I have known M’Po since he was very young and his mother started to come to church. He is now seven and a half years old. Over the past couple of years, he would occasionally come to my house to play with other kids.

Up until last year, M’Po lived with his mother, sister, grandmother and a number of young aunts. Last year his mother remarried and left him and his older sister with their grandparents, a common practice here. He now lives with 13 cousins, all about his age. When his mother moved to her new home, which is next door to mine, M’Po adopted me as his second mother and started coming over every day after school.

Like many children here, M’Po usually gets only a small lunch and is often hungry. Market days when his grandmother is away are hardest for him. When he gets home, the other 13 kids have already finished the leftovers from the previous day, and he doesn’t get to eat until evening. When he tells me he hasn’t eaten, I make him peanut butter sandwiches and urge him to drink water. When he doesn’t eat and drink enough, he gets sick easily.

Over the past year, M’Po has spent most of his spare time at my house. I see him at lunchtime often and again in the evening for an hour or so until it gets dark and I send him home. He is a good boy who doesn’t make a lot of noise and plays quietly by himself when the other kids aren’t there. His mother next door keeps track of him, and the whole family knows that if he isn’t at their house he is at mine. He always lets me know if he or anyone in his family is sick or hungry. When I have a few minutes, I work with him on his reading, which is coming very slowly.

Please pray for my little friend M’Po as he continues to grow that I can lead him in the paths of righteousness. 

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