Batman!!! POW! BAM! BOOM!!!!

Each day I believe that the people that God puts before me is for a purpose. Maybe to shine my light, the speak life into their hearts, to minister or encourage and some to just bring into my life to love as family.

Back in 2007 I spent 6 months in Mozambique finding my way around the culture, around the land and becoming part of what God called me to here. During this time I spent many days visiting with the children at the pre-school in a near by village. The village population is about 19,000 people and spans a rather large area with mud houses and several small markets throughout. The interesting thing about this particular village is that an estimated 7-8,000 people in this village are witchdoctors. This makes for a very dark culture.

Sitting right in the middle of all of this darkness is our Ray of Light Pre-school. Each day I would try to visit the children at the school and build relationship with the future generation of leaders being developed. This is when I met Batman. So you asked, “how did he get the name Batman?” This little fella would run up to me each time I came to the school and he would woo me with his smile and his Batman t-shirt. It became more of I wanting to visit Batman, than anything else. He definitely had stolen my heart. His smile, and hugs were just exactly what I needed to get my grandbaby fix.

I didn’t think about it at first, but then realized that everyday I saw him, he had on this Batman shirt. I thought, doesn’t he have any other shirt than this one shirt? You know, I really didn’t understand what living in poverty meant. Batman had on this shirt every time I saw him because this was the shirt he had. This was it. That’s all. No other shirt was good enough to wear to school. I sobbed at the thought of this precious child having only one shirt for school and my grandchildren having a closet and boxes stored of clothes that they owned.

This little guy is learning about Jesus at our Pre-school. God put Flavio (Batman) and now his entire family before me to love, encourage, pray with and become their Big Mamma. Flavio now has several outfits, his mother has a bible, she is going to school at night and they are all learning English. We sit together at church as a family on Sunday nights and this is good.

Today Flavio, his mother and brother, Aquila came to show me his school papers and how well he is doing in school. It was a moment for a grandmother to be proud. I encouraged him with his schoolwork and pointed out how great his artwork was. He smiled. I don't have much Portuguese yet, but a smile and a hug, and kisses can go a long way here. I love Flavio and how God put him in front of me one day a few years ago. I am happy I can watch him grow into a man step by step.

"There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land." Deuteronomy 15:11