Irashmo: The Boy I Can't Forget

During Summer 2010, I spent two months living and ministering on the coast of Mozambique at the Wesleyan Bible College in Xai Xai. At 7:00am sharp, I arrived at the Bible school for the conclusion of breakfast. The students went to various classes and I spent my mornings ALONE with 12 beautiful children between the ages of 1 and 6, with whom I only have fond memories.  With only 3 beach balls, various sticks and rocks, and a few broken plastic cups, we played hours and hours and hours.  They had the most fun riding on my back or spining circles in my arms; I had the most fun cuddling, rubbing their soft skin with my fingers, and capturing mental pictures of their big smiles.

Video of a precious moment with my crianças:

During the afternoons and early evenings, I spent my time with the Bible college students - teaching and learning, talking and laughing, dancing and singing, eating and working. I cannot tell you what I enjoyed the most because I truly LOVED every single minute I spent at the Bible College (except when we had shima for lunch;) but I can tell you one thing: one little baby boy stole a large piece of my heart - a piece that will never let anyone else or anything else in.

His name was Irashmo.



From day one, snotty-nosed Irashmo was my favorite of the children in the creché. There is this common disbelief that we aren't supposed to have favorites, which I suppose stems from the truth that everyone should be treated equally. Nonetheless, Mo was my favorite.

He smiled big [but not for the camera,] sung loud, and cried a lot. Like his sister Maria, he is a cry baby and was bullied a lot by João and the others because the kids knew Mo would react in a big way. He would scream "maaamaaa" and run into my arms with crocodile tears running down his dark, soft cheeks. He was also very forgiving, because João was his best friend. Mo loved bubbles and every morning he would put grab my bag and ask, "balão?" (balloon) in his endearing, squeaky voice. He also loved riding on my back, or swinging in my arms, and he was very jealous when I did either of those two things with another child, especially João. That's why I was often seen like this:

Irashmo and João


Irashmo and Japhete (another boy who has a special place in my heart)


Gabriele, Maria, Timoteo, João, and Irashmo


Irashmo at front, with friends

I don't know why, but God will not let me forget this boy.  He brings him to mind almost daily, and I go to sleep thinking and dreaming about him: the softness of his skin, the glow in his eyes, the joy in his smile, and his precious voice (so squeaky and unique.)  I do not know if I will ever be blessed to see him again - to embrace him again - but until then, I will continue praying for Irashmo and for his parents, Isak and Mama Sala.

My sweet Irashmo

May God protect you, as He protected Daniel.

May He give you a heart of love, like David; a spirit of power, like Elijah; and courage, like Esther.

May He make you wise, like Solomon; devoted, like Hosea; forgiving, like Joseph; a leader, like Moses; an encourager, like Barnabas; and patient, like Job.

His sweet hand; I never wanted to let go... eventually I had to.
That hand is almost two years bigger now, and it still has a strong grip on my heart.

With tears in my eyes, 

Jewel

Irashmo

From day one, snotty-nosed Irashmo was my favorite of the children in the creché. There is this common misbelief that we aren't supposed to have favorites, which I suppose stems from the truth that everyone should be treated equally. Nonetheless, Mo was my favorite.
He smiled big, sung loud, and cried a lot. Like his sister Maria, he is a cry baby and was bullied a lot by João and the others because the kids knew Mo would react in a big way. He would scream "maaamaaa" and run into my arms with crocodile tears running down his precious cheeks. He was also very forgiving, because João was his best friend. Mo loved bubbles and every morning he would put grab my bag and ask, "balão?" (balloon) He also loved riding on my back, or swinging in my arms, and he was very jealous when I did either of those two things with another child, especially João. That's why I was often seen like this:




I wish I could have brought Mo home with me from Africa. Oh, I love love LOVE that little boy! I would ensure that he has have everything he needs for his body, mind, and spirit to grow strong. Until the Lord opens the door for me to return to Mozambique, I pray that he is safe and well in the care of his parents, Papa Isak and Mama Sala - very sweet people.




Look at my happy boy!
The first week that I was in Mozambique, I couldn't understand Irashmo's name and I called him "Rudolph" instead because almost every other day he wore this red Rudolph t-shirt.




I love you, my sweet boy.

Mozambique Mondays: I miss my babies!

From now on, until I run out of pictures and stories, every blogging Monday will be Mozambique Monday. I still have so many things to share, but life [unbeknownst to me] is continuing on ahead and I don't want to neglect the things of present, so I'm going to limit my Mozambican blogs to Mondays. Here is the first of at least a few more. :)

I miss Japhete and his kisses. I miss eating with him on my lap. I miss how he told everyone, "It's Joya! It's Joya!"


I miss Irashmo's laughter, tight hugs, and squeaky voice. I miss carrying him on my hip; I miss consoling him when he cried. I miss kissing his cheeks.


I miss my little helper Jonah and his beautiful eyes.


I miss beautiful Maria and how she sang so sweet. I miss how she cuddled me when she was sick, and how she always ran off to tell the other children when I arrived.


I miss Simeon's hand in mind, and the way he fit perfectly in my arms while he slept. I miss having tea at his house, and wiping his nose with his shirt.


I miss Markito, the cutest baby in Mozambique. I miss how he always smelled so sweet, and I miss chasing him as he waddled away.


I miss Tatenda and her sweet countenance. I miss her beautiful little sister who never cried.


I miss Gabriele and his always smiling face. I miss cuddling with him and carrying him on my back. I miss how he would always look deep into my eyes.


I miss Timoteo and his chubbiness. I miss him running up to me in the mornings, hands reaching up. I miss how he attempted to repeat everything I said to him.


I miss João and his scratchy voice. I miss how his eyes lit up when I arrived, and how he gave the best morning hugs. I miss his laughter and how he always asked to carry my bag.


I miss Calamesa and her politeness. I miss her innocence and her sweet smile. I miss seeing the joy on her face when I swung her in my arms.


I miss beautiful Elena and her sweet voice. I miss her chubbiness. I miss watching her head bob as she fell asleep.

"Tah rah tah roe" featuring: Irashmo & Company

Here are some of those little Mozambicans I told you about yesterday::

My Cherished Little Ones

Every morning during the three weeks I ministered at the Bible college, I spent with the children in the creché. The creché is the on-campus "daycare" for the children who are too old to stay with their mothers in class, but are too young to go to school (or supervise themselves.) I had fourteen children mostly between 18 months and four years.

We blew bubbles, colored Bible story pictures, and ran lots and lots. I taught them 'Red Light Green Light' and 'Follow the Leader' and they taught me their own version of 'Duck Duck Goose'. Sometimes we ate dirt, peed on each other's feet, threw rocks, and cried, but the rest of the morning was filled with laughter and smiles.

I want you to meet each one. I know pictures are worth a thousand words, but these children could only truly be captured by touching and hearing and smelling. Each one had their own personality, and they were a joy to know and love. I miss them very very much.


TATENDA

Tatenda is a sweet little girl with beautiful eyes and a beautiful smile; she can also move her hips like I have never seen another little girl do. She is the oldest in the creché and thinks she can run the place, but she was usually kind. She loved bubbles, and everyday she would ask to wear my watch.

GRACE

Grace is as beautiful as her sister Tatenda, and her hair is as soft as her bum. She loves to laugh and she loves to wrinkle paper! Grace always came to the creché with her mother, who would come shortly before I left. I never once heard her cry or fuss.

JOÃO

João is a sneaky little boy with a big personality. He is one of the oldest in the creché and is a leader; the other little boys always wanted to do what João was doing. He has a scratchy little voice that always got deeper when he was angry or being a copy-cat. He has big lips, long eye-lashes. He loved to carry my bag to the creché, and he loved to kiss me on the cheek. For an entire week he called me "Blanco" (White,) until finally he learned my Portuguese name, Joya. I always arrived when he was eating breakfast and he would run up to me, "Joya! Joya! Joya!"

GABRIEL

Gabriel is my sweet little cuddle-bug who was always very upset when I gave the others attention. He adored me, and I adored him. He is bigger than most of the other children, but he found his home on my lap, head against my chest, one hand in mine, and the other around my neck. His belly, neck, and armpits are very ticklish, and he also enjoyed piggyback rides as I chased the other little boys. Gabriel followed me every afternoon while I did chores with the students.

TIMOTEO

Timoteo is "the baby tank." He is big, and he is solid. It took Timoteo two days to warm up to me, but like his brother Gabriele, he was attached to me. When my team was there in May, Timoteo wasn't shy, but he was stoic - showing no emotion, and content to only sit and watch. I was estatic the first day Timoteo ran waddled to me with his arms up, wanting to be held; he then smiled and laughed when I tickled his belly. He isn't quite 2-years and isn't vocal, but he attempts to sing and copy-cat when you speak at his level. He often smelled sour, but it didn't stop me from carrying him close.

JAPHETH

Japheth (Jah-fet) is my little querida (sweetheart). He is quiet and content to play alone, but he is very sweet and very sensitive. He loved to sit on my lap and kiss me on both cheeks, then turn his face to be kissed by me. Japheth always sat next to me at lunch, and gave me the biggest hello and goodbye bear hugs.

IRASHMO

Snotty-nosed Mo was my favorite from almost day one. He smiled big, sung loud, and cried a lot. Like his sister Maria, he is a cry baby and was bullied a lot by João and the others because the kids knew Mo would react in a big way. He loved bubbles and would ask me every morning if I had any. He loved having his picture taken, and had the biggest giggle.

MARIA

Maria, Mo's little sister, is a beautiful little girl. She was quite sick from malaria during my time there, but was in the creché my last full week. She would cry when her mama left, but only until I picked her up. She was usually the first to see me coming every morning and would run away to tell the others, "Blanco Joya! Blanco Joya!"

DITO

Dito was the youngest regular in the creché, and I would often find him eating dirt. He rarely smiled and he rarely cried. On my last day I brought handfuls of heart stickers and Dito looked adorable with 6 or 7 on his forehead. The poor little boy had asthma and a big wheeze, but it didn't keep him from playing.

CALAMESA

Calamesa was a sweet girl who too wise to be influenced by Tatenda to do wrong. She was also one of the oldest and the only one that I would trust to hold the bottle of bubbles. When any of the younger children cried, Calamesa would either bring them in hand to me or would run to get me. She loved to be picked up and spun around.

ELENA

Elena was a beautiful little girl with a precious laugh. It took her over a week to warm up to me, and it wasn't until my last week that she wouldn't cry when her sister, Calamesa, left her. One day we made bead bracelets, and everyday she would show me her bracelets on each arm.

SIMEON

Simeon was a very cute two-year old boy that always smelled wonderful. He loved to talk with me and grab my hand to show me something. He was a wonderful dancer and clapper. Almost everyday, he snuck into the afternoon class I was auditing and would play in my lap until he eventually fell asleep.

JONAH

Jonah is the boy on the left, next to the grumpy João. He was a polite boy with a precious little smile. He was the only child to greet me with "Bom dia" (good morning,) and would respond with "Esto bem" (I am good) when I asked. He always came to the creché wearing a coat, and when he decided that he was warm enough, he would take it off and put it on his little brother Markito. Jonah loved the big beach balls I brought, and he loved to kick the other kids when they got in his way.

MARKITO

Marcus Matussee Jr. is the cutest baby I saw in Africa. He is also the happiest. He would only let me hold him for a few minutes before he squirmed away to chase the others. Even when he was pushed over, he would quickly get up and keep running.