He Needs You, We Need You

I’m not sure how we arrived where we are today, but our FIRST little guy, Ali, turned 9 today. After almost 3 years with Ali, I still can’t imagine how different his life would be had his uncle not brought him to us…

When I first heard about Ali, they said he was a small, 5 year old boy who had lost his mom when he was just 2-3 days old. He’d lived with his grandma and his dad rarely visited him, if at all. No one knew where his dad was living when his grandma starting to get sick.

Soon, grandma wasn’t able to take care of the kids she was trying, simply, just to feed. Ali’s uncle explained he had 3 kids of his own and was caring for Ali’s half brother and he just couldn't cope with one more child.

The first time I saw Ali, he looked like a 3 year old, and I’m being generous. His feet were so tiny. He couldn’t really walk in the little flip flops he was wearing, and getting him to walk just up the 2 stairs into the kitchen was nearly impossible.

And his belly…oh…He had a HUGE belly due to lack of nutrition. And it was bad. He was constantly saying his stomach hurt after eating. We had to try a lot of different things to make sure he didn’t vomit or have diarrhea but eventually, just 2-3 months after arriving, he was doing so well.

Ali has always felt like my little baby, even as he grows and will be going into grade 3 at the beginning of the year. The time has really passed so incredibly fast, and part of me wishes for the days when Jadon used to carry him everywhere like he was a baby. And he really was. He was fragile and very undernourished. And God brought him here, to us…to love and care for.

I’m ugly crying as I type this. I love this boy with my whole heart. I don’t want to think about what situation he would be in if God hadn’t opened every door for this home to be here, at that exact moment when he needed care. His family tried but when they can’t even feed themselves, what do we do?

I have so many mixed feelings about orphan care, but I can tell you one thing: there is a great need. Even children who have one parent are hardly eating, let alone a child who is being cared for by an aunt or grandma. The situation in our area is so different from even the southern part of the country.

Because of people who believed in this crazy idea, crazy plan to come and be parents to the parent-less kids in our community, Ali has a mom, a dad, many uncles, aunts and brothers & sisters. We wouldn’t have arrived here without your help, and for that, we are truly grateful.

As Giving Tuesday approaches on December 3rd, a day of global awareness & giving for organizations like ours, we implore you to think about kids like Ali – where would he be? Where would he be today without the help of precious partners like you?

My heart breaks to think of where he may be, but I also rejoice because God knew how things would end, and because of the love of a few people, just like you, Ali is having a great 9^th birthday.

Thank you seems so insignificant but really – look what you guys have done! God has used you to see this little man through the last 3 years, and I know beyond that. You all are incredible people of love. Thank you.

Will you help us continue to love and help kids like Ali? Will you help us now, today? Sign up to become a monthly sponsor before the end of the month and Ali will color a picture just for you…Come on now, what else do you need?! Do it already.

Lots of love,

Laura and Ali and the GANG

Loss, Life and Everything in Between

Africa, man. This continent isn't an easy place to be sometimes. Especially when it comes to people you love. It's so complicated...to have people you love become sick and not be able to understand or even know what is ravaging their bodies...the doctors aren't straight or direct in any way.

They don't explain what's happening, they don't care if you understand or know what's killing your friend, sister, mom, brother, uncle. They just start treating you and that's that.

Hopefully you start feeling better and hopefully you get to leave and go home. Or they'll hide the REAL diagnosis from you and you continue wondering and looking for solutions for a fever when it's actually tuberculosis or HIV or several illnesses.

I've spent a lot time over the last 2 weeks or so with Beth, who works with us. She lost her mom a few weeks ago and it has been a roller coaster of painful emotions. (Some day I hope she'll let me share her story from the beginning.)

I tried to just imagine how she is feeling and my heart is broken of her. Even at nearly 33 years old, I think about my mom and need her all the time. To not have her there...my eyes well up with tears just trying to type that. So imagine Beth, who lost her father and now her mother, at the young age of 25. It's painful to watch.

However, the cultural part of death here is kind of beautiful in itself. I stayed with Beth at her older brother's house for 5 days, sleeping in the living room with her and her 2 older sisters. They received visitors that would also stay and sleep on the floor, outside, on the veranda...wherever there was a place to stretch out.

We all cried, ate, rested and mourned together. No one was bothered about looking good - in fact, it's customary for the family not to shower until after the burial. The family truly mourns and everyone around them just helps and lets them grieve.

My amazing team: Beth, Me, Gildo, Junior

Seven days after her mom passed, we went back to her brother's house, stayed the night and went to the cemetery at 4am to pray. Many of the same people at the burial were with us on this day, too.

While it was difficult to watch Beth pass through this, I saw a beautiful sense of community. I also learned to sit with someone in their pain and discomfort without doing or saying anything - just being there.

That's something I have a really hard tim doing as I'm a very emotional person. I feel everything so deeply that I can't help but cry in these kinds of situations. So when someone else is grieving, I tend to keep a distance and try to love them at an arms length. But this was different. I couldn't let beth walk through it alone.

Even now, several weeks later, I find myself checking on her, trying to spend more time with her, include her in whatever I'm doing. I find that the month of October has been a notoriously difficult month every year for me, for at least the last 6 years. I have felt like I'm barely keeping my head above water lately and my heart feels heavy and burdened by so many things.

By spending more time with Beth, our team has become closer and more supportive of one another. We're becoming more and more like a family each day. While I can't share everything with my team or rely on them for ALL of my needs - after all, that's why we need God - I know God sent these people to us and to the kids so we could support, lead and love each other, and show others what it means to LOVE.

I have to say, I've been really challenged in all of this. I'm an extroverted introvert - after too much time around other humans, I start to break down. But God is slowly helping me to change and to accept communal living more and more.

Living in community is not for the faint of heart. I've had to have some tough conversations with myself about how to grow as a leader & how to lead my team well. I'm not a great leader (yet!) but I'm learning and I'm willing to grow and change.

In the next few years, I pray that our team continues to grow and mature in Christ, to grow as leaders, comfort those who've lost everything, like so many of our kids. My hope is that we can be a beacon of light, of hope, an example in our community of what it means to love others and lift one another up.

And as Beth continues to grieve and recover, please pray for her. She's an amazing person with a beautiful heart. She loves our kids so well, and she's walked through some tough stuff in life. She is truly a beautiful example of someone who has faith that things can & will change with hard work and faith.

As for me, pray for contentment. I'm finding myself searching and searching for acceptance when I just need to be reminded that I'm doing great. I'm doing the best I can and it IS good enough.

Thank you for your love & continued prayers and encouragement. I couldn't do it with out you.

Getting' Outta the Funk

This year has really been one for the books. Seriously. The amount of time and energy myself and my team have put into things that are not very rewarding has been the single most frustrating part of it all. I feel like I’m definitely stuck in a rut, in a funk.

We’ve spent a lot of time, energy and money fixing our car. We’ve focused a lot of time and attention on paperwork, procedures, and how to make sure we are doing alllll the things that will give our kids & communities that we work with the BEST of what we can offer.

Somehow, in all the planning, running around and pushing to make sure things run smoothly, the very essence of WHY I love working in this beautiful country gets pushed to the back burner or completely lost. And it breaks my heart.

I often see posts on social media about how it’s okay for us to grieve the life we THOUGHT would be, and then we have to get up, wipe away the tears, and jump back into the life we DO have. For me, that has really hit me hard this week.

 

The sweetest little reasons to slow down

Being a “director” is so unglamorous and nothing like I had thought many, many years ago. I never wanted a glamorous job but I simply want to do one thing: make a difference. I want the kids we serve and the communities where we work to be empowered, inspired and motivated to overcome even the most unthinkable challenges.

I know that difficulties and unforeseen junk can throw us off track, so I guess I’m glad it’s bothered me so much lately because I can now DO something to fix this. I wanna do homework with the kids, teach them how to wash dishes, play outside with them, and pour into them so they know how loved & valued they truly are.

I also know this isn’t a one man (or lady) show and I’ve got to rely on those around me that I trust. So I’m learning to loosen the reigns so that I can be able to take a break when needed, and I can train & give more responsibilities to my team.

I’m far from being a great director. I’m more like a zoo keeper who lost her monkeys but hey, I haven’t misplaced any kids so I think I’m doing okay?

Keep me in your thoughts & prayers as I learn to balance it all and get outta the funk!

Hugs,

Laura and the munchkins

A Day in the Life...

“5am alarm. But my eyes have been open for at least 20 minutes – planning, thinking, praying, preparing.

6am kids are out the door and I’m close behind. After a quick cup of coffee, running shoes and my water, it’s time to get going.

7am My run is winding down and the real work begins. Quick shower and grab something on the go – banana, hard boiled egg, or more often than not, just a 2^nd cup of coffee.

8am and I’m out the door again. Walking to the closest spot to grab a bus into town. After waiting way too long, cuz I’m really not as patient as I look, I just start walking.

8:30am and I’m already on round 2 of errands. The bank opens at 9:30am so instead of wasting that precious hour, I head out to the mechanic to find out what parts I need to get the car back up & running.

9am and the mechanic has me worried about parts…again. Now I’m walking, talking on the phone, and trying to catch a bus all at the same time. It’s taking too long so I end up taking a motor bike and heading back to the bank.

9:15am and the bank is getting ready to open and I’m calling & chatting with friends in the capital city and in South Africa to find out WHERE I can find these parts for the car.

9:45am and the bank manager calls me over and tells me not to wait in line – “Just come see me!” She takes my deposits and my check and takes care of everything. I’m in and out in about 15 minutes.

10:15am and the kids’ school is calling me saying Milenea isn’t feeling well, and I need to come get her. I’m lucky to see a bus coming right at me so I jump in and make it to the school in a record 20 minutes.

10:40am and I’ve got Milenea in my arms and she’s hot. Definitely not malaria but she’s coughing and saying her head hurts. We’ve been passing this nasty junk around for at least a month, so I’m almost positive that’s all it is.

Throw back to when the car was a beast & Jo was a teeny little thing!

11:30am and I’ve now got all the kids and we’re piling into a taxi to ride close to home so Milenea doesn’t have to walk.

12pm and we’re home, helping Tia Amina finish up lunch. Milenea goes to lay down and I bring her some water. The kids change out of their uniforms and the house is full of noise once again – laughing, playing, arguing – the best kind of noise!

By now, I have 2 options: the lunch hour closures are winding down so should I head back to town and try  to get a few more things finished, or should I take a quick power nap and do some office work and try again tomorrow?

It’s already Thursday by this time…I better get back to town so I can talk to a few people at different offices about paperwork, car parts, get a second or third opinion on the car, etc. It’s almost impossible to do it on a Friday so I better get it done today.

3pm and I’ve finished my few office-type of errands I needed to do and I grab some bread, eggs, and jump in a taxi so I can pass by the open market on the way home & buy some veggies for the house.

4pm and I’m finally done for the day. I carry everything down the back entrance to the house as taxis will charge an outrageous amount if I ask them to take me all the way home. With arms full, I make it in the back gate just in time. I almost drop the eggs but pin them up against the gate so I can drop everything else and catch them.

5:30pm Now homework, bath time, dinnertime, and evening cleanup & prayers takes over the rest of the day. By 8pm, I happily jump into bed until I remember I’m on day 10 of a grumpy JoJo who is cutting a billion teeth at once and she has a hard time if I put her to sleep.

I pass her off to Auntie Beth or Uncle Gildo and they get her to sleep. I am grateful for their help or she cries and carries on for so long that almost the whole neighbor can hear her! I feel for that sweet girl – being a baby is not easy.

I take Jo into bed with me and finally settle in for the night. The dogs bark through out the night and I get up at least once to see what they’re making noise about. When I climb back into bed it’s almost time to get up and do it all again.”

H.O.M.E.

First flight of vacation!

Five glorious weeks of vacation was what was promised. I’d been dreaming of vacation for a while but I didn’t think I “needed” it. I was happy working with my kiddos and being in Mozambique, solving the plethora of daily challenges and problems while getting to work with people I care for. But the Amalfi Coast and Rome and Florence and Pompeii and London were on the itinerary...need I say more?!

Phil has been working in the States since December so he afforded us this amazing opportunity to explore Europe for the first time, alongside my mom & dad. We also had a chance to spend a little time with Phil & his 2nd oldest brother in London. And while Italy blew our minds, quite literally, with all the history, beauty and the warmth of the beautiful people, there is still no place like HOME.

Tia Amina's baby & JoJo

Mozambique is our home. When I say to myself: “I just wanna go home,” I’m only thinking of one place, which is here. Some say home is where the ❤️ is, and while I think that’s true, it depends on what lives in your heart. For me, Jesus takes up most of the space in there, followed by my family - mainly my kids. 

Nothing better than coming home!

Home is where my kids are. Home is where I hear Mama, Mooooom, Mommy A.L.L. the time. Home is where little hands knock softly at my door at 2am and then say ‘I don’t feel good, Mama.’ Home is where tears are wiped, things get broken, mistakes are made, lessons are learned, and life happens. 

I feel tired at times, but I mostly just want more - more time with my kids, more lessons learned, more opportunities to teach them love, grace, mercy and that life is for living & giving to others. While Europe was truly a dream come true - and I’m so thankful for how hard Phil worked/is working so we could go - there’s truly no place like H.O.M.E.

Happy to be HOME,

Laura and the Munchkins