BUSH BUNNY BASHING THE BUSH FOR BEANS!
There was no time to lose, as 2 hours into my first day back, one of the village chiefs informed us that illegal food buyers were already working in several of the villages that normally sell their beans to us. We prayed for wisdom and the Lord brought forth several key village leaders with the authority to help us secure and guard beans in major villages until June 1st, which is the legal buying date. So the race is on, and the BUSH BUNNY TEAM is racing in the fast lane to make sure our kids have their precious protein for 2011.
THE SHORTEST DISTANCE BETWEEN A PROBLEM AND IT’S SOLUTION IS THE DISTANCE BETWEEN YOUR KNEES AND THE FLOOR. Those who kneel to the LORD JESUS can stand up to anything.
We live by that daily here at our mission station.
GOD’S TIMING IS NEVER LATE
On April 10th, Eric and our super missionary, Grandma Linda (73), went out to Impire village, 16 miles into the bush to visit the church. They greeted the family who had the miracle baby, Esperanca, whom Jesus raised from the dead after being dead in utero for 2 weeks. The Muslim parent’s became immediate believers after seeing this, and it is still the “testimony of the year” out in that area.
To get to Impire, they had to cross a major bridge over a deep river. This bridge had been under water for over a month, but all went well with their crossing. On Monday morning, the whole bridge collapsed into the river bed, making the road impassable. There is no doubt that God’s angels were on duty to protect our team.
This concrete bridge was only 2 years old, and was essential to our food buying in that area of the county.
At this time, we wait to see what alternative route might be organized by June for our truck and tractor.
FOOD CRISIS CURTAILED BY O.U. FOOD RESERVES
April is harvest time, so food is plenty. Each year at this time, we release the remainder of our emergency corn and bean reserve to the most needy in our area.
Both the Balama hospital and the Balama High School Dorm students received gifts from us to avert a major hunger problem. The food donations usually given to support these groups were cancelled last month. The hospital’s food supply for the patients was almost gone, and the school dorm was desperate for anything to feed 200 of the most promising 8th, 9th, and 10th graders who come from remote villages all over the county.
Orphans Unlimited built and organized this dorm system in 2001 to help break the poverty cycle in the underprivileged village students whose parents could not afford a high school education for their children.
These young men and women took entrance exams to qualify for the 200 dorm beds, as the county wide competition is stiff with over 1000 trying to qualify each year.
To help support themselves, these kids raise a large garden and farm 5 acres with an army of strong backs and their hoes. Because they didn’t receive any food donations in February, they had to live strictly off what they harvested in March. Our truck and crew happily gifted them with 200 bags of corn and 18 bags of beans this week.
The hospital was gifted with 100 bags of corn and 9 bags of beans.
A SPIKE AND “3 MEN ON A CROSS”
On Good Friday, I pulled out a huge carpenter’s spike over 7 inches long, and with my drama “3 men on the cross”, gave an object lesson to an open air crowd of over 100 men who had come to seek work at our mission station. In this culture, men rarely come forward at an altar call as most are from Muslim families and fear persecution or death for their response.
So I wasn’t surprised when no one responded. I ended by teaching them how to pray and receive Jesus in their own home. EASTER MORNING, I was quite surprised to see 3 of those men come forward to receive Jesus. They confessed that my words had entered their hearts, so before our church crowd of 250, they confessed Jesus Christ as their Savior.
THIS IS A RARE HAPPENING WITH MEN in our area, and I was truly blessed at how God is moving among the men in Balama.
BUSH BIBLE SCHOOL is in its 2nd week with 98 students enrolled to study God’s Word. We need more pastors, and “growing our own” is the only way we can plant more village churches. J
I hope all of you had a Blessed Easter Weekend with your family.
Love in Christ,
Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama Team