| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: MAY 9, 2020 MIMI JOINS OUR FAMILY Mimi Alberto, a 7‑year-old 1st grader, just lost her mother to AIDS. Mimi and her mother, Lurdes, were living in a borrowed house near our mission station. Our Staff visited her daily, talking to her about Jesus, and taking them food as well as other needed items. When Lurdes passed away last week, our Pastors laid her to rest in the village cemetery.  7‑year-old Mimi with Children’s Directors Jose and Anna. Mimi is still withdrawn and a bit in shock after all this, but we hope that the loving care she receives as a new family member of House #6 will help her recover rapidly. Our staff spent yesterday morning moving her in, and buying her new clothes at the market. The bundle you see in Pastor Jose’s hand (in the photograph above) contains all her worldly belongings. MIMI NEEDS A $30/MONTH SPONSOR. Please contact me if you would like to sponsor this precious little girl. ART CLASS A BIG HIT THIS WEEK! Hand tracing art is now the #1 fun thing for our children to do. A bit shy at first to make a mark on their papers, the kids were soon helping each other shape their hands into the needed form to draw ducks and giraffe faces. I used my smartphone to pull up internet photos of the animals they were to draw, as ducks they know, but a giraffe is just an animal in a book. Their interest and enthusiasm was eye-opening. We take so much for granted having zoos and wildlife parks to show us these magnificent wild animals. We now plan 2 art classes per week until school restarts, and I am not sure when that will be.  1st and 2nd graders making hand-traced ducks in our art class.  Primary schoolers showing off the hand-traced ducks made on Wednesday.  4th to 6th graders advance to hand-traced giraffes.  High school boys and girls concentrate on their art work.  High schoolers tracing giraffe heads from their hand positions. RUMMIKUB, THE FUN WAY TO INCREASE ABSTRACT THINKING Amazed doesn’t described my experience as I showed the dorm boys how to play Rummikub. They picked up on it quickly after understanding the objectives, but it was the YOUNGER BOYS (5th and 6th graders), who ended up helping the high school boys see the moves they could make. Our younger children grew up in our pre-school which has puzzles for them to play with. The abstract thinking they developed while doing this is now beginning to show.  Dorm students learning Rummikub. I also began teaching them more English words as they played. They happily left telling me goodbye in English. Nothing like “play therapy” to increase knowledge. Making math fun is my objective, as most of the boys are a bit weak in that subject. I am very grateful to all the visitors who came in past years, leaving several boxes of this game behind. THANK YOU ALL FOR CONTINUING TO SUPPORT OUR CHILDREN DURING THESE DIFFICULT TIMES. TOGETHER, WE ARE FORMING THE FUTURE LEADERS OF THIS COUNTRY. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
Category Archives: Uncategorized
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: May 2, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: MAY 2, 2020 BEING AN OVERCOMER Many of our children came to live with us when orphaned as babies. Eva, our oldest orphan, has overcome Cerebral Palsy to become a productive young adult. She helps her Granny with everyday chores such as food preparation, carrying firewood, pumping water from our local well, and singing/dancing with the Church choir. I admire her spirit and spunk for Eva never let her disability get her down. She speaks Portuguese and Makua, and even knows a word or two in English!  Eva and friend helping Granny with food preparation.  Eva held by Granny Eliza as I doctored a wound on her hands when she was just 2 years old. THINKING OUT OF THE BOX—MAKING LEARNING FUN! Like many students around the world, math can be a challenge. Since school is out till end of May, we have increased our daily “study hall”. But the kids are getting bored, so I hope to increase their math skills by teaching them to play RUMMIKUB this coming week (abstract thinking). Geography games will use our huge blow up globe with teams competing to spot what country we are talking about. I hope to awaken more of their artistic skills by having them draw different animals by tracing the shape of their hand in different positions. My goal is to get them to think “outside the box”. Photos of our laughs as we try these new endeavors will be in next week’s blog. SUPER SLIDE GETS A NEW ROOF Our 20-foot-high double super slide is still a favorite with all the children in our neighborhood. With this temporary lull in construction, it has given our carpenters and brick layers a chance to catch up on maintenance of our playground equipment. The many rainy seasons since the building of the slide have taken their toll on the tin roof. Wet leaves caused the tin sheets to rust through.  Double super slide gets new roof. It is a dangerous job climbing the 50-foot-tall Mango Tree that overshadows the slide, but our brave carpenters did a great job of ripping off the old and nailing on the new tin sheets. It’s ready for new action this week during our children’s playtime. YOUR LOVE GIFTS ALLOW OUR CHILDREN TO EAT HEALTHY FOODS, AND WEAR WARM CLOTHING The cool season has begun, as it is overcast, windy and cool as I write this. It came 2 weeks early, catching everyone by surprise, but we are going with the flow. Our team swept through the local market this week, buying sweatshirts for the children. Sweatpants do not exist this year, so our team is looking for soft, warm long pants for the children to sleep in. Flexibility is the name of the game. THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING OUR CHILDREN WITH YOUR LOVE GIFTS IN THESE DIFFICULT DAYS. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: April 25, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: APRIL 25, 2020 SHE LIVES! Baby Rosalina, the triplet hospitalized last week with malaria at 14 days of age, has made a miraculous recovery! I found out after publishing last week’s blog, that the mother chose to take her out of hospital BEFORE she completed the 6 doses of IV malaria treatment. This is usually a death sentence for an infant. Our staff prayed for her, and Jesus healed her! Gaining a record 400 gms since April16th, (about 14 oz.), there is no doubt that she received a miracle healing. Normal weight gain/week is usually half that!  Baby Rosalina received a healing touch from Jesus. THANK YOU JESUS FOR YOUR HEALING OF BABY ROSALINA! Rosalina’s sister, Rainata, as well as the other set of triplets, all showed healthy weight gains this week which put a smile on everyone’s face. These 5 babies are off to a good start in life thanks to Jesus and your Love Gifts that make it possible.  Triplet Baby Marcia with her big sister who cares for her. BALAMA BUSINESSMAN BLESSES OUR CHILDREN We are grateful to our friend, who desires to be anonymous, for contributing 40kg (88 lbs.) of rice and 30 liters of cooking oil to our children. They celebrated this week by having rice with goat meat that our own goat herd provided. God surely looks after His precious little ones.  Balama motorbike parts store donates rice and cooking oil to our children. ZIPPY ZITO BEATING THE ODDS, THANKS TO JESUS! ZITO’S hip continues to need a daily dressing change with a small bandage, but is showing great improvement, much to the amazement of our Doctor. Zippy Zito drives himself via his adult tricycle to all our childrens programs, and listens intently to our school tutors. With school on recess due to CV19, our Pastors continue to “home school” our children just as many parents are doing these days. The Lord Jesus has truly blessed this young man.  Zito remains healthy and happy despite what the Doctor predicted. FREQUENT HANDWASHING, THE NEW NORMAL No matter how young, all our children have learned to wash their hands upon entering one of our homes and at the teaching/food distribution center. An adult handles the water and soap so that it doesn’t accidentally get contaminated. Clean hands help to keep our children healthier.  Santos learning handwashing with Foster Mother Felimina.  Carlitos Jorge helping our Foster Mothers wash their hands before entering our food distribution. Blessings, Bush Bunny Brenda Lange And the Balama Staff |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: April 18, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: APRIL 18, 2020 RESURRECTION EGGS– A BIG HIT ON EASTER SUNDAY With the churches closed, our children met in their small home groups. No exposure to children other than the ones they live with. This meant our Youth Pastors had to do several presentations, but it all went smoothly, and the children loved the RESURRECTION EGG PRESENTATION along with the large color pictures of Jesus and his final act of love for us.  Teaching the Resurrection story of Jesus in small house groups to our orphans. If you’re not familiar with these “break open” Plastic Eggs, each egg is filled with 1 miniature piece that tells the entire Resurrection Story of Jesus. Starts with the tiny donkey that he rode upon entry to Jerusalem, and ends with the WHITE EMPTY EGG representing His ascension. This is really a great tool for teaching small groups, so give it a try! The eggs were brought over by a friend from the USA.  Carlitos Jorge, head of BBC, demonstrates Resurrection Eggs with miniature figures inside. We are very grateful that all our children remain healthy and super active during this time of world health challenges. TRIPLET CHALLENGES Two of the triplet girls born on April 2nd presented with serious health challenges this week. Sadly, the little girl, Rosinha, who weighed only 1kg (2.2lbs.) passed away from respiratory complications at the Balama Hospital Thursday night, April 16th. Her sister, Rosa, weighing only 2 kg (4.4lbs) was diagnosed and admitted with Malaria. Malaria is deadly to an infant of only 15 days, making her survival a matter of intense prayer. She needs a Jesus miracle for sure.  Triplet girls. Rosinha far right and Rosa in the middle. The older TRIPLETS (2 boys and a girl) born on March 15th are looking stronger and gaining weight. I take my hat off to this mother, who is raising these 3 babies with only the help of her young son and daughter.  Triplets (2 boys and a girl) gaining weight and looking stronger. Keep praying for this family, as the babies are still very vulnerable. Since they all weigh between 5 and 7 lbs. (2.35kg to 3.2kg) at one month of age, these 3 have a good chance of survival. LENDING A HELPING HAND The 12 beds made for the Balama hospital by a local welder were ready for transport last Wednesday. We were asked to lend a hand since our long bed 6‑ton-truck could carry them all at one time to their needed location. The beds were taken to the new Ntete Clinic Building about 6 miles (12 km) from Balama, and will be used as an isolation ward if virus patients present in our area.  Loading new beds onto our 6‑ton-truck. At this time there is no virus in our area, and we PTL for that! TOGETHER WE ARE KEEPING JESUS’ CHILDREN SAFE AND HEALTHY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED PRAYERS AND LOVE GIFTS EVEN DURING YOUR OWN PERSONAL CHALLENGES. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: April 11, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: APRIL 11, 2020 JESUS’FOLDED NAPKIN AND IT’S TRUE MEANING Did you ever wonder why the disciple John told IN DETAIL about the cloth that covered Jesus’ face in the tomb? It was neatly folded and laid to one side, while the rest of the burial clothes were left in a heap on the burial stone. Here’s the story behind that most important “sign”. In Hebrew culture, when the master of the house left the dinner table, he either left his napkin in a heap or he folded it nicely and set it beside his plate. A heaped up napkin told the servants that the master was finished eating, and they could clear the table. THE NICELY FOLDED NAPKIN told the servants, leave the table as it is, I’M COMING BACK! OUR LORD JESUS IS COMING BACK! He left us this most important “sign” for He knew the Jewish people would know it’s meaning. JESUS’ RESURRECTION WAS ONLY HIS FIRST STEP. HE WILL SEE US VERY SOON! A FACT to use when talking to unbelievers. HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY! BUSH BUNNY TIDBITS 1. All our children are healthy and going about their daily routines, while the foster mothers are anxiously waiting for the school to reopen, hopefully in May. Our school year begins Feb. 1st and ends late October each year, so our children still have time to catch up on their lessons.  Our Victory House kids in their new school uniforms earlier this year. 2. Baby Angelina (held by her foster mother, Balbina), gives us a big smile after she completed her “weekly weigh in”.  Baby Angelina smiles for us all. At 6 months of age, she now weighs 5.9 kg (13 lbs.) That is what a lot of loving care and the proper foods can do for a malnourished baby. YOUR LOVE GIFTS MADE THIS POSSIBLE! 3. MORE TRIPLETS! Three tiny girls this time, with the smallest little girl, Rosinha, (2.2 lbs or 1 kg), struggling. She tires easily when trying to take a bottle. I showed the family how she must be given small amounts of milk every hour in daytime and every 2 hours at night, if she is to gain strength. Triplet girls received April 9th. The other 2 girls (Rosa and Rosalina) are much stronger at double her weight. Please keep all 3 of them in your prayers. 4. The 1st set of triplets (2 boys and a girl) received March 19th are all doing well. They are showing good weight gain (thanks to your prayer power).  The triplets we met in March, with their mother on the far right. The little girl, Marcia, who was the weakest, is doing much better as she gained 300gms this week, and is looking much stronger. HAPPY EASTER, AND MAY YOU CONTINUE TO BLESS OTHERS AS YOU HAVE BEEN BLESSED THIS WEEK. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: April 4, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“DATE: APRIL 4, 2020 BOARD MEMBER, J.L. OBENHAUS, DANCING WITH JESUS J.L. OBENHAUS, an Orphans Unlimited Board Member and dear friend, graduated to heaven on April 3rd after a bout with Pneumonia (not Covid-19 related).  Longtime Orphans Unlimited board member, J.L. Obenhaus J.L. LOVED JESUS! J.L. was always helping someone, which is what Jesus expects of all of us. An active church member, rancher, gardener, and lover of children, J.L. came to our Balama mission station about 10 years ago to get a feel for what we really do here. He planted an Ata Fruit tree (sometimes called a Sugar Apple here), which bears a sweet fruit each year that our children dearly love. That tree is a constant reminder to me that J.L. loved our children and our Evangelistic Program.  J.L. ‘s Ata Fruit tree with Brenda showing 1 of the Atas. Survived by his wife, a big family, and tons of friends, J.L. will be greatly missed! Please join us in sending our condolences to his family and friends. REMEMBER: When a loved one who believes in Jesus, graduates to heaven, IT IS ONLY A TEMPORARY SEPARATION. If you love Jesus, and have confessed Him as your Lord and Savior, you will see your loved one again and be with them for eternity. Happy trails, J.L., for we will meet again! HELPING OUR NEIGHBORS Our local hospital needed a helping hand with transport, as well as the making of 12 new beds. We do what we can, when we can to help, for that hospital is the key to everyone’s health in this area. This week we had a Land Cruiser going to Pemba for other reasons, so we helped out by fetching a load of supplies needed by the hospital. No sense having a truck return with only half a load. I’m a practical Bush Bunny, and believe in maximizing resources to help others when needed. Our local Balama welder came up with the solution to the needed 12 hospital beds shown in the photo below. His design is truly practical and well built. We thank him for his assistance in meeting this need.  Director of Hospital admires hospital bed made by local welder. The heart of Jesus is that we all work together, helping one another in whatever way we can. Thanks to your Love Gifts, we will continue to do so until Jesus returns. BLESSINGS BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 28, 2020
Today our Balama Doctor visited our children, giving them all a health check. They passed with flying colors!  Jesuino kept the doctor busy as he thought his stethoscope and mask would be fun to play with!  Baby Angelina being weighed by doctor as foster mother Balbina looks on.  Daniel, 1st grader, getting his check up. On Thursday, the Balama Director of Health visited our staff and children to teach them proper hand washing, social distancing and other preventative measures to keep them healthy. Afterwards, the Director of Health and I met to discuss other ways our group could help the Balama area with the virus challenge. We are both on the phone in the photo, working to coordinate the needs on her list.  Director of Health and Bush Bunny Brenda meeting to help others. BUSH BUNNY TIDBITS: Our BBC Teams, all Churches, and construction programs are closed till after Easter weekend. All our children are out of school, but still able to burn off their energy at our playground center where ONLY they are allowed entry at this time. All soccer games have been canceled as no group over 30 people are allowed to assemble. To brighten our children’s lives, I gave each orphan home 2 new balls so the children can have some fun while “stuck at home”.  1‑year-old Jesuino walking strong as Capena shows him around the playground. Will keep you informed, but for now, we are all staying close to home, praying for the health of the world, and all those around us in this challenging time. God’s Blessings to all of you, and continue to pray Ps. 91 and other scriptures over us and your family, for it is ONLY JESUS who can protect us from this invisible enemy. BLESSINGS BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 21, 2020
| SURPRISE! IT’S TRIPLETS! Wednesday, a mother was brought to us on a bicycle with a baby girl on her back. Nothing unusual, as that happens all the time. But her document from Social Services said THREE-DAY-OLD TRIPLETS! I asked where are the other 2 babies? She told us they were “on the way” with 2 other women, as her 40 year old legs couldn’t handle the walk (we thought she was the grandmother). Sure enough, 10 minutes later in walk 2 women with 2 baby boys.  Triplets with mother on far right. Our Staff was amazed that A 40-YEAR-OLD WOMAN, whom we thought was the grandmother, was actually THE MOTHER of these triplets! The 2 boys each weighed 2.4 Kg (5.28 lbs), but the tiny little girl, only 1.7 Kg (3.74 lbs.) What a weight this woman had carried while pregnant! We fixed them up with 3 bottles and baby formula combined with full instructions on how to care for them. We pray the little girl makes it, as she is quite small and fragile. Please pray for them all, as I have only known 1 set of triplets where all 3 made it to their 1st birthday. LIFE SKILLS CENTER NOW HAS A WATER WELL! The “pump team” drove in last Wednesday, and immediately began organizing the water well base. It is interesting how they put it all together in only 3 days, so I thought I’d share my photo series with you.  Metal rings make up concrete forms for water well pump.  Water well pump mounted and final cement work in progress  Life Skills Water Well is finished. A super blessing. Our team will mark the building this coming week, and begin digging the foundation. All moving at a fast rate, which makes me very happy. If you want to see the well in action, we’ve posted a quick video. https://youtu.be/CfA8GHXYpx0 WALLS UP AT HOUSE #7 – AWAITING RING BEAM & ROOF With 4 brick-layers, and lots of helpers, the 4‑bedroom house for this complex has gone up in record time.  ORPHAN HOUSE #7 at 2 meter mark, (6.2 ft) OUR CHILDREN RELEASED FROM SCHOOL FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS Like many countries facing the current health challenge, Mozambique is working hard to prevent this sickness from entering the country. Since the children have tons of time for the next 30 days, they are learning “yard work” 101, which includes chopping the grass to keep our living area clean. Extra sports and other fun activities are being added to their daily schedule to help keep them busy.  Yard work 101 for our primary school children. WE ARE PRAYING FOR YOUR HEALTH, AND WE HOPE YOU CONTINUE TO PRAY FOR OURS. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 14, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 14, 2020 |
| DOING WHAT’S NOT BEEN DONE BEFORE THANKS TO 2 VERY GENEROUS DONORS, we have been challenged to double the size of our construction team, and raise 2 major construction sites simultaneously. ORPHAN COMPLEX #7 This project began last November, but had to be halted when heavy rains made it impossible to get our equipment to the site. It was restarted last week with walls already going up for the 4 bedroom orphan home. This complex will also include a lunch room/kitchen, 4 bathing areas, and 4 toilets. LIFE SKILLS CENTER FOR TEENS This Life Skills Center for Teenagers will be the first of its kind in our area. This Center will allow students to learn Motorbike and Auto Mechanics, basic computer skills, money management/basic accounting, and many other “life skills” that will help them be a success in the business world.  Orphan home #7, 4‑bedroom-house under construction The land for the center is 1.5 miles (about 2 km) from our mission station since that was the closest land available. First phase is drilling a water well which was done TODAY. We are very excited because abundant clean water was found at 180 ft. (60 meters), causing all of us to cheer! https://youtu.be/3aGoWEyFsxo The video shows the water spraying out as the drill penetrated into the water pocket. The manual pump will be inserted into the well next week. Construction will begin as soon as the cement around the well is dry.  Water well drilling at Life Skills center area earlier today. THANK YOU TO BOTH THESE DONORS WHO ARE MAKING A WAY FOR OUR TEENS TO COMPETE IN THE CURRENT BUSINESS WORLD. UPDATE FROM LAST WEEK Baby Adlina and (triplet) Antonio have recovered from their illnesses after a few days in the hospital. Thank you for your prayers! Also, we thought you might enjoy seeing this video of our 1st grade class mastering the Bawana Games baton relay. https://youtu.be/HwWEYgw2nb8 BUSH BUNNY’S LAUGH FOR THE DAY Increased Protection from all airborne viruses: Eat 2 pieces of fresh garlic and 1 fresh onion every a.m. and p.m. This “preventative measure” is basically useless, but it sure keeps people at a distance! BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF |
BUSH BUNNY BRENDA BLOG: MARCH 7, 2020
| FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA“ DATE: MARCH 7, 2020 |
| 6 YEAR OLDS LEARN BAWANA GAMES Each year, as our preschoolers advance into 1st grade, Bertino (Bawana leader), is tasked with teaching them how to compete in Bawana Games.  Running with all their might!  1st graders working on hand slap team tag. These little ones have watched the games for 2 years, but found out that the experienced “Big Kids” make the coordinated “team work” look a lot easier than it really is. I had a fun time watching them attempt to master the baton hand off. They started with the hand slap “team tag” you see in the photos, and advance to the baton relay once they understand the hand slap. PRE-SCHOOL CLASS Pre-School Head Master, Dominica, and assistant Fatima, work hard each day to help our orphans as well as the local Sunday School children prepare for 1st grade. Smiling is not one of their strong points, as you can see in their photo. But they are all eager to learn, and enjoy their 3‑day-a-week program.  Preschoolers in class. Dominga back left. Fatima front right. BABY ADELINA AND TRIPLET ANTONIO BOTH IN HOSPITAL Baby Adelina presented yesterday with her 2nd case of Malaria in 6 weeks. YIKES! That is very dangerous and she was losing strength rapidly for it causes severe anemia. Capena, our Office Manager, and Anna, our Children’s Director, took her immediately to the Balama hospital where they began treatment in the emergency room. Baby Adelina later transferred to the Pediatric Ward for 3 days of IV medication to combat the malaria. As of this morning, she is beginning to eat, which is a great sign of recovery.  Baby Adelina a few weeks ago. Ten years ago, we assisted a little Granny in successfully raising her triplet grandsons from infancy. For all 3 babies to survive is a miracle in itself! The boys do all suffer from occasional respiratory infections and asthma as a result of being born so small.  The triplets in 2018. Yesterday, the #1 triplet, Antonio, started with a mild case of asthma brought on by a respiratory infection. He received immediate treatment, but became worse during the night. This morning, our staff took him and his granny to the hospital for further treatment. PLEASE PRAY FOR BOTH THESE CHILDREN TO HAVE A RAPID HEALING. RAINY SEASON HAS RUN ITSELF OUT, CONSTRUCTION BEGINS! I will give you a full update with photos next week, but wanted everyone to know this last week was DRY AND SUNNY! HOORAY! It’s been a welcome relief after 4 month of grey skies and almost daily rains. TOGETHER, WE ARE CHANGING LIVES FOR THE BETTER, ONE DAY AT A TIME. BLESSINGS, BUSH BUNNY BRENDA LANGE AND THE BALAMA STAFF Please don’t forget to check out and share our OU Video. https://youtu.be/M0XCggD68d8 |