Leandra

Leandra, oldest of eight, normally has a little brother on her hip, leading a couple of others around. Their home is one room with one mattress in the corner where all ten of them slept. A small table and refrigerator stood on top of the dirt floor, with a single naked lightbulb hanging down from the ceiling. 

After school she goes home and helps her mother. On Saturdays they clean, on Sundays they wake up early to sell things at the feira. She doesn't have time to play. At Christmas, the Living Stones kids wrote letters to Jesus. Leandra's read, "Please wash my heart clean." 

Leandra's mom came by Living Stones, very pregnant, and scared. "The baby is coming any time," she said, "and all I have is one diaper and four pairs of mittens."  (In Brazil, they put them on newborns to not scratch themselves). The leaders talked with her, and put in a word with their friends.

In Brazil (I learned after having kids), there is a complex and thorough system of moms taking care of other moms. There are no lists or anything official, but when you are done using baby clothes and baby items, there are people ready to scoop them up and pass them on to the next family. I was so grateful to be able to feed into this system with all I was blessed with for my two daughters.

By the time Leandra’s mom had a baby, she had what she needed (not all that she wanted, but they got by). Living Stones isn’t just about helping kids. It is about being there for their families. It is about connecting with this moms taking care of moms system. It is about listening and calming down a frantic pregnant woman who only has one diaper and four pairs of mittens.