The Lost Boys

Although my time in Mozambique has been short, my heart for her people and country have been greatly moved.  Mozambique is a land of extravagant beauty.  From the crashing waves on some of the most majestic and beautiful beaches your toes will ever encounter, to the thick emerald coverings of the jungle canopies, there are times when I feel like I’ve stepped directly into the pages of a National Geographic Magazine.  Although I’ve been to beautiful places all over the world, God certainly hand crafted the magnificence of Mozambique on one of his very best days.  

My first week of ministry in the country was spent at a ministry called Masana.  Masana is a breath of fresh air in a country that is gasping for the very breath of life we know as Jesus Christ.  Although the splendor of the country’s landscape is flourishing, the spiritual climate of Mozambique is very much dead.  Masana, which means “ray of lightâ€�, is just that – a ministry that brings light to the dark streets of Maputo, the country’s Capital city.  Masana is organized, run, and driven by two dedicated and selfless young people: Ian and Lauren.  Ian is 25 years old and a native a Colorado and Lauren is a 23 year old South African who is feisty, witty, and has a heart of gold.  Together, this team of disciples serves the street kids of the area 7 days a week.  They’ve dedicated their entire life to bringing the kingdom of heaven to a group of boys who need it so desperately. 

Street kids run rapid in the city of Maputo.  Ranging from 7 years old to 17 years old, these boys live a life of freedom, danger, loneliness and uncertainty – and believe it or not, most of them do it by choice.  In Maputo, the street is as enticing to a Mozambican adolescent as a hot tub is to a winter Eskimo.  A majority of boys in this area crave the street life:  No parents telling them what to do, no rules or bed time hours, and as much alcohol and sex as their fleshly bodies desire.  Most of the boys survive by stealing or panhandling on the streets.  Depending on their “cute factorâ€�, some of the boys can earn more money in one day than their parents can make in an entire month.  Gullible tourists and convicted passer by’s can’t resist the pitiful puppy dog eyes of a poor Mozambican 9 year old, but little do they know they are the pawn in a game that is all too familiar to these young boys.  One young boy, only 8 years old, begs for money on the street only to turn around to blow it all on bottles of gin. 

Although this lifestyle for 90% of the street kid population is a choice, Masana still serves them on a daily basis.  Jesus never turned anyone away and Masana doesn’t either.  Monday through Thursday, the Masana doors are open from 7am to 2pm serving food, teaching classes, and fellowshipping and loving on these boys.  You see, the epidemic of poverty and street life in Mozambique isn’t an economic or government problem – it’s a God problem.  These kids don’t need more money, more clothes, or even another meal – what they need is the living God in their hearts – eternal nourishment for their souls rather than the temporary satisfaction in their stomachs.  Through Ian, Alexis, Lauren, and volunteers from all over the world, these boys are getting a taste of what pure love and joy really is. 

Although these modern day Lost Boys may believe that life on the streets is a fulfilling and rewarding lifestyle, the harsh reality of their lives speaks much differently.  Many of the boys are physically abused by police officers when found sleeping in the streets and taken to jail to be housed with violent criminals.  When they see a police officer on the streets here in Maputo they don‘t see someone to help them, they see someone to run away from.  Many of the boys are raped and molested by other boys, and are enslaved by the addictive cycle of crime, drugs, sex, and alcohol.  STD’s are as frequent with the boys as are other injuries, illnesses, and diseases.  Just last week one of the boys came to Masana with a deep, open cut on his neck.  Apparently, a drunk man on the street broke a beer bottle then tried to kill the young boy by slicing his throat – he was lucky to have gotten away with his life.  What’s perhaps just as heartbreaking is when you ask one of the boys what they want to be when they grow up, they don’t have an answer.  The street kids of Maputo don’t have dreams – they don’t aspire to be anything.  In the USA, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, many children will respond with doctor, lawyer, or teacher, but here it’s different.  The cruel and harsh reality of their daily existence doesn’t provide enough fertile ground for dreams to even take root.  Where there are no dreams there is no hope and where there is no hope, there is no Jesus.  Once again, the lack of money isn’t the problem – it’s the lack of Jesus.  

One of the AMAZING things Masana is doing to instill a sense of hope, security, and hunger inside the souls of these boys is offering a reintegration program.  As the kids visit the grounds day after day, many of them have had a change of heart.  God has spoken directly to them and called them out of the street life.  In the reintegration program, Masana will allow the boys to live on the grounds for a month as they are reintroduced back into their homes, their communities, into their families.  They begin going to a public school, are given chores around the house, and begin cooking for themselves and the volunteers.  A sense of belonging and camaraderie infiltrates the very depths of their souls and drives the darkness away from their impressionable and innocent hearts.  When they return home, Masana even helps the boys start a small business so they can learn how to make an honest and rewarding living.  Many of the boys will begin selling cell phone minutes on the street corner while others begin to explore their entrepreneurial talents.  One boy had a collection of DVD’s so Masana bought him a DVD player so he could open up his own “movie theaterâ€�.  He simply sets up a TV and DVD player and shows movies to his friends and other boys on the streets and charges them admission.  It may not sound like much, but it’s what it looks like when a dream begins to come alive.  This young boy isn’t getting paid much, but he’s finding out that he has more potential than he could have ever dreamed of – and that is something you can’t put a dollar amount on.            

What I’ve realized on the race is that God is going to do His work regardless of whether or not we choose to participate in it.  However, He wants to use US in His plan – He wants to use you.  I’m thankful that Ian, Lauren, and the other Masana volunteers have said yes and have partnered with God in ministering to these lost boys.  May Masana continue to help these boys find what was once lost.