A town meeting at the Embassy was also an occasion to meet the new ambassador. I was honored to meet and talk with AMBASSADOR ERICA BARK-RUGGLES. She is a lovely lady and was accepting of a hug from this mama. She represents the USA very well.
Welcome Ambassador.
Urukundo Center for the Arts presented its first attempt at Drama.
Our teachers presented a play for the children and Hope House became the stage and auditorium.
The play was WHO IS IN RABBIT'S HOUSE?
Here is rabbit's house:
And here is the cast of animal characters:
Head Teacher and his fellow actor/teachers taking a bow.
The performance was delightful and the kids said it was funny. It was a learning experience for all.
Congratulations to Urukundo Learning Center Staff for job well done!
April 1
Arrive in United States.
Reston, VA - Contacts: Mary Jackson, 703-624-3999, jackson_mary_d@hotmail.com
Kathy Kelly, katkell400@comcast.net, 703-537-8491
April 2
Travel to Pittsburgh. Contact: Patricia D. Brown, 412-999-1912
pdbrown@spiritworks.org
301 Overdale Rd., Pittsburgh, PA 15221
April 7, 12:00 NOON
Vitas Healthcare: Inservice - “Death and Grief in Rwanda”
2009 MacKenzie Way, Suite 110
Cranberry Township PA 16066
CONTACT - 412-799-2101
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
HOST - Patricia Brown, 412-999-1912, pdbrown@spiritworks.org
April 8 12:15PM
Rich-mar Rotary
Treesdale Golf & Country Club
One Arnold Palmer Drive
Gibsonia, PA 15044
724.625.2220
CONTACT and HOST- Joe Schmitt, joche1927@gmail.com
CONTACT - Tom Nunnally
tomnunnally@verizon.net
(412) 805-1822
April 11
10:00-11:30am
St. Paul’s UMC – Community-Wide Event
250 E College Ave, State College, PA 16801
3rd Floor Education Building
(814) 237-2163
HOST - Carol Falke, (814) 321-1076
falkes@verizon.net
April 11
3:00-5:00pm Open House for Supporters
Home of Carol Falke
246 Chateaux Cir., State College PA 16803
(814) 321-1076
falkes@verizon.net
April 12
9:15am Worship Speaker
10:35am Coffee Fellowship in Prism Presentation
Park Forest Village United Methodist Church
1833 Park Forest Avenue, State College, PA 16803
(814) 238-2657
Contact - Lee Ellenberger
April 12
3:00pm
Grace Presbyterian Church,
155 N Jefferson St, Kittanning, PA 16201
(724) 548-5609
Contact - Grace Caves: gcaves@windstream.net
April 13
5:00pm
Kiwanis Club of State College
Ramada Inn, 1450 S Atherton Street, State College, PA 16801
814-238-3001
Contact - Carol Falke,
April 14
9:00am - 3:00 pm Propel High School, 1500 Yost Blvd. Braddock Hills, PA 15221.
412-271-3061
Contacts - Natasha Dean: natashadean@propelschools.org and Rosemary Anderson:
randerson@propelschools.org
April 17
12:00 Noon Luncheon, Hughesville Friends, Missionary Circle
137 South 3rd Street, Hughesville, PA 17737
(570) 584-2686
Contact - Nancy Katherman, President, Ecroyd Missionary Circle
570-419-0847
April 19
10:30am Fairplay Gospel Church,
1625 Walnut Street, Jersey Shore, PA 17740
(570) 398-0541
CONTACT
April 19
6:00pm Phelps Chapel
68 Phelps Chapel Rd, Jersey Shore, PA. 17704
Contact: S Meyers
570-769-6338
April 22
9:00am
Fairplay Gospel Church, Jersey Shore, PA, 17704
(570) 398-5533
CONTACT- Sally Guiswite
April 22
12.00pm Crossroads Community Church,
1454 PA-44, Jersey Shore, PA 17740
(570) 865-6588
CONTACT- George Morton
April 24
Times to be announced or call for appointment
McAllen, Texas
Host - Sharon Landis
sharon_landistx@yahoo.com
956-627-1003; cell 956-534-4121
April 26
9:00am St. Marks United Methodist Church
301 Pecan Boulevard, McAllen, TX 78501
www.stmark-umc.org, 956-682-1481
CONTACT - Juan Osorio
rev.juan.osorio@gmail.com
May 6
12:00NOON
Ecumenical Luncheon
United Churches of Lycoming County
Pine Street United Methodist Church
441 Pine St, Williamsport, PA 17701
(570) 323-4604
Williamsport, PA
570-322-1110
Contact: Gwen Bernstine, 570-419-1464, director@uclc.org.
May 10
9:00am
All Saints Episcopal Church, Rosedale in Verona
1620 Randolph Lane, Verona, PA 15147
(412) 793-0270
allsaintsrosedale.com
Contact - Tom Nunnally, tomnunnally@verizon.net
(412) 805-1822
May 13
6:00pm - Soup Supper
Edgewood Presbyterian Women
120 E Swissvale Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
(412) 241-4613
Contact - Lori Stutz
412-829-1410
XXyyZZDesertRoad@aol.com
May 16
9:00am Calvary Presbyterian Church
695 School St., Indiana, PA 15701
Contact - Mark Phoebus
smarkp79@gmail.com
724-599-5808.
298 Oak St., Indiana, PA 15701.
May 17
9:00am Calvary Presbyterian Church
695 School Street, Indiana, PA 15701
(724) 463-9197
Contact - Mark Phoebus
smarkp79@gmail.com
724-599-5808
May 19 12:00 NOON
Wilkinsburg Rotary Club, Pittsburgh, PA
South Ave. United Methodist Church
733 South Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
(412) 371-7421
HOST - Jack Piper 412-526-5558 piperrev@comcast .net
CONTACT - Tom Nunnally
tomnunnally@verizon.net
(412) 805-1822
May 24
9:00am Waverly Presbyterian Church
590 South Braddock Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15221
(412) 242-0643
Contact - Tom Nunnally, tomnunnally@verizon.net
(412) 805-1822
May 27
4:30 Trinity Seminary
311 11th St, Ambridge, PA 15003
(724) 266-3838
CONTACT - Tom Nunnally
tomnunnally@verizon.net
(412) 805-1822
6:00pm Ambridge Club
Host: Walter Sickles
CONTACT - Tom Nunnally
tomnunnally@verizon.net
(412) 805-1822
May 30
5:30pm, Saturday Evening Service
St. John Newberry United Methodist Church
2101 Newberry Street, Williamsport, PA 17701-1361
570.326.5569
Contact - Jay Jones
stjnpastor@verizon.net
May 31
8:15am Worship - Introduction
10:45am Sunday School - Fellowship Hall (50 minutes)
St. John-Newberry United Methodist Church
2101 Newberry Street, Williamsport, PA 17701-1361
570-326-5569
Contact - Jay Jones
June 4
8:45am
Christ Church McKeansburg
6 South Race St. New Ringgold, PA 17960
570-943-2822.
Contact - Sunny Stock, 572 Berne Drive, Schuylkill Haven, PA 17972
570-640-3078.
sunnystock@live.com
doreen625@windstream.net
June 7
10:00am First Congregational Church
316 Sunbury St, Minersville, Pa 17954
Contact - Joan Weiderhold, 570-544-6693
June 8
Reston, VA
Contacts:
Mary Jackson, 703-624-3999, jackson_mary_d@hotmail.com
Kathy Kelly, 703-795-6124, katkell400@comcast.net
June 9
Fly out of Dullas, Washington, DC, home to Kagali, Rwanda, Africa
Our worship Sunday morning is wonderful as our Precious Gems choir continues to grow in size. Community children come to sing with the Precious Gems.
Baby Jason is still too young for the choir, but it won’t be long.
Prince, Kaboss and Rebekah collecting paper during Umuganda Day.
Umuganda is fun because Mama walks with the kids and points at the litter and then the kids pick it up! You got it - I do not bend real well any more so I point and they do the stooping. Anyway, they are built closer to the ground!
Having babies and new Mamas were both big news during February!
Our baby pigs arrived, 7 at a time.
Not to be outdone and ever so much more important. Juliette, my lovely secretary, gave us a beautiful baby boy in February.
I don’t know how I will get along without her for 6 weeks! That is the mandatory leave time after having a baby. Thank goodness she answers phone calls.
The baby was not due until March so we thought we had time to train someone to work in the office.
As babies sometimes do, he decided he would come sooner. Juliette came to work not feeling well with discomfort in her lower abdomen. We decided she should go to the Medical Center across the road to be sure she was ok. Being an old hand at having babies, I was pretty sure she was in labor. When she didn’t come back to work it had to be so. Well about 3 hours later Julie sent me a text message I HAVE A BABY BOY. I was not surprised! Mama and baby are doing just fine and I get to give him his Christian name. Babies here get three names. I think I will call him Jerry.
Nine of our children attended their first Concert. on Feb. 19, 2015. They were thrilled.
We are now associated with Crescendo, an organization from Germany dedicated to bringing music to Rwanda and other parts of the world thanks to Aimable and the Kigali School of Music. The kids heard the music of Beethoven, Mozart as well as Duke Ellington. Martin Heimchen from Germany was guest pianist on a real piano, not a keyboard.
IT WAS AWESOME
Here's the Jazz Band with Grace as soloist, and Dad Lance on the trombone.
It would have been wonderful if we could have taken all the kids to enjoy the concert but our car only holds 9. We decided to take the older kids this time.
Next time we'll take another 9. There will be more concerts I am sure as music plays its part in the growth of Rwanda’s children.
The kids were mesmerized.
The gentleman sitting behind us with his wife is the Founder of the music organization.
If hearts sing and love abounds in February, mine is right in tune. Urukundo is so blessed.
We have big news to share! We have a new name for our Dental Initiative.
University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences, School of Dentistry and Urukundo Dental.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Document signing, sealed with a handshake.
A delegation of 7 came to Urukundo Village from the University School of Dentistry to take part in the signing ceremony making Urukundo Dental Initiative part of the School of Dentistry.
Muhumuza Ibra - Dean, School of Dentistry - University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Karl Self - University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and Donna.
Hello everyone. Happy New Year from Urukundo Kids, Staff and Mama Arlene.
The news is I am coming to the US for a visit with Urukundo’s support friends and family and my kids. It is great coming home without a medical reason.
I arrive in the states April 1. This is no April Fool's joke! I really am coming.
I plan to return to Urukundo Village, Rwanda on June 9, 2015.
The contact person for scheduling stops for the trip is Patricia D. Brown: pdbrown@spiritworks.org
Please contact her for information.
I do hope to see many of you and share the story of Urukundo (Story of Love).
Because we sent the December newsletter a bit early, here are a few photos from last month's COMMUNITY & STAFF PARTY
Staff children watched a movie, had juice and Biscuits and received a small gift.
