| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: NOVEMBER 18, 2023 ESTALESIA FACING MORE CHALLENGES Due to a reaction to a vaccine, Estalesia’s left thigh became very swollen and hot, requiring hospitalization for IV antibiotic treatment. She was unable to move her painful leg for 3 days. The video shows how improved she is on her 4th day, as this is the first she has moved her leg voluntarily.  Estralesia moving her left leg for the first time since the reaction https://youtube.com/shorts/mT6rzZXRbYg We were expecting her release on Thursday morning but received bad news instead. MALARIA HAD RAISED IT’S HEAD AGAIN! Thursday a.m., Estalesia tested POSITIVE FOR MALARIA . Her red blood cell count was already down to 7 (from 10), meaning she needed a blood transfusion immediately! This is her third transfusion in 4 weeks! She is only 6 months and 3 weeks old as her birthday is April 22, 2023. PLEASE KEEP HER IN YOUR PRAYERS, AS THIS IS VERY SERIOUS WHEN ANYONE HAS TO FIGHT MALARIA TWICE IN ONE MONTH WITH 3 TRANSFUSIONS! Note: The hospital staff explained that this 2nd malaria is not a new case, but the same case as before. Seems it wasn’t totally eradicated after the last 5‑day-treatment, even though it didn’t show up on the malaria test. Round 2 of treatment is a must! That means another week in the hospital at least. HEAVY RAINS CAUSE FLASH FLOOD DAMAGE TO OUR WIDOW’S HOMES November 15 is officially the beginning of the rainy season in northern Mozambique. On November 13th, the first heavy rains were predicted, but few took it seriously, since it is usually a light rain. SURPRISE! IT CAUSED A FLASH FLOOD! (Gully washer to my fellow Texans.) Our orphan homes were prepared, but several of our widow’s homes were damaged, and needed emergency repairs as soon as the 2 days of rain had passed.  Foundation repairs done with cement to protect the mud brick house foundation of blind widow, Madelina The road in front of our church, which was rendered useless last year by flash floods, was unharmed because of a large ditch we dug the week before this 2 day rain. The large ditch extended across the road, and redirected the river of water that wants to use the road as a river bed. A road engineer taught me many years ago that a dirt road is only as good as the ditch next to it. So I learned to dig ditches BEFORE the rainy season begins. He was right, and our road is unharmed as you can see in the photo. We have filled the ditch portion crossing the road with large rocks so that our pick-up trucks can use it during the rainy season.  Church road ditch on our 40 acre mission station All construction on the 3 meter/10 foot deep septic system for the new 3 bedroom toddler home is on hold, as the hole must dry out before it is safe to go down into it. I was thrilled that the men finished digging the tank just a few hours before the heavy rains began! Rainy season and outdoor construction don’t mix. BBC SLOWS DOWN BUT NEVER STOPS! Both the motorbike and bicycle teams had to curb their village teaching programs until Thursday of this week. But were the kids ready when they did go out! Enthusiastic games and loud shout outs at devotions reveals how happy the children were to see our BBC Teams when the mud had dried up!  Short but shows the children’s excitement https://youtu.be/xS-WUcuLk_E KEEP YOUR PRAYERS COMING, FOR THE RAINS MAY DAMPEN OUR PLANS, BUT WILL NEVER STOP THEM. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
Author Archives: Kim
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: NOVEMBER 11, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: NOVEMBER 11, 2023 PTL! EVERYONE’S HOME! It has been a super busy week, but thanks to your prayers, both 6‑month-old baby Estalesia and 5‑year-old Santos were released from the hospital this week. Santos regained his mental health from the severe malaria case he suffered last week and was released on Monday afternoon to continue his treatment at home.  Santos back to his sweet self, PTL! Estalesia was found to have a soft skull due to her severe malnutrition (not receiving milk, thus lacking in calcium). She was finally released after all doctors agreed that with good nutrition and careful handling, the skull should harden. This little girl is making a remarkable recovery as she gained from 2.5kg/5.5lbs. to 3.6kg/7.9 lbs. in the 10 days that she was in the hospital. Keep your prayers coming for her as she has a long way to go to reach a normal weight for her age.  Estalecia, after getting to her new home yesterday THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR FERVENT PRAYERS FOR OUR 2 LITTLE ONES WHO WERE ILL. BABY #28, “THE LITTLE MIRACLE BOY”, JOINS OUR FAMILY On the 4th of November, Milagre (means Miracle) was brought into this world. In severe distress, Milagre’s mother was transferred to 2 different hospitals to try and save her and her unborn baby. Only Milagre, the infant, survived. Milagre’s mother was the only daughter of a very ancient Granny, who was deemed by hospital staff to be unable to care for a newborn. There is one Uncle, but his wife has 3 little ones already, and can’t handle a newborn. The father abandoned the mother during pregnancy. So Milagre will be in our care for the next few years. Our hope is that he can be reintegrated into his family once he reaches 2 to 3 years of age. Coming to us as a 2‑day old infant, he was placed with Foster Mother Clara, who is excellent with fragile newborns. We PTL that Milagre is healthy, and eating and sleeping like all newborns do.  Baby boy, Milagre signaled that all his traveling has him tired. Time to nap.  Milagre went right off to sleep after getting to his new home. As you can imagine, this week has flown by with all this activity, but our staff has done an excellent job seeing that all the infants’ needs were met. Our thanks go out to the hospital staff for the excellent care they provide for our children. THANK YOU FOR COVERING US WITH YOUR FAITHFUL PRAYERS. IT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE AS ONLY JESUS CAN TRULY HEAL. THE LORD JESUS NAMED US “ORPHANS UNLIMITED”. NO MATTER HOW MANY CHILDREN THE LORD SENDS OUR WAY, HE WILL ALWAYS HELP US MAKE ROOM FOR ADDITIONAL LITTLE ONES IN NEED. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: NOVEMBER 4, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: NOVEMBER 4, 2023 BUNNY IS BACK IN BALAMA! Minus 1 chomper of course, as my troublesome tooth was broken and had started to abscess. The dentist said if I hadn’t gotten it pulled within 48 hours from my appointment date October 31, it would have caused me a world of hurt. Thank you, JESUS, for favor in getting an appointment so quickly! ESTALESIA, 27th INFANT TO JOIN OUR FAMILY Six-month-old, Estalesia (Es-sta-lee-sha), has a twin sister. Sadly, the mother rejected Estalesia. It is customary here to reject 1 twin when the mother cannot support 2 infants with her limited breastmilk, so she chooses which one will starve and which one will live. That is why our milk formula program assists mothers with twins. This mother refused to feed Estalesia even though we provided her with baby food and milk. No way to know why she rejected such a sweet little girl. Estalesia’s twin sister weighs 5 kgs/11 lbs. and is very healthy. Estalesia only weighed 2.6 kg/5.7 lbs. at 6 months of age when admitted to the hospital last Thursday. Literally starved to death, she also had a serious case of malaria with a Hemoglobin of 4! That is death’s door for anyone! We immediately organized an A+ blood donor and she was transfused twice over the next 4 days. Estalesia is very fragile, so the hospital staff refuses to release her into our care as they prefer to give her further IV medications. We have 2 foster mothers looking after her in the hospital.  ESTELESIA deemed too fragile by malnutrition staff to leave the hospital. She is doing well, just needs to gain weight PLEASE PRAY FOR ESTELESIA, AS SHE IS NOT STABLE YET, AND NEEDS THE LORD TO STRENGTHEN HER LITTLE BODY. OCTOBER 28 PROTEIN PARTY FROM CIS COMPANY IS A YUMMY SUCCESS!  CIS staff serving the children A new team of servers came from CIS including the Head Chef, who wanted to meet the children. The menu for the children included a huge chicken leg, a hotdog, rice with vegetables, coleslaw, and a cream filled cupcake for dessert with Kool Aid and bottled water to drink.  Reggie loves the drumstick the best! YUMMY was the reaction of the children! Never having a hotdog before, it opened their eyes to another new treat. THE MASTER’S TABLE MINISTRY GIFTING THE CHILDREN WITH CHICKENS Saturday is High Protein Meat Day each week! The Master’s Table, a USA based ministry, provides our children with frozen chickens every other Saturday between the CIS meals. That means that EVERY SATURDAY is High Protein Meat Day for all 56 of our children. Praise the Lord! I gave out frozen chickens today to each of our 7 homes, putting smiles on the Foster Mother’s faces. They so enjoy treating the children to meat!  Handing out the chickens from The Masters’ Table  Chickens Galore! GOD PROVIDES IN DIFFERENT WAYS, AND OUR CHILDREN ARE BLESSED TO BE THE RECEIVERS!  Please pray for Santos, 5‑years-old. Rapid onset malaria caused him to become delirious and confused. We had to drop everything to get him admitted to the hospital on Saturday afternoon BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 28, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 28, 2023 BABY AFUSA IS HOME WITH US!  Baby Afusa is now in her new home with Foster Mother Gilda of House # 6, the Zebra House Thanks to your wonderful prayers, the little girl in last week’s blog, Afusa, has recovered from her malaria, diarrhea, and sinus infection. It was a miracle for sure, as she was super sick when taken to the hospital. Afusa was released from the hospital on Tuesday, and is adjusting well to her new home. Even though she was neglected, she still cries at times for the family who didn’t treat her well. Afusa’s only remaining problem is anemia, which we are correcting with vitamins and iron supplements. What this little girl needs most is love and good nutrition which she will get plenty of from our staff. Her weight increased in the hospital to 7kg/15.4 lbs., so that tells us that good food and care is her main need. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFUL LOVE GIFTS AND PRAYERS THAT MAKE THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE. TOGETHER, WE ARE SAVING LIVES. BUNNY’S CHOMPERS NOT EATING CARROTS TOO WELL THESE DAYS. Sorry this letter must be so short. I am pressed for time if I am to leave this Sunday to see a dentist in South Africa. I developed a nasty tooth ache this week, leaving me no choice but to seek help from my dentist in RSA. I’m only staying 2 days, so will be back in Balama shortly to continue the work. Keep us all in prayer, as Capena, our Office Manager and my right hand man, will be watching over the children and keeping the programs operating in my absence. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 21, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 21, 2023 PROTEIN PARTY GIVEN BY CIS COMPANY Last Saturday our 55 resident children were treated to a fabulous high protein meal, thanks to the CIS Company of Balama District. CIS representatives visited our office several months ago to ask how they could help our children. Their company provides the meals for the local graphite mine, just 6 miles from our base. We explained that increasing the protein via meat was our biggest concern. We expected a 1 time gift of meat, but instead their leader agreed to providing a high protein meal for the children twice monthly! WHAT A SURPRISE! The CIS people brought a spread of goodies including beef, chicken, rice with veggies, and salad plus tiny cupcakes for dessert. It was a great party and really lifted the spirits of the children!  CIS team preparing to serve food to our children  Our BIG FAMILY singing as they wait for their high protein lunch from CIS https://youtube.com/shorts/cGoEBGIIDkA?feature=share How long this will continue is uncertain. But our great thanks goes out to the CIS Company for making this meal a feast for our children. BABY #26 NOW IN OUR CARE On Thursday, baby girl AFUSA (ah-foo-sah), barely 1‑year-old, was removed by Social Services from her Aunt’s care due to severe neglect. This little girl has consistently lost weight over the last 8 weeks at our baby weigh-in, and developed severe diarrhea 7 days ago. The hospital staff discovered that the Aunt had neglected to buy the medication needed to treat Afusa’s diarrhea after a Balama MD had prescribed it for her at the hospital last week. The Aunt was given the money to pay the 5 meticais (3 cents American) for the medication. After a week of no diarrhea treatment, the little girl presented on the 19th at our INFANT MILK FORMULA PROGRAM in very poor health. She is in the severely malnourished category as she only weighs 6.5 kg/14.3 lbs. at one year of age AND HAS 3 ILLNESSES.  An unhappy Baby Afusa held by Mariamo in hospital Needless to say, I took her directly to the Emergency Room for treatment. A finger stick test showed she had malaria, on top of her severe diarrhea with dehydration, and a sinus infection as well. Social Services placed the infant into our care, and the Aunt was dismissed. IV medications and fluids were immediately given, but this little one is not out of danger yet. Malaria and severe diarrhea together are a lethal combination to an infant. Please pray for her to recover quickly and completely. I will update you next week on her progress. PEMBA INSPECTORS LOVE PLAYING WITH OUR CHILDREN A surprise inspection found us hosting 3 separate teams of wonderful people from the Pemba Social Service office this last week. Talking and playing with the children, it was easy to see that each team enjoyed the children very much.  Provincial (state) Director of Social Services in red and white dress talking with the foster mothers and the children  One of the inspectors interacting with our toddlers The 3 teams came on different days this last week to inspect our orphan homes and to make sure all our orphan records were complete. Each team had a special task to do.  Our visitors really enjoyed the babies Seems a National Team of Inspectors will be coming soon to check our orphan homes and records as well. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE THROUGH YOUR FAITHFUL LOVE GIFTS! BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA TEAM |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 14, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 14, 2023 BBC MOTORBIKE TEAM GIVES A HELPING HAND Granny Ruddie (Roo-dy) and her 2 orphaned grandsons, ages 6 and 7, live in a remote village that is a 1‑hour motorbike ride from our mission. No other family members exist, and Granny Ruddie is not strong in her legs (the reason she is sitting in the photo). The BBC routinely takes food to her and 2 other orphan families in this village. When the BBC team saw the condition of Granny Ruddie’s roof, Carlitos took photos to include in his request for funds to repair it.  Granny and 2 orphaned grandsons in front of their mud hut Only the BBC goes to this area via their motorbikes, so that team of 4 men will repair the roof. They have organized to buy the needed grass and bamboo materials from local villagers in that area. Total cost to buy the materials is only $90/R1,620. So little can do so much to help others in need. THANK YOU, FOR YOUR LOVE GIFTS WILL MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HELP THOSE WHO TRULY NEED IT. WEDNESDAY WAS VOTING DAY! The ever-growing Balama town will be designated a “city” in January, 2024, so the local residents will determine who will be Mayor of Balama. Since our foster mothers are essential workers, they cannot leave their children unless someone takes their place. Several staff and reserve mothers stepped in for a few hours while the mothers were taken by our 3 drivers to vote in their designated locations. Photo ID’s are required for all voters, so our Drivers checked that everyone had theirs before leaving our mission base. Once the first group of mothers were back, then those who stayed behind went to vote. My appreciation goes out to our 3 drivers who shuffled the mothers back and forth to the voting centers. A perk for the Drivers is that they were assigned to take mothers to the voting location where they were supposed to vote. All our staff were able to vote, so it went well. Since our 19 toddlers in Houses 6 and 7 know our staff and the reserve mothers, they stayed calm and played as usual, PTL! Not an easy thing to accomplish with that many little ones! Featured in the photo is Fatima, Assistant Children’s Director, holding Madelina, and Reserve Mother Mariamo holding wide eyed Orlencia.  Substitute mothers step in to love on our babies while the Foster Mothers went to vote Everyone dresses up to go vote! It is a big thing to vote here, as that privilege has only been available to the public for about 20 years. It will be a week or 2 before the paper ballots are tallied and the results are known. DINO TAKES A DIVE Tuesday, while playing ball in his physical education class, dorm student Dino slipped while trying to block a ball, injuring his left wrist. The school took him to the hospital for treatment, which is just a short distance from where the accident happened. Turns out it is a bad sprain of his wrist, so the hospital staff splinted it for comfort and protection for 15 days. No more soccer for a few weeks, but Dino still managed a smile when I took his photo.  Dino gives me a grin, even though he has to sit on the sidelines for a few weeks PLEASE KEEP US IN YOUR PRAYERS AS WE KEEP YOU AND ISRAEL IN OURS. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 7, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 7, 2023 JUMAIDA MAKES MIRACULOUS RECOVERY! Thank you so much for your prayers! Jumaida totally turned the corner with all symptoms gone on Sunday, Oct. 1st. She was allowed to come home and is now eating well with no gastric upset. I was amazed that she only lost 100 gm after 5 days of IV fluids and very little by mouth. GOD IS GREAT! HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING!  A very happy Jumaida after her bout with severe gastroenteritis SURPRISE VISITORS ON MONDAY AFTERNOON Due to missed communications, an inspection team from Social Services in Pemba surprised us at 12:30pm on Monday. Seems they sent a notice that we never received. This team first visited our Children’s Learning Center where our 4th and 5th graders were studying Portuguese with teacher Pedro.  Capena (far L) explains the purpose of our after school program Then it was off to visit 2 of our children’s homes. This team has been here before, and truly enjoys meeting with our Foster Mothers and the younger children as you can tell from the photo.  Pemba visitors with our family at House #6 REPAIRING WATER WELLS IN MELUCO DISTRICT Our water well team was requested by Meluco officials to help them repair 15 water wells in as many villages. Our truck was about to make its monthly supply trip to the Meluco’s orphans. Our driver Manuel who is also head of the water well repair team, just added the water well parts he thought they might need. Manual and assistant Monsur, along with their “guide”, a Meluco official wearing a Cowboy hat, managed to repair 5 water wells in 6 hours the day they arrived. The other wells will be serviced later this month, as they require additional parts that our team didn’t have with them.  Meluco official puts finishing touches on a village well that they just repaired https://youtube.com/shorts/ZnL9axeM0HU  Village kids gather round the well, as clean water keeps them healthy THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTE TO THIS FUND SO THAT THESE VILLAGES CAN HAVE CLEAN WATER. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 30, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 30, 2023 BABY ANCHA WITH POST MALARIA BLAHS DUE TO ANEMIA After completing the 3‑day course of malaria medications last week, Baby Ancha’s strength didn’t spring back as is usual with toddlers. Instead, she remains tired, lacks an appetite, and is running a low-grade fever in the late afternoons. We took her to the hospital for a post malaria lab test which came back negative. That tells us that her symptoms are coming from her low blood count. Malaria’s biggest tool for killing little ones is the post malaria anemia it can cause. Ancha is receiving the maximum protein and vitamin supplements that are available, so now we must wait.  18-month-old Ancha is not a happy camper. Anemia is slow to correct itself. Thirty days is a normal recovery time for this type of anemia when taking supplements. Please keep her in your prayers. BABY JUMAIDA GIVES US A SCARE It is always a time to celebrate when our very vulnerable infants make it to the 5 kg./11 lb. mark! That means they are usually strong enough to handle being out of their mosquito net and thus outside with her foster family.  Jumaida dearly loves being outside under the huge mango tree at House # 7. Thursday, 2 pm, Jumaida presented with a little diarrhea. She was given the normal oral treatment and seemed to be fine since she was taking a bottle. At 6 pm, I received a panicked call from Head House Mother Gilda. Jumaida had just filled her diaper and taken a turn for the worse. “Come quickly!” Gilda said. Racing to House # 7, I knew Jumaida needed IV fluids and medications immediately as she was almost non-responsive. Thankfully, the Emergency Room Director was working, as he is excellent with starting infant IV’s. With IV fluids, electrolytes, and IV treatment for the diarrhea, he had Jumaida awake within 45 minutes of our arrival! Thank you, JESUS! What a relief it was to see her looking around as if asking, “Where am I?” PRAYERS REALLY DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE! There is no doubt in my mind that God’s Angels were watching over our little Jumaida, making sure that she was well taken care of. Dysentery is so easy to contract. As adults, we deal with the inconvenience, take the medicine to stop it, and don’t think much about it. To a 3‑month-old infant, 1 microscopic bacteria from a sucked finger is all it takes to start the process. Jumaida is an overcomer, as this is her 2nd illness needing hospitalization. She is one tough little girl for sure! PLEASE KEEP JUMAIDA IN YOUR PRAYERS, and I will keep you updated. WIDOWS AND THEIR FAMILIES POUND THE RICE FOR ORPHAN GIVE-OUT  Our church widows working hard so others can eat. https://youtube.com/shorts/db5Jpyxcq7I  These young ladies make rhythmic pounding of rice look so easy! https://youtube.com/shorts/e0BmL6vwKQ8 These precious widows and their grandkids from our church worked very hard for 4 straight hours to de-hull 10 sacks of rice for the elderly orphan caretakers whose “pillaring” days are over. Pillaring is hard work, as those poles weigh around 10 kg./22 lbs. each! That’s why the video of the little girls shows them using short poles that aren’t so heavy. TO PILLAR or pound the rice, is to remove its hull so the seed (rice as you know it), can be cooked and eaten. This week we had our first rice give-out. It went fairly smoothly even though we had to make many changes in our distribution methods. LIFE IS ALWAYS CHANGING. ONLY THOSE WHO FLEX WITH IT WILL SURVIVE. NOTE TO “LOVE GIFT” GIVERS: The August financial report blessed me to tears! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR CONTINING TO GIVE SO THAT OUR LITTLE ONES CAN HAVE A JESUS FUTURE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 23, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 23, 2023 PREPARING FOR MAJOR FOOD CHANGE On September 28th our teams will distribute a bag of rice to each Granny or Aunt who hosts orphans and receives their food at our Balama Mission base. Our 3 months of corn supply is now finished. We were unable to store corn for the entire year due to a lack of availability of the preservative that is necessary for long-term storage.  50 lb or 25 kg sacks of corn flour for our 7 orphan homes Nothing changes for our 7 children’s homes, as the resident orphans will still receive corn flour weekly. This corn flour is being bought in a town 30 miles/60 km away that has a professional mill for bagging corn flour for sale to the local stores. We are very grateful that this mill exists so that our 55 resident orphans and the widows who care for them, will be able to continue using the menus that encourage maximum growth for our children. CHANGE IS NECESSARY FOR ALL OF US, AS WE MARCH TOWARDS OUR LORD’S RETURN. BEHIND THE SCENES OF OUR VILLAGE FOOD DISTRIBUTIONS Our food distribution teams give out 24+ TONS of food in each food give-out location in the “time of hunger”. The orphans and widows from 22 villages meet in 6 different locations in the Balama County/District to receive our assistance. The time of hunger extends from August to November each year. In the past I have shown you many distribution photos, so now I will share with you what it takes to make those distributions happen. THE DAY BEFORE THE DISTRIBUTION, OUR TEAMS LOAD THE TRUCKS with 4 to 5 tons of food supplies needed to feed whichever group of orphans that will receive it the next day. This year we are serving 1,145 orphans and widows in Balama. They are divided into 6 location groups throughout Balama County/District.  Loading the trucks is the first step in food give out preparation ONCE LOADED, the trucks are tarped and parked in the shade at our office for safe keeping until the next day. That afternoon at 2 pm, my guard buys the team freshly baked bread rolls, leaving them with me to prepare the next a.m. ON EACH DISTRIBUTION DAY my work begins at 2:30 a.m. (Bush Bunnies must be early birds!) At 2:30 a.m. I make fresh peanut butter sandwiches for our distribution teams who leave at 4 a.m. with the loaded trucks. There is no food in these remote locations. The teams are usually out until 10 a.m. each distribution day, so a hearty breakfast is a must! Once the teams pull out at 4 a.m., I only have 30 minutes to prepare for the construction team’s arrival at 4:30 a.m. With the whole team out of town for the distribution, all other work falls to me, and 2 other staff who stay behind to help out. FYI: Sun up is 5:15 a.m., so we do all our preparation work in the dark with flashlights/torches, or the headlights of the vehicles.  Granny and orphaned grandson working together to get their food to the other orphans living with them  God’s little ones, happy to have food to eat  Those smiles make all the work worth it  That little smile says it all IT IS HARD WORK, BUT WELL WORTH IT WHEN YOU SEE THE CHILDREN’S FACES AT THE DISTRIBUTION! TOGETHER WE ARE TRULY MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN THE LIVES OF THESE 1,145 CHILDREN AND THE WIDOWS WHO CARE FOR THEM. THANK YOU FOR YOUR FAITHFUL LOVE FOR THEM! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 16, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 16, 2023 RICE AND BEANS, A GREAT TREAT! This week found our food distribution team in 3 different village areas giving out TONS of dried rice and beans, along with soap, and salt to the many orphans we serve. Rice cannot be grown in many parts of our District, so it is a real treat for these children. The photos will give you a better insight into what happens, than I can describe in words.  Devotions with orphans before the food give-out  Orphans waiting with their Aunt to receive their beans and rice  Orphans helping their Granny who lost her fingers from Leprosy  A super strong Granny as that sack of rice weighs 50 kg or 110 lbs. Glad she didn’t live too far away! The food give-outs continue next week, as we complete our September “helping hand” to the orphans and widows living in remote areas. Our objective is to assist them to grow their own food with the seeds that our team will give out in November which is the beginning of our rainy/food growing season. RESCUING BABIES IN CRITICAL NEED Infants in severe need of help are not always orphans. The infant shown in the photo was sent to our milk formula program because the mother is ill and has no breastmilk. This tiny little boy is 2 months old and very emaciated. The mother’s illness had the mother bedridden, and sadly the family delayed getting him the care he so desperately needed.  A really hungry 2‑month-old baby boy who is very underweight (2.7 kg‑6 lb), but has a ravishing appetite When Children’s Director Anna gave him his first bottle, he literally inhaled it, and wouldn’t let go of the bottle when it was empty! I’ve never seen a 2‑month-old grasp something so hard! Starving infants are a sad sight that breaks my heart, but this is a big part of the reason Jesus sent us to this area. Helping the helpless find the love of Jesus! HANGING OUT IN THE AFTERNOON SHADE When the days washing and cleaning is done, the Foster Mothers enjoy some time to relax in the hot afternoons and play with the toddlers. Sitting under the massive Mango Tree at House #7 is a great way to cool off!  Foster Mothers and toddlers relaxing under the big Mango Tree at House # 7 I love visiting in the mid-afternoon, as it helps me to get to know the mothers a bit better than when they are super busy in the mornings. The toddlers are always up to something new and are a joy to play with.  7‑month-old Orlencia in front with 6‑month-old Madelina behind her BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |