This past week, Team "Pharos" and Team "Nooma to Nations" have been working at Kedesh Boys Home/Orphanage. The word "kedesh" is Hebrew for sanctuary and that is what John offers to the boys in this area of Mozambique. The orphanage is run by John Wickes, who is originally from Utah. He has been living in Africa for the last 19 years.
His ministry originally started in Zimbabwe, and centered around rehabilitating street kids. When the government of Zimbabwe began denying visa renewals to whites, John moved his ministry to Mozambique. It is here that his vision is being realized.
Kedesh is like something out of a movie. I can't help but think of the lost boys from "Hook." And the land itself is very shire-like; beautiful and lush with vegetation. It's fifteen acres are filled with pineapples, mangoes and bananas. There are peanuts and cashew trees.
There are boys all over the property. They are working in construction, cooking meals and even welding. The younger boys take shifts shepherding the goats and cows. During offtimes, the boys play sports such as tetherball, basketball and volleyball. John's philosophy is work in the morning and play in the afternoon.
John teaches the boys English and the Bible regularly. Every night is a movie night where they project a movie onto a large tarp and pop a huge pot of pop corn (from corn they grow themselves).
As amazing as Kedesh is, John still has a huge vision for the land. There is much work to be done. Everyday we are given a different task.
The work is a welcome change from my office job back home. It is tough manual labor, but it's great. In the first week, I have learned how to brick walls and arched doorways. I've helped dig trenches to redirect standing water away from newly sprouted trees. And most recently, I've helped clean vegetation in and around the pond so that we can insert a bamboo wall.
Throughout the week, I've tried to get to know the boys one on one. I love hearing their stories.
Francisco is a 16 year old electrician who wants to travel to America one day to meet Beyonce. He says his favorite movie is "A Walk to Remember" because it touched his heart. Alberto is an 18 year old handyman who seems to be able to perform any kind of construction. He will be leaving Kedesh soon to start his adult life. He is excited but nervous. Kinyo wants to be a police officer one day. These are only a few stories of the 28 plus kids living here.
Kedesh is an amazing place and it is so evident that the Lord has blessed John and his vision for these boys. I'm excited for the rest of our time here and already dread the day that we leave.
