Hundreds of beggars live in Africa. At the Central Market in Beira my car is a magnet force drawing a lineup of the blind, crippled and elderly. Social security disability is only a dream in Mozambique so the handicapped solicit anyone for their daily dole. So many faces at my window can roll into a wave of hopeless poverty polarizing my heart with pity and peeve. That is, until the day I met José.
José approached us asking for help. He didn't ask for 10 metacais or a morsel of food. He asked the Green Door to help him finish building his house. We didn't know what was more intriguing... that he was so bold to ask, or that a blind man could be building a house. Nevertheless, we took an investigative trip to his home. What we discovered was even more engaging. José introduced us to his five children, and his blind wife! True to his word, next to his mud hut was the structure of an unfinished cement block house. Although a beggar in Beira, he had carefully saved up his earnings to build a home so he could provide for his growing family. Impressed by his resourcefulness in a challenging situation, we agreed to help him finish his house. We provided him with a hand-cranked audio Bible that he came to treasure. (We later discovered that he played it so much he wore out the crank.) Sadly, before his house was completed, his baby died of cholera.
The following year we returned and I decided to check on José and his family. This time, he had another request. He asked for help in starting a vending business in Dondo so he wouldn't have to travel and beg in Beira. I admired his entrepreneurial spirit but wondered how a blind man could keep from being robbed blind. Yet my heart sensed that if there was a way, José would find it. He was delighted when I gave him five bags of rice to sell. Once again we left the country before I could see the outcome of his new adventure.
We returned in the rainy season this year with a very busy schedule. I didn't take the time to visit José until one day he showed up at church looking for me. I noticed that his children looked healthier and dressed a bit better. I was delighted to learn that his business was thriving and he was saving to add another food item. But he had really come to share some special news. I followed him to the hospital as he proudly presented his newborn twin sons. My heart was rejoicing for his double blessing and mine: the friendship of this special family and the chance to see the incredible potential of ministering to the handicapped in Mozambique.
