Jesus loves the little children...

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.    James 1:27

Once again I found myself in South Africa in need of a new visa.    But coming to a developed nation with more choices, variety, and hospitable English speaking friends, which happens to be the land of my birth is always a welcome and refreshing break.

 Recently I've been blessed to be part of a different type of ministry: taking care of orphans.  I've visited two Iris Ministries Children’s Homes in the last few weeks.  Zimpeto Children’s Home is in Maputo (Mozambique’s capital) and is home to 270 kids.  It’s a very well-run operation with more than 30 missionaries from all over the world, many Mozambican staff and over 700 visitors annually.  There were about 20 visitors when I visited at the end of September.  It has a very peaceful and laid-back feel in which visitors are encouraged to minister to the kids, participate in various ministries around town, but also to connect with God and rest.  In Zimpeto I did get to know some children and help out but, really I see my time there as a gift from God because He used it to refresh me.  I was blessed by new friendships with my roommates from California and other visitors; it was so nice to have an edifying community.  What was most memorable however, was the night some of the Iris Missionaries prayed for me and then a healing conversation that followed.  It’s like they just prayed away all this crap that I had been carrying- some things I was aware of, others I wasn't.

Here are some pictures ….

I spent a lot of time with these two girls in Zimpeto. 

These are two of the cooks at Zimpeto, part of the team that feeds about 300 people each day.  They are sorting finely ground peanuts that will be added to a sauce with finely ground leaves and other ingredients.  This is a very common way for Mozambicans to eat peanuts.  I had a good conversation with Joyce, on the left. 

Vamos jogar basquet (Let's play basketball). It made me smile to find a girls basketball team practicing.  After soccer, basketball is the second most popular sport in Mozambique. 

The day after I left the Zimpeto Base I met a Mozambican on the bus to Johannesburg who had grown up in Zimpeto.  He invited me to another Iris Base outside of Johannesburg called Footprints PLAY (participating the lives of Africa’s youth).  This Children’s Home has a “homey” or family-like feel and  has about 30 kids.  The director (who the kids call “Mommy”) explained that giving kids the necessities of food, clothing, a bed etc. is good but she desires to personally know the kids, counsel them, and build strong, confident kids. To do this, it must stay relatively small.  There’s about 10 full time staff- South Africans and foreigners and they benefit from the help of visitors as well.   I enjoyed connecting with these kids.

I spent most of my time at the "Baby House" filled with kids ages 3 and under. They were a lot of fun, very energetic...and sometimes got into trouble too.