The Fire That Burns
If a full quiver is a sign of God's blessing, then ACTION associates Ana and Mazinho Quaresma are most fully blessed! This unique Brazilian couple don't have to leave their modest home near Sao Paulo to serve the Lord. Their 16 children (13 adopted) provide ample ministry for a lifetime - just what the Quaresmas decided they had to invest.
Just 12 years ago the Quaresmas led a quiet life. Mazinho worked a good job as an electrician. They lived in a comfortable home with their three children, aged 9, 11 and 13, who went to a good school. But Ana was attending a class in child evangelism and wondering how she could devote more time to ministry. Then God began speaking to her about adoption, and a pastor confirmed the Lord's leading.
Mazinho, however, needed a bigger push. During a physical exam for his job, the doctor informed Mazinho that he had high blood pressure. He then began to reflect on the investment of his seemingly short life. Could God use their family to rescue children in crisis?
The following year the Quaresmas received Ricardo, then 10, while still living in Rio. Over the next two years, the Quaresmas would adopt seven more destitute children. Mazinho likes to use the phrase the fire that burns when speaking of their passion to adopt. It's not just a moment of adoption, Ana explains. It never ends. There is sacrifice and letting go.
That's why after adopting a total of 13 children in 10 years, Ana and Mazinho have decided to slow down. We want to do well with the ones we have, she says, but we won't close the door. We want to obey God. Ana describes Mazinho as the rational one and herself as more emotional. I've even asked God to change my heart. I was a lot more impulsive 10 years ago. I'm more mature now. Yet I have the certainty that God sent every child that we've adopted. In every place they've lived, at least one family has decided to adopt because of them.
The couple's three natural children - more than their parents - have helped the others feel like a real family, says Ana. But it's a long process. The Quaresmas say their greatest challenge is to help each child feel like a true son or daughter. So much depends on the child's past family experience and his age at adoption.
For the Quaresmas, a child's conversion to Jesus Christ will almost always determine if the child will adapt well. The second most important factor is his certainty that his new parents won't return him to his former situation. The number of years spent in an orphanage seems to have a direct correlation with the child's sense of rejection and abandonment.
Ana pauses to take a deep breath when asked how she copes with discouragement. I'll be honest, she confides, the only things that keeps me going are the infallible promises of God. He is real, He chose each one of our children and He's the owner of each situation. When I cry on my knees in my bedroom, He renews my strength.
Ana and Mazinho look for balance in the daily operation of their now 14-member household (the oldest four are independent). Rules, not rigidity, help maintain a smooth rhythm. For example, each must respect the space and belongings of another. No yelling when someone is sleeping. And while all have access to her bedroom, Ana says there are times when she must be alone.
Music fills the Quaresma home. When the stereo isn't playing, usually Lillian, 9-years-old and blind, is tapping out rhythms with her feet and crooning Gospel songs in her raspy voice. Because she was left in a crib with a radio as her only companion for the first four years of her life, Lillian displays an amazing aptitude for imitation. Ana says this daughter taught her more about unconditional love than any of the others because she never returned affection of any kind until a recent eye surgery. Now she feels her way around the house singing a hymn.
The Quaresmas hope their children will someday have healthy, functional families of their own. Mazinho includes the boys in his work as an electrician. Ana has trained Daniela, Viviana and Elena to care for the newly-arrived Isabel, Guilhermo and Lillian. This year two sons are receiving pilot's training, Adilson with the Brazilian Air Force and Rodrigo at a prestigious flight school. Daniela serves at a Christian hostel for university students in London; Ana Paula and Viviana have started nursing school.
Ana turns to Isaiah 54:13: All your sons will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace. Ana and Mazinho Quaresma feel it's a special message just for them.