Orphan Christmas

The wife of the current president of Mozambique decided she wanted orphanages all over Mozambique to get together for Christmas. So here in Dondo, our Iris base was host to a gathering of a few other local orphanages, some members of the press, and several government officials.

Julie, Calli, and Becky started the day off playing games with the children like duck-duck-goose, Marco Polo, three-legged races, etc. We had a lot of fun watching them play. The three-legged race was a big challenge for a lot of the kids. It took a while for some of them to realize that they had to coordinate with the other person to actually get anywhere.

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There was one little girl who was just absolutely precious. Her name was Clara. I didn't really see her playing with anyone. She came up to me and didn't want to leave my side the rest of the day. She stuck close by both me and Jason every chance she got. She was so well behaved and was perfectly content to just be cuddled. I found thoughts of adopting her going through my mind, and it's something I was not at all prepared for. It actually made my afternoon a whirl of emotions.

Adoption in Mozambique by a foreigner is very difficult. An Iris missionary in Pemba has been trying to adopt a little girl for quiet some time. After a long struggle the adoption was finally approved only to be told that she could not take the child out of the country.

After playing games with the kids the government officials made a speech and then helped serve all the children a pre-Christmas feast of rice, chicken, and juice. I was amazed at how well behaved all of these children were. When it was time for the meal, everyone patiently waited for their plate to be brought to them. I never saw any fighting either.

As for little Clara, she will always hold a special place in my heart.

**Since this event occurred I have seen Clara again twice, and each time she comes running to me and Jason to be held. There's something special about her.**