| GOD’S MIGHTY HAND SAVES 3 LIVES On Tuesday, the MAF (Missions Aviation Fellowship) pilot took off from their base in a single engine Cessna to fetch our visiting Bishops from Tete, a 3‑hour flight away. Just 10 minutes out of the airport, the pilot, Ryan, noticed an oil leak coming from the engine. Doing a quick turn-around, he headed back to their base. Oil leaks in plane engines causes the engine to “seize” if the oil level drops below a certain point. If you are in the air when the engine stops, down you go with little control! Ryan’s super alertness and lots of prayer for this trip, saved his life!  Pilot Ryan of MAF. A man of God who listens when the Holy Spirit speaks After receiving the call (I had left at 3:30a.m. and was just 15 miles/33 kms from Pemba), I notified the Bishops that the plane wasn’t coming. They would have to reschedule. I was just super thankful that the Lord showed Ryan the leak at the ONLY possible moment when a crash could be avoided! So Bush Bunny and her faithful sidekick, Mario, a 2nd driver who always travels with me, changed plans and went on a shopping spree! Flexibility is a key item every missionary needs if they are to make the most of rapidly changing plans. I hadn’t been in Pemba since December 15th due to the rainy season road conditions, so much needed groceries and other supplies which are only available in Pemba were purchased. The local children’s clothing store surprised us with the early arrival of winter sweatpants, so an hour later, we left $200 lighter, but with most of the needed sizes for our 58 children. Our Visitors should arrive on May 10th, as that is the next date that both they and a different plane are available. BABY FRANCIANO JOINS OUR FAMILY AT 5 MONTHS, this orphaned tyke had the high fever of malaria, was super anemic (blood count of 4), and only weighed 2.6 kgs/5.7 lbs! His very ancient grandmother and a middle age Uncle had brought him to us, requesting baby formula. In critical condition, this little boy needed more care than they could provide. I rushed him off to the hospital, where he was immediately admitted and a blood analysis with blood type was ordered. By a miracle, a B+ donor was quickly located. By 5pm, he was receiving a life-saving transfusion. Still in a fragile state 2 days later, he received a 2nd transfusion bringing his blood count up to a safe 10.  Tiny Franciano with Foster Mother Estevania, happy to be home from the hospital Released from the hospital on Monday, April 18th with no residual malaria, everyone is now hopeful that he will survive after such overwhelming challenges. Franciano is way too fragile to live in the bush, so with Social Service’s assistance, his family agreed to leave him in our care on April 22nd. GOD’S PLANS ARE ALWAYS THE BEST PLANS! Thank YOU, for your Love Gifts saved the life of this little boy. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
Author Archives: Kim Hartman
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: APRIL 16, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: APRIL 16, 2022 MALAWIAN MOTHER CHURCH SENDS VISITORS International Missions Director, Bishop David Kazima, and our newly appointed National Bishop, Emmanuel Zalira, will arrive in Pemba on April 19th for a 3‑day visit. Neither has ever been here to see our program. Living Waters Church of Blantyre, Malawi, is the founding church for Igreja Aguas Vivas (Church of Living Waters) in Mozambique. IT IS A GREAT HONOR to have these men visit, as Bishop Kazima was on the missions Board who allowed me to register their church in this Province/State way back in 1999. That birthed this massive orphan/church program. We haven’t seen each other since 1999 due to the physical distance between our ministry posts and difficulties in travelling to this area. Both men will tour our entire program as well as meet with our Village Pastors and the BBC while here.  Bishop David Kazima, International Missions Director  Bishop Emmanuel Zalira, National Pastor for Mozambique FRUITS OF OUR PASTORS’ LABOR From January to March, the “rainy season”, our Pastors have trudged through the mud to reach 100’s with the gospel.  Village Pastors in group prayer. Many refugees are now able to return to their northern homes, so our time to reach them with God’s Word has come to an end. SALVATION NUMBERS ARE: ADULTS 206 TEENAGERS 224 CHILDREN 954 REFUGEES 52 A MAJOR MIRACLE occurred when a mother in need of a C‑section was prayed for by one of our Pastors. As the staff was preparing her for the very rough 40km/24 mile ride to the Regional Hospital, THE BABY TURNED IN THE WOMB and was delivered immediately! HALLELUJAH! Thank you Jesus! LARGE PYTHON TRIES TO STEAL A CHILD! The 2 brave men who walk our fence each day heard a woman screaming from her field that a snake was after her baby! The men raced to the area and grabbed the child before this 2.8 METER/9 FT. PYTHON could harm the 1 year old. They then bashed in the snake’s head.  2.8 meter/9 foot python killed by our fence guards.  Courageous python killers. It is rare to find a python this long in our area, so it was shown all around our area before finally being buried. Non poisonous, but still deadly, it has a gripping bite that holds a small animal, or child, while they squeeze their prey until they suffocate. Moral: Not everthing that hugs means to say “I love you”. Happy Resurrection Day! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: APRIL 9, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: APRIL 9, 2022 CARING FOR HIGH RISK INFANTS FRANCIANO, a tiny 5‑month-old baby boy, was brought to our mission at noon on Friday after losing first his father, then his mother from illness. His grandmother and uncle had tried their best to save him since his mother died 3 weeks ago from dysentery, but he wasn’t responding. The thin grandmother, not very old herself, had been breastfeeding him as she has an infant of her own. His weight record of only 3kg/6.6lbs. told me he was not growing, and his high fever shouted malaria!  Franciano has a chance, thanks to your love for these innocent ones. Please pray for this little one, as his blood test at the hospital revealed life threatening anemia as his Hbg (red blood count) was only 4! (12 is normal) A transfusion was organized by nightfall, so now our 2 foster mothers are giving him plenty of love and baby formula, as we all wait to see how he responds as Saturday dawns. Caring for these fragile, high risk infants is one reason Jesus sent me here. The Lord arranged specialized training for me in this medical field as I was attending Bible School, and working in PICU AND NICU at St. John’s hospital in Tulsa, OK. With God’s healing hand, and the ability we have to help the most fragile of orphans, these “innocent ones” are given every possible opportunity to survive and thrive! THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE! I will keep you informed on how this little one does this week. LEARNING IN THE SAND Our primary school tutor knows how to make learning fun! With a week of dry weather, he had the 6:30 a.m. class outside in the sand doing their math lessons. The kids loved it as their faces beamed with happiness!  Anna shows off her super math skills!  Teacher PEDRO and our 2nd and 3rd graders enjoying “sand math”. NATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY! April 7th is celebrated in Mozambique as a day to honor all women. The hospital Director received a pick up load of food gifts for the women’s day feast, which she happily shared with our mothers. We honored all the foster mothers and female staff with the special “caplana” designed for this occasion. It’s a wraparound skirt that is the traditional dress of women in this country.  8 of our 21 foster mothers show off their Women’s Day caplanas! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: APRIL 2, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: APRIL 2, 2022 JESUS NAMED US ORPHANS UNLIMITED… There is little doubt WHY God named us that. For those who don’t know the story behind the name, I can explain very simply. In the USA for a break way back in the late 1999 time, I knew the time was near for me to file as a charitable organisation. But I had no idea what I was to call this ministry. A simple prayer went up asking for the name God wanted to call us, and then I waited. That night, 2 a.m. on the dot, I sat straight up in bed from a sound sleep, saw a vision of a limitless sea of children’s faces, and heard the words Orphans Unlimited in my spirit. There was never any question in my mind that I had heard correctly, as orphaned/abandoned children keep showing up at our door each week. AND THE INFANTS KEEP COMING This week 4 more orphaned infants showed up at our door. Sadly mothers who have their babies at home, don’t always get the post partum care they need and complications set in which overwhelms their bodies. Three week old Ancha and 8 week old Papaito are prime examples. PTL these 2 have family who loves them, and went “the extra mile” to care for them. Ancha’s grandmother asked help from another suckling mother, who nursed her until the family could travel to Balama from 17 miles away. This is what we see most of the time. Papaitos family scraped together $6 to buy a can of powdered milk at their local market. It was a miracle this little one tolerated it, and didn’t get diarrhea. Both are now on formula and doing just fine.  Children’s Director, Anna teaching this Aunt how to bottle feed 2 month old Papaito.  Ancha, lost her mother 4 days after her birth. Granny will now raise her. On average, we have families bring Social Services documents weekly for 2 to 3 infants, plus older orphans, who need our food assistance program. Just today, we had grandparents bring us their 1 year old orphaned grandchild. They said he wouldn’t sleep because they didn’t have enough food to feed him. We organized baby food, and a gift of corn flour, beans, and salt for this family. They are now registered in our weekly food program. We know that the “sea of children’s faces” will continue until the Lord’s return. Our staff and I are totally dedicated to meeting their needs, 1 child at a time. THANK YOU FOR FILLING UP EMPTY TUMMIES WITH YOUR LOVE GIFTS! It makes our job so easy when we know we can give what is desperately needed so these little ones can survive. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 19, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 19, 2022 ADMINISTRATOR MEETS OUR FAMILY The Balama Administrator and 10 of his staff blessed us with a one-hour visit on Thursday. All the permanent Foster Mothers and the children who were not in school, attended to hear his encouraging words. It was a great time of fellowship where he encouraged the Foster Mothers to tell him about themselves and the children they care for. Our family is much appreciated by this powerful man who runs our District.  Administrator meets with our Foster Parents and children. The County/District Administrator is assigned by the State Governor to oversee all activities in his/her District. My staff and I are very grateful for his support of our program as this is his 3rd visit in 2 years, which is a great honor. I took advantage of the moment and snapped precious photos of the children and toddlers who attended. Of our 14 youngest, only 3 are not walking. Toddlers Chebany and Gilda couldn’t sit still, so provided a few laughs by trying out their new walking/falling skills. Toddlers Chebany and Gilda decided to explore the area while awaiting our visitors. Watch Video –> https://youtu.be/l41-6g0FjGY Our happy family is growing strong youngsters, thanks to your prayers and Love Gifts. THANK YOU for sharing your love with them. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF  Toddlers Mazinha and Juma love Capena, our office manager (who really adores loving on all the youngsters).  L to R. Foster Mothers Naiba and Zainaba holding Chebany and our newest addition, Ambrosio.  Head Foster Mother for the babies, Gilda, with Susana.  L to R. Foster Mothers Tina and Cecelia with Baby Gilda and Fatima.  L to R. Petrito, Foster Mothers Angelina holding Reginalda, and Aua (holding sleeping Quiston) with big Sister Nazarena in the middle. |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 15, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 15, 2022 BABY MARCOS GRADUATES TO HEAVEN Marco’s was a fighter from the moment he took his first breath. He gave his all, but couldn’t overcome the suspected e. coli bacteria that got into his system from the toilet. E. coli kills almost everyone who is infected with it, as it is meant ONLY for the large bowel. For 4 days, Marcos was fine, but Sunday he suddenly became too weak to drink from a bottle. My team and I rushed him to the hospital where he was admitted to the maternity ward, as that is where under 30-day-old infants are treated. Even with the best of care, he became weaker during the night. He met Jesus at 2pm Monday.  Marcos, barely 24 hours old, sleeping peacefully. The hospital staff, Social Services, and members from the local government attended his funeral yesterday afternoon. They gave him a very honourable burial, as this is the first infant we’ve cared for who was abandoned in this way. Thank you all for keeping all our children in your prayers. Marcos is with our Lord, and we will meet him again someday in the future. Blessings, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 11, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 11, 2022 BABY #15 RESCUED FROM OUTDOOR TOILET! A baby boy was born in a remote village on March 9th, his cord was broken (not cut), then someone, we “guess” that it was his mother, dumped him into a nearby outdoor toilet, head first! Teresa, the woman who lived in that mud hut heard the infant crying, and immediately tore the log top off the toilet with her neighbor’s help.  L to R. Estevan, foster Mother for Marcos, and Teresa, the woman who rescued him from outdoor toilet. After pulling the baby out, she immediately tied his umbilical cord, and bathed him to remove the excrement from his body. Teresa doesn’t speak Portuguese or Makua, just Makonde, so she asked Fatima, her trilingual neighbor, to go with her to the village clinic with the baby. The clinic called the Balama hospital which immediately sent their ambulance to fetch the infant and the 2 ladies. Marcos, barely 24 hours old, sleeping peacefully. This precious little one miraculously survived the night in the maternity ward, showing NO SIGNS of any medical problems 12 hours later. Social Services called me at 10:45 a.m., Thursday, March 10th, asking us to accept the infant into our family. Our Foster Mother, Estevania, was orientating at House #7. She gladly received him as her own. This little boy, now named Marcos, became the 5th infant in that house.  Our staff gathered under the Mango Tree, discussing a name. Marcos was chosen. As that is Portuguese for March, his birth month. On Friday, day 2 of his life, Marco’s has no fever, and only mild inflamation around his umbilical cord. The Balama Doctor placed him on an Antibiotic syrup, and gave us a special antibiotic umbilical cord gel to apply. OUR MIRACLE BABY, MARCOS, needs a sponsor of $40/month to cover his baby formula and Foster care. PLEASE email me directly for more information if you would like to sponsor him. GOD TRULY HAD HIS GUARDIAN ANGEL CATCH AND PROTECT MARCOS. There’s not a scratch on his tiny body after a 6‑foot fall onto his head! Under “normal” circumstances, Marcos should have a badly infected umbilicus AT THE VERY LEAST! OUR GOD IS TRULY AMAZING IN ALL HE DOES FOR HIS LITTLE ONES! GOD’S BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL! BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 5, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 5, 2022 BABY # 14 JOINS THE FAMILY! TEN MONTH OLD AMBROSIO, orphaned in September 2021, has been cared for by his 2 teenage Aunts in their village, the only women left in this family. He has been in our milk program since last August, when his mother became ill and stopped making breast milk. The father was not to be found.  Baby Ambrosio with 13 year old Aunt, waiting for admission to House #6 These 2 teenagers tried their best, but Ambrosio has had an upper respiratory infection for the last 2 weeks that has caused almost a 1 lb./400 gm weight loss. Without intervention, he was showing signs that he might not survive. Social Services was notified that we needed to bring this little boy into our family. They agreed and a 4 hour search for his adult Uncle was finally successful. Ambrosio’s birth was never recorded, so an adult family member’s testimony was needed so we could organize a birth certificate. On Friday 2 Uncles organized the birth certificate, and Social Services finalized his documents.  Ambrosio with Foster Mother, Zainabo. He isn’t feeling well, as his face tells it all. Ambrosio is recovering well under the watchful eye of our newest foster mother, Zainabo, at house #6. With a high protein diet and all the formula he desires, Ambrosio should regain his weight loss within 2 weeks. PRIMARY SCHOOLERS RECEIVE TUTORING Tuesday gave me a good workout as I had to visit each home to make sure the foster mothers were aware of our tutoring schedule for each grade. Setting up the classroom and materials was easy compared to rounding up 25 first to seventh graders! It was the 6th and 7th graders who resisted the most, “duh”, but they all showed up for class these last 4 days.  Pastor Jose and Teacher Pedro with the 2nd and 3rd graders in the afternoon session. The younger students tell me they really like Mr. Pedro, the teacher. Pedro completed his evaluation of the children on Friday, so will begin proper classes on Monday.  Teacher Pedro writing a lesson on the white board for the 6th and 7th graders in the morning session. High school tutors are in the works, as it will take at least 2 teachers to cover their 10 subjects. HELDER HIRED BY BALAMA EDUCATION DEPARTMENT! We don’t know where he will be “student teaching” yet, but pray for a place close to Balama, so he can stay close to us (his family). More details when I have them.  Happy Helder can hardly contain his joy! PTL FOR OUR FAMILY IS GROWING UP AND BECOMING PRODUCTIVE CITIZENS WHO WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: FEBRUARY 26, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: FEBRUARY 26, 2022 BBC LEADERS CONTINUE TO SERVE Carlitos and Daniel are 2 of our BBC leaders who serve by taking food twice a month on their BBC motorbikes to 9 orphans living in a remote mountain area south of our mission station. On a clear day, I can actually see the area they are going to, but getting there by road is another matter. Motorbikes make it easily, where even 4 wheel drive would get stuck in the rainy season since the road floods.  BBC LEADERS, Carlitos and Daniel loading up food for 9 Orphans living in a very remote mountain area. These 2 men made the 40km/24 mile distance in 3 hours yesterday, which is good for that road. Once there, they check on the 9 youngsters, and found them in need of new clothes. Upon hearing their report, I sent them to the market on a clothes-buying mission. Those clothes will be delivered TODAY, provided there is no rain. YOUR LOVE GIFTS AT WORK! TEEN POWER! Each week, our 17 teenagers volunteer 2 hours to help keep our mission’s moringa orchards and soccer field clean and safe. Clearing away all grass, leaving only the sandy loam soil, means snakes can’t hide there! That’s a very good thing since 99.9% of African snakes carry some form of poison. Picking Moringa is a cooking task of the teen girls, so they make sure the “team” keeps it VERY CLEAN!  Teenagers in our program clean up the Moringa orchard this week. Motto of Rural Mozambique: A clean yard, is a safe yard. It’s a task every Balama household performs early each morning.  17 teens in all, they make a powerful work force. FEBRUARY IS ALMOST OVER. MARCH WILL HOPEFULLY SEE THE REDUCTION OF HEAVY RAINS SO THE CORN AND BEANS WON’T ROT ON THE STALKS. JOIN US IN PRAYING IN A GREAT HARVEST, FOR THE NEED IS GREAT! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: FEBRUARY 19, 2022
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: FEBRUARY 19, 2022 ALFERES ACCEPTED! Today, Alferes leaves for Teachers College in Montepuez, 60km/36 miles from here. This is truly exciting, as he is our 2nd teenager to enter this very worthy profession. Classes begin on Monday! Please keep him in your prayers as he has many adjustments to make.  Alferes accepted into Teachers College! PRIMARY SCHOOL STUDENTS RECEIVE A BOOST Retired Teacher Pedro will begin tutoring our 1st to 7th graders on March 1st. With only 6 days/month of “in classroom” instruction being allowed this year per student, our youngsters need a helping hand. Concentrating on reading, writing, and arithmetic will be the first objective.  Interview with new teacher, Pedro. We are blessed to receive the best, as Senhor Pedro has a stellar reputation as a great teacher. THANK YOU TO OUR SAN ANTONIO DONOR who blessed us with the gift of this teacher! BABIES, BABIES, BABIES! Not all are pictured, but our baby formula program is expanding weekly with an average of 2 to 3 infants. This tiny little girl named GICA (Gee cah) was born on January 21st. Her mother passed away from postpartum complications on January 29th.  Office manager Capena, instructs Aunt Roselda on how to mix baby formula for baby Gica. Gica’s Aunt Roselda adopted her. After trying to feed her a local milk product, she came to us via Social Services for infant formula. The formula your Love Gifts provide truly is the saving grace for these newborns. Thank You to all of you for loving God’s children in northern Mozambique. BLESSINGS BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |