General

Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for May 2011

An Open Letter to our Prayer Partners:
In these past few weeks I have received a serious lesson on how important communication with other believers and our Lord is.
Having a close encounter with death can teach you the power of prayer.
I had been dealing with a bad cough and what I thought was a sinus infection.  I awoke at 4am one morning not able to breathe. Thank God Jan Brown (no relation) from PA was in the house with me. Had I been alone I do not think I would be here now. "God in Charge."  To make a long story short and notwithstanding the terror you feel at such a time, our driver was called and a very fast trip to King Faisal Hospital emergency room in Kigali, an hour's drive over mountain roads that make PA mountains and roads seem like a miracle highway. Finally I was where I could get some help. After several really bad episodes in the Emergency Room the medical team there took it seriously. You know the theory in hospitals all over the world: "an old woman needing attention - give her some cough medicine, a pat on the head and send her home." 
An E N T specialist was called and after a time a brain scan was done. The left side of my head and throat could not function due to inflammation, swelling and coughing.  It was a cycle. The coughing created the inflammation which in turn caused the swelling and that was aggravated by the cough. Thank God there are two sides to the brain. As difficult and frightening as it was, enough oxygen could get to the lungs. It was necessary to get medicine that would reduce the swelling and then the inflammation. With some of the irritation gone, the coughing slowly was reduced.
I am still working with the cough but it is no longer dangerous. I am in full work mode again and doing well. God is Good.
I know for sure only prayer and God placing the right people in the right places gave me the time needed to get all my ducks in a row. I took Isaiah 38 verses 1,2 and 3 and asked the Lord for more time as King Hezekiah did and God has answered my prayer. However I need more than 15 years.
It was a tough wake up call but made me know that even though I intend to live to be 110 it is important to have a line of succession and security for Urukundo Foundation and the children God has given us to care for.
That has been taken care of and the future of Urukundo is secure. Praise God.
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Surgery on our Farm

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Not your typical operating room, nor the normal procedure, but it works in Urukundo Village. The combined expertise of a vet from Rwanda and two vets from Austria has made a difference in our lives at Urukundo Home for Children and for our favorite and only milk cow DAISY.
Daisy is our source of milk for all 43 children and she had a problem that threatened milk production.  When Daisy was very young a cow herder hit her in the eye with a stick. She lost vision in that eye and it petrified. For some reason recently the eye began to water and enlarge, protruding more and more and causing Daisy pain.
Sam, our farm manager, was our driving force. When he heard that our visitor was a surgeon for animals he set things in motion to get Daisy the help she needed. Anesthesia was the critical need. Drs. Otto and Tina joined our on site vet in performing surgery.
A happy team after the successful operation.
Otto and Tina also spent time with the babies. Here they are with (l-r) David, Mama and Kenny, Rebekah.

Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for March 2011

Greetings from Mama and Urukundo kids.
March has been very busy. Moving into the new house was such a pleasure. It feels like a home and not just a stopping place.
EVERY ONE HELPED. Less work for me.
The yard for the new place connects with the yard for the Homes. Easy access for me and for the kids. My back door looks out at the back door of the boys home. Being able to wave to them when they stand there is so great. It also is safer for the little ones to come - the distance is shorter for little legs.
My sorrow is I can not see the volcano from my porch. It will be the view from the preschool so I will see it when I visit the school.  I just have to get motivated and walk. The mountain climb is also from the school. So I have many reasons to visit the school and stay healthy.
Jan Brown returns April 5th and the work will start on the preschool. This is an exciting time at Urukundo.
Our Primary girls went shopping for church clothes. They looked very good as they gathered for a photo moment.
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Greetings from Urukundo Village in the Center of Rwanda

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 Sorry for the delay.  I really appreciate Sarah's note to my partners, family and friends.  It makes the computer responsible and I sure needed an excuse for no newsletter.

"Due to a computer malfunction, there will be a delay in publishing the February 2011 Newsletter."  This really sounds great.  The truth be known and advice given.

Do not spill a cup of tea on your laptop keyboard.

The computer cannot be repaired and so I have lost some precious pictures and documents.  I wonder if anyone else has made this same mistake - or only me!  This means buying a new laptop, which was not in my budget for the months ahead.

Advice for you all and especially me :

Don't drink and computer! 

Oh well, life goes on and the term 'crying over spilt milk' sure applies.  

UPDATE ON A MORE POSITIVE NOTE

February has been a month of change at Urukundo.  We have become more agricultural with 7 kitchen gardens.

carrots

cabbage 

Squash

The view standing at the garden site looking south.  There are also red beets, dodo (a type of spinach) green beans, peas and maize. 

Now that electricity is more dependable we can freeze foods for use during the dry season. A gift to buy the freezer was sent to us by a friend in Canada.  Our need now is freezer containers - freezing is not big in Rwanda. 

 

Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for January 2011

 Happy  New Year from the Urukundo Kids and Mama Arlene!
2011 came in with what started out as a noisy party - singing, dancing, watching videos and listening to music. The kids were excited! We played games, had refreshments and then by 10 pm the kids decided the New Year could come in with them sleeping in their warm beds. By midnight our group had dwindled to a precious few.  Divine, Esperance and Annet remained awake - just barely - until midnight.  There was even a short firework display and noise. Not great, but certainly fun to see.
2010 in Review

 42 children live in Urukundo Village
8 are in the Nursery
3 attend Preschool
15 are in Primary
16 are in Secondary School
5 of our staff attend University thanks to generous sponsors.
 
5 children were added to our family in 2010 - all but one child at Urukundo has a sponsoring family. 
 
All children and staff are covered by medical insurance.
Every child has a Jr. Savings account at Fina Bank offering further security for their future.
Urukundo became part of the Prison Ministry for Children - we are now working with the government. 
 
The first graduating class from Urukundo English Language School was a big event.
 
Claudine is wearing her first pair of glasses. Her health & vision are much improved. She is creeping, standing, walking with holding one finger and talking. It has been a big year for her and for us.
 
 
Mama and Lilliane visited America for 3 1/2 months. The trip included time in Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, Washington DC, Arizona, California and Texas.
 
Todd and Andria Ellingson from Arizona, and Nancy Ehrig, a nurse from New Hampshire, filled in for Mama while she was away.

Thoughts from Mama

As in any family everything does not run smoothly; there are ups and downs.
We take each day as it comes and place our trust and hope in the Lord.
2011 is a new page to be written on. 
Hope Made Real and Urukundo Foundation are built on a firm foundation, not on sand, but on a rock (our mountain) - the welfare of Rwanda and its children are our main concern.
We are nurturing the future leaders of Rwanda.   Their lives must be blessed with education and the preservation of their culture and Urukundo is here to build and preserve what the Lord has established.
I invite all who love children and want what is best for their future to join Urukundo as partners in mission for the children of Rwanda.  Thank you for a wonderful year 2010 and a bright future in 2011.



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Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for December 2010

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Greetings!
December has come and gone and what a month it was. 2010 is on its way out. We look forward to greeting the NEW YEAR,  2011. I had a birthday. Usually we have cake and juice for birthdays on the last Saturday in the month but this month the children and I celebrated our December birthdays together the first Saturday  to allow time the end of the month for Christmas and New Years' celebrations.
The children made many cards. These are on the wall in my reception room for all to see and enjoy. The art work of the children is beautiful.

The children made many works of art and gave me a bouquet of flowers.

The cake and juice were very good.

There is no way I can express my appreciation to all who made my 80th birthday special. 

Thank You from Urukundo!

Arlene Brown spoke this fall at Wesley Church about her work at the Urukundo Home for Children in Rwanda. As a result, Jan Brown spent two weeks in November and December at Urukundo, helping establish an early childhood program.

Arlene and Jan are grateful for the support of the United Methodist Men and Women at Wesley who contributed funds, medical supplies, learning materials, insights, and transportation to assure the success of this mission trip.

Playing the 'Hands Together' Game



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Greetings from Mama Arlene in Rwanda for November 2010

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Hello from Urukundo Village and Urukundo Home for Children.

Gee that sounds nice. Urukundo is growing and as we are moving toward 2011 it is awesome what God is doing here. Starting out with a rented house and one child in Gitarama Town in 2006, the changes that have taken place can only be from the Lord. The Lord has given us a home for boys, a home for girls, a nursery, Hope House, a multi purpose house, and a small piece of land dedicated to chickens, four sheep and a cow and her baby.  We call it a farm. Small but productive - we are so blessed. 

The wet season is upon us and I am cold at 70 degrees. Normal for me but when I remember winters in PA, I know I have no reason to complain. 
Wonderful things are happening at Urukundo Home for Children. Three new babies, Kenny, Kenila,and Prince. Claude is home and Ezekiel may be back soon. We now have 42 children in our family - 19 boys and 23 girls. Our maximum capacity is 50.