The larger kitchen necessary to feed kids and staff is completed. I'll have a picture next month. We do one project at a time.
In Our Favor: a New Guest House
John Kayitare, our administrator, his family and the ministry have combined resources and we now have a guest house on site in the Urukundo Village. It is beautiful. We have the facility to care for teams who want to come and help build for the future. This new home eliminates the rent we paid at the old guesthouse. It also gives visitors more time to be with and get to know our kid. Make your reservations now. We look forward to having you.
Progress on the Home for Girls
[gallery]
The girl's home is still a work in progress. The inside needs shelves, curtains, more tables, etc. The outside needs spouting, a tank to catch and hold water and beautification. God is good and so the girls have a very nice home that will only get better.
Thanks to all who have made this possible.
The girl's home is still a work in progress. The inside needs shelves, curtains, more tables, etc. The outside needs spouting, a tank to catch and hold water and beautification. God is good and so the girls have a very nice home that will only get better.
Thanks to all who have made this possible.
The Girls Have Moved into Their New Home
Construction on the inside of the girls home is now complete. We finally have glass in the windows and the girls have moved in. Blankets to cover the windows will work until we get material to make curtains. The windows keep out the mosquitos and the blankets at night give them privacy.It is beginning to look nice as you can see in the picture, although there is still much work to do on the outside of the building.
It is so wonderful to have a real home for the girls and we thank you all for your support as we create a stable and solid home for our children.
Laundry Day (and a look at how we use our water efficiently)
At Urukundo Village, where the children in our direct care live, we wanted to give you a look not only at Laundry Day in the back yard, but also how we make the most of our resources. This tank gathers the rainwater from the roof so that every drop we capture gets put to good use and helps us to further make ourselves self-sustainable.
Laundry day in the backyard.
Laundry day in the backyard.Vision Made Real: A Roof is on the Girl's Home
The roof is now on the girls home, with face boards still to come. It is an interesting roof. During the morning and evening it is bright red. At other times it has silver stripes running through it that reflect the sunlight, making it all the more beautiful.
We hope to finish the inside, the wiring and the plumbing, and move the girls into their new home before Christmas. Our vision is to have all the children in one place by December.
It is incredibly exciting to say the least and I thank you all for making this idea an incredible reality. There is so much left to do, but it's great to see the results of all our efforts so far.
Our First Marriage in the Urukundo Family
We have had our first wedding in the Urukundo family! Mary Claire, one of our first mamas, is a beautiful bride, and her new husband a handsome young man. Mary Claire is now a student at Butare University thanks to her sponsors at Wesley UMC in Bethlehem, Pa. Because of their kindness, this young woman will have a brighter future.
She intends to finish her education and return to Urukundo to return the love that has been shown to her.
Introducing Dr. Jean Bosco and Our Medical Wishlist
[gallery]
Dr. Jean Bosco is a nurse 1. He can prescribe medicine and do minor surgery. We are blessed that he has chosen to work in Christian ministry and work with Urukundo in our clinic. This past week two visitors from a clinic in Ruhungeri came to see what we were doing and were amazed that we had a Nurse 1. Theirs is a clinic in operation to the community in the north and they do not have a nurse 1. It made me stop and thank our God for Dr. Jean Bosco.
We visited a clinic in another location and witnessed all the medical supplies they had that we needed. This examining table with steps is on our wish list.
It is home made and we can get it here. Our clinic really needs everything but this would be a start.
Dr. Jean Bosco is a nurse 1. He can prescribe medicine and do minor surgery. We are blessed that he has chosen to work in Christian ministry and work with Urukundo in our clinic. This past week two visitors from a clinic in Ruhungeri came to see what we were doing and were amazed that we had a Nurse 1. Theirs is a clinic in operation to the community in the north and they do not have a nurse 1. It made me stop and thank our God for Dr. Jean Bosco.
We visited a clinic in another location and witnessed all the medical supplies they had that we needed. This examining table with steps is on our wish list.
It is home made and we can get it here. Our clinic really needs everything but this would be a start.
Our Tiki Hut Brings Us Together
[gallery]
Since the girl's home is still under construction, we had been struggling for some time because we wanted our kids to worship together and transport was a problem. Living in two different places poses it's challenges. One day we will have a chapel at Urukundo Village, but until that day our eyes were opened to the beautiful little Tiki Hut in our garden just below where the boys home is and we are building the girls home. It was built as a resting place and is in such a beautiful setting. All around is the beauty of the earth. Our Tiki Hut Worship Center is now where our children gather. It is small but there is always room for others.
Since the girl's home is still under construction, we had been struggling for some time because we wanted our kids to worship together and transport was a problem. Living in two different places poses it's challenges. One day we will have a chapel at Urukundo Village, but until that day our eyes were opened to the beautiful little Tiki Hut in our garden just below where the boys home is and we are building the girls home. It was built as a resting place and is in such a beautiful setting. All around is the beauty of the earth. Our Tiki Hut Worship Center is now where our children gather. It is small but there is always room for others.
A Look Ahead at Our Future Plans
I want to share with with our future plans for building a life here for these children that will see them into their future. Our plans are to one day build a Chapel, a Clinic for the community and our kids, a Nursery School for working parents with small children, An English Primary and Secondary School where English and Kinyarwanda will be the working language, two more homes for Orphans and a home for Street Kids needing a place of refuge. It may sound like a lot, but look how far we have come. There is much work to be done and teams are needed and welcome. Anything you can do to help us in restoring this wounded part of the world is appreciated.
Progress on the Girl's Home: Building the Roof
Progress on the girl's home continues with the beginning of a roof. It's remarkable how quickly it is coming together as you can see the last few months progress on the girl's home here for comparison. It looks like our girls will have their new home as soon as November.
We have been able to hire four young students who are working during the holiday between trimesters. Not only does this help us get the girl's home done faster, but it helps them earn money for secondary school, improving themselves and the community.
We have been able to hire four young students who are working during the holiday between trimesters. Not only does this help us get the girl's home done faster, but it helps them earn money for secondary school, improving themselves and the community.
Farming and Weather
The weather continues to be unpredictable in Rwanda. It is unusual to have rain in July, but it is happening. I am looking forward to September when we will plant our first real garden on our own land. How wonderful. The land is cleared, leveled and is getting filled. It will take a lot more fill before it is ready for planting but the soil is rich.
Half of it will be American and the rest Rwandan. We have seeds from America and are going to experiment with them. Lettuce, radishes, peas, carrots, cucumbers, squash, etc. This month, August, I will start tomato and pepper plants. Three months from planting to harvest does not seem like enough time for these vegetables to mature. We’ll see. The best part of all this gardening is I can supervise but fortunately don’t have to do the work nor pull weeds.
Donna Doutt, Presbytery Kiskiminetas, from Yatesboro, Pennsylvania is sending us Mammoth Russian Sun Flower seeds to experiment with. These flowers could give us chicken feed. Whether a success or a failure, I will send you pictures so you can see how our experiment goes. This work really is fueled by your ideas and efforts, so our thanks is extended to Donna and all others for their great work.