This month in Mozambique has been awesome but very different.
One big thing they tell you before the mission field is to learn to be flexible. That is something that will come up and you need to be able to roll with the punches. I knew that was true, but within the past few weeks it has proven itself to be SO true. Here in Mozambique there is a civil war going on. Thankfully, where I am right out side of Maputo is safe and you would never know anything about a civil war going on. We are in the southern part of the country and all of what is going on is happening up north. Just another example of why the south is always better. Because of the civil war that is taking place another team of 7 couldn’t go to where they thought they were and had to stay with us.
Now there are 11 boys at this orphanage and we teach two classes a day, run an activity four nights a week, and one of us helps the ladies cook the food each day. That is plenty of things to do for my small team of 5. But if you have 12, it slows things down a lot. On top of this our host’s dad got cancer and went back to the States a week before we came. We now have too many people here and the boys and staff speak a different language. There is only one adopted son that speaks English in the whole place. It has been very difficult to say the least. Also, it has been very different than what it could have been.
My prayer since the start has been for God to show me ways to love the boys like Jesus without being able to really communicate.
It didn’t take long to find a way.
As I was working out one day, one of the boys joined me for a bit and called me by some weird name “Stragado.” Turns out it means “the strong one.” I just finished reading “Wild at Heart” again and knew what I needed to do. These are boys that need to be told that they are strong. They need to know that they are men and have what it takes. Now to be clear every boy needs that. However, these boys have wounds that go deep and dads that aren’t even alive to encourage them and tell them that they are any of these things.
“Who can give a man this, his own name?” -George MacDonald
It started while working out with me, showing that they can lift something big over their head, and turned into a lot of arm wrestling. Then the full WWE came out. I never thought that watching John Cena and Goldberg would help me too much with ministry, but that just goes to show that God uses everything.
One night after worship we sang, danced, and tried to teach the boys other songs, but the boys wanted to test their strength. It started with one jumping on my back and I got up to three before I was totally outmatched and down I went. I understand a lot of people will not get what is so good about seeing who can throw the big guy in the dirt. To be honest I didn’t even get it until that night. When I went down, the boy that made the final push stood up taller than anyone I have ever seen, threw his shoulders back, looked me in the eye, and said, “I am Stragado,” and he was. I have been able to see many great things this year but that was one of, if not, the best. I have since had to go to the doctor for a pulled muscle in my back and take more showers than normal but I have gotten to see some young men realize who they are and believe in themselves in a way they didn’t before.
“If we endeavor, like men of courage, to stand in the battle, surely we would feel the favorable assistance of God from Heaven. For he who giveth us occasion to fight, to the end we may get the victory, is ready to succor those that fight manfully, and do trust in his grace. ” -Thomas A Kimpis
