Father’s redemptive love never ceases to amaze us as He restores the alienation and brokenness of our formerly-orphaned children in His nest of rest. In day-to-day life and relationship in our family, He is unearthing the unique treasure in each one and making them “alive” in relationship to Himself. Father continues to add new sons and daughters to us from slums and refugee camps, ever expanding our hearts and teaching us how to love. Our kids who have come to a measure of wholeness play a major role in imparting Father’s life to our new ones whom He has entrusted to our whole family. As a steward-father, mother, brothers and sisters, we are learning to cooperate in His custom-made plan to redeem each child, allowing them to bond to Father through us.
Orphan children enter our family in survival mode, captivated by fear, suspicion and a self-preserving instinct. All have suffered rejection, abuse and exploitation, but some watched their families murdered in front of their eyes and are incapacitated by trauma, guilt and self-hate. God revealed this secret of redemption: “the yoke of bondage will be broken because of fatness” (Isaiah 10:27). These “survivors” cleverly test the authenticity of Father’s commitment in us; gradual confidence in His unconditional love and the reality that they are now truly His own children causes these “lean” orphans to grow “fat” as His sons and daughters. The growing Life (DNA) of their Father within them bursts the chains of witchcraft, abuse, curses, abandonment and death–they discover those oppressors are powerless, they are a “new creation.”
In time, Father’s children are not only healed but transformed into the wholeness of His own fruit-bearing nature; they begin to demonstrate His self-sacrificial love to others. Before our very eyes they are taking on the likeness of their generous Father! Just before her fifth birthday our daughter Eva, pictured right, asked, “Mommy, where did I come from?” Suzanne replied, “You, Moses and Savanna came from a baby’s home. Father knew you and loved you so He sent Daddy and me to bring you into our family when you were just one year-old.” After dinner we give our kids opportunity to thank Father; that night Eva raised her hand and said, “I am thankful to Father that He got me from the baby’s home.” A few days later, Suzanne asked Eva what she wanted for her birthday and she answered immediately, “I want to go and hold the babies at the baby’s home.” Eva felt compelled to show the love she had received from Father to others; she is His naturalized daughter!
Family Mandate
An essential part of the healing process for our children is involving them in outreaches. We help them transition out of the barrenness of self-focus into fruit-bearing, Father-focused life by giving them an inheritance in our family mandate: “…that Jesus might gather into one the children of God [of all ages] who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52). Recently, fifty children, ages 8 to 15, were “gathered into one” from the streets and out of a slum for a week of camp. We received them so Father could kiss them, and that He did! As a family, we introduced these kids to Father through art, music, dance, drama and athletics, teaching The Creative Father, Eros and Agape, and Becoming a Delightful Son or Daughter.
We opened the camp saying, “We are all one family in one Father,” and asked three of our kids to testify. Lillian (26) and Rick (14) told about their parents being murdered by the rebels and how, as emotionally damaged orphans, Father adopted and healed them. Our Ukrainian daughter Vicka (22), shared about being beaten up by her alcoholic mother and sleeping in cardboard boxes as a homeless girl. She said, “Now I see that Father was loving and protecting me even then, before I even knew Him as my Father.” The children knew we comprehensively identified with them, they were understood.
The eagerness with which Father met and loved these “survivors” was overwhelming! We have received four children into our family from this slum and are developing relationships with many others. To our amazement, in Father’s presence the guarded, suspicious behavior typical of them on their own turf just melted away into a profound openness and vulnerability. One night we had a bonfire and Suzanne said, “After dinner at Father’s House, we each have a chance to thank Him.” Thanksgivings poured out of these children for over an hour:
One girl said, “I never eat meat or fish and I am thankful that today I ate ten pieces of meat and two pieces of fish!” Another boy: “I am thankful to feel safe.” In the presence of eighty people around the fire, one boy said, “I always wet my bed, but I haven’t wet my bed here!” Others: “There is racism between black and white people, but I am thankful that in this family I am accepted.” “Us street kids have been told we should know what a real family is and I am thankful this is the first family I have known.” The fact that eighty persons could be drawn together in such familial intimacy underscored just how big and awesome Father is; He has room for all.
Namuwongo Slum
Discovering such treasured children surviving in streets and slums is a rude awakening, yet Father’s love proves greater as He reaches to claim these precious ones as His own. For three years He has prompted our family to invest our time, affections and resources into the people of Namuwongo Slum. Among a growing population of about 40,000 the majority are refugees who fled the rebel war in northern Uganda and became snared in urban poverty. Poor sanitation contributes to disease and the people are emersed in darkness among witchdoctors, slum-lords, home-made alcohol, and every kind of exploitation that goes with it. Our daughter Vicka spearheaded our involvement by doing an internship for her social work degree there. We have since received into our family four orphaned children who were in abusive situations and have led many educational and medical endeavors in the slum.
Suzanne also facilitates micro-businesses for destitute women who cross the street out of the slum and come to work in a decent facility we lease nearby. The hope and dignity this has afforded cannot be described, nor the sense of Father’s joy! Suzanne has provided sewing machines and supplies and arranged contracts with stores and companies to sell their hand-made jewelry, embroidered cards and clothing. Not only are these precious, broken women actually making money, they are being loved, healed and enriched by Father as they come to work with Him everyday!
Our dear Ugandan friend and co-worker, Emily, facilitates a school in Namuwongo Slum free of charge for 120 kindergarten through third-grade students all of whom occupy one large room with dividers. Emily arranges sponsors for as many children as possible to fourth grade at another school. The entire slum occupies an unwanted strip of wetland bordering an industrial area of the inner-city. Frequent heavy rains cause tremendous flooding and the three pit-latrines behind the school overflow and create a health hazard. The children have to be handed over a wall because the school gate is submerged. Health officials have threatened to close the school, but if these children do not attend this benevolent school they would not go at all.
Father has repeatedly prompted us to touch these people; in retrospect, as we “connect the dots,” we see He intends to comprehensively transform that community socially, medically, academically, vocationally and spiritually, strengthening these displaced families. Some months ago the Lord gave us a proceeding word: “I am about to add a new wing on our hospital.” Shortly thereafter, He directed us to negotiate the purchase of a facility immediately outside the slum. The owners, two Ugandan doctors, built it about 10 years ago as a medical clinic but never launched it.
New Wing on our ‘Hospital’
The property we are under contract to purchase (pictured above) will accommodate the following:
1. School and playground for 120 students; four classes will each have its own sizeable room. Other elementary grades could be added with a third-floor. The existing school property in the slum will be used to develop men’s micro-businesses: carpentry, construction.
2. Permanent micro-business center for women which has outgrown our current rental property.
3. Permanent, medical clinic providing health care and education. Doctors who serve in medical missions in Uganda with us are eager to establish this. A Ugandan doctor and nurse will be retained to make home-visits in the slum from this base.
4. Safe place for older children to come after school to do homework and receive tutoring.
5. Kitchen to provide food for these children who do not get nearly enough to eat.
6. Volleyball court: Vicka is impacting young people in the slum through sports ministry.
7. Center for weekend activities, providing children a wholesome place to hang out in wing of Father’s House.
8. Short-term accommodation; refuge for those in danger from domestic violence.
9. Permanent classroom for our Lifechangers Focus Group; Eric opens the Scriptures with leaders, missionaries and young adults bi-monthly at no charge.
10. Distribution center for Lifechangers teaching materials, printing and sowing The Agape Road and other treasured messages in Africa.
The purchase and basic fit-up of this facility totals about $275,000. We still require about $145,000 to close in January 2010 and relocate the school. For more details, please call our Lifechangers staff. If you would like to invest with us in Father’s “hospital wing,” we would be very grateful!
Alive to Father together,
The Mumfords
For more stories of Father’s House, visit other articles under Father's House.
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