She leaned against the doorframe of the ramshackle building that had been her home for the past ten years and watched as the walls of her new house came together. I glanced at her, studying her expression and wondering what she thought of all these strangers who had come thousands of miles to build her a home. Her face was solemn and gave nothing away.
Her name is Mimi and she’s a single mother with full responsibility for her two children, Sipmo and Khethiwe. She also cares for her sister’s child, Nyathela. Mimi is unable to work as she struggles with some mental problems, but she has somehow managed to survive and care for her family with the government grant of 400 Rand ($50) per month.
Despite their obvious hardships, the children are precocious and lively. They floated around the work site, engaging the volunteers and bringing smiles to everyone’s faces with their obvious excitement.
Just two weeks after construction began, the house is finished and ready for the family. Bunk beds were donated, the keys handed over, and this precious family now has a safe and solid house to call their own.
Home is more than four walls and a roof, but it starts there …
Brittany Deniston
Photos by Jen Price
Meet Petros
I first met Petros the end of last year. He usually sat by himself, not wanting to be comforted, only to sit…and shed tears. With his mother already passed away and his father very ill, this little boy had much to be sad about. Originally from Mozambique, his father brought him to S. Africa and left him with our local friend, Victoria, in Mbonisweni. His plan was to go back to Mozambique and come fetch his little son later. Now almost a year later, the father has never returned. Passed away also? Maybe. Working to save up money to come get Petros? Hopefully.
Life hasn’t been easy for Petros. Before coming to Victoria, he rarely received regular meals. Now when I see this 6 year old, I see smiles that have been replaced by frowns. I see a boy who has had to deal with being abandoned by everyone and everything that seemed familiar around him. To learn a new language to even be able to speak to other kids his age. And to live with a family who wasn’t his own.
Please pray for Petros. I can’t even imagine what might go through a child’s mind when he is left by his father. Hoping one day he will return, but as days go by, those hopes diminish ever so slightly until one day you just forget. By the goodness of God, he is being cared for and eating regular meals, but I think we must also pray for his spiritual and emotional health as well. That he would know that there is a Father in heaven who would never abandon him. Petros means rock. Pray that he will stand on the solid rock…
