Q. “You have 23 Malawian children…What does that mean?”
Answer: It means that Iris Ministries Malawi has custody of 23 Malawian children between the ages of 4 and 12 yrs, and they live beside our home in two houses we have built for them. We have Malawian house parents, and Mo and I are like the grandparents. These amazing children have come from various places of rejection and loss, and we have come to love them deeply.
We usually find the children through one of our pastors or Mr. Sosola, our gardener, a man who is well respected in the community and often sought out for advice. When we hear about a child alone, or in difficulty, we send someone to further investigate. Once the story is somewhat verified, Mo goes to the village to meet with the head chief, any remaining relatives, and the child. It is a bit like detective work to discover the true story behind each child.
Once the story is verified, and permission granted, we are free to bring the child home with us. These stories are often horrendous and obviously heart breaking. Our littlest boy was abandoned by his mother and then taken in by an old lady who brewed and sold beer in her home. He may well have been given beer to satisfy his hunger and make him sleep. After some weeks with us, he is settling down. He needs much, much love, and much patience as he screams his way through the pain of his short past.
The children in our home are all excited to receive a new brother or sister. As soon as the truck can be heard, the shouts go up, and we all drop what we are doing to go and meet a new family member. A bath, and a new outfit go a long way, and a good meal goes further. Our boys’ house is now full and we have one space left in the girls’ house. Two new childrens’ homes are underway.
Twenty-three children require a lot of everything…food, clothes, shoes, books, toothbrushes and toothpaste, soap, sheets, and those are the easy things. They also need lots of love, teaching, training. That is what our days are filled with. We wake to the sounds of kids playing, fighting, yelling, or laughing. Some of the kids head to school around 7 a.m., while others have school here with Auntie Sue, who has come from Canada to work with us, or other willing visitors (most recently from Oakville, and Tasmania!). We have chosen to keep some of the kids at home because they are so far behind they would just get lost in the huge classes.
When the older ones return from school, lunch is served. Our house parents run much of the daily routine, with our assistance when needed. For me, (Joanna) that means going into the rooms and checking beds, making sure clean clothes are put away, and not just mixed up with the dirty, keeping everyone in clothes and footwear, giving baths, dressing wounds, serving up medication. Sound familiar?…it is just ordinary mum stuff times 23. In the afternoon, some or all of the kids appear on our back porch to do puzzles or play with lego. Patrick, Daniel and Kalina often disappear in the mix. Life here is much like camp, though these campers are at home. There is no closing day. They will be with us until they are old enough to know what they want to do, and have found their way there.
So that is a long answer to a short question. We revel in the love the Father gives to us as we love these kids. There is definitely enough love….never a shortage. Yes, we get tired and need some space, but we always have love. The kids are incredible. I wonder at the way God has preserved them through tragedy and pain, to be carriers of his glory. They worship with their whole bodies, pouring out their hearts to God in prayer. Daniel captured my feelings the other day, when he suggested we might have to bring them all back to Canada with us for our holiday next summer to avoid having to leave them behind. God has knit us together…I don’t know how that happens except by grace alone.
Thank you for your prayers.
