Restored to the Arms of Jesus

If you had to pinpoint the moment when Mirina Sarin’s life began to unravel, it was likely the day her daughter Rosa got divorced. It was a marriage that Rosa had to end not only for her own safety but also for the safety of her four children. Mirina welcomed her daughter and grandchildren home with open arms. Known as “Granny” to the village children, she was excited to finally be Granny to her own grandchildren.
But it wasn’t long before Mirina’s dreams for the future were interrupted by a living nightmare.
Godfrey Bhodyera, National Director of Every Home for Christ Mozambique, explains what happened shortly after Rosa moved home: “Rosa went with a cousin to fetch some firewood in the nearby bush. While they were in the bush, Rosa screamed, saying that someone was hitting her in the head with a machete.” The cousin ran to help Rosa but found her alone and unharmed. Nevertheless, Rosa continued to scream and then collapsed to the ground. The cousin begged for someone — anyone — to come and help, but by the time others arrived, Rosa was already dead. “Her death was probably caused by meningitis,” Godfrey explains. “But it was viewed by the village as an act of witchcraft.”
Mirina’s son, Pinto, labeled his mother a witch and blamed her for Rosa’s mysterious death. Overnight, Mirina’s identity changed from “Granny” to “witch,” and the rest of the village bought into the narrative, believing her family was cursed. “People believed that she deserved punishment from the gods,” Godfrey says.
This left Mirina in an extremely vulnerable position. She was no longer young and healthy enough to provide for her four young grandchildren — especially without help from the rest of her village. “Granny Mirina was already a very poor woman who didn’t even have a hut to live in, just a small shade-like structure made of grass and hand-cut poles,” Godfrey explains. “Literally, the old lady and her grandchildren lived outside.”
Things only got worse. Mirina and the children were malnourished and exposed to the elements. After a few months of living outside, parasitic fleas called jiggers infected their bodies. Godfrey talks in disgust about how much Africans hate these flea-like creatures: “They burrow into the surface of the skin. The wounds are painful and can lead to infection, amputation of the digits and even death.” It was during this time that Miguel, Mirina’s oldest grandson, looked his grandmother in the eyes and asked, “Is there anyone who cares about us?”