The news for February from Urukundo is exciting. Grades are out and our kids were all promoted.

Our ‘oldest kid’ finished Senior High. This graduation is very special.

John Kayitare, Papa John to the kids and my Executive Administrator, at the age of 35 has graduated from Senior 6 (12th grade in America). Yes, after being out of school for 15 years, John opted to finish Secondary School in order to better serve Urukundo Foundation and to provide a brighter future for himself and his family. He had to start in Senior 5, but he completed two years of school in twelve months whilst doing his best to serve Urukundo at the same time. Not an easy task. This took a lot of courage and dedication on his part.

John finished his National exams graduating with distinction. Quite an accomplishment for an “old man”.

Quite honestly, the kids announced upon hearing the news, “we didn’t think he could do it!” But he did, “praise God.”

Thanks especially to Carrie Schwartz from Piney Flats, TN, who believed in John and wanted to help Urukundo. Carrie provided the funds while Urukundo provided the time necessary. There have been many times when school and Urukundo clashed. Times when both John and I wondered if we had made the right decision. God in Charge.

When John came to volunteer at Urukundo, he had no job and his family were in bad living conditions. He could not provide for them. His faith was strong and he felt called to be a part of this Ministry. So in January 2007, John and his family became a part of our Urukundo family. Much of our success here is because of his hard work. I am grateful that God placed him in our lives just when the need was greatest.

Congratulations John.

This month reality set in. Our statement to you, our donors, has been: “every cent you send goes directly to the Ministry in Rwanda.”

This needs to change. Our statement must now read: “every cent you donate, except for the PayPal transaction fee, is sent directly to the Ministry in Rwanda.”

We have no administration fees but Paypal does take a percentage of your gift. We appreciate the technology that allows our donors to use this service, but it does come at a price.

There is no added cost with a personal check aside from the postage you pay. Our address for check donations is:

Hope Made Real
Arlene D Brown
PO Box 3222
Williamsport Pa 17701

Please consider sending your gifts this way, and I can assure you that “every cent you send by check goes directly to the Ministry in Rwanda.”

Thank you for looking at this cost evaluation with me. What is best for you is also best for our work at Urukundo.

WOW, do I feel smart. You CAN teach an old dog or Mama new tricks.
twitter name: arlenebrownmama

Running on the mountain is a wonderful experience but can prove hazardous to your health. Check with Jessica. A sprained ankle from stepping in a hole slowed her down – but not for long.
Well, it did give her a rest. The ankle is better and she is “back to work as usual”.

Sudden death is difficult and the death of Julie’s father was tragic. We shared her sorrow. He had not been ill, but death removed him from his family. Julie is the youngest in her family and was the first Mama to come as a volunteer to care for our girls in 2006. She has remained with us and is a source of strength for our children. She is loved by all.

Our love was shown to Juliette as 23 of our children, 5 staff and myself traveled in a rickety mini bus for two hours over impossible roads and log bridges. We then climbed down a steep mountain and up another on foot to be there with her as her family at Urukundo. We are blessed that the Lord Jesus has placed her in our lives.

Wooden box lowered into the grave site in the back yard of the home of the family.

Julie’s mother placing a handful of earth on her husbands grave.

Christmas was fun for the children, but I came down with a severe cold and chest congestion the day before Christmas and of course kept pushing with everything that had to be done. I accompanied Pastor Sharon and Tom to the airport Christmas day and took part in a Board meeting for the Urukundo Foundation on Saturday closing out the year and then my body said enough. Two days after Christmas it decided I needed a rest and the staff put me to bed. The kids have been great, making sure I have food and drink and letting me rest, but colds have to run their course and recovery is slower that I would like. I am on the mend and expect to be back in full gear today or maybe tomorrow.
I have received many wonderful Christmas greetings from friends and family this month along with pictures and I appreciate all of them. It helps me feel closer to home and knowing I am loved is very important.

Earth Class Mail was a great idea, but we forgot to take into consideration the handicap of the internet system in Rwanda. Power is not dependable and no power means no internet. Waiting 20 minutes to scan each piece of mail and a further 20 minutes to open the scanned mail, only to find out it did not detect the check because it scanned it sideways was not ideal! Trying to get the mail sorted on my own was not an easy task and so I am admitting defeat and we will go back to the old snail mail process.
The address will still be a post office box but not in Philadelphia. It will be in Williamsport, which was the place of our origin.
The new address is:

Hope Made Real
Arlene D Brown
PO Box 3222
Williamsport Pa 17701

January 1st sees changes in Hope Made Real. My thanks to the previous Board for a job well done. Their job was not easy. Growing pains and learning experiences have brought us to where we are today. Thanks to them we have prospered and now move ahead in 2010.
Patricia, Christian, Cindy, Mary, Terry, Ed & Laurie – my thanks to each of you, the pioneers of HOPE MADE REAL. We could not have done it with out your love and perseverance.
~Mama Arlene

Please note the names and contact details of the new Board of Directors.

Our children have had no serious illnesses this year. My own health has been good even with the eventful surgery. This year, we have added 4 new babies to our family – Claudine, Johnny, Sarah, Rebecca. Our children have done well in school and all have passed to the next level. Claudine is a miracle.

Olivier only graced the picture with his leg. Guess he is shy!

What a wonderful time it is here. Note only are all of our 41 kids home, but God has sent us number 42. Our village is wonderful all the time, but a change takes place when all the secondary kids are home. All of the kids swarmed the car as it pulled into the yard bringing our kids home, so much so that it was hard to open the car doors so the kids could get out. There was so much hugging and kissing and tears of joy.

The whole place takes on a new face when all the kids are together. The noise reigns supreme. Things change. Everyone is happier. The joy of the secondary kids being home is contagious. Everyone pitches in so that the work gets done faster.

Praise God for little favors.