In Which the Kids Give Back

I can't really call them kids, because they're men now, but yesterday we got treated to something special thanks to these two.

Last year at this time we sent these two kids (along with about three others, all from the orphanage) down to Young Africa Vocational School in Beira, south of us.

Carlitos (left) had finished 12^th grade and Felex finished 11th. They both did six-month courses; Carlitos in accounting, and Felex in refrigeration and air conditioning. We helped them find internships up in Nampula which they performed for three months and at of the start of November each got hired as full-time, salaried workers in the same places they interned.

You don't know how much of a blessing it is for them to have paying, SALARIED jobs, especially Felix, who for AC repair is typically work only when someone calls you to do a repair job. Instead, he's out working at a chicken farm and slaughterhouse, making sure the fans keep the coupes cool and the fridges keep the slaughtered chickens frozen until shipping.

They still come by after church almost every Sunday and to visit, get in a game of soccer, and have dinner with us most weeks. After all, they're still family and we miss them. Its also great for the other kids to see great examples like these two, both of whom studied hard, have a great work ethic. Its also a blessing for them to be making money.

And as a way sharing that blessing with us, they decided to throw together a special meal yesterday. And by throw together, I mean planned for weeks and did it in style.

You see, whenever I want to do a special meal for the kids, I usually wait until a day when we're going to eat chicken anyways, buy a couple extra birds so everybody gets a good piece, buy a round of coca-cola, and top it off with some potatoes for making french fries. I cheat.

These guys went all out, and it was the kind of meal that we could tell they had been thinking of and planned as saved for several month to be able to put it together. They bought EVERYTHING. They went out and bought 15 chickens, they bought an extra 20 pounds of rice, oil, salt, seasonings, garlic, 40 pounds of potatoes, lettuce peppers onions and tomatoes for making a salad, and (accidentally) enough pops left over for another meal. They didn't do anything half-way. They even got a guy from church that has a car to help out and drive the stuff to the orphanage so we wouldn't be bothered (though I'd have been happy to take them if they asked).

Everybody pitched in with the preparation and cooking and that night we ate GREAT. Everybody was stuffed and the older kids that all helped with the cooking get an “A” for effort and an “A+++” for execution. It was the tastiest meal I've had here in long time.

Before the meal they got to say a little thank you to us (that I am passing on to you, my readers) for all the prayers and letters of encouragement this last year in their training, interning, and working. As they put it, it was a chance to say thanks, share the blessing, and to let us know they won't soon forget the help they received and the family they left.