I Live in A Place - By Corrinne Rice

I live in a place where no one cares what the clock hands show

Where the passage of time is measured by how tall the corn grows

I live in a place where every day foreign tongues meet my ear
Where the color of my skin makes little kids cry in fear

I live in a place of kangas, sandals, skirts and sweaters
Where Nokia phones to hands are constantly fettered

I live in a place where preparing a meal will consume hours
Where boiling water is the guarantee for a nice, hot shower

I live in a place full of children, books, toys and laughter
Where I constantly hear “haraka haraka – go faster!”

I live in a place in which busses and taxis many people are crammed
Where I walk down the road and am greeted with “Good morning, Madam”

I live in a place without electric stoves or washing machines
Where only soap and some elbow grease will get your clothes clean

I live in a place where we harvest fresh food from our garden and farm
Where in the streets unsupervised children have no concept of harm

I live in a place where kids wanting help say “please saidia”
Where the answer to “good night, sleep tight” is “na wewe pia” 

I live in a place with fungus and scabies running rampant
Where the beverage of choice is a Coke or a Fanta

I live in a place where upstanding citizens don’t ever drink
Where to sip a glass of red into the shadows I sink

I live in a place where education is a privilege to be earned
Where for many people reading is a skill never learned

I live in a place where schooling costs more than a fortune
Where girls sell their bodies and souls to pay for tuition

I live in a place where pregnant girls are kicked out of school
Where beating students with sticks is thought normal, not cruel

I live in a place that’s just trying to cope with change
Where outdated, old fashioned ideas still remain

I live in a place where to only myself my thoughts do I keep
Where a friend, a companion is the solace I seek

I live in a place where every day I must commit my faith fully
Where trusting in Him is something I am learning to do wholly

I live in a place I have been called for a particular reason
Where I know I am here to work yet for only a season

I live in a place full of beauty, peace and nature
Where I enjoy for right now but does not hold my future

I live in place where I feel like I just don’t quite yet fit in
Where however it seems to fit me as it comes to day’s end

Party Time!

This is a little movie that I put together after our One Year Anniversary Open House at Sunrise!

Here's a link to the video on YouTube too! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kfe1-P-PbI&list=HL1334569617&feature=mh_lolz

Good Night, Sleep Tight

 

Every night after the children have brushed their teeth and changed into their pajamas, Eve and I go into one of the dormitories to say good night. With a latex glove and a fistful of creams and ointments, the children suffering from fungus or other various ailments line up for their daily dose of dawa (medicine). Next, the kids line up and kneel on a straw mat to say their prayers. A couple of the kids, Goodluck in particular, tend to be quite verbose in their prayers, asking blessings for each of the children, all of the current and previous staff, and every family member and friend they can remember. While at times it can be a quite tedious as each child repeats a similar list ranging from 20-40 people, it is still so touching to hear their little voices offering up their sincere petitions for every person they know. Once the kids are finished, they turn expectantly to me and I take my turn thanking God for these beautiful children who serve as a constant reminder of the beauty and love that God has for us all.

After prayers, it’s once last bathroom run, though we always have one or two bed-wetters regardless, and then they climb into their bunks and wait for a good night kiss. The kids love this part, and often a couple will kiss me all over the face, or kiss my cheek repeatedly until I finally pull away, or on occasion decide to give me a sloppy raspberry which is inevitably followed by a burst of giggles. One little boy in particular, Eliah, takes this special moment to look into my eyes and earnestly state “Me miss you tonight”. Sometimes it’s “me miss you today” or “me miss you at school”; even when it’s Eve’s turn to tuck in the boys, Eliah will insist that she tells me that he misses me.

When kisses are done, I used to say good night one last time before I headed out, however recently the kids have been asking for a “wimbo” or song. I don’t remember many lullabies (it’s been many years since my parents used to sing me to sleep), so I’ve started singing hymns and any other slow worship songs that I know. It’s really perfect because it gives me an opportunity to sing praises in my own language, since only Swahili songs are sung at church here. Also my audience is oblivious to any missed high notes or parts that may be off key.

The kids are in bed and the lights are off usually by about 8:00pm, and then I’ll admit I usually follow suit not long after.  I don’t think I could ask for a better way to bring the day to a close, than sharing those few precious moments with the kids I’ve grown to love so much.

“Again, I will trust in Him. And again, here I am with the children that God gave me.” - Hebrews 2:13

Staffing Update

Ok here is a little update on our staffing situation here at Sunrise. Hannah has left now and we have another volunteer Eve, also from the USA, who will be staying until the end of the month. Including Eve and myself, we have 6 staff members living on site. Neema is a local girl who has worked here since the opening last year. Then we have Rose, Ema, and Harriet who were all sponsored to attend secondary school and have spent the past few months working here while awaiting their final exam results. All three will stay here until they begin college in either July or September. In addition to them, we also have Fredy, the foreman is in charge of the fields and facilities, and then of course we can’t forget that Bibi Kay (BBK) is here too.

 So we have a total of 8 staff, and only 12 kids! I think that the ratio is a bit disproportionate, and so I have suggested that we work on adding more orphans. Obviously we have the staff, the space, and the resources, but BBK is adamantly against getting more children. She is worried that once the 3 students leave for school again that we won’t have enough staff to take care of the all the kids. In addition, she points out that I am leaving in December and she never had the intention of actually running this pace. She does have some valid concerns, but the way I see it, for the past year she has been desperately searching for staff, and yet every single volunteer that has come to work at Sunrise has come to help on their own, not by BBK’s doing, but by divine intervention. So it seems that every time she has worried about who will take care of the orphanage, a volunteer has been provided for her, therefore she should trust that the same will happen in a few months when Rose, Ema and Harriet leave. Also, she is still trying to find someone, some church, or some organization to take over management of Sunrise Children’s Home. Fredy has offered to run Sunrise for 3 years, but BBK is not that confident in his abilities. I have worked closely with Fredy, and I think he is the perfect candidate. He is a Tanzanian man of about 50, and has been partners with BBK over the past few years. All of the children here look up to him as their own father and call him Baba Fredy. I would love it if he could take over as director of Sunrise, however there would still be a need for a mama or matron to manage the daily operations such as cooking and cleaning, which has been mostly my responsibility over  the past month since BBK made me manager.

 I am very excited about this promotion, especially since it shows that all my hard-work has paid off, and BBK has confidence in my abilities. Over the years I’ve been in many leadership positions, but I’ve never been a manager before and I’ve discovered that there is a big difference and managing the staff and children has proven to be more difficult than I had anticipated. Of course I couldn’t do this without the help of Fredy, because he has great wisdom and insight, especially when it comes to cultural and political issues within the village. He and I have been working together while BBK just left and is back in America for 2 months to visiting family and friends. She has new great-grandchildren and has told us that in the future wants to spend more time with her family back in the USA. She has stated many times over that she is burnt out from so many years living in a third-world country, and admits that when she built this orphanage, she never intended to actually run it. So during her absence I am taking the time as an opportunity to prove that this place can sustain itself and thrive without her micro-management.

In addition to making sure that all of the daily tasks get taken care of around here, I am also working on establishing an organizational system. There is a severe lack of infrastructure here, so I have been creating everything from daily schedules, to chore charts and weekly menus. One project that I am especially interested in is restructuring her financial books. Putting all of my accounting skills to good use, I have been designing spreadsheets so that all expenses can be tracked in a more organized manner (currently there is just one total for all expenses incurred since the beginning of the project 2 ½ years ago!). The new accounting methods will help us to generate budgets and spending plans, as well as determine the profitability of our farming. The purpose of developing these tools is to make daily operations efficient and effective as possible while allowing a smooth transition to new management at some time in the future.

So while BBK says that I’m the manager, I kind of consider myself more of a program developer, creating a sustainable organization structure for operations and finances. It looks like I’m putting my business degree to good use already. I love it when I feel like my skills and abilities are being put to good use. I mean I’m not the best cook (although I’m learning quickly), I’m not the best English teacher, and I’m definitely not the best mom (it’s not like I’ve raised kids before), but one thing I know I’m good at is business. It’s so awesome when I realize that certain experiences I have had and things I have learned have a direct application in my current situation. That’s when I know that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. Well at least for now… I know that I am here for a season, and I am here for a reason. I don’t know everything that God has planned for me to do while I am here, and I have no idea what He has for me in my future, but I’m going to trust Him and work on living one day at time, making the most of this amazingly wonderful opportunity here and now.

Prayer Requests:

• New staff members (to replace the students when they leave in July)
• Volunteers (In two weeks I will be the only white person left in the village, and I could use someone to speak English with!)
• Reestablishment of a good working relationship with the village and chairman (we need their help and cooperation)
• Patience and energy for working with the kids
• Perseverance and wisdom in creating infrastructure and organization for Sunrise
• Faith and peace while trusting that God has a plan and a purpose for me even when I am discouraged and feel isolated