Today I have the pleasure of introducing you to our four newest family members… Marcia, age 15 in grade 8, Vasco, age 13 in grade 7, Katia, age 11 in grade 6, and Yusna, age 8 in grade 3. Their father died about three years ago. Two years ago, their mother told them that she was going out to get something for them, and she never came back.
For a time, they continued to live in their home. A friend of their deceased father was paying for their rent. But it soon became clear that he was not just being kind but that he had ulterior motives regarding the oldest girl, Marcia. A neighbor intervened and offered an abandoned house on their property in which they could live.
I made mention above of their grade levels in school because it has been no small feat for them to continue and keep up with their education. This demonstrates their tenacious desire to be educated, and I am very impressed. They had no one to wake them in the morning, prepare their breakfast or lunch and see them off to school. (Hmmm…I wonder if my own children would have gotten up and gone to school every day if I had not been there to make them go. I remember having to resort to squirting my son with a water gun to get him moving in the morning.) They had no one to check in on whether they completed their homework or studied for an upcoming test. They had no one to buy them a new uniform or book bag at the beginning of each year. They had no one to provide them with school supplies or shoes. They have had no one to tuck them into bed and pray with them at night. But they have independently tweaked out a life for themselves and stayed in school. This inspires me!
When Delcio and I arrived at their house on a chilly but sunny Mozambican winter’s day, all four children were busy with chores. There was no adult to instruct them as to what needed done. They all know what needs done, and they do it.
Marcia was preparing the fixings for their lunch- matapa, the leaves of the casava plant which are smashed to a fine consistency and boiled with crushed peanuts and coconut, then served over rice or xima (a corn-based flour that reminds me of thick grits).
Vasco was collecting sticks for the fire over which Marcia would cook the matapa. Katia was sweeping the floors of their house. Yusna was washing the pots from yesterday’s meal.
We visited with the children who continued their chores until they were finished, talking with them as they worked. I learned that Marcia and Vasco dream of becoming civil engineers. Katia wants to be a police woman, and Yusna's dream is to become a teacher.
Once done, the younger three children joined their friends who were in their yard playing a game. The game reminded me of a mixture of Dodgeball and Monkey-in-the-Middle. Two children stood apart from each other with another child in the middle. The middle child had a pile of sticks at his feet. The outer two children threw a sack filled with sand to each other while the child in the middle tried to avoid being hit. The objective for the middle child was to throw out the pile of sticks, one at a time, before getting hit with the sack. If the middle child was hit by the sack, he took his place on the outside and the lucky child who hit him took his place in the middle with the sticks. They laughed as they played. I noted that not once did a child fight, argue, or squabble about anything. There were no adults there to referee or intervene, and they played nicely on their own.
At the end of our visit, we had to leave the children in their current circumstance until they finished the semester exams at school and received their grades. In the meantime, we returned to Matola to prepare the transfer documents to their new school and to prepare their new home with Monica.
All of our homes are special, but this home, Sunshine House 7, has a special story behind it. Many years ago, my husband, Don, worked at Hershey Chocolate with a colleague, Cindy Hutchinson. She has followed our social media posts to keep updated on our journey to Mozambique and our work. Often she and her husband, Mark, have donated generously to our foundation. Along the way, she shared our story with her aunt, Catherine Pentz, lovingly called Aunt Sis by all who know her. Aunt Sis took a fondness to our Sunshine families. She has been so kind in supporting our children and mothers in multiple ways. She remembers them in her prayers each day.
When I am home in the US, I always visit with Aunt Sis. She is a “must see” for me! She knows each child and asks about each one by name! Aunt Sis, who will soon turn 97 years young, once told me that she now has two things to live for…to see her nephew (whom she raised as her own son graduate from college) and her family in Mozambique. It was Aunt Sis who donated the money to build Sunshine House 7. When I shared with her that this would be our 7th house, she was so excited because the number 7 has great significance to her. She gifted us with the statue of a little boy wearing a jersey with the number 7 on it. This statue has been in her home for many years, and now it is proudly displayed directly in front of anyone who enters the door of Sunshine House 7.
From the day we purchased the land until the day we moved in the widow who will be the mother for this family, I have sent Aunt Sis photos to keep her involved. I am beyond happy to know that TODAY I can now send her photos of the four children who are going to live happy, safe, prosperous lives because of her!
On Friday, August 18th we were able to go and bring Marcia, Vasco, Katia, and Yusna home. The night before we went to get them, I was thinking about them and wondering what it must be like for them in their little house that night. What were they thinking about? What were they talking about? How did they feel? Were they packing and preparing to leave?
My questions were quickly answered when we arrived at their house on Friday morning. They didn't even know we were coming for them! They were doing their regular chores while friends waited in the yard outside to play. We shared with them that we were there to bring them with us, and they didn't even hesitate but immediately set about packing all of their possessions in the baskets we had brought with us. They were ready to go! All that was left was for the case worker to sign the documents with the local village leaders.
Then we were ready to go! The children said their goodbyes to their friends and without looking back, climbed into the back or our van. We took our traditional coming home photo of them. They were all smiles!
Today the children moved from this...
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Marcia, Vasco, Katia, and Yusna settled in nicely to their new home today. Their new mother, Monica, was ecstatic to have them join her in the home. Pretty much every one of our other Sunshine children came to meet them. It was the most joyous of days.
Tonight, as I write this blog, I am overwhelmed with emotion as I picture them going to bed in a real bed, with a pillow to lay their head on and a warm blanket with which to cover themselves. They are going to bed with a full belly and no worries about whether they will have anything to eat tomorrow. For the first time in two years, they have a mom to tuck them in and pray with them. These are things we take for granted, but we must remember that these things are a privilege that many children in this world do not have. Thanks to our donors and sponsors like Aunt Sis who do remember this, there are four less abandoned children in this world tonight.
