Just another day?

Today is the last day of work before we begin our safari and as I sit here in the dark waiting for the 6:00am bells to ring, I cherish the quiet that fills the house for just a few more minutes.  I know that soon our group of 27 will be stirring and voices, quietly at first, then increasing to volumes known only by parents of teenagers will begin as will another day here in Tanzania.
We are over the half way point in our journey together and I can honestly say that any job that allows me the privilege of working with young people this amazing is a gift.  They get to the job site at 8:30 and whether we have a 50 minute walk to work because of the dalla alla strike or are piled in for the 10 minute ride to work, they are singing, pranking or animatedly chatting about what the day will bring.  Collectively our muscles are all sore, we have tired backs , aching arms and topsy-turvy tummies but that has not deterred the amazing spirit that pervades our work.  Instead of sources of complaint, we are proud of our new muscles and the aches disappear completely when we see the children at the orphanage.
Our water breaks are spent quenching our thirst and refuelling our spirit.  It seems to take only one child from the orphanage to do that.  Whether Joseph, Esther, Judah, Bryson or any of the other 16 children make an appearance for  a hug, to share a cookie or have a quick play our resolve is deepened and our full hearts head back to the daunting tasks of mixing endless amounts of cement, digging what feels like miles of trenches or bucketing mountains of sand.
These amazing students will relate the tales of their adventures in their blogs, but i am compelled to share of the unbelievable teamwork that these young people have shown. In the most adverse conditions most of them will face in a lifetime, they are resilient. They support each other when a little homesickness sets in, massage sore muscels they didn't realize they had and care for one another when sickness sets in. Power here is sketchy, we now have no running water and the food not always to their liking, yet some are already planning on coming back. We celebrate the small things and the difference we are making... for we truly are making a difference... in our own lives as well as the lives of those we are here to help.
Breakfast is served, we are having crepes and as you can imagine, when eating with 22 teenagers, she who gets to the table last often gets crumbs! And so another day of our amazing adventure begins...

Sandra Richardson