| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: NOVEMBER 7, 2020 BABY QUISTON JOINS OUR FAMILY Beginning to look like a baby nursery in all 5 of our children’s homes for young children. With 8‑month-old Quiston (Key-ston) joining our family on Thursday, we now have 11 babies in our care. Quiston’s Granny has struggled since May to handle this little boy, as she is elderly herself and the youngest family member remaining. Knowing she did not have the means or energy to raise him, she released him to us as he was sick with an upper respiratory infection.  Baby Quiston in arms of Grandmother. He’s very small and underweight, 4.6kg/10 lbs., 8 months old, born March 3, 2020. This little man is tough, and doing much better after 3 days of medicine for his respiratory infection. God already answered our prayer for a sponsor through a Christian School in Oklahoma. I am always encouraged when someone emails to say they would like to sponsor a baby, for that is what happened in this case. The sponsor wrote the same day we received QUISTON. Coincidence? No way! That’s God!  Baby Quiston feeling much better after 3 days of medical care. All our children need your prayers, and we are grateful for it. THANK YOU TO ALL OUR SPONSORS who make it possible for our children to have their needs met. BLOCKED BRIDGE DELAYS DELIVERY Manel and his team took off at 4 a.m. Wednesday to take a load of corn to the Meluco orphans. They travelled well until 30 km (18 miles) from Meluco town, where the team encountered a broken down log truck blocking a one way bridge. No one knew when the truck would be repaired, as it was too heavy with its log load to be towed. No car or truck could pass, and no alternative road exists, so Manel hiked up onto a nearby hill to get phone signal to call me. I gave the order to turn around and come home, for the area they were in was a known elephant crossing as well as home to other dangerous “critters”.  Massive log truck blocking the road on Wednesday. By 8 p.m. that night, the team was safely back at our base. The following afternoon, we were delighted to hear that the truck had been moved, and traffic was flowing. Our team prepared the truck and took off at 4 a.m. Friday, successfully delivering their load to the Meluco orphan station. They are on their way to Balama as I write. Daily, we face many unknowns in the rescue work we do to save vulnerable children. YOUR PRAYERS do more to help us than you will ever know while on this earth. PLEASE KEEP US COVERED IN PRAYER. Our last food truck of the year will leave Monday for Meluco. It essential that this food be delivered before the heavy rains begin this month. THANK YOU! BABY NELITA THRIVING Baby Nelita is a true testimony of how well our mothers care for malnourished infants. Nelita’s immune system was compromised and she was in a severely malnourished state when she came to us 1 year ago. Medical personnel were skeptical that she would survive. WITH LOTS OF PRAYER FROM ALL OF YOU, and in conjunction with our loving foster mothers, God raised her up! She is now walking short distances and playing outside with other children. Her immunity has returned in force!  Baby Nelita thriving after almost losing her life. Her favourite game is talking to others via her toy telephone. THANK YOU FOR YOUR POWERFUL PRAYERS TOWARDS THIS LITTLE ONE. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
Author Archives: Kim Hartman
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 31, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 31, 2020 BABY MAEZINHA JOINS OUR FAMILY Last Sunday, Granny Aluina, whom I introduced you to last week, walked in from her village with the very ill baby girl, Maezinha. (An error on the paperwork had me report this baby as a boy in last week’s blog.) Maezinha, 6 months old, is malnourished as she weighs only 5.2kg/11.4 lbs. She had a high fever, was very irritable and refusing a bottle. Granny told us she was too old to handle this baby, and asked us to take her into our family. Our Children’s Director and I agreed this was best for the sake of the infant. Social Services agreed, treatment for malaria was given, and after 5 days, our newest family member is eating well and beginning to smile at times.  Baby Maezinha held by Foster Mother Maria. She’s had a rough life, losing her mother 3 weeks ago, then changing families twice in the following 3 weeks. Maria is an excellent mother and it is obvious that Maezinha is very happy with her. This morning, Maezinha grabbed my hand, letting me know she accepted me too. While sick she wanted nothing to do with me. SPONSOR NEEDED FOR MAEZINHA. $30/month will provide her formula and food. Plz email me if you would like to sponsor this sweet little girl.  Maezinha holding my finger, tells me I am now accepted by her. VILLAGE PASTORS PRAY FOR USA AND MOZAMBIQUE LEADERS Our faithful Village Pastors always end our monthly meetings with intense prayer for our most urgent needs. They know how important it is to pray for government leaders, so that was the basis of this month’s prayer session.  Faithful Village Pastors pray for Mozambique and USA. GOD IS MOVING. Our Namuno County Pastor, Alberto, reported that the village of Ocua requested his help in beginning a shade tree church. Their area has 20 adults, 18 teenagers, and 22 children who wanted to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour! This is the 5th village to come to Christ in this District/County, PTL! Balama Salvations in October Adults: 25 Teenagers: 26 Children: 71 THANK YOU TO ALL WHO GIVE SO THAT OTHERS CAN KNOW JESUS! LIFE SKILLS TEACHES “HELP THY NEIGHBOR“ Last week, 23 teenagers, all orphans living near our mission station, joined our Life Skills group. October is “prepare your fields for planting”, so our lessons not only included farming techniques, but helping one another. Our staff split them into 2 groups to help widows and sick, elderly people to prepare their fields.  Terrific Teen Power in our 23 youth learning Life Skills. Everyone benefits as these young people seem super-powered in how much they accomplish in a 2‑hour class time. Once these fields are planted, then we will introduce the group to other skills. CHANGING A NEIGHBORHOOD, 1 CHILD AT A TIME. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 24, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 24, 2020 JOSEPH PROGRAM 2020 NOW COMPLETED! The Joseph Program is the name the Lord gave me for our Village Food Distribution Program: Fill the barns in time of plenty and give out in the time of hunger. Our staff has been busy doing just that since August 1, 2020. Orphans and widows assisted TOTALED 1,864 in Balama and Meluco Districts. The photos in today’s blog show us giving out the final sacks of food this last week to some of the widows and orphans, as the rainy season is upon us. Our team distributed TWICE to each child in October so that all could have food and seed for planting before the rains begin in November. YOUR LOVE GIFTS MAKE THIS PROGRAM POSSIBLE! THANKS TO YOU, these 1,864 orphans and widows have full tummies AND the energy needed to plant their fields in November. Our aim is to GIVE THEM A HAND UP, NOT A HAND OUT! Thus, food to help them gain strength, and seeds to plant so they are more self-sufficient.  Each widow caring for more than 3 orphans receives 60kg/132 lbs of corn. These grannies are doing a great job of training up their grandchildren in the food-growing techniques they must learn in order to become successful farmers. Village populations depend on the parents passing on to their children these life-sustaining farming techniques. That “lifeline of information” is broken when the parents pass away, so who will teach them?  Grateful Granny receives food and soap for the 4 orphans in her care. If you don’t grow it yourself around here, then you have nothing to eat. My hat goes off to these faithful, loving Grandmothers and Aunts who accept the responsibility to care for and train up their orphaned family members. It is NOT an easy process. NOTE: The children who live with us are all given training in these same techniques by the Foster Mothers who care for them.  Widow receives life saving beans for her 3 orphaned grandchildren. RESCUES CONTINUE WEEKLY This week, Granny Aluina (Ah-loo-ee-nah) asked Social Services for food help as both parents of her 3 grandchildren are now deceased. The malnourished 6‑month-old baby boy, Maezinho (Ma-eh-zeen-you), was in dire need of milk formula, as the mother had never introduced him to baby food.  Alcina, 8, brother Alcino, 6, with Granny and baby Maezinha. The 6‑year-old boy, Alcino, and his 8‑year-old sister, Alcina, are both thin, but nothing that 2 to 3 weeks of good meals wouldn’t fix. The father passed away last year before Maezinho was born. The mother passed away at home on Oct. 10th from an unknown illness as she didn’t seek medical help. Granny Aluina tried to manage the baby with the help of several village women who nursed him, but it clearly wasn’t enough. He refused to eat the local baby porridge, but is now eating the tastier Hypo Baby Porridge that we provide to infants. I am very proud of Granny Aluina for seeking help BEFORE the situation for the infant became critical. THANKS TO YOUR LOVE GIFTS, Granny Aluina and her 3 grandchildren are all being cared for through our Balama Food and Infant Formula Program. EACH LOVE GIFT YOU SEND TRULY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Know that all of us are most grateful for each of you, and that our staff prays for you each week. ROOF ON ORPHAN HOUSE #7 IS COMPLETE! This huge job took 9 days total with 6 carpenters, making it possible to COMPLETE THIS 4 BEDROOM HOUSE during the fast approaching rainy season. The finishing work will begin next week, so my “hope” is to open this orphan home by January, 2021.  Orphan Home #7. Roof completed. Around here, we have learned that during the “rainy season”, you must be patient and take it one day at a time. But we will forge ahead as is possible, for our motto is to “never leave for tomorrow, what can be done today”. Our team WILL make it happen with God’s help. THANK YOU TO THE SPONSORS OF THIS HOME WHOSE LOVING KINDNESS IS MAKING IT POSSIBLE FOR US TO HELP MORE CHILDREN IN NEED. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 17, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 17, 2020 ORPHAN HOUSE #7—ROOFING IN PROGRESS! It’s a big job putting a roof on a house that is 71 feet/22 meters long. On Monday, Oct. 12th, I took video footage of the brick-layer team helping the 6 carpenters lift up the 6 (SIX!!) 200 lb./90 kg trusses onto the walls for proper positioning. The carpenters spent the next 4 days securing the cross beams into place which will support the tin roofing sheets. Monday, Oct. 19th, the carpenters begin nailing the 140 tin sheets into place. After that is done, we are secure to complete this house even if the rains begin early. Roof truss going up on House #7 https://youtu.be/uegU4YHyiJw Putting the roof truss into its proper place. https://youtu.be/65h2wMGiMe4 NOVEMBER FOOD GIVE OUTS 75% DONE It’s been a super busy week with our days starting at 3 a.m. so that the loaded food trucks could roll out before sunrise to the remote villages where the orphans live. Four major food give outs were completed this week as well as the 2 Balama distributions on Wednesday and Thursday. Our days were full of loading and unloading trucks so that orphans would not go hungry, and have the seeds they need to plant their fields. Nine more villages to go next week, and our 2020 food program for the villages will be complete.  Grannies with orphans, socially distanced, listening to God’s Word.  Our helpers carrying food/seeds for the widows.  Orphans helping Grannies get food divided into smaller packages for easy transport. BUSH BUNNY TIDBITS: 1. THE FABULOUS FIVE wasted no time getting their field cleaned and ready for planting this week. They were well trained by their Grandmother before she passed. The photo shows them in the far distance with Dinha, the oldest, pushing the group to get the job done. I took the photo of them working without them knowing it, as I wanted to show you how much area 5 teenagers can clean by hand with 5 hoes in a few hours. They have almost 1.5 acres for food raising. Goes to prove that Teenagers are a mighty force when they put their mind to accomplishing a goal.  THE FABULOUS FIVE hard at work, preparing their farming field for planting. 2. ANGELINA (Angel), our youngest orphan, will be 1 year old on Oct. 19th. She is just beginning to walk independently, but wasn’t interested in walking for our photo, as she was “busy” with her toy. How time flies, for it seems like just yesterday when we had 9 babies in diapers running around here. Now all 9 are WALKING!  Baby Angelina (Angel) celebrates 1 year on Monday, Oct. 19! 3. MONICA NEEDS PRAYER. HEALTH DIMINISHING. Monica has a birth defect (non-operable hole in her heart). She is now 8 and weighs only 11kgs/24 lbs. Last week she became sick with a cough/respiratory infection which the hospital treated. But her strength is diminishing. Please keep her in prayer.  Monica today. Pray for increased strength. YOUR LOVE GIFTS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE, FOR NONE OF THESE CHILDREN HAD A CHANCE TO GROW UP HEALTHY WITHOUT THE HELP THAT YOU PROVIDE. THANK YOU FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 10, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 10, 2020 FABULOUS FIVE MOVE INTO NEW HOME Wednesday, the Fabulous Five Teenagers happily moved into their new home. Our staff helped them extend mosquito nets over their new beds, and get all their belongings moved to the new site. You can see many of the gifts 4 of the teens showed off on moving day.  New home, many gifts for Child Headed household. Fourteen year old Fernando is not in the photo as he left early that a.m. to visit a friend, not realizing it was time to move them. Fernando returned late afternoon to find his old house deserted and everyone gone. Neighbors told him where to find his family. Shocked, he came to my house and apologized (rare occurrence around here) to me for not being around to help with the move. After 2 days, the Fabulous Five are well settled in and enjoying their new home. THANK YOU TO THEIR MONTHLY SPONSOR, AS WELL AS THOSE WHO CONTRIBUTED “start-up gifts” so these young adults could have the basic items needed to begin a much better life. Dinha, the 17 year old “head of household”, seemed very relieved that Anna, our Children’s Director, lives so close by. Being responsible for 4 other teens is a BIG responsibility as many of you know. THE NORM IN OUR LIVES Each week we receive an average of 1 or 2 babies into our formula program. New orphan children come in about twice a month because their Mom has died from some disease or during childbirth. CV-19 is not a problem in this area, PTL!  A widowed aunt with her 4 children and her sister’s 4 orphans. Your gifts truly make a difference in the lives of this family. This week, Granny Assumia (Ah-soo-mia) reported to Social Services that she needed food help for her 2 orphaned Grandchildren. One year old Jonas and 3 year old Muamede (Moo-ah-med‑y) happily left wearing new clothes and carrying a bag full of food that your love gifts provided.  Granny Assumia holds 1 year old Jonas with 3 year old Muamede at her side. The before and after photos are shown here. I wanted to show you the transformation that takes place when they put on new clothes. Don’t be fooled by the lack of smiles for in this culture, a smile means you are not taking the gift seriously. But know they were super happy for Muamede happily skipped off as his Granny headed them towards home.  Your gifts provide new clothes for these 2 little boys. RAINY SEASON COMING EARLY. The October food give-outs were completed today for more than 1,000 orphaned children in 22 remote villages. Due to dark clouds hovering over Balama all week with only midday sunshine, our staff “took God’s hint” knowing this means the rains will soon begin.  Food give-outs keeps orphans/grannies healthy. November is seed give-out time, so our plan is not to wait, but push on with the final food distribution starting next Wednesday. If heavy rains hit before the 1st 2 weeks of November, we won’t be able to get to many of the villages as the roads are hard packed clay. Clay and water make for slippery mud roads which our trucks can’t negotiate. Even 4‑wheel-drive pickups struggle in some of the deeper mud holes. But I am happy to announce that for the 1st time EVER, Balama has a paved road all the way through our town that connects it to other parts of the Province/State!Rainy season will no longer be a major challenge if we need to go to the Capital of Pemba between December and March. BECAUSE YOU CARE, 1000’S OF CHILDREN NOW KNOW THAT JESUS LOVES THEM. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THAT POSSIBLE. BLESSINGS BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: OCTOBER 3, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: OCTOBER 3, 2020 HEALTHY TRIPLETS THANKS TO YOUR HELP Triplets Marcia, Marcelina, and Marcelo are now very healthy at 6 months as they all weigh over 14.5 lbs/6.6kg thanks to your help. As you can see from their photo, they are chubby little tykes, who began life at only a little over 2 kgs/4.5lbs each.  Balama town triplets Marcia, Marcelina, and Marcelo. The 2nd set of triplets from Rovuma village, Felismina, Filomina, and Filomino, are close behind them in weight at 5kg (11lbs) each even though they are 7 weeks YOUNGER than the first set of triplets. I take my hat off to this mother and 2 older siblings of the Rovuma family, for they have done an exceptional job of raising these 3 little ones up to now.  Rovuma triplets are gaining weight rapidly. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR BABY FORMULA PROGRAM, FOR IT LITERALLY MEANT LIFE VS. DEATH TO THESE NEWBORNS. LIFE SKILLS TRAINING: WEAVING A ROPE BED Rope Beds are the “norm” for this culture, as the materials to make them are readily available. I bought the bed frame from a local man who makes them, and our “Life Skills” team were taught by Rachide, my house guard, to weave the ropes super tight so it makes a very comfortable bed.  Life Skills Teens complete their 1st woven rope bed. The Fabulous Five Teenagers need this bed before they can move into their new home this coming week. Our builders are still wrapping up the final touches on their home this weekend. The video link will better explain how bed weaving is done, and you’ll see our team of young men learning a new “life skill” while helping out the Fabulous Five. Watch a video of the Fabulous Five weaving the bed for our new orphans here —> https://youtu.be/21ULOeBVF4k LITTLE SANTOS TAKES HIS FIRST SELFIE! Santos and his Foster Mother, Felimina, joined me in a selfie last week, as 2.5 year old Santos really wanted to play with my phone. So I turned on the camera, and we did our best to get all 3 of us in the photo. My arms were just a bit too short, but we tried. Anyway, Santos LOVED THE PHOTO, so I wanted to share it with you.  Santos Santos 1st selfie with Brenda and Foster Mother, Felimina Please know I love hearing from all of you, so don’t be shy about writing. Tell me what’s going on in your life, for I am very isolated here and emails are most welcome. I will answer back for sure. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 26, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 26, 2020 CHILD-HEADED HOUSEHOLD NEEDS OUR HELP MEET THE COUSINS WHO BECAME A FAMILY: (L‑R) Celina-12, Fernando-13, Maniho-16, Nionelda-14, Deanha-17. Eleven years ago, 2 sisters died within a week of each other. One died in childbirth and the other for unknown reasons. Each sister had 5 small children who went to live with their Grandmother, (10 kids in all). Needless to say, Granny needed food and clothing help, so that is how these children came to be in our orphan food program.  The Fantastic Five, youngest to oldest, happily wearing their new outfits. Their Grandmother passed away a year ago, so her oldest daughter came to live with the remaining 5 children. This Aunt passed away from cancer 3 weeks ago, leaving the 5 young teenagers with no adult in the household. In tears, the oldest girl, Deanha, came to ask our help, as their mud hut is very old, and not in great condition. Our staff decided the best thing to do was to buy a house near our mission so our Children’s Director, Anna, could be close by to assist and guide them. Our head brick layer knew of a mud hut for sale just 3 houses away from our Children’s Director’s home, which places it within 100 yards/meters of our Orphanage Water Well. The location of this home couldn’t have been any better! I consider it a Blessing from the Lord!  Two of our Life Skills students building the bamboo fence in front of new orphans home. The house needed a new roof, and basic upgrades like a cement floor, an outdoor bathroom, a kitchen and a shaded outdoor eating area as there is no shade at all around this house. All this was easily built during this last month by our brick layers and carpenters.  The Fantastic Five’s new home, still under construction. The photo shows the house TODAY in the final construction stages, as we plan to move the children into it next week, once final painting is done. THANKS TO YOUR GENEROUS SUPPORT, THESE CHILDREN WILL BE SAFE UNDER OUR CARE, AND BE ABLE TO CONTINUE THEIR EDUCATION WITH OUR HELP. SPONSORS ARE NEEDED to help them with their basic needs. A TOTAL GIFT OF $60/MONTH PROVIDES ALL 5 CHILDREN WITH THEIR BASIC NEEDS (clothes, shoes, school uniforms/materials, and a weekly allowance to buy meat, fish, and vegetables). Their basic food is provided through our orphan food program. Please email me if you would like to provide all or any part of this Love Gift to these brave young teens. CONSTRUCTION RESUMES ON ORPHAN HOUSE #7! With restrictions easing nationwide, our team was given permission to complete Orphan House #7. This is much needed since other 6 orphan homes are nearly full.  ORPHAN HOME #7 with ring beam in place. The ring beam is going up as I write, so as soon as the walls are completed, the roof should be built within the next 3 weeks. We are expecting the rainy season EARLY in November, so it is essential to the completion of the house that the roof be on before those rains begin. The rest of the work can be done as long as the roof is on. This is cutting it close, but NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD! OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO THE DONORS OF HOUSE #7 FOR THEIR PATIENCE DURING THIS UNEXPECTED 6 MONTH DELAY. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 19, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 19, 2020 EVA SHOWING OFF HER HOME SKILLS Eva, the first child we took into our family in 2000, is now 22 years old. (Yeap, I just completed 20 years in Balama!) Two year old Eva and her Grandmother came to us because Eva was suffering from 6 major seizures DAILY due to Cerebral Palsy. Long story, short, the doctors that saw her at age 2 told us she would most likely be unable to walk, speak, or take care of herself. SURPRISE!  Eva pounding whole corn into corn flour. She is NOW DOING ALL 3 AND caring for her grandmother, as well! Passing by her home this week, I found Eva “pillaring” (hand pounding corn into flour). Don’t be fooled, that “pounding pole” weighs about 15 lbs (7 kg). Eva shows how it’s done in this video! https://youtu.be/g‑7hsszrYWk Yes, Eva is mentally slow and walks with a funny gait, but with her Grandmother’s patient teaching, Eva has proven that she can be a useful helper around the house. She runs, sings, and speaks part of 3 languages! NEVER SAY NEVER WHERE GOD IS CONCERNED! REMOTE VILLAGE ORPHANS RECEIVING YOUR GIFTS This week, we completed all 5 remote village food give-outs using strict guidelines to prevent any viral contamination. Balama is CV-19 free, and we hope to keep it that way.  Villages orphans and their foster mothers fetching food. Each orphan family received 1 sack of corn, plus salt, 1 piece of soap, and 3 kg (6.6 lbs) of dried beans/person. THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE TO CONTINUE HELPING THESE CHILDREN STAY STRONG AND HEALTHY. BUILDING A LOCAL TOILET AND BATHING AREA The 4 high school students participating in our Life Skills training, are hard at work today, building a bathroom for 5 young teenage orphans who will enter our program in about 10 days. I’ll tell you more about this “child headed household” in next week’s blog. Our boys, Alferes, Helder, Samuel, and Izebio started their day by marking out, and then digging post holes for the bathroom. The boys then walked to a nearby neighbor and bought 5 bundles of grass for the bathroom walls. Carrying the grass bundles on their heads makes them look like a “grass train” as they walk one behind the other.  Grass train headed to our newest mud brick home. Once the fence posts were in, the 12 foot/4 meter long bamboo rods must be split as they will support the grass walls. Izebio knew how to split bamboo, so we had him show the other 3 how to do it. Life Skills is all about “teaching one to teach one”.  Students mounting the grass walls on bathing area. These split bamboos are then tied onto the fence posts with strong “cords” cut from old tires. The grass walls are secured in place by a 2nd piece of split bamboo on the outside of the grass to “sandwich” it into place. Every house needs a bathroom, making this a vital part of House Building 101.  Teen team with completed grass bathroom with BBC member, Cabral as instructor. (middle, back row) Our young teens are growing into men, all because YOU GAVE so that they could have a better future. It takes more than academics to make a well-rounded citizen in this country. Without the basics of “making a home from local materials”, where will they live? UNTIL NEXT WEEK, MY FRIENDS. KEEP YOUR PRAYERS FLOWING OUR WAY. BLESSINGS BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 12, 2020 LIFE SKILLS LEADS TO EMPLOYMENT Widnes (Wit-ness), an orphan who grew up in the early years of our program, is now 27 and a trained carpenter’s assistant on his way to becoming a master carpenter. When he graduated high school in 2011, he requested to apprentice under our mission station’s master carpenter. This was 9 years ago, long before a life skills training center was needed because most of our orphans were very young.  Widnes using a carpenter’s hand plane to make a window frame. As I write, Widnes and our carpenter are out replacing a damaged door frame in one of our widow’s homes. The video link shows Widnes hand planing a window frame, the same as Jesus did. Carpentry in our area is still done “the Jesus way”, (all with hand tools) because electricity was not available here until recently, and then only in the central areas of town. Our homes are just outside that area. Click here for video —> https://youtu.be/97AKDdZE44s Life Skills Training leads to Jobs Skills Training, a proven method to help teenagers become productive, skilled workers and leaders in their communities. BABY FORMULA, ORPHANED INFANTS, AND YOUR LOVE… Baby formula is such a simple, taken-for-granted item in most countries. Yet it is the difference between life and death to a newborn who loses their mother just after birth. Thanks to your Love Gifts, our baby formula program is still able to help every infant sent to us by Social Services during their “milk dependent” days. Such is the case for the fragile 8‑day-old THABO, who lost his mother a week after his birth on September 2nd. His granny, along with the father and aunt, brought him to our mission station on September 10th, with a Social Services letter requesting formula to save their 2.8kg (6 lb.)baby boy.  Baby Thabo with Granny and Aunt as they prepare him a bottle. Thabo will be cared for in his infant year by his granny, who will bring him weekly to our food center to be weighed and receive baby formula. As he grows, he will be given baby cereal to supplement his diet until he’s about 9 months old. At that time he will be eating well, and able to thrive on baby food prepared by the family. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE GIFTS. THEY ARE A LIFE LINE TO INFANTS WHO HAVE NO MOTHER. KID POWER! As I walked through the village near our children’s homes, I came across a brother and sister using their combined force to pump the local water well your love gifts provided 10 years ago. Kids are smart, and will find a way to “make things happen ” using team work. The video I took tells the whole story. This well is 35 meters/105 ft. deep, and it does take some muscle power to pump it, especially as fast as these 2 are doing it. Kid power, filling a bucket at top speed Click for video —> https://youtu.be/QxujwbfUtLc God’s Blessings to all of you! Have a great week walking with Jesus. BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: SEPTEMBER 5, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: SEPTEMBER 5, 2020 LIFE SKILLS TRAINING BEGINS With all the construction delays caused by this virus, our staff decided to go ahead with life skills training for our 4 oldest teenage boys vs waiting for the construction of an official “place” in which to teach them. All 4 of these young men are in their final 2 years of school, and need to know how to do basic skills that other teens learn from their parents as they grow up. DAY 1: Our 4 teenagers paired up with a worker to dig post holes for fencing repairs. Hole digging is a basic skill used in building homes, outdoor bathrooms and kitchens.  Digging post holes so our staff can repair damaged fencing. DAY 2: They worked side-by-side with experienced BBC members constructing a local toilet/bathing area for an elderly couple at their mud brick home near our base. DAY 3: Assisted in sifting/cleaning 19 sacks (1 ton) of corn for milling so our resident orphans have food next week. (Orphans Helping Orphans Program) Then our staff taught them how to prepare the corn bags for 3 major village food give-outs next week to village orphans. These young men learned how to roll a full sack of corn into an empty sack until the 2 sacks contain equal amounts of corn. Seems basic, but they are all important life skills in this culture.  Samuel trying to figure out how to open a sack of corn. Our teenagers showing how to divide a sack of corn for distribution to village orphans. See video at this link: https://youtu.be/NxB-tnWYoi0  Holder and Alferes proudly show off their completed half sacks DAY 4: Observation-only lesson – Use of a hydraulic jack for tire removal on a truck was taught by our mechanics instructor, Simba. I was amazed at all the details an experienced person takes for granted when doing this. Simba is very good at clearly explaining each step in detail. The students had questions, which was good, for it meant they were truly “engaged” in the lesson.  Observing a tire removal after seeing where to set the hydraulic Jack. Preparing our young men and women for life in the real world is an important task that many orphans never receive when growing up in a foster home. The girls are being taught child care, food preparation, and daily home life skills by our foster mothers as they grow up. All these lessons are essential for the young women to become good wives and mothers. Our boys also learn the basic cooking and cleaning skills around the home, but lacked the many skills needed to build a home or make a living when they leave our program. Our staff is dedicated to teaching our young men and women what the foster mothers can’t teach them. And yes, if the girls want to learn car mechanics, computers, etc., they are encouraged to do so. In this culture, other NGO programs have tried to teach foot-pedal sewing machine skills to girls, but they refused to learn it. Reason? The girls equate foot-pedal sewing machines as ‘for men only’ as the mechanical skills to operate such a machine is only known by men in this culture. So, we have a few cultural obstacles to consider when setting up our Life Skills classes. MIRACLES CONTINUE IN REMOTE AREAS Our Namara Pastor reported that a female Witch Doctor along with her husband and 5 children all came to Jesus last month! It’s a big thing when a Witch Doctor accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior after serving the devil for most of her life. It opens the door for those who used her services to find out who the REAL HEALER is. This family burned their witch hut, and the wife is now telling all her friends about Jesus! PTL! No surprise in that our many Balama house churches continue to reach out to their neighborhoods during these difficult days. Salvations in August: Children: 73 Teenagers: 30 Adults: 22 I take my hat off to our remote Pastors, as they are doing a great job in preaching to small crowds in several locations each week. If a big shade tree was good enough for Jesus, it is good enough for us. THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND CONTINUED SUPPORT OF OUR CHILDREN. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |