| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: JANUARY 21, 2023 A PEANUT IN THE NOSE! Julio put a peanut up his nose last Wednesday night, causing me to be called out at 8:30pm when the foster mothers discovered it. I called the local Emergency Room Director for expert advice, and he came in person to the Zebra House to remove it so we didn’t have to go to the hospital. Making a hook out of a regular syringe needle, he expertly removed the peanut with no trauma to Julio’s little nose. It didn’t even bleed! I could tell this is not the first time the Emergency Room Director has been confronted with such a case. He spoke to the mothers about keeping peas, beans, and peanuts away from toddlers, as they like sticking them in ears and noses!  Julio, peanut lover, on left. Chebany on right, better known as Mr. Aligria (Mr. Happy). The photo shows Julio along with his buddy, Chebany, the day after his peanut fiasco. FYI: Julio will begin pre-school in a few weeks. He is the oldest of the 13 infants we received 2 years ago. How fast they grow up! LEARNING WHILE PLAYING It rained from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Friday, but thanks to sandy loam soil, part of the soccer field was dry enough to play on by 8 a.m. This time of year, you take what you can get as far as dry places for kids to play. The following videos show our kids having fun while learning. First, they played what we know as “Simon Says” with a Mozambican theme, as this teaches them to listen and follow verbal instructions.  Our children playing “Simon Says” the Mozambican way. https://youtu.be/VgxRrJgDeaQ For me, the counting song that came next gave them the most joy! When I showed them the videos, they laughed with glee, for seeing their own faces and hearing their voices is foreign to them.  Counting to 13 the fun way! https://youtu.be/voDWBQExL9E These kids are a fun bunch for sure, and it is THANKS TO ALL OF YOU that all those smiling faces are healthy and receiving a fun education. BBC DODGING THE MUD The BBC Teams continue their great work as weather permits. Friday, the early morning rain hit the villages around Balama, leaving lots of mud behind. This is the only day the team missed this week.  Tug-of-war for the young teens. Very competitive! Enjoy this video, as our Youth Pastors continue to bring stories of the life of Jesus to over 1,000 children per day. On average this week, the teams saw 20–30 children receive Christ EACH DAY. It is a wonderful sight as these children are the “good ground” that Jesus tells us about.  BBC Team teaching children to be a leader. https://youtu.be/B91IexBAtAw BLESSINGS FROM ALL OF US, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA TEAM |
Author Archives: Kim Hartman
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JANUARY 14, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: JANUARY 14, 2023 FUN IN THE SUN FOR A MOMENT We finally had a break in the morning rains that kept our kids off the playground. When I opened the playground, it was like turning loose a herd of wild horses!  Happy children enjoy the slide.  Sandra in front came to us as an infant. Now a 2nd grader! The giant slide was opened, and the older children lined up to go down 2 by 2 with BIG SMILES on their faces.  Our preschoolers took over the swing set. The little ones ran to the swings, and it was non-stop action for a whole 2 hours! As they tired of the slide and swings, the older children were given a soccer ball, and sent out with a Pastor Jose to play on a dry part of the soccer field. The little ones were organized into a kickball team which was a bit chaotic. No one cared that the ground was a bit damp, and that the sandy loam stuck to your shoes. IT WAS PLAY TIME! I was so grateful they had those 2 hours, for the rains returned at lunch time, turning the ground into mush where they had been playing. Such is our life during the 4 months of the rainy season. GRAB THE MOMENT, for the weather won’t last! BBC TEAMS DODGING THE RAINS TO BRING CHILDREN TO CHRIST Even though we’ve had multiple rain out days for the BBC Teams in the last 2 weeks, our Youth Pastors are still bringing new children to know Jesus.  BBC team teaching “I love God, and God loves me”. https://youtu.be/0WLUjQ2L24U The two BBC Bicycle Teams work in the villages close to Balama town. They report crowds of 200 to 400 children per village with an average of 15 to 20 children accepting Jesus at each Balama Game Event.  Village youngsters enjoy an intense competition. https://youtu.be/cDZ3r5Uq7kM  Little ones learning the ropes in tug-of-war. The 4‑man BBC Motorbike Team has increased their presence in the District by going to three villages in the same area instead of two. Gasoline is still very limited in our area, preventing us from expanding to our normal 4‑man Motorbike Team. In the larger villages, the Motorbike Team averages 500 to 800 children per event. The smaller villages average 275 to 430 per event. The Motorbike Team is reaching between 800 and 1000 children with the Gospel each day. Salvations for this team average from 10 to 30 per village. No matter the weather, our young men are dedicated to bringing God’s little ones to know who Jesus is. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFUL SUPPORT OF THESE TEAMS! BLESSINGS FROM ALL OF US, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA TEAM |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JANUARY 7, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: JANUARY 7, 2023 HAPPY 2023 FEAST FOR THE CHILDREN Rain and more rain was last weekend’s scenario for Balama. Plan B was a fat frozen chicken for each children’s home along with all the “fixins”. Mud may have canceled the group party, but the children enjoyed their cookies, candy, and balloons, so all was fine with them.  All 7 homes received a feast and goodies on New Year’s Eve Day. THANK YOU to all who provided the Love Gifts that made this possible. Pray for our safety as cyclone season is here and the weather service predicts a possible 5 cyclones ( hurricanes) could bring serious trouble to this country. PLANTING TIME FOR OUR TEENS Our dorm boys managed to get their bean field planted just days before Christmas, when the heavy rains hit. Every teenager in our program must learn Agricultural Skills, as their survival once they leave us will depend on it. No matter what your paid job might be, farming is an essential part of everyone’s life in this part of Mozambique if you want to have nutritious food like corn and beans.  Beans planted just 1 day before the rains began. Timing is everything in farming. EARNING TO LEARN A main objective for our high school students is to teach the value of money. These 3 teenagers, Neto, Maninho, and Eralio, are in our orphan food program. They live with a family member who hasn’t the means to pay their high school fees. They requested assistance which we gave in exchange for a few hours of work. Working for school fees teaches them to earn what they need, and not to expect a hand out.  Working to earn school fees teaches invaluable Life Skills. The teenagers in our orphanage do the same, giving 2 hours a week to help others as a community service. Raising children carries many responsibilities in preparing them to survive on their own. Our staff is doing a great job in teaching these youth what children’s parents teach them in everyday life. THANK YOU FOR MAKING EDUCATION POSSIBLE FOR HUNDREDS OF ORPHANS. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: DECEMBER 31, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: DECEMBER 31, 2022 YOUNG EVANGELISTS BRINGING THEIR FRIENDS TO CHRIST Our Sunday School children have risen to the challenge to help their friends know Jesus! Each Sunday, we are seeing new faces in the classroom, and attendance has gone from 40 to almost 100 each week.  Our ever growing Sunday School on Christmas Day! All ages from infants to 12-year-olds attend our class, as all are on the same level as far as knowing the Bible. They enjoy the Bible stories and the songs they sing (see video).  Singing “Jesus I Love You” in English and then in the local language of Makua. https://youtu.be/645s417gKA0 They truly put their hearts into it! The children are the fertile ground taught in the Parable of the Sower. The devil wants the children to be his, so please reach out to all the little ones you know and make sure they know JESUS IS THE TRUTH, THE LIFE, AND THE ONLY WAY! It is so much easier to show them the way when they are young, then to wait until their hearts are hard and stuck in the sin of the world. TOYS FOR THE TOTS It was a joy giving out presents to our children this week. Infants received their first Christmas presents.  Our youngest, Ancha, 9 months, likes her new rattle toy.  Baby Elsa, almost 10 months old, was a bit overwhelmed with all the excitement. The most fun was seeing the faces of the many toddlers who were only infants last Christmas. Watch the video for their fun interactions, as 20-MONTH-OLD AMBROSIO, got so excited about getting a toy car that the stood up and WALKED for the first time in his life.  The mighty toddlers of House #6 see Ambrosio walk! https://youtube.com/shorts/Lc1pGZbH83s All the mothers gasped with JOY as they watched him standing independently looking at his toy car. Everyone knew he could do it, he just needed a reason!  Fatima happy receiving her handmade doll. The under 7‑year-old children received toys. The older children received money to go to the market and pick out what they wanted. Thank you to all of you who made this fun time happen. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU ALL, AND MAY IT BE FILLED WITH BLESSINGS THAT ONLY OUR LORD CAN ORGANIZE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: DECEMBER 24, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: DECEMBER 24, 2022 TRUE GRIT GETS REPAIRS FINISHED FROM STORM 8 DAYS AGO! The final nails were driven in on Tuesday morning, PTL, and then the rains came tumbling down. We thanked Jesus for holding off the wet stuff until all was completed. It’s hard enough doing roof work when it means walking on slippery tin sheets, but you add rain to the mix, and all must come to a halt!  Final fix by carpenters. This was only the front section of the bean/rice warehouse that was damaged. The back wall to your left was completely rebuilt by Tuesday (8 days total!) BEANS ARE BACK IN REPAIRED BEAN BARN On December 23rd, 26 men worked for 3 hours to get all the 132lb./60kg bean bags back into their proper barn. Now we have room to move more corn as needed. With 1000 sacks of beans in the corn warehouse, we could barely get into the door!  1000 bean sacks (132 lbs./60 kg. each) being walked from the corn warehouse to the bean warehouse, a total roundtrip of 70 yards by 26 men in 3 hours time. THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU WHO GAVE TO THESE REPAIRS SO THAT DISADVANTAGED CHILDREN CAN STILL RECEIVE LIFE SAVING FOOD. ALFERES RECEIVES TEACHERS CERTIFICATION It’s been a successful year of hard work for Alferes to achieve his heart’s goal of becoming a primary school teacher. He will stay in our boy’s dorm while receiving excellent teaching experience by tutoring our children.  Alferes graduates Teachers College on December 20th. Our 2nd young man to do so. Our retired schoolteacher, Pedro, will give Alferes the same great teaching instruction that our first graduate, Helder, received. This student teaching experience, while waiting for a job opening, is an excellent learning opportunity. It also helps our students glean from the newest teaching methods that Alferes learned. Thanks to YOUR LOVE GIFTS, ALFERES HAS A GREAT FUTURE THAT WILL BENEFIT OTHERS. CHRISTMAS PARTY RAINED OUT, SO BUNNY ACTIVATES PLAN B! We rescheduled the party twice this week, but a forecast of another 8 days of rain directed us to use plan B. On December 24th, two frozen chickens with all the fixings will be distributed to each of our 7 homes. CHRISTMAS toys and treats will be given out as well. Not the perfect solution, but the only one that keeps everyone dry while having a great feast. More on this next week. LIFE IS FULL OF CHALLENGES  Life is full of challenges that pull you here and there. Never lose sight of the Master of Solutions, JESUS, and He will show you how to overcome them! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL! BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: DECEMBER 17, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: DECEMBER 17, 2022 REPAIRING THE TWISTER DAMAGE Our 4 carpenters and 4 helpers have worked hard on repairs this week, but we still have another week’s work ahead of us. The photo of the back side of the #2 (beans) and #3 (rice) barns shows the full extent of the major damage done. The storm didn’t just remove the tin sheets, it broke EVERY TRUSS (the triangles you see being replaced), took all the cross beams (4X4’s) holding the tin sheets, AND broke most of the upright wall posts supporting those trusses. I was amazed to see that the wall held with so many broken 4X4 upright beams! That in itself is a miracle!  Warehouses 2 and 3 after 4 days of work. Walls were badly damaged, so they had to replace many roofing support posts. Our other 2 warehouses received minor damage, which took all day Tuesday to repair. Also on Tuesday, a group of 20 men moved over 1,000 sacks of beans that could be salvaged after the storm into the half empty corn warehouse. The 2 upper layers of the beans were wet, and were distributed immediately to the orphans living close by. Those 2 layers of beans saved the majority of the beans from getting wet. We PTL that no one was hurt during the storm or the clean-up work, AND THAT NO FOOD WAS WASTED! We just gave it out a bit ahead of schedule. THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO GRACIOUSLY GAVE TO HELP WITH REPAIRS! Your generosity has truly blessed us, not just for the rebuilding, but so we can continue serving the children of this area. BBC GAMES CONTINUE AFTER THE STORM It took 2 days for the ground to dry out, but on Wednesday, the BBC teams were greeted by bigger crowds than the week before! This in itself is amazing, as it is “machamba” time (mah-sham-bah)! That means all school-age children are expected to help plant their family’s farming fields, as the food produced is the only way most of these families survive. Yet the children were in their villages, and ready to play games and have a Bible lesson!  The games are very popular!  Keep on pulling boys!  The crowds are growing.  Singing lift JESUS HIGHER, stomp Satan under your feet. https://youtu.be/mHiUbD3OzgA I know it sounds redundant, but GOD IS TRULY MOVING IN A BIG WAY AMONG THE VILLAGE CHILDREN HERE. PTL! IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN TO BE MORE VIGILANT! Please keep us in your prayers as we also face increased crime at this time of year. With the barns in a vulnerable state, this makes us twice as likely to have unwanted night time visitors. We have increased the number of guards at the barns and at our main mission station. Prayers for their safety is also much appreciated. MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF OUR CHILDREN. BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: DECEMBER 12, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: DECEMBER 12, 2022 EMERGENCY BLOG DISASTROUS DAY FOR THE FOOD WAREHOUSES!!!  Torn off roof.  Backside of both warehouses with no roof. A HUGE TWISTING-TYPE WIND hit our food warehouses at 11a.m. today as a powerful thunderstorm hit over our mission station.  Just beans and Montega beans moved under what’s left of the roof.  Tarping the beans. I was driving up in my car at our office when the sky released tons of water and high winds. I saw the rain begin to swirl and seconds later it hit our food warehouses. Our BBC group and a few others came to help tarp the food and they managed to move some beans in order to better protect them. The corn warehouse received minor damage, but the back half of the bean and rice warehouses were completely torn off and thrown over 50 yards/meters away! No one was hurt, PTL, but our guard yelled for a few kids to RUN just as the torn-off roof hit the area where they had been walking. We got the food covered, thanks to many off duty workers coming to help. The rain stopped for 2 hours and now it is pouring barrels of water AGAIN.  Our bean stack under open roof. Praying our tarps hold! It will cost at least $5,000 to repair the damaged buildings. Pray our food is still usable or many will go hungry. A VERY WET AND TIRED BUNNY AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: DECEMBER 9, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: DECEMBER 9, 2022 THE WOMEN AT THE WELL… …is a reality in our area as many hand dug wells and any shallow drilled water wells are now dry! December is supposed to be a very rainy month, but for the last 2 years the rains have come late. We had a hard rain on Wednesday this week. Now it is doubtful it will continue raining in order to support the seeds the locals ran to plant after the rains. In 2021, the rains only began on December 31st, causing the corn harvest to be over 30 days late. If you recall, we were able to buy beans in June, but corn only in July.  Women at the well at 5am. A stream of people flow in all day long for this beautiful clean water! These local women are blessed by the ONLY HAND PUMP (DEEP) WATER WELL in this area. It was donated by supporters over 8 years ago, and sits just 50 yards from our church on our 16 hectare/40 acre mission property. Without this well, MANY WOULD BE WITHOUT WATER. All locally dug bucket wells in this neighborhood (10 to 15 meters/yards deep) have gone dry, as has the hand pump water well that serves my home and the mission station. This is the first time our mission well has gone dry as it has served us faithfully for 20 years! It seems the cause is the greater number of people living in the area who are digging wells into the same underground “river” that serves our well. The church well is over a 100 feet deep, and thankfully in a HUGE reservoir of water. This well is available to the public as well as to our orphan homes for 12 hours a day (daylight to dark). GOD HAS MADE A WAY, as we have a 2nd hand pump water well that serves 4 of our orphan homes at the far end of our project, about .5 miles/500 meters from our mission base. Once the rains begin, hopefully the dry wells will all fill up. We are VERY GRATEFUL to those who made these wells possible in previous years, AS WATER IS LIFE AND HEALTH TO ALL THOSE IN NEED. THANK YOU LORD FOR GIVING “LIVING WATER” TO ALL THOSE IN THIS AREA. SCHOOL’S OUT! LET THE FUN BEGIN!  Ready for fun and games. (L to R) Bottom row: Adelina, Angelina, Victoria, Maezinha. Upper row: Ibarra, Ortencia, Dinis, and Anna. Our children along with all the village children can now relax a bit in the 60 day summer break! This morning, I pulled out a new ball, and off went the primary school children to play soccer.  Being in the soccer zone can be risky! https://youtu.be/u_CsK65x_oQ As you can see in the video, filming them at play can be a bit hazardous as anyone in their “soccer zone” is at risk of getting hit by the ball.  Samuel teaching the little ones to listen to instruction and them jump when they hear the key word. https://youtu.be/eOD7YJJ01BU Samuel, our dorm leader, gave me a helping hand with our 3‑year-olds. His idea of teaching them to follow instructions while having fun was a good one. After a few attempts, most of the little ones caught on to what they needed to do.  Samuel, dorm leader, and Zito teaching a game to our little ones. WE GREATLY APPRECIATE YOUR HELPING HAND THAT MAKES ALL THIS POSSIBLE! MANY BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: DECEMBER 3, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: DECEMBER 3, 2022 |
NOVEMBER ENDS WITH MANY VISITORS Visitors talking to mothers at houses 6 & 7 On the 30th our staff graciously received a mixed group of people representing the Justice Department, UNICEF, Social Services, and the District Hospital. Their purpose was to visit our homes as well as teach us how to organize a temporary guardianship for our resident children. The visitors seem to appreciate our homes, and left just before dark on the 30th. They left questionnaires for each of our 57 resident children, giving our children’s staff a “paper party” for the next few days.  Office staff L to R. Fatima, Anna, Fred, Whitey, and Office Manager Capena, far right BBC TEAMS CHALLENGING EVEN THE LITTLE ONES TO PARTICIPATE  Teaching the little ones to play tug o’ war. https://youtu.be/kJTT9Sy1iUA  Boys love the intense competition of 4‑way tug o’ war. https://youtu.be/eGSl3Ah4xMw With the rainy season upon us (it’s raining as I write this), the BBC team is using every dry day to reach as many children as possible. The motorbike team touch 6,834+ children each 2 weeks with the gospel. Result: 556 salvations in 8 villages. The bicycle team meet with over 3,437 children each week. Result: 2,081 salvations in 8 villages. KEEP YOUR PRAYERS COMING for these teams as we continue to disciple these children on a weekly basis.  Teaching the children to pray for the sick. https://youtu.be/BaDTWEsRiHo 15 VILLAGE PASTORS shared the gospel with over 2,000 people of all ages this month. Salvations for November: Adults: 45 Teenagers: 81 Children 466 (combined number from Sunday School and Bawana games activities) GOD IS MOVING IN A VERY STRONG WAY AMONG THE YOUTH OF BALAMA. Please keep all of us in prayer, as we will be praying for you during this holiday month. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: NOVEMBER 26, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: NOVEMBER 26, 2022 HOPING YOU ALL HAD A WONDERFUL DAY GIVING THANKS TO THE LORD FOR ALL YOU HAVE. Here in Balama, it was business as usual, giving out food to orphans and widows in need. Thanksgiving is an American holiday, but I think everyday is a day of thanks as the Lord’s blessings are unending. BALAMA FAMILY GIVING THANKS FOR ASSISTANCE WITH 7 ORPHANS  Dedicated Aunt and Uncle take in 7 Orphans when they have barely enough for their own children. This Aunt and Uncle just took on a HUGE responsibility, after this Aunt’s Sister died in childbirth leaving 6 children under 13 years of age, and this newborn as orphans. The father left in a hurry after his wife died, which is a common happening around here. This overwhelmed couple was in shock as they brought the newborn to us for infant formula. They had no idea we would help provide food for the 6 little ones as well! When I read the document stating how many children they were caring for, I immediately asked how they would manage for food. Their answer, “we don’t know”. But that didn’t stop them from accepting these children as their own! BIG HEART hardly describes what they have. My staff and I didn’t hesitate to enroll them in our weekly food program for orphans. They also have several children of their own at home whom they support with their farming. We will assist them as much as possible, for I doubt their farm can produce enough to even buy each of the children a set of clothes. YOUR LOVE GIFTS AT WORK! BBC CROWDS GROWING AS OUR TEAM GETS ROLLING Due to a lack of fuel in this area, we are still limited to sending out only 2 motorbikes to the villages each day for the BBC Children’s Evangelism Program. We had hoped the fuel problem would have resolved by now, but it is showing that it could be long term. Know that we are doing our best to obtain fuel each time it becomes available within a 30 mile radius. MANY CHILDREN RECEIVING JESUS INTO THEIR HEARTS End of salvation prayer with new children receiving Jesus! https://youtu.be/17iDqK8osAQ On average, 30 to 35 children per day are receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior during the devotions time of the BBC program.  Teaching new team games that involve many children at once. Tug o war, always a big hit with the crowd! https://youtu.be/oWyOwy92uMs The games are fun, and more and more children are staying to hear the Bible Story at the end. Leaders Carlitos and Daniel do a great job of presenting Bible stories with large picture books to the children. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE. BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |