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Plumb Bob and Rebar-bara … reflecting back on 2010

 

Hi Friends of YCVM!

It’s us, Plumb Bob and Rebar-bara!  You remember us, don’t you?  Think back a few months to a Thursday evening in Oakland Chinatown at Legendary Palace Restaurant.  Yes, it’s us!  Boy I bet you didn’t think you’d be getting a letter from us.  But a lot has happened these past eight months and since we’re all good friends, we just want to share it all with you.
Let’s first catch up on that Thursday evening.   The benefit dinner named, “Bricks, Mortar & Steel:  Building a Hope and a Future where we sang African songs, had a delicious Chinese dinner, played a game of things in Kumi, heard first hand stories from the team of eight that went to Uganda and raised $15,000.  Yes we did it, you did it – raised $15,000 to complete the primary wing of the school.
We would like to tell you that the school is completed and filled with smiling, laughing children, but we are not there yet.  But we are going to get there, because the roof has been raised on the wing!  Yeah that’s pretty exciting.  Thinking back we remember being at the school site in July of 2009, working on the walls that were only a foot or two high.  After we came back home, our Kumi friends sent us photos of the school with the walls at window level.  And now the roof is on the school!  What an accomplishment for YCVM and everybody involved.
Okay the roof is raised, but there are still hurdles to clear before the school can begin operation.  Every school needs to have a place for children to play - a playground, so additional land needs to be purchased.  Then after that the school needs to be furnished and staffed.  
Now this is where you come in again our friends.  The school needs your help.  Another $25,000 is needed to get the school to the point where those eager, smiling children can say with pride, “That’s my school!”
Hey, but this letter is not just about money.  It’s about staying in touch with our friends.  It’s about letting you know what’s happening with the school in Kumi, Uganda.  It’s about moving forward to getting the school completed.  It’s about praying with us for the members of YCVM.
If you get the chance, go to the YCVM blog site and check it out for yourself what’s been happening with the school.  You will be so pleasantly surprised.  We want you to feel how we feel.  Right Rebar?  Rebar where are you?  
Well gotta go now, I think Rebar found some Stoney, our favorite soda from Kumi and I don’t want him to drink it all.

Peace be with you our friends,

Plumb Bob and Rebar-bara on behalf of the members of YCVM and the members of CCUMC.

2010 Year-End Letter

(Below is a communication that was mailed at the beginning of 2011 to supporters of YCVM)

January 31, 2011

Dear Friends of YCVM,

Looking back at the year 2010, the Mission Team at Chinese Community United Methodist Church is filled with awe, gratitude, and amazement at the blessings and miracles we have witnessed. We wish to share with you both the tremendous progress made in Kumi, Uganda, and the eager hopes that carry us forward into 2011.
Thanks to your generosity, we have been able to fully support 11 orphans in 2010. This includes providing for their school tuition, uniforms, school supplies, room and board, and counseling. All the students are healthy and faring well.
The YCVM Praise Band and Ministry Team continue to do outreach to villages, towns, schools, and prisons, sharing the Good News of the Gospel through word and song. One of the most inspiring events was the establishment of a worshiping congregation at the Displaced Persons Camp in Katakwi, Uganda. While the residents there experience many hardships in a camp with few resources, they now know the message of love and hope which God brings to them. Please continue to pray for them and the many new converts who have been brought to the faith through YCVM.
For those of you who attended our Benefit Dinner in April, you’ll be excited to read the enclosed letter from “Plumb-Bob” (aka Donna Chan Chu, one of the 2009 Missioners). Through this first major fundraiser, we were able to send $40,000 towards the building of the school in Kumi. Within a few months, construction raised the brick shell of the entire school and completed the roof… the speed of their construction seemed miraculous! You can see photos of the progress at the website: www.ycvm.org
The Dream goes on as our little church in Oakland Chinatown pursues the goal of completing the school and getting it to the stage where classes can be held. Plans are in the works to hold the second fundraiser dinner and to invite our partners in YCVM to play a major role in helping us. As always, we give thanks to each and every one of you, our supporters, who have so faithfully donated time, money, and prayers to this ministry. We couldn’t do it without you.
We invite you to continue your participation in 2011 in whatever ways the Spirit leads you. Enclosed is a brochure outlining how you can sponsor an orphan or contribute to the work of YCVM and the school construction project. We will also keep you posted on the upcoming fundraiser events for 2011: a sponsorship concert in March and the Benefit Dinner tentatively set for August.
We hope that this letter has shared with you our heartfelt joy at being in partnership with you for the betterment of the children of Kumi, and ultimately for the empowerment of the Ugandan people. Together we can “Touch the heavens and change the Earth”.

Blessings and Peace,

Becky Wong , Worship Chair Pastor Emily Lin The CCUMC Mission Team

Some of the children are a bit sick

 

Your prayers are needed for some of the sponsored children.  When they fall ill, they miss school time, and their education is affected.  Sometimes illnesses can take awhile to pass, because medication is not readily available.  The local clinics do what they can, but they are not well-prepared to handle many situations.  If treatment can’t be done locally, the person has to travel to town where there is a larger medical facility.  In many cases, people can’t afford to travel there to get treatment.  And, of course, if you can’t pay, then you don’t get treated.

Fortunately, YCVM-sponsored children have the resources to get treatment.  However, they still have to miss school.  If they are out of school too long, they might have to repeat their classes because they can’t pass the exam.  Please pray for them.