March 26 Newsletter

Enter into His gates with Thanksgiving

The fourth verse of Psalm 100 invites the worshipper to enter into the Lord's courts with praise, to be thankful to Him, and to bless His name. The joyful expressions of thanksgiving, praise, and blessings are a common experience at Sonshine when entering the property through its gates. There is much to be thankful. Twenty years ago, there was just an empty field and a somewhat undesirable chunk of land that seemed to have little value. The Sonshine founders were led to the land and prayerfully walked upon it asking God to reveal His will. From those initial steps of faith and obedience upon that barren land, there are now four beautiful buildings housing 74 rescued children, a house for visiting mission teams, a founders house, an administrative building, an expanded kitchen and laundry area, two fresh water wells, animal pens, rows of fruit trees and crops, and a soon-to-be-finished new pavilion. God's faithfulness and the kindness and generosity of donors and sponsors of children are the reasons that Sonshine shines so brightly in Tanzania. It is a beautiful sight to behold. When you hear the sound of children playing and singing at Sonshine, the fifth verse of Psalm 100 pours from the heart - "For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations."

The Beauty of Sonshine

From glorious sunrises to stunning sunsets, God's beauty upon and within Sonshine is incredible. It radiates through bright colors, grateful hearts, beaming smiles, and hope filled souls. These expressive colors are an outward representation of the inward joy that comes from lives begotten again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God's abundant mercy is seen daily at Sonshine - aided by the kindness and care of faithful sponsors, donors, partners and staff. You are invited to visit soon and take part in the explosion of color and joy and dancing and singing and laughter and love. There are very big hugs waiting for you along with a very deep "Thank you!" We are excited to welcome you to Sonshine. It is truly a blessed and beautiful place. It is blessed by God and it is filled with the beauty of His holiness.

On February 15, a team of Sonshine boys and girls challenged a team of social work students from Tengeru Institute of Community Development on Sonshine’s new football (soccer) field. The institute often sends students to Sonshine to visit, learn, and experience how a good Children’s Home operates in Tanzania. During one of the visits, an idea came that a fun way to continue to build bonds and strengthen relationships would be to challenge each side to a friendly, football (soccer) match. The Sonshine team felt a little intimidated at first playing against college kids – thinking Sonshine might lose the game. However, across the match, the Sonshine side grew in confidence and began playing very well together. By the end of the match, the athletes of Sonshine shared their enthusiasm for the next opportunity to take on another team of kids or even, possibly, a football academy someday.

The Sonshine FC vs. Tengeru Students was a good, first match. All the kids participated, boys and girls, cheering, supporting, and celebrating Sonshine. The skill and athleticism in the Sonshine children are noticeable. They are very good at playing many different sports. With the triumphant first experience on the new football field, Sonshine FC is eager to improve even more by adding quality balls, improving the field, and someday have our own logo jerseys to represent Sonshine FC.

Article Contributors: Happy, Lembris, and Venance

Special guest article from Neema, Sonshine young adult

Helping the Most

Vulnerable Children

Each quarter, the region has been making a joint effort to bring together all the children's homes that care for MVC (Most Vulnerable Children) for collaboration and to help strengthen them. The government's social services department leads this. The outcome has been a greater awakening and awareness of how different homes can work together through different ideas and related diversity. Sonshine has been helping with Steve Wachira serving as Secretary of the group. Progress with the group has been great. There is a shared determination to help struggling Homes improve and meet the standards set by the government. The partnering with the government has been good.