sunshine House 5. It was dark outside and we were all tired from a long day. The boys were welcomed by their new mother, Catarina, and their new siblings, Faustino, Beatriz, and France. We left them to sleep and get to know each other. Over the next few months, they learned a lot about being in a family and having older brothers who do not appreciate being provoked and whose possessions they were not to take and break. Oh my! 

The boys have now been with us for about a year and a half. They have done a lot of growing! 

Fernando enjoys school and has recently begun reading. It has come with a lot of work. I often arrive at the home and catch him off by himself reading a book, laboriously mouthing out each word. He is determined to master reading! 

Fernando has struggled greatly with self-esteem. I could see in him that he felt a bit lost. One day, I asked him if he knew how very special he was. He looked me straight in the eye and said, “No”. Thus began my quest to reassure him and teach him how special he is! I am so happy to see all of the love and messages I have poured into him influencing him. He now greets me with a warm hug each time I come. Fernando has learned his place in the family and interacts positively with his brothers. Once a loner and outsider, he is now out and about with his brothers playing. 

Antonio is growing up too fast for us, as little boys do! He has lost his two front teeth and grown new ones back in again. 

He is gaining height by the inches every day. He loves, loves, loves to play…sometimes a little too much, according to his teachers at school. He is the first one to enter our learning center after school each day. His go-to-games are the puzzles. He has put together every puzzle on our shelves at least 10 times each! 

 I sit here at my computer smiling with the greatest of humble satisfaction as I write their story to share with you. As I said in the beginning, I usually write these stories on the day we bring them home. Therefore, I only know their past and nothing of their future. But for Fernando and Antonio, I now know a bit of what was to be their future experiences and transformation after leaving their past behind them. It feels good to write their story having seen them grow and change. Their story is just beginning. They are only 11 and 7 now. They have a lot of life ahead of them. I am so thankful to be able to experience it with them!