Avia Collinder, Gleaner Writer

Marcus Nunes and his wife Ava, along with some of the children to whom they have opened their door, and hearts. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

At 10 on Monday morning, 42 Cricket Way near Bay Farm Road in St. Andrew, is buzzing with the soft voices of children who are on the afternoon shift at the nearby Seaward Primary and Junior High School. The residence is the home of Marcus and Ava Nunes who live there with their 10 foster children and two of their own.

The Nunes family has been selected as winners in the Outlook Christmas bedroom makeover promotion, sponsored by Singer, Azmart and The Gleaner.

The criterion used for the winning family was a combination of financial need and community spirit. By any standard, Ava Nunes - a missionary in Bible Truth Ministries International - and her husband, Marcus Nunes - a security guard, stood out.

We approach the gate and see Marcus sitting on a chair, watching a bonfire of tree limbs which was several feet away. The yard of packed dirt is immaculate in its neatness. To the front there is a small garden in the making and Nunes' wife, apparently shy, is a figure in red behind the only tree, pretending to inspect a line of sparkling white baby's clothing.

The silence ends when Mr. Nunes discovers that we have come in response to a letter from foster daughter Shamala, who wrote to The Gleaner saying, "I believe our foster parents deserve your bedroom makeover because they are taking care of 12 of us. Our foster father is taller than the bed they sleep in. Sometimes he complains of not sleeping comfortably at nights."

Marcus Nunes rises to greet us happily and invites us inside his home. We pass three children on the small veranda who gaze excitedly at us and one toddler who is more interested in the finger in his mouth.

In need of repairs

It is immediately apparent that this house is in need of repairs. Every item of furnishing in the house is old. Two sleeping areas are assigned to eight girls and one is reserved for boys, ranging in age from two to 14 years old. In the bedroom of the couple, furnishings are jumbled and the roof tiles are water-stained.

This is the home of the Nunes, foster parents to 10 children - Jeremiah, Avion, Sugandi, Jada, Avagail, Juvayne, Shamala, Mikeno, Kade and Samantha, and mother and father to four-year-old Grace and 14-year-old Wayne. There are two other 14-year-olds among the number.

Ava William-Nunes, now 35 years old, says that she was given most of the children by women who are unable to care for them themselves.

One woman went to the United States and "ran off". Another resides in Cayman. Another lives downtown but is unable to keep her two children. Yet another was a church sister who was also unable to care for her child.

Marcus, age 43, married to Ava for the last eight years, says that he understands that what they do is a part of his wife's mission.

In addition to taking children off the streets and into her home, Ava Williams-Nunes weekly cooks huge amounts of food for the indigent, distributing the meals by walking through nearby communities and supplying senior citizens with packages of food and toiletries. She also visits the prisons, police stations and hospitals with her message of hope and a caring God.

Kind, loving person

According to Dahlia Mcintosh-Miles, a missionary in Bible Truth Ministries International, Ava is "a very kind, loving and sensitive person. She always love children, always caring for them. She takes children from off the street and nurture them. She is willing to listen when you talk. Ava is also a very humble person."

And Stephen Davidson, administrator of Bible Truth Ministries International, which is located at 162 Olympic Way and who has known Mrs. Nunes for almost 15 years, states: "She is a warm and wonderful person, always reaching out and seeing how she can help others.

"She is also very dedicated to her faith. She recently launched an outreach ministry for the indigent in the community. She also organises an annual senior citizens treat. Through the ministry that she created, we supply food and go to meet and pray with the indigent."

Referring to her large family, Ava states, "I can safely say that our help comes from the Lord."

Volunteer work

Marcus Nunes, employed to McKay Security, is the family's breadwinner as Ava's work with the church is unpaid. Another source of income is Shamala, and Mikino's mother, who sends some money to assist. Jeremiah and Samantha's mom also sends food, as she works in the market.

Later that day, when told that they were selected for Outlook's makeover, Marcus Nunes screamed with joy, a cry that was soon taken up by everyone in the house.

Shamala, 11 years old, a grade six student at Unity Preparatory School in Kingston 5, told The Gleaner: "I feel proud because I did something for my foster parents. I have lived with Sister Ava since I was five years old and she has taken care of me very well."

Marcus and Ava Nunes, who celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary on December 11, state that the makeover is the perfect anniversary gift for them.

If they had another wish, the couple says, it would be for a bigger home so that they could take in more children for foster care.