Bringing Her Home

 “I have a daughter on the French Island.  She is my heart.”  That was the way Mtsa described his second born with a touch of sadness in his voice the very first time he told me about his family over a year ago.  Mtsa has three children, all girls.  The eldest is 15, the youngest is 6, but his middle child, Mapema, had been sent to the French Island with the hopes of a better life.

Our beautiful island

She was sent 3 years ago, to live under the care of a relative of Mtsa’s wife.  She was to go to school and get French papers and be given a better life than any islander can hope for—at least that is the story.  Mtsa and his wife believed the story and at the tender age of 11 sent Mapema off to the care of her relatives in search of a better life.

That life never materialized.  The reality is that French laws have become stricter, the schools on the French island are more difficult to enter and her relatives there had no great desire to advocate for her.  In fact, they were much happier to keep her at home where they could put her to work cooking, cleaning, and washing clothes.

The more I learned about the situation the less I liked what I heard.  Though Mtsa still held onto some hope that his daughter would go to school and get her papers, it seemed more and more like he was holding onto an illusion.  When I would ask him, “How is your daughter on the French Island?”  The answer was inevitably, “No news.”  It would slowly come to light, that every time he called, he would be told that his daughter was out, busy or didn’t feel like talking to him.

Eventually the truth started to come out.  Mapema hadn’t been to school at all.  She was working like a slave and was regularly beaten.  The situation was intolerable.  Local government had gotten involved.  Either she would come home to Clove Island or she would be put into a Catholic orphanage.

The next week was an exhausting one of meetings and asking family members for money and us eventually agreeing to help pay most of her ticket.  But in the end, the ticket was acquired and she was on her way home.  We went to the port to meet her as she got off the boat on Clove Island.

Welcoming Mapemo at our house

As she came out the door of the port her family gathered around her.  Poor Mapema —almost 14 years old now, looked stunned.  Then she started to weep.  Crying is frowned upon in island culture, so they quickly told her to stop.  She managed to get it together but she looked stone faced, devoid of emotion at all.

I had warned Mtsa that it would not be easy for her.  Three years she has been away, traumatized, beaten or worse.  It would take time to adjust back to life in Clove Island.  It would probably be quite difficult.  But Mtsa’s face was full of delight.  He looked like he was ready to cry as well.  His daughter was home.  His heart.

It would be easy to judge Mtsa and his wife for making such a poor decision.  For subjecting their daughter to such trauma.  But Mtsa is poor.  He has trouble putting food on the table for his family.  He thought he was giving his daughter a better life.  Now he must live with that mistake.

Thankfully, there is always hope.  There is the promise of forgiveness and healing.  We are praying for Mapema.  We are glad she is home.

PRAYERS ANSWERED
We are thankful for Mapema’s return home. Thanks for praying— the internet stayed strong and steady for our son’s educational assessments. We are so thankful that there was someone willing to do them for us over the internet and for a discounted rate. Our son was a champ through them all! Our daughter has decided on a college— we are thankful that she has peace about the decision and for a good scholarship!

PRAYERS REQUESTED
Pray for Mapema’s transition back into life with her family and on Clove Island and for her healing. The visiting group are moving forward with their visit despite the changes to their flight— they will now only have one night on the small island. Pray that their flights are not delayed and that they can make the most of their time. Pray that they would catch a vision for the work on the islands. All our colleagues on the islands will be descending on the big island on Thursday (including our family) for our annual islands-wide gathering. Pray that all the inter island travel goes as planned. Pray for us and the others leading that time— may God direct our plans and may we all be encouraged. Some colleagues returned from a medical emergency with their young son, only to have a medical emergency with their baby girl. Pray for her healing and for this family.