June26 Newsletter

Rainy Day Fun

At Sonshine, what do the children do on a rainy Saturday afternoon? Well, they play and they...play! Push the dining tables to the walls, roll out squares of carpet, and watch the inside joy pour forth. Songs break out. A bigger child instantly becomes a vehicle or a play structure for a smaller child. Hilarious circles of "chapati" form. "Chapati" is a game where a group of participants sit down on the floor in a big circle with their hands joined. It is an elimination game where the next person in the circle must continue the next word in the fun phrase "Mom is in the kitchen cooking chapati!". The preceding child slaps the hand of the person to their left to rapidly continue the phrase. There is much laughter as the game gets faster and faster and words are mispronounced or shouted out of place eventually narrowing down the circle to the final 2 competitors. A winner emerges and the big circle is reformed again restarting the game. (Observers note: The girls play more gently than the boys.)

It is an amazing scene to behold. Boxes of toys or video games are not required. Boredom does not seem to appear. The dining hall becomes a big playroom of happy children, singing, playing, holding hands, and laughing loudly. As the rain falls outside, some caregivers and helpers can take a break, sip tea, and occasionally referee when a "chapti" dispute occurs or if play become too rough. Skies may be grey and the outside grounds might be soaked. Inside, a very big, happy family joyfully play with warm, grateful hearts, and Sonshine love shining brightly.

After a month of planning, the Human Resource Management Department of MoCU (Moshi Cooperative University) visited Sonshine to bring a blessing to the children. It was a great learning experience as 250 students came and were thrilled to interact with the Sonshine children and help around the property.

The visiting students shared their love by cleaning the homes, bringing and cooking delicious food, and doing laundry for the kids. It was touching seeing the young Sonshine girls wanting to carry the University ladies’ handbags for them.

New friendships were made. They donated items, cleaning materials, and taught the children how to make soap and detergents helping Sonshine become even more resourceful. (For $100USD, we can now make soap to cover 3 months.) God has given Sonshine good friends and the MoCU students were deeply impacted by the love they experienced visiting Sonshine.

Health: Most of the children are healthy - spiritually, physically and mentally. We’ve had minor flues, headaches, and coughs amongst the children which heal quickly through attention and love. Academics: In academics, throughout the first five months, the children are doing well. They are above average in performance and continue to stand out. We are grateful that they have continued to show great discipline, and we are proud parents and guardians. All the schools take a one-month break from June 5 to July 5. (Grades 4 and 7 and Form 2 and 4 students will continue at school through June 25 to prepare for their national exams.) All our college students have also been doing great. Staff: We have been having good experiences with our team members. We continue to support each other positively and we are seeing good personal growth and self-drive. Some of the staff have requested printed shirts with the Sonshine logo that they can wear. They also asked about participating in a children/staff retreat away from home to possibly visit a game park. Outreach: Through outreach, we have been seeing great results. We have reached over 800 children outside of Sonshine to help them with academics, safety, and food. Recently, we partnered with Malula Primary School to help them modernize their examination and teaching practices to more effectively help their students. We will be providing them with printing materials and printer ink and we will help repair school desks. (The nearby Malula school carriers a big burden caring for and educating children from harsh environments.) Did you know that we also help over 80 other children outside of Sonshine on a daily basis through tithing and additional outreach effort? This June, Sonshine will participate in a two-week outreach mission to the Ruvuma region in southern Tanzania. Please lift Mary Japhet, Shigela Majo, Neema Runda, and Joshua Maphie up in your prayers. They are the appointed representatives for this mission trip. Government: We are in compliance with all the government agencies – TRA (Tanzania Revenue Authority) and the various ministries - Home Affairs, Gender, Labor, Permits, Lands, Energy, and Legal Affairs. Facilities: 90% of the facilities are in good shape. Due to heavy rain, we have paint wearing out on facial boards on the homes and some of the outer walls. We have also experienced some leaking roof spots in some of the homes which have damaged some of the gypsum ceiling. We have also seen some damage from the rain on the erosion trench. This will need to be repaired before the next heavy rain. Construction on the pavilion is going well. The doors are being completed, and the interior electrical work is finishing up. We believe the Pavilion will be fully wired and working by mid-July. All the vehicles work with no serious mechanical issues, just normal maintenance.

We thank you all for helping make Sonshine run smoothly. This positive mid-year report would not be possible without you. Together, we are making a big difference in Tanzania through the thoughtful revealing of God's love and the wonderful impact of His beautiful kingdom.

Tunakupenda, Steve & Mary