JOYCE
When I first saw Joyce, she was raking up the mango leaves around Kedesh property. My first reaction was “YES! Finally a woman who’s tall!”
During our time here, I’ve been blessed by this woman’s servant heart and exhuberant joy. Though she speaks little Porteguese and even less English, her big smile and delightful laughter didn’t need any translation. Little by little, her story was translated to me and I would love to share it with you.
Joyce was born with her twin sister in 1967 in the Beira area (that makes her 45 today). She married young and had 3 children by the age of 21. Measles took the lives of all three of her children within weeks of each other. After her children passed, she and her husband had 2 more kids- a boy and a girl.
With two toddlers to care for, Joyce’s husband passed away from illness and she headed back to the house she was raised in to raise her own children.
Time passed and she remarried, later giving birth to another daughter. Raising three children and barely scraping by, another life altering event happened. While she went out to the rice fields to work, Joyce’s husband packed his bags and left with their daughter.
Joyce was left alone with two children to raise.
She raised her son and daughter to adulthood but you can still see the pain on her face when she talks about them. Her daughter married an abusive man and her son still lives at home with no ambition to leave.
When John and Heather (our contacts at Kedesh) met Joyce, she was barely scraping by. They noticed her smile and willingness to talk while they passed her in the rice fields. When a need arised at Kedesh for an extra hand in grounds maintenance and in the kitchen, they thought of Joyce.
For the past three years, Joyce has worked at Kedesh- raking leaves, preparing food, cleaning- whatever needs to be done, Joyce does it well. She is paid in food and incredibly grateful for the work she has.
Joyce preparing the beans for lunch.
After a few weeks of speaking broken Portuguese with each other (neither of our first language), she invited me to her home. I walked the 25 minutes from Kedesh through rice fields and small villages to get to her home. Alberto, a Kedesh boy, translated for me as she shared her story outside of her home. After visiting for a half hour, she showed me around her village and introduced me to some of her neighbors. The kids were extremely excited to see a muzungu or white person and ran to give me high-fives.
When I asked Joyce what her dream was, she giggled and said she’s too old to have dreams anymore. She said her dream of owning kapalanas (the material I wore to church) and other items has been fulfilled and she is content in her life. Though she says she’s too old, I know she’d love to be reunited with her daughter.
My squad-mate Alicia and I prayed for her and her home before we left. We prayed for the day she would be reunited with her little girl and believe it can happen.
So that’s Joyce. She blessed me this month and I pray her story blesses you.
Joyce sitting outside her home holding her prized photographs.
Young Joyce with her baby girl.
Visiting Joyce's home- see, I told you she was tall!
Joyce standing outside the back of her home.
