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By Andrea Dujardin-Flexhaug
DENNIS AND DIANE Unrau of Kelowna’s New Life Church, went to Mexico to help in an orphanage in 1995.
They had committed to stay for one year – but they are still there, 14 years later.
The couple serve as house parents in an orphanage named Hogar de Amor y Proteccion al Nino, with 22 children aged six and under.
Under the banner of Hope for the Nations, the project began as a joint effort
between a church in Colima, Mexico named Grupo Amor and New Life in Kelowna.
In January of 1992, the Unraus and another couple from New Life headed to Grupo
Amor with $10,000 in fundraising, to help start the first orphanage – and it has expanded from there.
When the couple started off as house parents in Colima, there were 32 children
in one home; now there are more than 150, in eight different homes.
“My wife and I have always had a heart for children and youth, working with the
youth in our church for a number of years – as well as being foster parents for a number of years,” said Dennis.
“At the end of the first year, we just really felt that we were not to go home
yet. So [we] committed for another year – which has ended up being over 13 years now, and we still do not have any plans
as far as returning.”
A scripture that has always been an inspiration for the couple is James 1:27: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look
after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being
polluted by the world.”
They are in the process of opening two new homes for children, with the need for
orphan care a constant one.
“Most of our children are not true orphans in the sense that both parents are
dead,” explained Dennis.
Most are children of single moms in financial straits; others have been taken
out of abusive situations; still others have parents who are in prison.
“One of the hard parts is that the children are always suffering from abandonment
– and are more often than not, wanting to be back with their parents, no matter
how terrible the situation was.”
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Children who suffer the loss of a parent because of death go through the
grieving process and move on, noted Dennis, but in the case of abandonment “the child doesn’t understand.”
Still, the work is fulfilling for the Unraus – and a real blessing.
“To hear the little ones singing songs about the Lord with smiles on their faces
is a joy, as you know they have received healing in their hearts. Or when a
child comes to you and asks for a hug or a kiss, it is so great to let them
know that they are loved.”
The Unraus try to come back to their home in Kelowna at least once a year, to
visit family and friends. But it seems they are in Mexico for the long haul, at
this point.
“We are not sure when we will go back home to live,” says Dennis.
The ministry relies heavily on volunteer workers from Mexico, and there have
been volunteers from countries overseas such as Germany, France and Switzerland
– and closer to home, from Canada and the U.S.
Contributions to the ministry (mark ‘for Colima orphanage’) in Mexico can be made through Hope for the Nations, 2041 Harvey Avenue,
Kelowna, B.C. V1Y 6G7.
For more information regarding sponsorship, or to volunteer, phone 250.712.2007 – or go to www.hogaramor.com.
July 2009
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