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Moses: A Leader In The Making

by Lydia Schaeffer

When Moses first came to Treasures of Africa Children’s Home, he was six weeks old. His mother had just died and his father abandoned the family before he was born. Moses has a great-uncle who had taken responsibility for the child upon the death of his mother. He was struggling to provide for his own family and knew that if he kept Moses with him that he would not receive the proper care he’d need in order to survive and be healthy. He requested that TOA take him in, desiring to see that Moses have a chance at life.

From the time he arrived at TOA, Moses has been a very healthy and active little boy. Although he is not the oldest of our babies he has always been one of the most energetic. He was the first to start crawling around. He was also one of the first to stand up and begin walking. And now at age two he is really beginning to expand his vocabulary. Moses understands both English and Kiswahili and can be heard speaking words in both languages throughout the day.

One of his favorite things to do is sing. When the children wake up from their naps they go out to the prayer hut for a time of singing. In Tanzania, leading songs in church is something that people of all ages may be asked to do and our babies are learning how to lead out in a song. Moses loves to start out with a song while the others join him after the chorus has been sung. It is wonderful to watch them singing together at such a young age!.

Moses also loves to learn. A few days during the week he will go downstairs to our nursery class and join them. Although he is only two years old he is able to sit at the table with the older children. He enjoys looking at the pictures of animals on the wall and saying the name of each one, in both English and Kiswahili. When he is outside he can be found drawing animal figures in the dirt with a stick.

But without a doubt, Moses’ favorite thing is the car. When he is playing outside he will point to the vehicle and say “car” or “gari,” which is the Kiswahili equivalent. He also loves riding to town in the vehicle. Whenever someone is running a quick errand to town they will often take him with them so he can enjoy the ride. He knows how to sit still and wear his seat belt. When out in town Moses always greets the adults around him. In Tanzania it is a sign of respect for a child to greet an adult so the adults always respond with a happy smile when Moses greets them.

It is so wonderful to see how much Moses has grown and changed over the past two years. He has been given the nickname “Mr. President” because we can already see leadership potential in him and we know that God is going to use him mightily here in Tanzania.