After a busy bittersweet work week, one frantic shopping and packing day, 4 days of reunion and preparation in Atlanta and then over 50 hours of travel, I arrived in Maputo, Mozambique at an organization called Beacon of Hope. It would be easy to detail our two 10 hour flights, the 10 hour layover in Istanbul or the 10 hour bus ride across the South Africa-Mozambique border because the journey from my normal American life to the life of a backpacking missionary is a story in itself.
But as my identity has shifted, my perspective has changed and my priorities are different. On my birthday last November, I walked along the gorgeous Oregon Coast and asked God what the next year of my life would look like. He told me that it would be a year overflowing with hard growth and true joy and that I was NOT going to be the main character in the story He is writing through me. As someone who deflects personal questions and detests being the center of attention, it was the best answer I could have gotten. As someone who craves independence and values self-sufficiency, it was the hardest answer to receive.
Most people in the world wake up each morning with an amount of themselves in mind. They have x in the bank, x time at work and x time with family, x amount of energy, patience, self-control etc. and their daily task is deciding where and when to dole out small amounts of these limited resources so they don’t run out or feel tricked into wasting it on something that didn’t provide an adequate return to them.
The World Race talks a lot about this ingrained ‘Poverty Mindset’ and I have my own thoughts about the society-wide implications of telling people they never have enough. On the Race, we are expecting to be uncomfortable and to allow that discomfort to stretch us and grow us. When we are the main character in our story, the discomfort becomes the focus of our attention and it affects our ability to see the world and those around us accurately. It also assumes that these resources are our human right to possess or spend but God designed it very differently.
One person who spends all of her given resources on others is Miss Angie or MamaAng as she is known by her family here in Maputo. A Registered Nurse from Texas, she started doing Mission work as a short-term diversion from the All-American life she imagined for herself, but in listening to God’s heart for her and aligning her desires with His will she has spent the last 17 years in Maputo providing shelter, clothing, meals, support, structure, encouragement, empowerment, hope, a future and a whole lot of Jesus for teenage boys. She witnessed the difficulty of growing up in Mozambique for young men who struggle to find work, develop discipline, learn life-skills, take initiative or set goals in a culture that lacks appreciation or promotion of these things.
At Beacon of Hope, the teenage boys learn all of these things and it is our task this month to support MamaAng in her vision. Each day we teach 2-3 classes in Art, Music, English, Life-Skills, Team-building and ‘God’s world’ where we share our experiences in different parts of the world to broaden their perspective of the world and their potential in it! Outside of class we play a lot of Futbol, have music/dance parties, help with chores, support her amazingly generous staff (whom she considers her family), love on her two adopted kids and find creative ways to make Jesus the Main Character.
The two teams placed here have learned a lot about the simple gift of presence. While we have all invested personal money, months of planning and the next year of our life into this adventure, God has shown us that we will not go to sleep each night feeling like a list has been accomplished or that our investment is yielding an immediate return. Our time is not our own. He calls each of us to use the energy and strengths and stories and life He has given us to press into our identity in Him and then display His generosity as we give ourselves away to others. The sweetest surrender is waking up every morning and ask God what to do next.
Before this month ends we are going to spend what we have to host a spa day for the women while the men run a ‘manistry’ time to disciple the boys in becoming a man of God. We’ll have a burger night with the boys and a pizza party later in the week! A few of us girls have already hired Angie’s daughter Enja to put braids in our hair ‘Africa-Style’ to empower her business-sense and help teach her about budgeting and money management.
The last blessing we hope to leave with MamaAng and her boys is a new roof for the home/office/classroom area. During this rainy season we have seen this room (that serves as our sleeping area) flood from the holes in the tin and the World Race has teamed up with a site called Donorsee that allows donors to view updates on the specific projects they give to. When we asked MamaAng if we could raise funds to fix it she teared up and said that any money raised would be a blessing. When pressed, she said the materials would cost $3500; we posted it and raised over $1000 in less than a week! We hope to see the rest of God’s money come in soon so that we can provide the installation labor before we leave in the next 10 days! Follow this link for more of the story, pictures and info!
After leaving Maptuo, we’ll head to South Africa to meet up with the rest of our squad for a rest before heading to Swaziland for the next month!
Thank you so much for all of your support and interest in what God is doing around the world!
