| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: JULY 4, 2020 HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY TO ALL OF YOU IN THE USA! Be blessed at what you have, for time with FAMILY is irreplaceable. Those precious memories live on with us forever. Praying for all of you that you will have a safe and fun weekend. BALAMA KIDS CONTINUE TO FLOURISH DURING STAY AT HOME TIME With school out through July, our staff is stepping up our teaching time to cover other subjects besides the outdoor physical activities. Our Preschoolers enjoyed the challenge of simple puzzles, while our older children are challenged with more advanced games and studies. The photos and videos are worth more than I can say about what the children are doing, so I will let them do the “talking”.  4- and 5‑year-olds putting puzzles together. Watch the video and you can decide who had more fun… the kids or the teachers? https://youtu.be/2w9G21StGFg  The #1 pick of all they games they play? 4‑way Tug-of-War! Watch the video: https://youtu.be/wM1xIm5R8T4 PRACTICAL WORK ALWAYS ONGOING With 105 children in residence here, we are constantly giving out supplies, then restocking. This week found us replenishing our firewood brought in by local suppliers.  Staff unloading firewood for our children’s homes. The BBC leaders, Carlitos and Daniel, took 2 weeks of food via motorbike to the 9 orphans in the 7th of April village, an hour’s drive from our mission.  Carlitos and Daniel head into the Bush to deliver food to 9 orphans. Our food buying for July begins next week, and continues through the end of the month with a small group of helpers. Moving slower is necessary in order to abide by all the regulations due to the pandemic. So keep us in prayer, as our family pulls together to do “whatever it takes” to get the children’s food into the barns. We start with corn, followed by rice in the hull (straight from the farmers field), peanuts, and Juko Beans both still in their shells. Storing rice, peanuts, and Juko Beans in the shell keeps them fresher, and prevents bug problems. TOGETHER, WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE! Thank you for your ongoing prayers that mean so much to us. I appreciate personal emails, as it gets a bit lonely over here with no visitors. So please feel free to write me and ask questions at brenda@orphansunlimited.org Due to July food buying, I won’t be able to write long notes, but everyone who writes will get an answer. I truly, truly appreciate you all for your helping hand and prayers. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
Monthly Archives: June 2021
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JUNE 27, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: JUNE 27, 2020 TRIPLETS GROWING AND OUR CHILDREN THRIVING And it’s all thanks to your prayers and love gifts. With the schools closed, we are doing our best to keep our children active and learning. The photos in this blog are worth a thousand words. They show much of what we are doing during the cold season (55ºF/15ºC) so our children stay healthy. Our children live and play together, enjoying the outdoors at our learning center at our Balama mission base. I hope you enjoy the photos as well as the 2 short videos below (can’t send more than 15 seconds) as our cell towers can’t handle the big file. Under-12-year-olds receiving a second set of warm clothing for the season. We wash 1 while we wear 1. Click on this link or the photo above to see our kids sending their thanks (Obrigada!) for the warm clothes. https://youtu.be/hpBHah94iIU  Rosa ( 8.5 lbs/3.85 kg) and Rosalina, (9 lbs./4.1kg) at 3 months!  Marcia, Marcelino, and Marcelo (10 lbs/4.6kg) each at 4 months!  In Bawana Games our teams start with the little ones … … And finish with the big kids! These are Bawana Relays on our soccer field. From smallest to oldest, everyone joins in for fun team competitions. Everyone competes against their own age group. Click on the photo above or this link to see a quick video of our kids in action.https://youtu.be/McuNC6Ah8OQ  Our dorm boys deep in thought over a game of Rummykub. Great brain exercise while having fun! TOGETHER, WE ARE MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE IN MANY YOUNG LIVES. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JUNE 20, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: JUNE 20, 2020 GOD DOING SOMETHING WONDERFUL IN ZITO No one can explain it, but no one denies it is a good thing. Zito continues to THRIVE even with the odds against him. Zito is energetic, plays Rummikub with the boys, loves art class, and continues to wheel himself long distances in his adult tri-cycle without anyone helping him. He still requires a tiny dressing change on his hip each day, as the fistula found by the last surgeon is still active.  Zito and his ever faithful wheels. HOWEVER, it doesn’t phase him one bit. If you didn’t know he has a pseudomonas infection in his left femur, you would never suspect it. OUR STAFF, and the hospital staff are happy to see him doing so well. I have no idea how God will answer our prayers, but in no way is this nasty infection in control of his body anymore. I will keep you posted as time goes on, but know that many months have passed with ONLY POSITIVE changes seen in Zito’s health. PRAISE THE LORD, for He is the God of wonderful miracles. Here’s another quick video of our kids having fun and celebrating. Who’s your friend? Jesus! https://youtu.be/yJzT160JAVA SPECIALTY TEAM PROVIDES A HELPING HAND. Our specialty processing team of Manel, Carlitos, and Monsur left Tuesday morning with a loaded 7‑ton-truck for our Meluco mission. Preparing them for the trip took 2 full days as it is similar to sending your family on a 3 day camping trip in the bush. They needed everything from pots and pans to bedding, as well as a corn chute and all the small equipment to do the job. They also took 60 sacks of this year’s beans for the orphans.  Lifting a 400 lb./182kg corn chute onto our truck takes 10 men. The Meluco mission is the main storage facility for the orphans’ food distribution program that supports 515 orphans and the widows who care for them. They needed help to properly sack, sew, and stack the 600 sacks of newly harvested corn that was now in their barn. Using a small team of men, the team completed the dusty job in 2 days, PTL, and were back in Balama early on the 3rd evening. WE ARE VERY GRATEFUL, FOR THIS TEAM’S WORK MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR THESE CHILDREN TO RECEIVE FOOD THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. PREPARING CORN FOR MILLING INTO FLOUR In order to make corn flour, it must be sifted to take out any dust and husk particles present when sacked in the fields. This “clean corn” is then re-sacked and stored for a few days until it needs to be milled.  Sifting the corn so it’s ready to mill into corn flour. Click on the link below to see a short video of how it’s done in our huge 3‑foot-sifters. https://youtu.be/FqflMosXrjY Life in Balama takes a bit more “preparation” than most realize. It is the locals who taught me how to do this. I just built the sifter a bit bigger than what they use. THANK YOU FOR MAKING ALL THIS POSSIBLE VIA YOUR LOVE GIFTS. TOGETHER WE ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JUNE 13, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: JUNE 13, 2020 SUCCESSFULLY RAISING TRIPLETS TAKES GOD’S BLESSING Triplets Antonio, Jacobe, and Armalindo are now 8 years old and in the 3rd grade. They are PROOF that with lots of prayer, raising 3 tiny babies weighing only 1.8kgs(3.9 lbs,) can grow into healthy children.  Granny Arminda and (L‑R) Antonio, Jacobe, Armalindo Eight years ago the Aunt and Grandmother came to us for milk formula, but they lived too far away to fetch milk weekly. We placed the 5 of them in one of our improved mud huts (tin roof, mud brick walls, and cement floor with outdoor kitchen and bathroom.) With many prayers and our help, the 3 boys overcame any illness that attacked their little bodies. Once a year old, they were thriving, and we felt they had a great future. The Aunt left them to get married when the boys were 3, so it was only Grandmother Arminda now caring for them. Once the boys were 5, the Grandmother decided it was time they moved into the village with her niece. The niece would care for them once their very ancient Grandmother has finished her race. Grandmother Arminda is one tough woman. She still comes every Thursday to fetch food for herself and the 3 boys. God has given her the grace to live a long life, and to see her grandsons growing into young men. We use the above story of these triplets as an encouragement to those who come to us with multiple birth babies. Our baby formula program encounters many sets of twins each year, so having 3 sets of triplets still has us amazed. THANK YOU for your prayers and love gifts to help the 3 sets of triplets now in our program. One infant went to heaven 2 weeks ago due to lung complications, but the remaining 8 babies are eating and gaining weight. YOUR LOVE GIFTS AND PRAYERS AT WORK! I LOVE JESUS, JESUS LOVES ME Click the link or the photo to see a YouTube upload of our kids continuing to practice their English.https://youtu.be/KXdyXVBZmZc HELPING ORPHANS IN THE BUSH Our BBC motorbike team is not functioning right now due to current health restrictions against large group meetings. But the orphans in the bush still need to eat, so Carlitos and Daniel, BBC leaders, make a trip every 2 weeks taking food to 3 grannies raising 9 orphans living an hour by motorbike from our base.  Bush Granny and 2 orphans.  Aunt with 3 Bush orphans and her own child. These 2 youth Pastors load 2 motorbikes with corn flour, dried beans, salt, and soap for these families. They spend a few minutes ministering to the children, and talking to the local village Pastor before returning on a rough dirt road that brings them back to our mission station.  Granny with 3 orphans YOUR LOVE GIFTS AT WORK, even in the midst of difficult times. June corn and beans are now in our barn, and all is well thanks to many praying for us to receive what we needed for our children. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JUNE 6, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: JUNE 6, 2020 BALAMA BASH A BIG HIT! Our 105 children and the 32 foster mothers who care for them truly enjoyed a different kind of “careel” (topping over the rice) this year. The goat meat was enhanced with Montega (pinto) beans in a juicy sauce that made our meal super high protein for all.  Sandra, in front in the red dress, enjoying her meal with her foster sisters and brothers.  Monica in front with 2‑year-old Jesuino in back who demanded to sit with the big boys! We have so many little ones under 3 who struggle to chew the goat meat, and this flavourful bean sauce put a big smile on their faces. They loved it and everyone who wanted seconds, received it.  Dixon far left (red shirt). Santos and Armando in front, just before Santos, (terrible 2’s), bopped his brother on his head with his kool-aid cup. Boys are full of surprises. This video I took of them singing in English before the meal was super precious. Click the link to see the kids sing “I love you, Jesus” in English! Our children are learning a new language through song, a great teaching tool https://youtu.be/dJFV8sywkZ4  The rare smile on Monica’s face tells all. She loves her cookies and sucker that everyone received after a fantastic meal. The photos taken as they eat and receive their treats, tells “the rest of the story “. Bush Bunny’s crew hopping to the bean beat this week. Should wrap it up very soon. Blessings, Bush Bunny Brenda Lange and the Balama Staff |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: May 23, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: MAY 23, 2020 ANOTHER TRIPLET IN TROUBLE Triplet Filomena from Rovuma Village developed a respiratory infection on Wednesday making it hard for her to drink from a bottle. When her family brought her to our Thursday weigh-in the next day, she had lost 125 gms. This shows just how serious any sickness can be for an infant that only weighed 1.75 kg (3.85 lbs) in her 2nd week of life. Her third-week-weight dropped to 1.6kg (3.52 kg).  Triplet Filomena on back of father. She is so fragile it made my heart ache as they left for home. Please keep her in prayer, as she received medicine for her infection, but without the help of Jesus, we know her chances to recover are low. Her sister and brother are both doing well at this time. The cold temperatures (15ºC/55ºF) in the early a.m. is not helping the situation. This is UNUSUALLY COLD for May. THANK YOU FOR PRAYING FOR ALL OF THESE BABIES. MEET THE “7TH OF ABRIL” ORPHANS Carlitos Jorge, leader of the BBC Motorbike Teams, uncovered these 9 orphans and their grannies 18 months ago in a very remote village named “7th of ABRIL” during his evangelistic outreach. The 3 grannies and all 9 orphans were suffering from severe malnutrition, with some of them too weak to walk more than a few steps. Since it takes about 2 hours in a 4‑wheel-drive vehicle to get there on a very bad road, Carlitos suggested his BBC Team of 3 motorbikes take weekly food and other needed items to them on their normal BAWANA GAMES trip to that village. Six months later, the children were stronger and ready to attend school, so school materials were given out and off they went to learn their ABC’S.  9 orphans with grannies, now healthy and proud to show off their new sweat shirts your love gifts provided. This photo shows them 18 months after joining our program (2 weeks ago), and as you can see, all of them are looking healthy, including the grannies caring for them. Carlitos took them their winter sweat shirts which they proudly show off in the photo. With the schools closed these last 90 days, Carlitos and assistant Daniel visited them once every 2 weeks to take their food to them. YOUR LOVE GIFTS ARE AT WORK, MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THE INNOCENT. THANK YOU FROM ALL OF US WHO EAGERLY SERVE SO THAT THESE CHILDREN CAN HAVE A FUTURE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA TEAM |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: May 16, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: MAY 16, 2020 3RD SET OF TRIPLETS GRACE OUR DOOR! PRAYERS NEEDED, for these three tiny tots (1.5kg / 3.3lbs each) are showing just how tough they can be. The three (1 boy and 2 girls) were born May 9th and we received them on the 12th, for the mother’s milk was not sufficient for all of them.  Triplets, 1 boy and 2 girls, 3.3 lbs/1.5kg each. When admitted, they had no names yet, but we encouraged the parents to take that step, for we declared they would live in Jesus’ name. Many here refuse to name their newborns if they think they are not going to make it.  Quickly weighing one of the new triplets at midday. Warmth is a high priority. AMAZED that they had the strength to suckle, we immediately got them wrapped in warm, infant-sized blankets that I cut from a large blanket. It was 55ºF (15ºC) in my house this a.m. as our winter is upon us. Keeping all infants, especially preemies, warm is a high priority, for they lose body heat very fast. We also contributed two adult blankets for the mother and granny to use at night to keep all of them warm. TWO DAYS LATER, at our weekly “weigh in” for babies, all 3 were doing fine and showed an amazing increase in weight of 250 gms each. We encouraged the family for they are doing a great job.Keep them in your prayers, for they are far from “out of the woods” at this time, especially with winter upon us. Will keep you updated on how they are doing. OUR KIDS DOING FANTASTIC! Art class, Rummikub, BAWANA games, playground, and now school homework are keeping all our children exercised both in mind and body. The photos say it all. Even the teachers are having a ball in art class and learning Rummikub as well.  3 yr. Old Armando working hard at art “like the big boys”.  Edna and Sandra enjoy the swings at our playground.  Art class helpers join in the fun. Video Links below: Bawana games help keep our kids healthy and fit.https://vimeo.com/419346097orhttps://youtu.be/AGyLDlwZMR4 TERMITES IN THE KITCHEN DRAIN SYSTEM? For the first time since building the dorm’s kitchen drain in 2007, we had to open it as TERMITES had taken it over—COMPLETELY! They built a solid mud house inside the septic box, and completely blocked the drainage and airvent pipes with mud.  Digging termite “house” out of kitchen drainage tank. Termites are called the “underground mafia” around here, for they definitely try to control the underground. We surmise that they did most of their construction while the boys were on the first 30 day break during the lockdown, for they went home. Seems they managed to complete the pipe construction even with small amounts of water being poured down it during dish washing. Never a dull moment around here. We hopefully deterred them from returning by layering the bottom of the box with rock salt. It burns their bodies, so they try to avoid salty areas. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FAITHFUL SUPPORT IN PRAYER AND LOVE GIFTS DURING THESE DIFFICULT DAYS. OUR STAFF IS PRAYING FOR ALL OF YOU. BLESSINGS IN JESUS’ NAME AS THE WORLD REOPENS. BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: May 9, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: MAY 9, 2020 MIMI JOINS OUR FAMILY Mimi Alberto, a 7‑year-old 1st grader, just lost her mother to AIDS. Mimi and her mother, Lurdes, were living in a borrowed house near our mission station. Our Staff visited her daily, talking to her about Jesus, and taking them food as well as other needed items. When Lurdes passed away last week, our Pastors laid her to rest in the village cemetery.  7‑year-old Mimi with Children’s Directors Jose and Anna. Mimi is still withdrawn and a bit in shock after all this, but we hope that the loving care she receives as a new family member of House #6 will help her recover rapidly. Our staff spent yesterday morning moving her in, and buying her new clothes at the market. The bundle you see in Pastor Jose’s hand (in the photograph above) contains all her worldly belongings. MIMI NEEDS A $30/MONTH SPONSOR. Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this precious little girl. ART CLASS A BIG HIT THIS WEEK! Hand tracing art is now the #1 fun thing for our children to do. A bit shy at first to make a mark on their papers, the kids were soon helping each other shape their hands into the needed form to draw ducks and giraffe faces. I used my smartphone to pull up internet photos of the animals they were to draw, as ducks they know, but a giraffe is just an animal in a book. Their interest and enthusiasm was eye-opening. We take so much for granted having zoos and wildlife parks to show us these magnificent wild animals. We now plan 2 art classes per week until school restarts, and I am not sure when that will be.  1st and 2nd graders making hand-traced ducks in our art class.  Primary schoolers showing off the hand-traced ducks made on Wednesday.  4th to 6th graders advance to hand-traced giraffes.  High school boys and girls concentrate on their art work.  High schoolers tracing giraffe heads from their hand positions. RUMMIKUB, THE FUN WAY TO INCREASE ABSTRACT THINKING Amazed doesn’t described my experience as I showed the dorm boys how to play Rummikub. They picked up on it quickly after understanding the objectives, but it was the YOUNGER BOYS (5th and 6th graders), who ended up helping the high school boys see the moves they could make. Our younger children grew up in our pre-school which has puzzles for them to play with. The abstract thinking they developed while doing this is now beginning to show.  Dorm students learning Rummikub. I also began teaching them more English words as they played. They happily left telling me goodbye in English. Nothing like “play therapy” to increase knowledge. Making math fun is my objective, as most of the boys are a bit weak in that subject. I am very grateful to all the visitors who came in past years, leaving several boxes of this game behind. THANK YOU ALL FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES. TOGETHER, WE ARE FORMING THE FUTURE LEADERS OF THIS COUNTRY. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: May 2, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: MAY 2, 2020 BEING AN OVERCOMER Many of our children came to live with us when orphaned as babies. Eva, our oldest orphan, has overcome Cerebral Palsy to become a productive young adult. She helps her Granny with everyday chores such as food preparation, carrying firewood, pumping water from our local well, and singing/dancing with the Church choir. I admire her spirit and spunk for Eva never let her disability get her down. She speaks Portuguese and Makua, and even knows a word or two in English!  Eva and friend helping Granny with food preparation.  Eva held by Granny Eliza as I doctored a wound on her hands when she was just 2 years old. THINKING OUT OF THE BOX—MAKING LEARNING FUN! Like many students around the world, math can be a challenge. Since school is out till end of May, we have increased our daily “study hall”. But the kids are getting bored, so I hope to increase their math skills by teaching them to play RUMMIKUB this coming week (abstract thinking). Geography games will use our huge blow up globe with teams competing to spot what country we are talking about. I hope to awaken more of their artistic skills by having them draw different animals by tracing the shape of their hand in different positions. My goal is to get them to think “outside the box”. Photos of our laughs as we try these new endeavors will be in next week’s blog. SUPER SLIDE GETS A NEW ROOF Our 20-foot-high double super slide is still a favorite with all the children in our neighborhood. With this temporary lull in construction, it has given our carpenters and brick layers a chance to catch up on maintenance of our playground equipment. The many rainy seasons since the building of the slide have taken their toll on the tin roof. Wet leaves caused the tin sheets to rust through.  Double super slide gets new roof. It is a dangerous job climbing the 50-foot-tall Mango Tree that overshadows the slide, but our brave carpenters did a great job of ripping off the old and nailing on the new tin sheets. It’s ready for new action this week during our children’s playtime. YOUR LOVE GIFTS ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO EAT HEALTHY FOODS, AND WEAR WARM CLOTHING The cool season has begun, as it is overcast, windy and cool as I write this. It came 2 weeks early, catching everyone by surprise, but we are going with the flow. Our team swept through the local market this week, buying sweatshirts for the children. Sweatpants do not exist this year, so our team is looking for soft, warm long pants for the children to sleep in. Flexibility is the name of the game. THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING OUR CHILDREN WITH YOUR LOVE GIFTS IN THESE DIFFICULT DAYS. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: April 25, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: APRIL 25, 2020 SHE LIVES! Baby Rosalina, the triplet hospitalized last week with malaria at 14 days of age, has made a miraculous recovery! I found out after publishing last week’s blog, that the mother chose to take her out of hospital BEFORE she completed the 6 doses of IV malaria treatment. This is usually a death sentence for an infant. Our staff prayed for her, and Jesus healed her! Gaining a record 400 gms since April16th, (about 14 oz.), there is no doubt that she received a miracle healing. Normal weight gain/week is usually half that!  Baby Rosalina received a healing touch from Jesus. THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR HEALING OF BABY ROSALINA! Rosalina’s sister, Rainata, as well as the other set of triplets, all showed healthy weight gains this week which put a smile on everyone’s face. These 5 babies are off to a good start in life thanks to Jesus and your Love Gifts that make it possible.  Triplet Baby Marcia with her big sister who cares for her. BALAMA BUSINESSMAN BLESSES OUR CHILDREN We are grateful to our friend, who desires to be anonymous, for contributing 40kg (88 lbs.) of rice and 30 liters of cooking oil to our children. They celebrated this week by having rice with goat meat that our own goat herd provided. God surely looks after His precious little ones.  Balama motorbike parts store donates rice and cooking oil to our children. ZIPPY ZITO BEATING THE ODDS, THANKS TO JESUS! ZITO’S hip continues to need a daily dressing change with a small bandage, but is showing great improvement, much to the amazement of our Doctor. Zippy Zito drives himself via his adult tricycle to all our childrens programs, and listens intently to our school tutors. With school on recess due to CV19, our Pastors continue to “home school” our children just as many parents are doing these days. The Lord Jesus has truly blessed this young man.  Zito remains healthy and happy despite what the Doctor predicted. FREQUENT HANDWASHING, THE NEW NORMAL No matter how young, all our children have learned to wash their hands upon entering one of our homes and at the teaching/food distribution center. An adult handles the water and soap so that it doesn’t accidentally get contaminated. Clean hands help to keep our children healthier.  Santos learning handwashing with Foster Mother Felimina.  Carlitos Jorge helping our Foster Mothers wash their hands before entering our food distribution. Blessings, Bush Bunny Brenda Lange And the Balama Staff |