I have known many hard working people in my life. In a country that believes that you have to work for what you have, it is not hard to find people like that. I think of my father's parents, who raised 8 amazing children, started a student exchange program with Quito, Ecuador, began Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in the home in Buffalo, opened their home to countless foreigners and those in need of a home for a night, and that is just a few of the awesome things they have accomplished by working hard. I think of my mother's parents, who raised 4 equally amazing children, who lived a hard life growing up farming and courageously moved to the city of Buffalo to begin their family. My grandparents not only worked together in my grandfathers business, Burkard Reality, but worked side by side in raising their family, and in later years, in the kitchen, at crafts and even in visiting us at Christmas as Santa Claus (my grandmother would wait in the car outside. <3)
My parents have given all 8 of their children prime examples of what it means to work hard, put others first and love God above all else. I can see the work ethic of all the previous generations of my family reflected in the work my brothers and sisters do. Each one of us was gifted by the legacy of the Noonan and Burkard families in both faith and secular work. We are blessed indeed!!
But of all the people I know, of all the people I have known, I am not sure I have ever seen someone work as hard as Sister Stan Mumuni. In all seriousness, this woman works around the clock with very little support from the local people here. The other day I made sort of a joke about being a chicken farmer and chaffing the corn to be ground. Well, right beside me, because of our staffing problems, was Sister Stan herself, chaffing corn while dealing with behavior problems of the older girls, on the phone with people trying to hire a driver and a few other staff, figuring out how to get a new child we got just that day to the hospital with no car and doing all this with back pain I didn't know she had until that night. You might say to yourself, we all have days like that, but from what I have seen, each day is like that for Sister.
She is constantly fighting for the rights and needs of her children. She is taking care of Mary Clare and I when we are sick, which has been a lot, she deals each day with the staff, who seems to need constant supervision and reminders of their work, she deals with contractors, builders, electricians and repair men like a general in battle, trying to protect her investment and making sure she gets what she paid for. She works tirelessly trying to get us water each day, medicine for the children and making sure there is food to eat. She spends time with the children, who love her to pieces, and works often until one or two in the morning, then is up again at 5 for adoration and mass. She makes sure Mary Clare and I get a rest each day at siesta while she works during that time and often forgets to eat lunch and sometimes dinner. She has the vocal support of the church here, but I have not seen one priest or lay person here trying to lend a hand, offer support, relieve a burden from her strong shoulders.
She travels to the Untied States, Germany, and other countries to raise funds for her children, without which this home and saving these lives would not be possible, and is even now worrying about the time she will be gone and how the home will manage while she is away. However, without the generous support she gets from the parishes and groups around the world, I have no idea how she would survive with her children, whom she has saved from starvation and abandonment. She puts 110% of her faith in God and believes with every inch of her being that He loves her and her children and He will not forsake them.
I hate using this phrase, but she truly is a woman who works 24/7, be it weekday, weekend or holiday. In a region that is so behind the times because of a poor work ethic, or rather no work ethic, where one's word is as strong as a feather, where the term "banker's hours" means working overtime, Sister Stan stands out like a beacon of light, like a diamond in the ruff. And as much as we try to praise her, she gives it all to God, she gives all the glory to Him.
She is mother and father to these children, teacher and nurse. Her life is her children, and as any good parent would, she is trying to create the best and safest world for them, trying to give them opportunities she never had, putting herself and her needs last, to love them enough to ease the hurt of being unloved.
She does have her moments of fun, and can really get her groove on when dancing (!!!). I try to lighten her up a little with humor, which I am slightly talented at. When we were chaffing the corn, I said, I hope the chickens appreciate all that we are doing for them, and she started laughing and scolded me, Sarah, don't make me laugh, I'm trying to be mad at the girls!!
I just wanted to give you a look into her world, a quick and certainly not encompassing look, but I hope you can see what a servant she is to her children and their needs, and to God, to whom she said yes, I will love Your children.
http://www.sisterstanschildren.org
xo
