Esperanza. Espoir. Hoffnung.
Whatever the language, hope is part of the human condition. In Swahili, hope is spelled Tumaini.
The Pirone family of Brandon Township and Independence Township’s Maranatha Baptist Church spent five months experiencing hope in Tanzania.
As part of the Tumaini Project, Paul and Lori Pirone ? with their daughters Hannah, Emma and Abi ? helped build an orphanage that one day may house up to 100 Tanzanian children.
‘It was amazing,? said Paul. ‘It made us realize how fortunate we are in America with the blessings the Lord has given us.?
‘The people were extremely poor yet so warm, so welcoming to you. They were willing to share food with you when you knew they might not have it for another meal,? added Lori.
‘It was fun,? said Hannah. ‘I learned to be thankful for what you have.?
The Tumaini Project is a ministry of Grace Baptist Mission of Tanzania (GBMT), a registered mission agency according to its Web site www.gbmtz.org. GBMT is its own entity under the aegis of Grace Baptist Mission, a mission of Inter-City Baptist Church in Allen Park.
According to a GBMT pamphlet, the orphanage is intended to help raise children abandoned by parents or death, while training caregivers to raise the children.
‘The plan is to return the children back to society as a responsible adult,? said Paul, who was asked by Rob Howell, chairman of the mission board in Tanzania for Grace Baptist Missions to help with the orphanage.
‘Tanzania is one of the poorest nations in the world,? said Paul. ‘About 77 percent of the (roughly 35 million) people are under the age of 25.?
While Paul visited Tanzania two years ago for two weeks to learn about mission life, the rest of his family had not experienced this type of trip before.
‘I didn’t even have a passport (before this). The first stamp in (my passport) was Tanzania,? said Lori.
Located in Shadi near Mwanza, Tanzania close to Lake Victoria, the orphanage rests on an 11-acre plot. With the shell of many of the buildings complete, the Pirones worked along side local craftsmen to finish kitchens, bedrooms, a water filtration system, solar panel system and other projects.
‘Everything was handmade,? marveled Paul, who recalled the craftsmen planing wooden doors for rooms and constructing cabinets.
In addition to the construction work, as director of the children’s home, Paul helped write procedure and policies, studying other orphanages to ensure the project was successful.
Despite working with a language barrier, the Pirones communicated well throughout the project.
‘Most people we dealt with didn’t speak (English),? said Paul.
On many occasions the Pirones communicated by drawing pictures in the dirt or on paper. Other times, the family resorted to a Swahili/English dictionary.
‘By the end of the time we spent there, we had the greetings down (in Swahili), the food terms and words you’d use to buy things in the market,? explained Paul.
The Pirones stayed in a two house compound in Sweya, a small village near Mwanza. They stayed with the Howell family who had previously started three churches and a Bible institute.
‘It was tough to deal with the isolation because there’s no place to go because you’re out in the bush,? said Paul.
Adjusting to a different lifestyle, foods and a dry rock terrain took work, but some similarities existed as internet and email were available to the Pirones in their house. Unfortunately, power outages, varying in length, often prevented their use.
‘It’s a totally different way of living,? added Paul.
The family laughed when recalling sleeping with mosquito nets, dealing with giant spiders and killing a spitting cobra in their house.
On a typical day, Paul would go to work approximately 9 a.m. ? 5 p.m., while the girls stayed home for schooling with Lori until around noon. Everyone was forced inside by sunset at 7 p.m. to avoid the mosquitoes and potential problems with malaria, said Paul.
Besides learning the everyday nuances of life in Africa, leaving their lives behind for five months presented its own set of challenges.
‘The first hurdle was to get a leave of absence from my office,? said Paul, who works as a commercial manager for the automotive supplier Decoma International. The company granted him a one year absence.
‘It was hard being away from family and friends and the comforts we have come to know as Americans,? said Paul. ‘It was definitely worth it being able to help the people who needed help.?
To ensure their three daughters did not fall behind in school, Lori took along curriculum from the teachers the girls would have had attending Faith Baptist in Davison.
According to Paul, the local churches in Michigan and Ohio, as well as a financial contribution from his office helped finance the trip. While the Pirones expressed excitement at being home, they recently traveled to several of the churches who supported their effort and give presentations about their experience.

About Tanzania
Located: East Africa
Neighbors: (not limited to) Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia
Size: 364,900 square miles (about 6 times larger than Michigan which is approximately 56,804 square miles.)
Economy: primarily agriculture
Population: (2005 estimate) 36,766,356
Language: Approximately 100 different languages spoken.
Information taken from Encarta on-line encyclopedia, except for Michigan mileage which was taken from Webster’s New World College Dictionary (2002).