Hope Made Real

Ben in new nursing attire. Third year Curriculum.

To those new to the Newsletter, Ben came to Urukundo as a volunteer after finishing secondary school when he was bodyguard and interpreter for Mama. His hope was to become a nurse and thanks to Leslie Hafner and friends of Bloomsburg Wesley UMC, funds were provided for his dream to come true. Ben is now a third year nursing student at Kigali Health Institute.

The nursery plans have been put in place. The foundation has been dug and a load of stones delivered.

The process has begun. Stones, cement, sand and bricks are needed before we can have a real nursery for the babies.

We were delighted to welcome a team of young people and two adults accompanying Andria from Arizona to Rwanda. Andria is the wife of Todd, the missionary God has sent to Urukundo.

Todd was most happy to see her. She joins Todd and Urukundo in Mission.

Rhegan Zavala from AZ will be with us until August

Nahil and her mother Sherrie They are gardeners and started the foundation for the nursery
Rhegan and Andria pitched in and the work went well.

Nurse Nancy escaped the camera.

Talia from Bloomsburg, Pa, brave young woman.

Talia has returned for her second visit. She is proof that a young person can travel alone and arrive safely in Rwanda to Urukundo Village. The kids where so happy to see her. She won their hearts last summer. Her stay will be longer this time, and we are delighted.

How exciting for Lilliane and I. We are off on a journey – mine to be with family and friends and to attend two of my grandchildren’s weddings. I am looking forward to meeting those who have been such a great support and encouragement in mission for me.
Lilliane’s journey will give her the experience of a whole new world. It is interesting to share first times with a 14 year old. I watch and wonder what is going on in her mind.

Lilliane and I were blessed by Meredith, Louise, Emmy, Etienne and Oswald who came to the airport to see us off.
I really thought we had passed all the hurdles just getting Lilliane’s passport and her US Visa. Not so. All went well until we reached Immigration. There the next challenge took place. This time John was not there to intercede for us as he had when Divine and I faced this ordeal. Immigration did not want me to take her out of the country.
This was confusing to me as the same department had given her a passport and the US Embassy gave her a visa. They had asked all the same questions and had documents needed and were satisfied that I was not planning harm to Lilliane. After many nervous minutes for our escorts to the airport, and about 6 phone calls, the man in charge handed Lilliane her passport and said we could go. With tears of gratitude I startled the big man by kissing him on the cheek. He grinned, said it was OK and instructed the man at the window to stamp her passport. The first stamp in her book.

We looked down into the airport lobby at anxious faces and gave a sign that all was OK and we were on our way. Relief showed on their dear faces as they waved a goodbye.

I did not take a good breath until we were on the plane and in the air.

Lilliane was an excellent traveling companion. She was amazed to see the clouds under us and even more so when the clouds proved to be bumpy. Turbulence, said the pilot. The food was not bad. She slept a lot and that was good.

We met interesting people on the flight. There were 24 babies and small children from Ethiopia going to the US with their new families . There was a bit of crying as new parents tried to soothe the children. Airplanes are scary.

Going through customs in Washington was smooth. But imagine my surprise when, after brushing our teeth and washing our faces, we encountered another temporary set back when boarding the plane for Pittsburgh. We had changed nothing in our back packs but the TSA agent pulled Lilliane’s back pack because of suspicious content. They confiscated her toothpaste and vaseline. Darn, It was a brand new tube too. She said I could challenge but it made more sense to replace the toiletries, so we proceeded to board the plane for the last leg of our journey within the US.

We were welcomed in Pittsburg by family and Lilliane had her first bout of motion sickness. For the very first time she was in a car on a six lane highway with cars moving in opposite directions in her line of vision. Poor kid. It was enough to make anyone sick and especially a young girl not used to more than two or three cars at a time.

She experienced her first escalators at the airport and mastered that well and encountered two tunnels on the drive from the airport. The view of Pittsburgh as you emerge from the tunnel is breathtaking for me and so for her it was glorious. What an experience.

Four hours after arriving in Pittsburgh I spoke to a group of young children at the close of their Vacation Bible School about Urukundo and our kids.

Unscheduled but rewarding. It was the perfect way to start my adventure in America. Talking to kids about kids.

Greetings from Mama Arlene and the family at Urukundo Home for Children.

May marks a new concept as we welcomed Todd Ellingson to Urukundo. Turning over the reins to another is a new experience for me. Sharing the responsibilities that to this point in time have been mine alone has not been easy, but very necessary if I am to visit my family and friends in the US.

The transition is slowly taking place as Todd settles into the family and the hearts of the kids. He is a good spiritual leader, a good student and praise God I feel that I am leaving my precious kids and the vision that is Urukundo Village in good hands. Todd and Andria, his wife, were moved by their vision when he and Andria were here last summer. Todd returned in April as a permanent resident in mission and Andria will join him June 1st. They will make their home here in Urukundo Village where they hope to start a family. They have come from Phoenix, Arizona to serve the Lord and the vulnerable in Rwanda. I am confident they and Urukundo will move forward as a team.

The peace of mind I have as I prepare to travel to the US is surely a gift from God as are these two young people who have joined the Urukundo Family.

Please join me in welcoming Todd and Andria.

Gifts can be sent to:

Hope Made Real
PO Box 3222
Williamsport, Pa, 17701

Mailed gifts can be sent to:

Urukundo Home for Children
BP 179
Muhanga, South Province
Rwanda, Africa

Thank you for sharing in this ministry.

I do wish to thank all who have contributed to the travel fund making it possible for me and hopefully Lilliane to come to the US.

The schedule is being processed. Speaking engagement requests have been heartwarming. Thanks to all of you.

I look forward to seeing and sharing with as many of you as possible.

Well this has been an ongoing ordeal!
Getting a passport for Lilliane was an 8 week project. It meant many trips to Ramagana – a distance of two hours travel time and then twenty minutes more to the district office. Finally, after convincing the immigration office that we would bring her back to Rwanda, plus 50,000 rwf ($100), the passport was issued.

And now a new ordeal.

The not user friendly US Embassy has to issue a visa for travel to the US. I resent having to deal with a web site and not a real person when I have a problem in a third world country. I followed all the directions filled out the forms made the appointment on the web site calendar, paid the $131 and the only date available was June 14. Now the ticket for her had to be paid for by the 10th of June. This means if they refuse the visa we are out over $2000. To take steps to avoid this happening, I made a trip to the Embassy on the day specified for Americans to talk to the Consul if they had a problem. Well guess what, no real person spoke to me and I was instructed to send an email. I returned to Urukundo and duly sent my email, to which the reply was “sorry we cannot change your appointment”.

Thank God the EOS Travel Agent was not so unyielding. They agreed to hold her seat until we have the visa if we visit the office and confirm the numbers.

I am so grateful to these wonderful people and so disappointed in my own Embassy.

Please be in prayer that her Visa will be confirmed and she will be with me when I arrive in the US.

Claudine arrived with us March 2009.

This beautiful, happy and healthy little girl is truly our Claudine just 14 months later.

Claudine will be 4 years old June 10, 2010. This little girl is a miracle. She can see. She sits alone, creeps, stands and holding on to two fingers she puts her weight on her feet and takes steps. She is making sounds and trying to talk. Claudine has come a long way and has a long way yet to go. Everything we were told was impossible for her, God has made possible. We have been blessed by her presence at Urukundo Home.
She is a special child – but like all mamas, I think all my children are special. Don’t you?

Hope House has been prepared to receive our first team. Nine volunteers (7 youth and 2 adults) from Phoenix, Arizona will arrive June 1st initiating Hope House as a resting place for those coming to serve the Lord and the children.


Sleeping space
Pictures of the team next month.

Project for May was building a comfort area at Hope House. The rest room has a dressing room attached with a sink and mirrors. The job is finished and looks good.