Zawati

While the girls went down for lala time this afternoon, Annie and I decided to take a walk around the village. Don’t worry though…Ksusha was at the house with the girls! On our way out of the gates we passed all the hard workers pouring the foundation for our new home. It is so exciting to see all the progress being made in such a short time! Just picturing all the children we will be able to have here and love once this home is done makes me very anxious and filled with so much joy! The workers are very impressive as they have been working all day and will continue to work all through the night. After walking down the road a little ways we were greeted by the smiling faces of many little children who yelled “Mambo!” to which we replied saying “Poa!” We continued walking and came across more children who were so fascinated by my camera and loved seeing their faces on the screen! After each photo they would crowd around me laughing and pointing at each other so enthralled by the camera! They loved giving high fives so before we continued our walk we gave plenty all around and then some. 

Along the dirt road the beauty surrounding us left Annie and I completely awestruck. A little ways down the path a little boy passed me who I met the first time I came to Tanzania a few years ago. He has grown so much and words can’t express how great it was to see him! 

We were on our way to this lookout where we were hoping to get a good view of Mt Kilimanjaro when we came across a big group of kids who looked a little scared of us at first but then eventually asked us to come over to them and take pictures. After taking pictures, sharing our names, laughing and smiling together we decided to say goodbye and head down the path to the lookout. After a little ways Annie and I decided to turn around and go back to play games and spend more time with the group. They were very excited that we returned and we all played a very fun game of Duck Duck Goose. The laughter was endless as the children took turns running around the circle, tagging each other, and maybe even tripping a time or two. After a little while one the girls, Zawati (Gift), asked if we could sing songs so that is what we began to do.

After they all lined up we sang Father Abraham, We are Soldiers, Making Melodies, Jesus Love is Bubbling Over, Jesus Loves Me, I Just Want to be a Sheep, and more. I loved the fact that the same songs that these kids were learning at school are the same songs I learned on the other side of the world. As I listened and watched them sing Jesus Loves Me it made me stop and think about the uncontainable and inexpressible love of Christ. No religion or region can contain the love and power of God. I don’t know about you but I am so thankful to serve a God that doesn’t fit in the lines, that His mercy is undeserved and given freely, and that we will never even be able to comprehend the vastness of His power and love but the little we can wrap our puny brains around is enough to praise Him every second of our lives forever. 

Living in Orange County, CA I am surrounded by a very materialistic world and it is very easy to lose sight of what really matters in life and where we can find happiness. Too many people place their happiness in temporary things, which can only ever bring them temporary happiness. I know because I have been there…we all have. Being here in Tanzania and singing “I’ve got joy like a fountain” it hit me that the people here are so happy with what the world says is “so little” but really they have so much and all they will ever need because although their lifestyle is simple they have Jesus and an uncontainable and inexpressible joy because they know whose they are. Life with no purpose is time without meaning. I want my time to be meaningful and I want my life to be filled with purpose. In order to accomplish that we need to know who we are and whose we are so that we can understand why we are here. 

Today I asked God to push me further than I’ve gone before and I challenge you to do the same. As humans we are lazy and we live in a world that tells us that if we have more stuff we will find happiness but it’s a lie. We need to realize that we already have everything we could possibly ever need. We need to simplify our lives and do the things that really matter. Love God. Love People. It is in God and only Him that we can have pure joy, true happiness, and make a difference.

Time Out

We are currently watching little troublemaker Maurine sit in time out. Corrinne and I are getting the impression she thinks that our sole purpose here is to entertain her, which means we don’t deserve the same level of respect as some of the other adults who come by. So, unfortunately we have been forced to make her face the consequences of not listening when we ask her to. I think a lot of this goes hand in hand with the fact we had another fun day without any lala time… there are a lot of very tired little munchkins in the house! 

 For some reason Corrinne and I found ourselves sleeping in very late today (a quality 13 hours of sleep) and we are thankful to Ksusha for giving us some time off, and woke up just in time to go to lunch! We all squeezed into the car, including Ksusha and baby Alim, and drove from Usa River to Njiro, about 40 minutes away. The girls were so excited to have some Sprite as a special treat while the rest of us ate our delicious meals. At one point, Ksusha had to run back to the car, so Corrinne and I were once again on our own to care for the girls. These moments are always very unpredictable, but the second Ksusha walked away this time, we could tell it wasn’t going to go well! Princess all of a sudden decided she didn’t like sharing a seat with Maurine who refused to sit down. So while Corrinne went to help fulfill little Princess’ needs, I continued to ask Maurine to sit down properly in her seat. With her unforgettable scrunched-up nose and 1-front-tooth smile, she looked me in the eyes and said “noooo!” and began laughing. The other people sitting nearby were all staring, watching as Corrinne and I struggled to pull Maurine out of her seat and tell her she would be put in time-out immediately upon getting back home! I must admit it was pretty difficult not to laugh at her little rebellious move, but eventually Ksusha came back and was able to restore order at the lunch table. I think the best part had to be when lunch came to a close, and our server came up and asked me, “is this your daughter?” pointing straight at Maurine. Although it may seem a little chaotic, these are my favorite memories when we are all able to learn and grow a little bit more with each other as we become more and more familiar. Plus it always gives us a good laugh looking back at everything that ensued! The ride home was pretty quiet, as the girls were desperately trying to stay awake but eventually gave up. 

Once we finally returned, we asked the girls to brush their teeth before they began to play again. They all ran off to the bathroom single-file, and about 10 minutes later, it seemed way too quiet for our liking. Corrinne ran to check up on them just to find the bathroom flooded in water! The girls looked up with very pitiful, toothpaste-full faces, and Princess seemed to have felt so bad that she ran straight to the mop to begin cleaning up the mess without even being asked. So as Maurine sits in time out while Happy and Princess are playing with each other, Corrinne and I are beginning to make another nutritious meal of chicken, salad and green beans for our naughty (yet painfully sweet) little girls!

Hallelujah

After today Annie and I are very worn out. The girls kept us constantly going whether it was because we were having dance parties or they were crying due to reasons that will never be know, because most of the time there wasn't a reason. Ksusha had errands to run today so it was the first day that Annie and I were here taking care of the girls all on our own. We are learning all different parenting tricks and are getting good mom practice for well into the future. Disciplining these precious little girls is not easy and I wish I didn't have to but it is necessary at times. Every smile, hug, kiss, and getting told "naku penda" (I love you) makes it all worth it though plus so much more! I wouldn't trade my time with them for the world, even if at times it can be a little hectic. 

We had plenty of fun though today, as well! My favorite moment of the day was when Annie and I were cooking dinner for the girls while listening to music when the Jason Castro version of "Hallelujah" started playing. While at the stove we heard three little voices all singing "hallelujah" over and over and over again all together. It was the sweetest thing and made my day! There wasn't a lot that went on today so I apologize for the short blog. Annie and I just put the girls to bed and now are looking forward to some relaxing time and then to get some sleep. 

A night of sleeping is always way more eventful though than it normally is in America. First, we start by loud outbursts of laughing for many different reasons or none at all, then get freaked out because the cat, Anfisa, sneaks up on us and terrifies us, then eventually fall asleep to the sound of cows mooing, dogs barking, and bugs flying only to get woken up by roosters crowing at approximately 3 AM. The best part though is when Happy, Maurine, and Mataya wake us up at 8 all saying "Goooo-morneeen!"

Silly Mzungus!

• Today was a very productive day for all of us girls here at Small Steps! We were up and awake by 8AM ready to begin our fun-filled day! We started off  by saying morning prayer, eating a yummy breakfast of fruit and oatmeal and cleaning ourselves up. Our first stop was to run a few small errands in Arusha.  First we headed to the bank to convert our US dollars into TZ shillings. From there we headed to the delicious Africafe to get some coffee (or better yet, mocha frosties...YUM!), pastries, and juice for the girls! After filling up our tummies, we were anxious to go shopping at the wonderfully unique Masaai Market. Of course Princess, Maurine, and Happy got tons of attention from all of the different vendors…so much that they were even given some free beaded bracelets! It was a great experience, especially attempting to bargain with the pushy vendors. We ended up doing a pretty good job though if I do say so myself, like working 10 bracelets worth 15,000 TZ shillings to 7,000. But I think first place goes to Corrinne who was able to bargain an awesome Tanzanian soccer jersey starting at 40,000 shillings to 15,000! "Way to go" for us "Mzungus"! Although we wished we could have bought all of the unique, African things we saw, we left very happy with the purchases we had made, including cool paintings, jewelry, tribal pants and more. From the market we made our way to Shoprite for some groceries. Excited to make another good nutritious dinner, we loaded up our cart with tons of vegetables, pasta, and chicken. Eventually we made our way back home with some very sleepy little girls. We had fun preparing our extremely delicious Italian meal that included green beans, salad, and pasta with tomato sauce and chicken! After a tiring day we were all ready for bed. Blessed by another great day here in Tanzania most definitely.
  

  Joke of the day: Annie: aww she (Happy) is so happy now that she has her food.
  Corrinne: Shes like, “uhh I’m always Happy”
  Haha good one to us.
  

  

Refreshed

Last night was the first night we actually got a good nights rest! We woke up this morning feeling very refreshed and ready to start the new day. We made ourselves some breakfast while the girls ate their lunch. The plan for the day was to take Loveness to Rotterdam (the nearby grocery store) so she could have some Ice Cream. When Annie and I were getting ready to leave, Happy and Maurine were "getting in trouble" by Ksusha for not listening so just Mataya was allowed to come with us, while the other two girls went down for lala time (nap time). 
Side note: Annie and I both would just like to recognize the amazing job Ksusha is doing with these 3 little girls along with her almost 3 month old baby Alim. At times during the day we are exhausted and this is only our 5th day here! 
Now back to the day… Annie and I drove Small Steps car to Rotterdam, which was definitely an experience that will be remembered forever.  The drivers are crazy...along with the rocky roads that are filled with huge potholes! On top of that we had to adjust to the steering wheel being on the right side while driving on the left side of the road (TZ was originally a British colony) We arrived safely and Love and Mataya thoroughly enjoyed their strawberry Ice Cream! 
When we got back Mataya joined the other girls for lala time while Annie and I took Loveness out for a photo shoot. I gave her my jacket and Annie gave her one of her headbands so she was all ready to model! Loveness has a contagious smile and her beauty shines from the inside out! She loves making silly faces and joking around but then makes sure to tell you that you are beautiful and that she loves you and to never forget that God loves you too! When she gets older she says she wants to help people…we need more people like her in the world to share the love of Christ with everyone she comes in contact with. 

After our photo shoot the little girls woke up from their nap and we all prepared to head to dinner at Ally’s (Ksusha’s husband) parents house. On our way we had to drop Loveness back to her home at Havilah because she is still in school (it is winter here). For dinner we had a delicious traditional African meal (chapatti, lentils, potatoes, salad, fish) and we all sat on the floor and ate with our hands. It was a really cool experience and so great getting to meet Ally’s family! 
By the time we got home the girls were exhausted and ready for bed but first we read the story of Abraham and Sarah to them.  Then to finish, each of the girls said their precious bedtime prayers. They each gave us our very treasured goodnight hugs and kisses and then went down to sleep....Lala Salama (sleep peacefully).

God's Spectacular Creation

Last night we got the opportunity to visit Havilah Orphanage, and see our good friend Loveness! It was an extremely happy reunion for both Love and Corrinne and such a treat for Annie to finally meet her big bright smiling face!

 

Loveness guided us back to Small Steps through the beautiful, green, grassy trails, and we were even able to watch the incredible sunset during our walk. Upon our return home, we ate a quality meal of hot dogs and rice, followed by bed time stories and prayers. Unfortunately jet lag still has us both struggling to sleep well at night, so after a short two hours of rest, we gave up and started our morning off with some coffee and oatmeal, ready to climb Mount Kilimanjaro!

Corrinne, Loveness, and I met up with the group from Orphan’s Heart at 5:45 AM, and made our way to the mountain. Unprepared for the cold, rainy weather, we began what we thought would be a treacherous hike up (especially considering our little amount of sleep), until we became quickly distracted by the phenomenal scenery that soon surrounded us!

The vivid green plants that towered overhead, chilly mist that came down, mahogany dirt below and cloudy sky above were all refreshing reminders of God’s spectacular creation. I think what most evidently portrayed this creation was the waterfall we passed by… we stood in awe at the sight of something so fresh, pure, and beautiful. It was nice to be able to spend quality time admiring more of Tanzania’s amazing land, and definitely made me even more grateful to have this opportunity to visit such a perfect place! The hike ended rather abruptly seeing as though the group had to catch a plane to go home.

It was nap time once we got back to Small Steps for everyone except Corrinne and me. We had to force ourselves to stay awake in hopes of a better night’s sleep tonight by drinking soda, making food, and possibly eating some candy too!

Took the girls for some ice cream!
 

Once our three precious girls woke up, we came to realize that taking care of three toddlers was not as easy as we thought. Attempting to make dinner (basically sleep walking) while trying to keep the girls out of trouble was a difficult task to say the least, and putting those sweet faces in time-out was definitely a struggle. I guess you could say exhaustion didn’t contribute anything too great in our situation. Well, for now the girls are tucked away in bed again, and we are most definitely excited to finally get back on track so we can be our full selves tomorrow! Can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store for all of us.

Finding Our Purpose

Today was a very eventful and exciting day for Small Steps for Compassion! We had the ground breaking ceremony for our new home! The local moms and children in the community came out to participate along with all the hard workers who are currently in the process of digging to pour the foundation. The ceremony consisted of Ron (partner with Orphan’s Heart) making the introduction, me, Corrinne (Small Steps representative), explaining how much this ceremony means to us, and the purpose of Small Steps for Compassion here in Tanzania. Juma (Small Steps Director of Operations) also spoke to the community, then Ron and I broke the ground along with the workers, which was followed with a beautiful prayer by Annie (Small Steps volunteer).

 

 

There was a reporter here from Arusha Times that will be publishing a story on today's events here and it will be on the news next Saturday! This day marks many years of hard work and passion finally becoming a reality as the building of our new home began. I could not be more excited to be a part of this and share it with this amazing community. The building is more than just a house; it is a home where we will share the love of Jesus to the children who will live here and their community. Our purpose is to share the love of Christ, as He first loved us. Getting to see the gratitude and appreciation of the community for what we are doing here made all the hard work, time, and tears worthwhile. This is my passion and I can’t imagine living for anything other than the purpose God created me for. It is here that life starts making a little more sense. Whether it is the sounds of joyous laughter, seeing precious smiling faces, or getting goodnight kisses, it reminds me what I was created for.