Three Less This Year...Follow Up

I love a lot of things about our program, but one of my favorite things is watching new children transform after coming home with us. They arrive hurt, neglected, abused, and abandoned. After experiencing a stable home with a mother who cares for them, a staff that stands with them, and a whole family of sisters and brothers who come alongside them, they literally flourish and become new creations. They leave behind their life of suffering, shed the worries that burdened them, and they get to be children again. 

Case in point…our three new children who just arrived exactly four weeks ago from the date I am now writing this blog. In case you missed it, this is story of how they came to be a part of our Sunshine family, recorded in my previous blog … https://sunshineinafrica.blogspot.com/2024/09/ 

The children immediately took to life in our Sunshine family. From day one, seeing these three children has become a highlight of my days. They light up and greet me with the biggest of hugs. It is like the joy and love inside of them has been unleashed. 

I must give credit where credit is due...their 30 new brothers and sisters have played a big part in their successful adaptation. They always do a great job of helping new children assimilate into our family. Children usually come with a “take” attitude, scarfing up anything they can lay their hands on. However they quickly learn there is more than enough to go around and that they need not feel like they must grab what they can when they can. Less than a week into their time with us, we were all at Escola Sunshine for our Friday afternoon program doing a craft project. They sat at a table with five of our other children. After explaining the craft we were doing, I began placing the materials (paper, scissors, markers, and glue) on the tables. Our children patiently waited and watched as I did this. But Tiara, Januario, and Percina immediately lunged at the materials, scooping them into their arms as they left their five table partners astonished, looking at me with the question of “What???” on their faces. Tiara, Januario, and Percina immediately picked up on the realization that they had done something wrong, and they sheepishly pushed the materials back into the middle of the table. From then on, the children modeled how to share the materials so that everyone could have fun. 

Then came the day the next week when Januario was using my car as a jungle gym. I came out to hear the others scolding him and directing him that we DO NOT climb on Mama Terri’s car. Januario slid off my car, looking very remorseful. 

By the end of their first week, we had them settled into school. Percina attends our Beacons of Light preschool program. Tiara and Januario started at Escola Tamwana. On their first day of school, it seemed like they had always been there. When I excitedly asked how their first day went, they matter-of-factly responded, “Fine.” And when I enthusiastically asked if they had made new friends, they looked calmly at me and said, “Yes. Lots.” They adjusted so quickly. On their third day of school, I stopped by to get photos of them. I arrived at dismissal time. As they skipped out of their classrooms, my mother’s heart was reassured as so many other children were saying goodbye to them and wishing them a good weekend. 

Shortly after the children arrived, we noticed that the oldest child had a braided cord tied around her waist. This is known as a fetish, a cord placed on the person by a witchdoctor. It is believed to have magical healing or protection powers. Delcio and I pulled the three children into our office to speak with them. We shared with them that in our family, we trust in God alone to heal and protect us and that other religions put their trust incorrectly in objects that cannot heal or protect. We asked them if they had anything like that on their bodies. Tiara immediately looked up and with the sweetest of trust in her eyes said that she did. We asked her if she would like to cut the cord off and place her trust in God to protect her. She responded with a confident yes. I handed her the scissors, and she asked me to help her cut it off, so we did it together. This led to us asking the children if they knew who Jesus was. Their blank stares told us that they had never hear of Him. What a privilege it was to share the story of Jesus with them, and what a privilege it will be to continue teaching them in the years to come. We sent them home with a children’s Bible that has 365 days of stories covering the creation of the world to Revelation. Their house mother has begun reading these to them every evening. 

Last week, the uncle with whom they lived came to visit them. He wanted to see how they were getting along. Three things from his visit really stood out to me. The first was how taken aback he was by their appearance. His exact words were, “They are so different. They don’t even look like the same children.” We find this to be true with all of our children. They physically transform in a way that is difficult to put into words. They are brighter and just seem to shine. So much so, that I now keep what I call my “Before and After Book”. This is a small photo album where I put in a photo of the child when we bring them home and another photo taken one, two, or three weeks after they arrive. You would not even recognize that they are the same children! 

For example, here is our first photo of the children after they climbed into my car to come home with us… 

And here are the children only two weeks later… 

See what I mean???

The second thing that happened when Uncle Frede visited was that he asked them if they would like to return home with him again. They looked at him and said, “Nah. We are good. You can come visit us here.” 

Third, shortly after he arrived and we settled them onto the outside veranda to have some privacy, I came out of my office to find them back inside Escola Sunshine participating in the reading activity Celia was doing with the other children. I looked out the window and saw their Uncle Fred sitting by himself. I called the three children and told them that he had come all the way to visit them, and they needed to go be with him. They reluctantly left the activity and went outside with him. But they kept sneaking back into Escola Sunshine again and again. 

After about an hour, Uncle Fred decided it was time for him to head home. He thanked us for the care the children are receiving, saying he was leaving fully confident that they children are in a good place. 

We also are confident that they are in a good place. Our Sunshine Approach family now has 33 children in its care. Don and I often find it just incredulous that these children look to us for love, support, and care. I mean…33 is a lot of children! And more are on their way! This is humbling and a bit unnerving, and it would be overwhelming if we did not know that we have so many people standing with us…our staff with us here in Mozambique and countless people in other countries who support this ministry with their purchase of our Sunshine Nut Co cashews, financial gifts, and prayers. We appreciate and thank each of you.

From the Cashew Fields to the Soccer Fields...Transformation Is Taking Place

I am rejoicing because our teenage boys have been given the most wonderful of opportunities! We have discovered a soccer program located only two blocks away from our Sunshine homes!!! Tindzila is a foundation mostly dedicated to environmental awareness (https://tindzila.org.mz/ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TindzilaSU), but they also have sports programs for children. The majority of children pay a fee to participate, but they also make the program available to disadvantaged youth (https://www.facebook.com/AcademiaDesportivaTindzila). We are so fortunate to have them close by and that they have accepted our boys into their soccer program for a nominal fee each month. 

We all know that teenage boys need an outlet for all the energy and curiosity they have. Our son, William, takes our seven teen boys every other Saturday to play soccer at a local field. It is the highlight of their week, and they are quite good at playing… but this is not enough. They go to school in the morning and are home by 12 noon. We do not want them out and about in the community, and so their free afternoons when they do not have tutoring are spent with them listlessly roaming around their houses and watching television…not good. With this program, they will practice three times a week on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as well as play competitively on some Saturdays. The boys were happy when we shared with them about this opportunity. But… their house moms were elated to know that their boys would have an outlet for their energy and would come home tired and all played out. 

The game they play is futsal. It is soccer on a cement court that is smaller than your typical soccer field. They had their first training session this past week on Monday. Before we even went for the practice, they were coming to me to thank me for this opportunity. 

The excitement level was quite high with anticipation when the time to head to the field arrived. When we got there, younger boys were already on the court practicing. Our boys were taken back to try on their new uniforms. When they came out, I was speechless! My mama’s heart was overwhelmed with joy. I did not even recognize them! They looked so professional, official, and proud. They were so very excited! And I was over-the-moon excited for them!

They hung about a bit watching the other boys play. Then came the time for the coach to invite them to substitute in and play themselves. 

It was a bit humbling for them to play against boys with really good skills, but they were not intimidated and did not back down at all. The team coach is very demanding and pushes them hard. Our boys fought to stay in the game and keep up. I can already see that they are going to really grow and improve. 

All of the players wore the standard orange soccer uniforms of the Tindzila team and some were from previous years. Despite this, it was very easy for me to identify my boys…they were the ones with the huge perma-grims plastered across their faces! 

I fondly remember the days of watching my children play soccer. However, I do not fondly remember the times sitting in the rain and cold at spring and fall practices and games. I was glad to leave that behind. Yet I now find myself again sitting on the sidelines watching a soccer practice as I freeze! We are in the transition of our winter to our summer. Some days may reach to 100 degrees and other days barely make it to the mid-70s. This day was a cloudy, cold, windy day with a high of only 73. I felt miserably cold, but I stuck it out for them. What kid doesn’t want to see his mom on the sidelines supporting him? Next practice, I am going prepared with a blanket! 

As I watched them on the court, I was overwhelmed by God’s goodness. These boys were the throw- aways of society. They had been orphaned, abandoned, abused, and hurt. They were the village thieves, the school drop-outs, and the forgotten. Nothing good would have ever come of them. But God, in His goodness, had a better plan for them and brought them to our Sunshine Approach Foundation. They have been healed and given a chance at life and success. I cannot even put into words what I felt inside seeing them play, smile, laugh, fight, and give their all. 

I always say that I can brag all I want about our children, because it is not me. It is first God. Then it is their mothers who live with them day and night and are raising them. And it is because of you. Our financial and prayer supporters are the base for ALL we are able to do. You are so very precious and appreciated. On behalf of our children, thank you for your support. We value every prayer, donation, and purchase of our Sunshine Nut Co cashews. We thank you for sharing our posts and telling others about our ministry work. All of these things are transforming lives from the cashew fields of Palma and Muchenguentava to the futsal field our boys play on.