Hometown Livin gg AAtt IIttss BBeesstt 5839
Mozambique
In the capital city of Maputo,
Meredith met with an organization
called Masana. “Masana means
‘sunrise,’” she explained. The name
of the ministry represented a new
beginning for young boys of all ages
living on the streets. “Many of them
have come to the capital city to make
money so they can take it back home
to their parents. But then they get
there, they can’t get work and are met
with a harsh street life. Many of them
fall victim to abuse or
get caught up in the
wrong crowds. They
feel like they’ve failed
and can’t return to their
families. They’re not in
school and are living
quite literally on the
streets.”
The workers at
Masana offer the boys
food, clothing, and a
place to receive an
education. “But the
whole time, they’re
looking to restore them
to their families,” said
Meredith. “They’re
building relationships
and finding out where
their families live.
They go out and meet
with the parents to
see if they’re willing to
have them back. The
ultimate goal is to get
them back home if it’s
a safe place for them to
return.”
But many times,
returning home is not
an option. “The home
is not safe or welcoming, and there’s
no foster care system in place. Masana
gets the boys who want to move
forward but are unable to return home
into apprenticeships and internships
so they can finish school and get on
career paths so that they can take
care of themselves in the future.
They also have started HIV testing
for the boys and educate them on
how its contracted, how to prevent
it and in the worst case scenario,
how to treat it. If they test positive,
they have medicine available to help
treat them. And if they can return to
their families, they help the families
continue to care for the boy’s medical
needs.”
At each place Meredith traveled
over the next year, she prayed and
opened her heart to listen. She
also asked the workers themselves
about their hopes and dreams for the
ministry in which they served. “And I
shared with them what I felt God was
saying to me about them.”
Her first “prophetic mural” was on
the side of the small building where
the ministry was located. “I painted
an amazing mural from the story
of the Prodigal Son and used one of
the boys as the model of the son.
Meredith stayed three weeks painting
the ministry’s gates with their logo
and some graphics for a gym they
operate in the city. “The missionaries
there are very business minded,” said
Meredith. “They started this gym for
the rising middle class in the capital
city of Mozambique, called ‘Armadura,’
which allows them to employ former
street boys. The boys learn how to
use a paycheck, how to be responsible
adults, and they’re mentored in the
process. Some of the money from the
gym goes back to help fund the school.
It’s very well run. I’m really impressed
by this ministry.”
Peru
Meredith arrived back in the United
States only to spend an entire week
in bed with a stomach virus. “I had
it until Friday of that week.” On
Saturday, she did laundry.
On Sunday, she went to
church. And on Monday, she
was back on a plane headed
to Peru.
When Meredith
contacted the mission
organization Inca Link,
she was invited to paint a
mural at Elim, a ministry
in a garbage dump in El
Milagro, Trujillo, Peru. “This
ministry helps the women
and children who live and
work in the garbage dump,”
said Meredith. “Elim was the
place where God brought
the Israelites when they first
left Egypt. It was a place of
refreshing and restoring with
palms and springs for God
to restore his broken people
and give them rest before
the long journey ahead.
Their idea is to be a place
like that for these women
and children by teaching
the moms how to make
and sell jewelry so they
can make money outside
of the dump.” In addition,
the ministry provides free
childcare for these women during their
lessons and while they work. “They
also educate and tutor the children.”
Meredith spent the first week
getting to know the people. “I spent a
week with them and then started with
the background. As God highlighted
different people for me, I would ask if
they would model for the pictures and
paint them into the scene. “I do that
just to reiterate to them that they are
works of art, that they are beautiful
and God has chosen them and made
them the work of art in that area.”