| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 18, 2023 CLEANING RICE THE JESUS WAY Our rice is not store bought but comes straight from the rice fields in the hull to our storage barn. It stores without any danger from bugs, as the hull God provided for it keeps bugs from eating it. Processed rice, ready to eat, will only store for a few months before weevils would eat through the bag and attack the rice.  Winnowing the hulls from the delicious rice THE JESUS WAY! https://youtu.be/5NlEUqw8kA8 The widows from our church know how to properly process rice the Jesus Way. This method of pounding the rice to break off the hull is the manual method used here for centuries. This process uses a huge mortar and pedestal method as you will see in the videos. The mixture of cracked hulls and rice is then placed into a special winnowing basket and separated by the women. When finished, we have a sack full of very nutritious rice that heat has never touched. Processed rice has been through machines that not only removes the hull but removes much of the nutrition as well. When visitors get a taste of our rice they are amazed at how nutritious and filling it is. Our children love it! EVERYONE WORKS The handicapped widows and orphans in our area have learned how to cope and are most willing to do what they can to help with our children’s food preparation. This video features Eva, our 22- year-old who suffers from Cerebral Palsy. Eva’s gift is helps. She learned from her teenage years how to pound the rice to remove the hull. This little lady dearly loves her rice, so helping to make it eatable is a pleasure to her even though it is hard work. As you watch her pound away, realize the pole she is using weighs 15 lb./7kg!  Eva using her gift of helps https://youtube.com/shorts/o1QY3qHC0Lk?feature=share  Handicapped widow sifting the rice In the video at the beginning of this blog, you will see a widow sifting on her knees, for she has lost 1 leg below the knee. But that doesn’t stop her from being a part of the women’s group that cleans the rice. She just sits or works on her knees to get the job done. DOING WHAT YOU CAN WITH WHAT YOU HAVE IS NORMAL AROUND HERE. BABY HOMES FAST BECOMING TODDLER HOMES Visiting the children in the 2 “baby” homes means getting overrun with toddlers! They do grow quickly, as all are walking except for 4 of the 15!  Assistant Office Manager, Whitey, shows off his strength by loving on toddlers Susana (L) and Fatima ® Our Assistant Office Manager, Whitey, dearly loves the children and of course they love to be held by visitors! When I need a hug, I just have to go for a visit and the many smiling 2‑year-olds provide all the hugs I can handle. THANK YOU FOR MAKING HAPPY FACES ON THE 1000’S OF CHILDREN OUR PROGRAM TOUCHES. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
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BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 11, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 11, 2023 CAPENA GRADUATES UNIVERSITY!  Capena receiving his diploma and rose. Our Office Manager in Balama, Capena, studied for 4 years to gain his Business Degree from the University of Rovuma. We are all very proud of him, as I personally know how tough it was for him to take on-line classes, and then go take a FULL DAY OF EXAMS one Saturday each month at the Rovuma University, 60 km/30 miles away. He passed with great scores.  Capena as he graduated from University. One happy guy! Capena is quite an intelligent man who does an excellent job of keeping this program functioning with the constant documentation we are required to produce. PRAISE THE LORD FOR SENDING US CAPENA! BBC FINALLY GETS A FULL WEEK OF EVANGELISM! In March, the rains decrease a bit allowing for more outdoor activities. March is also the month when all the crops are busy growing, so most of the children are in the villages vs. helping their families at their farms.  The crowd keeps growing as Carlitos acts out his story. The photos clearly show the large crowds of children who attend the programs.  Hands go up to receive Jesus! The video is hilarious, so have a good laugh as you watch this village’s best girl runner face off against a village boy in the championship speed race.  Surprise! She got ya! https://youtu.be/QzDD03hTM1Q Never underestimate a girl! BABY AMBROSIO SURPRISES US ALL! Baby Ambrosio, now 2 years old, is finally strong enough to balance and stand alone! As you can see from his dirty trousers, he is usually crawling all over the place. I was visiting the children in the 2 infant homes, when to my surprise, AMBROSIO STOOD UP! This only lasted for 30 seconds, then it was back to all fours again. Ambrosio joined our milk program in August of 2021, as his mother was not well. She passed away in September of 2021, and Ambrosio was cared for by his grandmother. Sadly, Ambrosio became malnourished under her care, and Social Services requested that we receive him into our family in March of 2022. Even though he gained weight with our great nutrition, he showed no interest in standing or walking. I tell you this so you understand our surprise and JOY when he stood up on his own this week. He’s certainly come a long way!  Ambrosio giving us his “I’m tough” face I am sure he will now quickly gain strength in his little legs as he tries to keep up with the 2‑year-olds living in the same home. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR LOVING SUPPORT OF OUR 51 INFANTS AND CHILDREN. They are receiving the highest quality of care because YOU CARE! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 4, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 4, 2023 DOUBLE THE FAMILY, DOUBLE THE NEED! Aunt Angelica of Ntete Village suffered the loss of her sister this week, leaving her with 3 nephews to care for! Angelica has a husband and a young child of her own, but now must care for 3‑month-old Jesualdo, as well as Evandro, 2, and Edi, 6. That is a big burden to take on during the “time of hunger” as this year’s harvest is still 60 days down the road. THANKS TO YOUR LOVE GIFTS, Angelica’s additional family members will not go hungry.  Aunt Angelica with her 3 newly adopted sons The food and formula these 3 need is available through our Infant Baby Formula and Food Assistance programs for orphans. I am happy that these 3 boys have an Aunt and Uncle who will raise them as their own sons. The additional food assistance your gifts provide for these 3 little ones, means they will receive proper nutrition at their new home. Otherwise, it would be NO MILK for the infant, and only starvation foods for the 2 little brothers. When we say that every dollar counts towards saving a life, we mean it! OUR SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN GET IT TOGETHER! It is hard to get our ever-growing family together now that school is in session. Every grade level has its own time schedule, so the only time the whole family is available is on a Saturday. With the children having their physicals last Saturday, I took advantage and quickly got them together for a family photo.  Our pre-school and school age children for 2023 I will do the same for our infants and toddlers when the weather is a bit less windy. We left all the infants at their homes until the last minute before their physicals, as the older children took over 5 hours to complete. I didn’t want the wee wittle ones out in the wind that long. THE NEW “HEART TROB” OF OUR TODDLER HOUSE CHEBANY had a rougher start in life than most infants. At 2 weeks of age, he suffered abandonment by his father WHILE IN HOSPITAL for severe anemia that needed an immediate transfusion, severe malnutrition, PLUS TB! I received a FRANTIC CALL from one of the women in our church early on Chebany’s 14th day of life, asking me to intervene. Chebany’s father told the hospital he was leaving Chebany with them and going home. I raced to the hospital, and Social Services met me there. With the infant in such critical condition, there was only 1 thing to do, ADMIT CHEBANY INTO OUR BABY HOME so we could take over his care. Chebany’s mother died of TB (Tuberculosis) when Chebany was only 11 days old, having transmitted it to him via her cough. TB is rarely transmitted from an infant to another person as they don’t cough like adults do. The hospital enrolled him in the TB medication program as soon as it was diagnosed, and he recovered completely with only a few problems during his 12 months of medication. The TB stunted his weight gain a little bit, making Chebany small for his age, but he is a powerhouse on the playground! The little girls in our homes all love him, for he is quite the cutie!  GOD’S OVERCOMER, CHEBANY! His nickname is ALEGRIA (JOY) due to his constant laughter and the big smile always on his lips. CHEBANY, NOW 26 MONTHS OLD, HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY HEART FOR HE DEFINES WHAT IT MEANS TO BE AN OVERCOMER! When you’re having a bad day, remember Chebany’s story, for it will put a smile on YOUR FACE! CHEBANY NEEDS A $30/MONTH SPONSOR. Please contact me via email if you would like to sponsor this very active little boy with the big smile and persistent heart. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: FEBRUARY 25, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: FEBRUARY 25, 2023 BABY #19 AN URGENT RESCUE FELICIO (Fe-lee-cee‑o), now 11 months old, lost his mother back in April 2022, cause unknown. The only female in the family was his elderly grandmother, so she took over his care. All was going well until Felicio had frequent illnesses, and began losing weight in late January. His family claimed he was not digesting his food well, and was treated for his constant diarrhea. I suspected, but couldn’t prove, that his grandmother wasn’t feeding him properly, as our infants EXCEL when given this same diet.  11-month-old Felecio with Foster Mother Marcelina at the Lion House. On Feb. 16th, when the family brought Felicio for his weigh-in, he had lost weight even after the diarrhea had stopped. I immediately took them for a consult with our Malnutrition Specialist at the Balama Hospital. After his examination, the Doctor demanded the family bring this malnourished baby in for a 2nd consult the following week. He suspected the family’s story wasn’t totally true. On Feb. 23rd, the infant had lost 400 gms/0.7 lbs. IN THE PAST 7 DAYS! That now put him in a CRITICAL STATE as his 4.4 kg/ 9.7 lbs weight was just barely above his 3.16kg/7 lb. birth weight! REMEMBER, he is 11 months old! A normal weight for an 11-month-old is around 11kgs/24 lbs. The Doctor stated that the baby should be removed from this family immediately, and Social Services was called in. All were in total agreement that if the baby wasn’t removed from the current caretaker that day, there was little hope for his survival. After a long talk, the family agreed to release the infant into our care, so Felicio became urgent baby rescue # 19. Our 2 baby homes are too full of infants and under 3‑year-old toddlers to receive another critical infant. THANKFULLY, Foster mother Marcelina, who lives across the street from House #7, opened her arms and eagerly accepted Felicio since her 2 youngest orphans are now 4 and 5 years of age. These mothers do love to cuddle babies! There was no truth to the infant’s inability to digest food, as Felicio ate, drank, and soaked in all the love that the mothers of the LION HOUSE could shower on him. He was simply hungry and love-starved. RESCUE #19 WAS POSSIBLE BECAUSE YOU CARE. IF FELICIO COULD TALK, I KNOW HE WOULD TELL YOU HOW GRATEFUL HE IS TO HAVE A SAFE HAVEN WITH ALL THE NUTRITION AND LOVE HIS BODY DESIRES. ANNUAL PHYSICALS FOR OUR CHILDREN Each year, an annual physical by a Balama Doctor is required for all residents of any orphanage. It took about 5 hours to accomplish the task for all 51 of our children, but it is great to know that they are all healthy. Entertaining the toddlers was a blast, as some of the children experienced the swing sets for the first time!  Capena holding baby Joao just after his physical.  Three-year-old Adelide, an experienced swinger, shows Chebany and Salvador how it’s done.  Salvador takes his first swing with Chebany looking on.  Chebany’s first time in a swing! https://youtube.com/shorts/GcMDkYIUU1s  Me doing selfies with the toddlers. THANK YOU FOR LOVING OUR CHILDREN THROUGH YOUR LOVE GIFTS, AND FOR PRAYING FOR THESE PRECIOUS LITTLE ONES. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: FEBRUARY 18, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: FEBRUARY 18, 2023 A VALENTINE’S GIFT NO ONE EXPECTED NELCIA, the infant I spoke of last week, was released into our care from the Balama Hospital on Valentine’s Day! The reason: Nelcia’s family realized, after talking with the Doctor, that their Granny couldn’t care for such a fragile little one. Due to Nelcia’s mother passing away before this infant had any of it’s mother’s milk, her immune system became very compromised. That is why she became severely ill so quickly in her first week of life. We must keep her isolated from all other children for the next 30 days while her little body builds some immunity.  Baby Orlencia has just arrived at her new home. Nelcia, now called ORLENCIA, was renamed on Wednesday by her family when they registered for her birth certificate. Barely 19 days old as I write this, Orlencia is doing well with her new foster mother, Gilda. PRAY FOR ORLENCIA AND FOSTER MOTHER GILDA. Malaria is striking infants as young as 1 month, (malaria matures once a person is bitten in 10 to 14 days), so Orlencia’s protection from mosquitos is paramount.  Malnutrition Doctor comes to the car to check out our fragile little Orlencia on her 3rd day in our care. Foster Mother Gilda is holding her. SCHOOL DAYS IN FULL SWING! Our tutoring classes started this week after the students were settled in their new classrooms for 2023. A new face is on the scene as ALFERES, our 2022 teacher-graduate, is now getting practical classroom experience under the watchful eye of professional teacher, Pedro. Alferes is presently in the interview process for a job with the Balama school, but this takes lots of patience and time as we learned when Helder applied.  Teacher Pedro explains a point while Alferes and students listen and write. 3‑YEAR-OLDS JOIN THE PRESCHOOL! It’s fun and games for the teachers as they work with our 3‑year-old “tiny tykes” as they try their best to learn new games, songs, and Portuguese! Each child spends 3 years in our preschool preparing for first grade in the government school. Learning Portuguese and respect for others both in the classroom and at game time are key objectives that our teachers pass along to these under 5‑year-olds. The 4 and 5‑year-olds help teachers guide the 3‑year-olds in learning their first song. https://youtu.be/ShW2Aaxo-PY THANK YOU FOR BELIEVING IN US, AND PROVIDING THE NEEDS OF OUR EVER-GROWING CHILDREN. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: FEBRUARY 11, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: FEBRUARY 11, 2023 5 INFANTS RECEIVED YOUR HELPING HAND On Thursdays, the infants in our milk formula program from all over the county/district come to our mission station to be checked, weighed, and given their milk formula and baby cereal. The following 5 infants all came to us this last Thursday. FIRST was the 3‑week-old orphan, Joao, whom you read about 2 weeks ago. Joao’s Aunt has her own 6‑month-old baby, and it was obvious that baby Joao was not receiving the care he needed. He had consistently lost weight since his Aunt took over his care three weeks prior, AND he has had a low grade fever for several days which she did nothing about. It was time for action on Joao’s behalf. Capena, our office manager, took Joao and the Aunt straight to the hospital. Social Services was immediately notified, and they came right over to see the infant. They agreed that Joao needed care that the Aunt wasn’t able to provide. The Aunt grudgingly allowed the infant to be admitted into our family once Joao’s other family members agreed he should live with us.  Newest member of our family, Joao/John, just 1 month old with Foster Mother, Mariano. SO WE HAVE 1‑MONTH-OLD JOAO NOW LIVING IN HOUSE NUMBER 6! JOAO/JOHN needs a $40/month sponsor since he will stay permanently with us. SECOND, the now 9‑day-old infant girl, Nelcia, who was admitted into the milk program as a 1‑day-old infant last week, is now very sick and unable to take a bottle. She was brought in with a mouth full of thrush (fungus), and an infected umbilical cord. BOTH are life threatening if not treated. She was admitted to the hospital, and our substitute mother, Mariamo, is assisting her. This story will continue as this little one fights for her life.  9‑day old Nelcia now in hospital for thrush and umbilical infections. THIRD, Noon time: A PREMIE NAMED JANETA, WEIGHING 1 KG/2.2 LBS was brought to us. Her mother died after being transferred from the Balama Hospital to the Montepuez Regional Hospital due to her complicated premature labor.  Premature Janeta, 8‑days old. Sadly, the bottle is bigger than her 1kg/2.2lb. body. This extremely fragile little girl could barely suck a bottle, so prayers are needed for her survival. She is in the care of her family, and her chances in this environment are not good. AT 3 PM, I thought my workday was done, when in walks a couple with their TWO-DAY-OLD TWIN GIRLS! This family was sent by Social Services to our mission station because the mother has multiple abscesses on both breasts and cannot breast feed. These girls, Roselda and Rosa, both weighed in at 2.7 kg/5.9 lbs. each.  Twin girls receive 1st milk formula as Fatima, Assistant Children’s Director, teaches the mother how to prepare the bottle. They should do very well if the parents are diligent in cleaning the bottles and using boiled water. Only time will tell. Needless to say, my staff and I were EXHAUSTED by the end of this day! But it was a happy tired, as we had helped 5 little lives, giving them a chance to survive. YOUR LOVE GIFTS MAKE THIS POSSIBLE, AND FOR THAT MY ENTIRE STAFF SENDS THEIR THANKS! SNEAKY SNAKE COMES CALLING This very fat ADDER (Rattlesnake family but no rattle) was hiding in the tall grass that had grown up in a few days around our Moringa trees. The foster mothers use the very nutritious Moringa leaves in our children’s food, so it is necessary to keep the grass cut down in the rainy season so they can safely get to the trees. Due to multiple days with heavy rains, we were unable to keep the fast-growing grass under control, thus it was over 1.5 meters/5 feet tall by this last Friday.  Sneaky Snake met his match! Sneaky Snake was enjoying his good hiding place in the grass as he searched out fat rats for his meals. We don’t mind him eating the rats, but because the ADDER is one of the biggest killers in all of Africa, his presence was unwanted. So, our men cutting the grass found him, making short work of this venomous killer. PREPARING FOR PRE-SCHOOL ON A HAPPY NOTE, toddlers Julio and Fatima are super happy as they get to start pre-school next week! Our original 13 infants are growing up fast!  Almost 3, Julio and Fatima start pre-school! BLESSINGS, AND MUCH THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR YOUR PRAYERS AND KINDNESS IN GIVING TO OUR PROGRAM. BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: FEBRUARY 4, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: FEBRUARY 4, 2023 20-HOUR-OLD INFANT BROUGHT TO OUR DOOR ERMESIA, born on January 31, lost her mother immediately after she was born in her village. Ermesia, 2.7kg/5.9lbs. never nursed or received any fluids before coming to us at noon the day after her 4pm birth. This put her in a very dehydrated state. Our two Children’s Directors, Anna and Fatima, were at the market buying baby clothes for our fast-growing group of 16 infants and toddlers. While Capena, our Office Manager raced to fetch them, I sprang into action.  Bush Bunny Brenda feeding twenty hour old Ermesia. This baby needed fluids NOW! I quickly mixed up 2 ounces of formula and sat down to offer the bottle to the infant. Ermesia didn’t even hesitate! Sucking hard, she drank the formula with gusto! Anna and Fatima arrived, and gave detailed instructions to the Aunt on how to feed and care for her. Anna asked the Aunt to return the next day since they lived close, so that the infant could be checked. WHY? The first week an infant is on formula is CRITICAL as these Aunties and Grannies don’t understand the danger of feeding sour formula that’s been left in the bottle or in not washing the bottle between feedings. We like to check the bottles and infant with 2 days of entering the program, ESPECIALLY on a newborn like Ermesia. Sadly, the family didn’t come the next day as requested, so we must wait until they do come to find out if the infant is OK. Will update you on this story next week. MILK PROGRAM SAVES ANOTHER INFANT Older infants, like 3‑week-old girl, NILCIA, who was admitted Jan. 31 because her mother’s breast milk had dried up, usually adjust very well from being breast fed to being bottle fed. AGINA, the mother, is a refugee and family member of our Pastor Carlos who has 2 churches in the Kwe Kwe area of Balama. Without formula, this little girl would not have stood a chance at survival.  Nilcia getting first good feeding in several days. BOTH OF THESE INFANTS, PLUS THE 37 OTHER INFANTS IN OUR MILK PROGRAM HAVE A CHANCE AT LIFE BECAUSE OF YOUR LOVE GIFTS. THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS POSSIBLE! 70-YEAR-OLD CHURCH MEMBER DOING HIS PART GENONO was carried to our office on a motorbike, as he can no longer walk the 3 km/1.5 miles from Rovuma to our mission station. But his hands work very well, as he still weaves very sturdy grass baskets for our church’s offerings! I’ll be distributing them to the newer village churches later this month.  GENONO brings us his handmade offering baskets for our village churches. At 70 he can still weave a great basket! Genono was blessed with an AWESOME HEALING over 15 years ago when we first began evangelizing the Rovuma area. A Muslim, Genono was carried to the tree where we met for church because his legs had no strength, but he wanted to hear about Jesus the healer. Receiving prayer at the end of our service, Genono stated his legs felt stronger, and he was able to stand. Within 2 days he was WALKING AND DANCING TO JESUS, for he had been healed! A devoted believer, Genono never misses a church service. PROVES YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO SERVE THE LORD IN WHATEVER WAY YOU CAN. BBC EVANGELISM REPORT With school beginning this week, the BBC’s saw increased attendance numbers LAST WEEK, as those children returned who had been helping their families plant their family farms. Here are two videos of last week’s activities, as both the motorbike team, and the bicycle teams saw an average of 200 ADDITIONAL children coming to their programs.  BBC TEAM really gets the kids excited before game time begins. https://youtu.be/DmNaCNQjf30  Bean bag toss is a game that challenges the throwing accuracy of the kids. https://youtu.be/nxka0OELu6c At the request of the village school officials, we canceled our program THIS WEEK so they could get the children focused and organized into their classes. Once the children settle into their classes, our teams will continue their village programs. MANY BLESSINGS TO YOU ALL AND KEEP WARM USA! BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JANUARY 28, 2023
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: JANUARY 28, 2023 WEE WITTLE NEWBORNS RESCUED JUST IN TIME A Granny and Aunt came to us last week with a 4‑day-old orphaned boy named Joao (John, in English). Sadly, Joao’s mother passed away on the 2nd day after his birth. Thankfully, Joao had not lost weight, as he was being nursed by his Aunt who has her own healthy infant on her back.  Aunt holding 7‑day-old Baby Joao and carrying her baby on her back. The Granny was overwhelmed with grief, AND the fact that she now has 5 orphans ages 9, 6, 4, and 2, as well as the newborn to care for. Granny stayed home this week to care for the 4 children while the Aunt brought in newborn Joao along with her own infant. The little one only gained 50 grams in the last 5 days, but the Aunt showed us a clean baby bottle, which tells us Granny is doing a good job with hygiene. PTL! Further teaching was done to make sure the Granny feeds Joao more frequently. Most little ones perish in the first week if the family doesn’t keep the bottle properly cleaned. If the Granny will feed him more frequently, Joao should grow at a steady rate.  Children’s Director Anna weighing Baby Candia as Granny looks on. The 2nd orphan received was a very fragile 1.8kg/3.9 lb. newborn girl named Candia, brought in by her Granny. Social Services sent the Granny to us as the infant’s mother is mentally unstable, and refused to nurse the infant. Our staff and I were elated to see that this tiny little one had gained 200 grams in the last week bringing her up to 2 kgs/4.4 lbs. We told Granny Fatima to keep up the great work, and this little one will grow up quickly. Our infant milk program is essential if orphaned/abandoned infants are to survive. Infants can only tolerate milk formula until they are 90 days old. As they pass 3 months, we get them to eating rice cereal followed by the super high protein Hypo Cereal. This increases their gain weight very rapidly. At present we have 37 INFANTS in our program who would have all perished if not for the help that you provided them. YOUR LOVE GIFTS ARE SAVING LIVES! ON BEHALF OF THESE INNOCENT ONES, WE THANK YOU! SCHOOL DAYS ARE HERE AGAIN! Giving out school supplies to our children is ALWAYS A BIG DEAL. Have you ever tried outfitting 53 kids with school supplies in one morning? Our staff has it down to an art for sure as we completed it in about 2 hours.  Pastor Armando and Brenda handing out school supplies. The children were so excited that they showed up AN HOUR EARLY! They wanted to be the first in line for their new backpacks filled with notebooks, a math set, pens, colored pencils, and other items that gives them the optimum chance to do their best in school.  Monica, 4th grader, and Sandra, 2nd grader, wait in line to receive school supplies. It was supper windy, thus the hoodies. Our children brought in TOP GRADES this year thanks to our tutoring classes. We plan to continue their tutoring to help them EXCEL even more this year, as it really improved their math and Portuguese grades.  Edward and his sister Anna are super happy with their new backpacks that your love gifts provided. YOUR LOVE GIFTS ARE TRULY MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE IN MANY LITTLE LIVES! BLESSINGS FROM ALL OF US, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA TEAM |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: JANUARY 21, 2023
| 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 |
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 |