MOTHER’S DAY–DOING WHAT MOTHERS DO
“Saving a life”
My new team of visitors packed up and we drove out of Pemba at 5:00a.m. Sunday.  We got to the house, unloaded the pick-up, and headed to church at 9a.m.  Balbina, a foster mother, asked for prayer for our newest arrival, 3 month old Ortencia.  One look at the baby told me she had serious malaria, so off we prayed and then rushed her to the hospital. Kaylan, a nursing student from Concordia in Austin went with me, getting her first experience in how we treat a semi-comatose malaria case.
  The ER was quiet, and one of their best nurses was on duty.  Ortencia’s finger stick malaria test was positive, and she was very dehydrated from the fever.  The nurse sent a runner to fetch their best pediatric nurse, as he couldn’t get the IV started.  We prayed. The Peds nurse got the IV in on the 2nd stick. PTL!  Ortencia is semi-comatose, only slightly responding to pain. Quinine injectable is given, and she is watched carefully for seizures.  Now we wait.
  Two mothers are needed to watch over a baby in the hospital, so I rush back to the church which was just letting out.  Finding Dominica, our Women’s Pastor, we locate another widow in our program willing to help out at the hospital.  Fetching her some food, and 10 gallons (40 liters) of WATER we head back to the hospital. (The new water well we just drilled to help the hospital isn’t ready for use as the cement must harden for a week before the pump can be put in). 
  Now that the baby’s needs are covered, we have to find a 2nd mother to stay with the other orphans at Balbina’s house.  She has older girls, so we just needed someone to keep them on schedule.
By this time, it’s late afternoon and Ortencia is now AWAKE and taking a bottle. We PTL for His mercy on this precious little one.
  On Tuesday at noon, she was released from the hospital, looking her chipper self again.
We praise the Lord for her fast recovery, and for getting us home that morning fromPemba without delay, so that I saw the child in time to help her.
An infant under 3 months has little resistance to malaria, and things can turn critical very quickly.
The mother thinks the child is just sleeping, not realizing they are comatose, and death follows rapidly.
Few are saved once they reach the comatose stage, and we were very close to that.
We are very grateful for this miracle from our Lord, as we know HE is the Great Physician, and the ONLY ONE who can save those that man can’t.  Such is the case with Ortencia. THANK YOU JESUS!
 
ERIC AND TEAM RETURN MONDAY NIGHT WITH NEW 7 TON TRUCK
  Fully loaded with cement, truck tires, and 2 huge “rear” tractor tires, Manuel drove the new truck into our mission station just after dark on Monday.  Eric drove in just ahead of him with a fully loaded pick-up and trailer.  The national capital is full of the supplies that aren’t available in our area.   Eric took the team to a new shopping mall in Maputo that has a glass elevator and an escalator. The guys were shocked and wide eyed at the “stairs that moved” and the “box that went up and down”.  The most they knew about was 4 story buildings with stairs.  I’m sure they were called liars by their family that night when they told them the stories of what they say.
 
Tuesday was unloading day, and Eric immediately put the truck to work, bringing in 2, 7 ton loads of beans from the Mango Tree Warehouse.
(The new truck has a great spring loaded seat, very comfy, even on bad roads, and you know how men can be with their new toys!)
So he put it to the test, and it got many “wows” as he drove through the village.
It is one sharp looking truck with a turbo engine, not even straining under a maximum load.
 
Jesus gave us this truck through a very generous family in Dallas, TX.
Saying Thank You to them hardly seems adequate, but we are MOST GRATEFUL for their sincere hearts for serving Jesus.
   Their crowns are stored in heaven, as I know they gave sacrificially to make this happen.
We PRAISE THE LORD for ALL HE gives us through many generous donors, so that others may live and know the truth about HIM, the Alpha and the Omega!
 
FOOD BUYING TEAM FLYING IN
Don Hitsman and Kaylan Vollmering arrived last Saturday, and have worked hard all week to get the warehouses and equipment ready for the massive processing and sacking of over 500 TONS of corn and beans.  Our bean buying is almost finished.  Our barn contains 90 TONS already!  Another 20 TONS will flow in by the 19th to complete what is needed.
 
This Saturday, May 19th, I will pick up David Abel, Kansas State Un., and Bryce Vaughn, Nebraska State Un., (both Agriculture majors)  who are also part of the food buying team.
 
A dear friend of mine, Dave VanderGriend, who is in the area on business, will meet us in Pemba on Saturday for a quick 3 day visit to observe our Balama program.
 
It is an honor to have ALL these wonderful people give up their personal time to bring the Love of Jesus to the orphans and widows in our area.
 
Blessings to all of you and thank you for helping us to help those in need.
Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama Team
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

BBB PICKING UP VISITORS IN PEMBA NEXT 2 WEEKENDS
So my blogs will be sent during the week till after May 20th.
 
This week, I’ll be picking up Don Hitsman, MI, and Kaylan Vollmering, TX.  Both are coming to help with the food buying and processing so we can feed the 1,700 orphans in our care.
 
GOAT BARN CORRALS COMPLETED AND ROOF GOING UP
Due to a construction delay in completing the dorm kitchen, and a surprise delivery of 4×4 roofing beams, my carpenters were freed up to roof the goat barn this week. The corrals were completed last Saturday.  On Monday, the carpenters loaded the 6 ton truck with roofing materials and de Bunny drove them to Rovuma village, 4 miles away.  A women driving a big truck is unheard of in this country, so many heads turned, as Mama Brenda hasn’t been in the big rig for some months.
With Manuel, our truck driver, on the road with Eric to fetch the new rig, there was no one left but me.  The carpenters hope to have the barn completed by this Saturday.  Once finished, we can begin buying the remainder of the 70+ goats that were donated earlier this year.
We added 6 young females last week, when a teacher was transferred to another county, and needed to sell his herd quickly.
Present herd numbers 37.
 
BEAN BUYING IN FULL SWING
With Capena and his team buying in remote locations, and Leona supervising the Balama buying at our barn, we have brought in 58 TONS in 10 days.  110 tons is needed to complete the job.
 
ERIC’S TEAM ON THE WAY HOME
Eric reports that all is well on his 2nd day of their return.  A missionary friend who helps us “network” in Maputo gave him a load to take to Chimoio, at their halfway point in return for paying the FUEL for the first 500 miles of our journey. THAT is a big blessing as big trucks get very thirsty. They delivered the load last night and will be crossing the mighty Zambezi River Bridge today (over 1 mile wide).   I am very happy the bridge is finished as the ferry that use to be the ONLY crossing has been known to sink. Not nice.
 
Water Well Drilling Team is back in action and hopes to drill our Nacacca well this Monday.
 
I’m on my way to Pemba in an hour, so have to close.
Blessings from Bush Bunny Brenda and all the Balama Team!
 

ERIC AND 3 MAN TEAM FETCHING NEW NISSAN UD70 TRUCK
Eric’s team drove out Thursday, facing a 4 day drive to Mozambique’s capital of Maputo, about 1000 miles south of us, on not such nice roads.
He will arrive this afternoon, May 6th, to pick up the new truck tomorrow, then load it with cement, truck tires, groceries, and other supplies that are not available here.
He hopes to be back around May 14th if all goes as planned. This big 7 ton truck will need 6 days to traverse the roads back to Balama.
  Our 11 year old tractor badly needs 2 huge rear tires replaced, but a phone call revealed that Maputo had none in stock.
PTL because on Thursday afternoon, Eric was able to find them in Nampula, the city 7 hours south of us.
 MAF in Nampula is storing them till his team returns with the big truck, as these huge 4.5 foot tall tires overwhelm a pick-up.
Most missionary groups network here, making it possible for God’s people to achieve the objectives He has given to all of us.
We PRAISE THE LORD for MAF and other missionaries who link arms with us.
 
19 BAPTIZED IN LOCAL COW POND MAY 5TH
These new believers in Christ, from the remote churches of Pequaria and Namara, will observe their first Holy Communion this morning.
 
3 YEAR OLD FERNANDO IN BICYCLE ACCIDENT
  Fernando’s older brother borrowed a bicycle on Wed. and took his little brother for a ride.
They live with their grandmother in one of our orphan homes here in Balama.
Fernando got his foot caught in the rear wheel spokes causing a bad sprain, as well as tearing off a large part of the skin and tissue of his right ankle, exposing his Achilles tendon.
The hospital treatment was not up to “par” as the Dr. is out of town, so I prayed and asked God how to treat such a serious wound.
His answer surprised me: “Treat it like a BURN with Silvadene”, which is a cream that helps skin regenerate and seals burns from infection.
 
Thanks to Blessings International in Tulsa, I have 3 tubes of Silvadene cream in my medical supply.  We prayed that God would accelerate Fernando’s healing.
We were AMAZED to see that within 24 hours the wound had closed by 20 %.  I’m doing twice daily bandage changes, and each 12 hours a remarkable improvement is noted.
What was a 3 inch X 2 inch wound is down to a 1 inch circle by yesterday with NO signs of infection (4 days after the accident).
There is no way Silvadene alone is doing this miracle healing. 
I PRAISE THE LORD FOR HIS MERCY AND PROVISION that allows us to help those who otherwise would suffer severe consequences or even death from problems like this.
My THANKS to Harold Harder, founder of Blessings International, for providing ALL our medicines, so that the multitudes can live to know who Christ is.
 
FIRST DAY OF BEAN BUYING
Many ask me what my “normal” work day looks like.  My response is “there isn’t one”.
  So I thought I’d share a bit of what went on last Thursday so you can better understand why we need more missionary help, and have to work 12 to 14 hour days from May to November.
 
Thursday, May 3rd was the first day of bean buying.
Bunny gets up at 3:30a.m.
4a.m.
Our BEAN BUYING TEAM loads the tractor with supplies, and heads out to the Mpaca village, the “bean growing capital of Balama”. 
5a.m. (sun is rising)
Capena, driving a Land Cruiser, leaves 30 minutes later with his 4 man team and the huge scales for weighing feed bags.
(Capena is our Program Manager who organizes the village coops, distributes the feed bags, then weighs, inspects, and buys the 500+ TONS of corn and beans every year).
Eric and his truck fetching team leave at 5a.m.also.
 
5:45a.m. team devotions with the construction crews.
6a.m. Leona Philips, from S. Africa, and the newest member of our missionary staff, opens 3 warehouses where our food is processed and stored.  Multi-tasking, she shows us her management skills as she simultaneously supervises:
1. Barn repairs (termite damage to 3 roofing support posts)
2. Maize mill grinding for our normal Balama food give out
3. Cleaning out and reorganizing of the construction supply warehouses
 
As the ONLY driver left in camp, I’m busy hauling the food to our Distribution Center for the weekly handout to 300+ orphans and widows (along with Linda and my Moz. staff) when I receive a Police Summons for 6a.m. (now what?)
I quickly organize all the construction supplies, hauling them to the dorm kitchen site, then race down to the police station (10 minutes late).
A drunk, who had stolen a door from one of our orphan houses the day before, had filed charges against me, saying I stole money and his cell phone from his house while the village chief was searching his home for the missing door on Wed.
We answer the charges with witnesses, and the case is thrown out, but it’s now put me 30 minutes behind in my work.
 
9a.m. Water well drilling team has completed the first water well for the hospital, but their drilling supervisor is very ill with malaria.  He received treatment at the hospital, but needs a bed, as these guys sleep in their trucks.  So we put him to bed in our men’s guest house, parked all 3 of their huge drilling trucks, and gave his 6 man team a shady spot to set up camp.
 
10a.m. Fernando (story above) shows up with his food injury needing a bandage change along with several other sick orphans. (clinic time)
11a.m. Helped Leona complete the warehouse clean up by hauling off the trash, then had lunch.
2-4pm, busy with construction and organizing supplies for the next day’s work.
4pm, Bean Buying Team returns—Leona gets the men to unload into the barn.
The Water Well Driver is worse, so I called his boss in Nampula, and Capena loads him into his truck and rushes him to the Montepuez Regional Hospital where they save his life with Quinine.  Capena gets back at 7pm and we all finally get to settle down for the night.
 
WATER WELL DRILLING should resume later this week with the Nacacca church well, once their driller is strong enough to work.
 
THAT is a “typical” day in the life of de Bunny and her staff.
 
Blessings and thanks for your prayers.  Remember, Eric is on the road till May 14th, so help us keep him covered.
Also, our food buying helpers arrive this Saturday, so I’ll be off to Pemba to fetch them.
(Don Hitsman, MI, and Kaylan Vollmering, TX fly out Thursday from the USA).
 
Bush Bunny Brenda and the Moz. staff
 
 
 

NEW BABY JOINS OUR FAMILY
  A 6 week old girl, Ortencia Ramadane, was placed in our care on Wed.  Her mother died when she was 14 days old due post partem complications.  Her village area is far from the nearest bush clinic.   Ortenica was left with her grandfather, who is the only living relative. He cared well for her, but knew she needed a permanent home as he would not live to see her grow up.  So our little family keeps growing, and we Praise the Lord that this little one will grow up knowing Jesus loves her.
 
CHURCH REPORT
1.      April and May are Baptism months, so all 11 bush churches are preparing the new converts for this big event.
2.     Two new churches are being organized in the remote regions of Namara and Nacala.  Both villages have 20-30 new believers and plan to build mud brick churches later this year.
3.     Members of BUTLER FUMC of Butler, PA have sponsored a water well.  I was just notified that the well drilling rig we use will be in our area this week.
We hope to locate this well in Nacacca, population 5000+.
This village only has one water well which can serve only 1,200 people if it’s pumped around the clock.
THANK YOU BUTLER FUMC for this precious gift of life!
 
CONSTRUCTION MOVES ON
1.     This week, the dorm’s kitchen foundation was completed and bricks will “fly” this week as we start on the walls.
2.     A simple carport roof was built for the NEW NISSAN UD 70 (7 ton) truck that Eric will pick up in Maputo by mid-May.
Waiting on final import and registration to be completed.  This truck is an awesome gift of love from friends in Dallas, TX.
A 2nd truck will allow expansion into a 3rd county where the gospel has never been preached and the orphans are numerous.
 
3.     On Monday, our carpentry team leaves for the Mango Tree Church where they will rebuild the food warehouse which was destroyed by the December, 2011 tornado that hit this area.  This warehouse is a key player in our bean buying which starts in mid-May.
Love and Hugs,
Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama gang!
 
 
 

WOW! Getting back to the fast paced USA has been a bit of a shock to my bunny system!
It’ was overwhelming to go into Walmart for the first time after having only shopping in a little one room store for 9 months.
 
All is going well in Mozambique, as Eric Dry, my Associate Director, is keeping me well informed of all that is going on.
Much rain has made travel and work very difficult, but this is our “norm” from Dec. to March.
 
I was heartbroken yesterday when Eric wrote to tell me that our precious little 2 year old ESPERANCA from Impire Village, took ill with malaria last week.
Even though she received treatment, she only lived 2 more days before leaving us to go live with Jesus.
 
For those who may not know her story, Esperanca was declared DEAD IN UTERO 2 years ago by our Balama Doctor.
The mother refused to accept those words, and came to our church, asking Linda Stanley and our women’s prayer group to pray for her.
After prayer, there was no movement or other sign that the baby was alive, so the mother walked back to her village (15 miles into the bush) very disappointed.
Three weeks later, she went into labor.   The nurse at the Impire Village Clinic checked her but found NO HEART BEAT.
Jesus performed a resurrection miracle and that baby received LIFE AS SHE EXITED THE BIRTH CANAL, SCREAMING her entrance.
Shocking everyone, she was found to be in perfect health.
Linda and 2 year old Esperanca can be seen together on this year’s DVD update.
Many die of malaria each year due to inadequate treatment in remote clinics.
This is one of the “roots” that orphans so many across Africa.
 
Our DVD updates will be available where ever I speak this year for a $5 donation to cover our cost for making it.
If you cannot get to one of these meetings, then you may obtain a copy of the update by contacting Linda Ferguson at our office in Texas.
 
I’m in Eagle Lake, TX at the moment, staying with my parents.
On Thursday this week, I will leave for Kansas and travel none stop till the middle of March hoping to see many of you as I travel to 7 states.
If you need to contact me, e-mail is the best way. (Brenda@orphansunlimited.org)
If you need to speak to me, then you may text or call me on my USA cell:  210-912-3919.
 
I really look forward to visiting with as many of you as possible.
Blessings,
Bush Bunny Brenda on tour