From: “Brenda Lange” Date: May 31, 2013
MELISSA OLMSDAHL JOINS TEAM JUNE 1ST
The blog is early this week, as I’ll be in Pemba picking up Melissa this Saturday, returning early Sunday morning. Melissa is from a CMA (Christian Bikers Association Church) in George, South Africa. She has been their Youth Director for the last 2 years, and feels called to come help us with our youth. Her commitment at present is for 90 days, but we pray that the Lord will clearly show her this is where He desires her at this time.
DANIELLE VAN ZYL has committed to become a staff member for 1 year! I am very happy with this, as this young lady really knows how to run an orphanage. After all, she’s had 15 years of experience helping your parents with their orphanage in South Africa.
THREE MORE WITCH HUTS BITE THE DUST!
Last week you saw photos of Alena, a witch doctor who came to Jesus in Namara village, burning her witch hut and receiving a miracle healing of her sicknesses which had tormented her for a long time. I also told of how Alena’s mother-in-law, a witch doctor living in Mopone village 7 kms (4 miles) away, made the same decision when she saw what Jesus did for Alena. Ramadan, our Namara Pastor along with Pastor Tomas, went by motor bike to Mopone this week to burn the mother-in-law’s witch hut. When they arrived, a large crowd had gathered, as this “JESUS” was someone no one knew about. After preaching the good news and burning this witch hut, TWO OTHER FEMALE WITCH DOCTORS came forward, received Jesus, and asked them to burn their huts too! God is really moving in this village as Ramadan will start meeting with these people in order to get a Bible Study started.
BEANS ARE IN THE BARN
Tuesday, the entire 101 tons of beans were in our barn thanks to Emma Clifford, who picked up the slack along with 2 Pastors. Danielle and Breanne were recovering from malaria. On Thursday, our 2nd load of beans left on our 7 ton Nissan truck for the orphans in Meluco. PRAISE THE LORD for providing our needs!
CORN WAR STARTS IN MELUCO DISTRICT
Sylvia, our orphan program manager in Meluco District (county) called me Wed. to say that he’d lost 10 tons of the corn promised to our orphans because several commercial buyers moved in and raised the price by 18 cents/kg (9 cents/lb). That’s an EXTRA $103/TON! We had been counting on him being able to save us the transport costs of 7 loads of corn to the Meluco orphans by purchasing the corn locally. Each Meluco trip costs us $700 in fuel and labor, as it is a 2 day, 18 hour round trip to get a load of food to the 515 orphans dependent on our program.
I was furious, but not much I could do but PRAY, asking the Lord to protect the corn in the other villages and to provide what we needed. With the serious food shortages all over the state (province), I’d knew a price war was a possibility.
The prices in Balama are normal at this time, and we have contracted 188 tons for the June buy. We’ll now have to locate more corn to try and make up for whatever shortage our Meluco mission suffers. The balance of the corn needed for our program has been secured with 12 local pastors who can be trusted to not sell it to anyone else. The August corn is SUPER DRIED OUT, and will store much better in the rainy season than the June corn.
At dark last night, Sylvia called me to ask permission to negotiated to buy 7 tons from a village buyer who has the corn at his mud hut. Our truck unloaded our beans at the Meluco mission yesterday, and will stay over this morning to help move this 7 tons. PTL as that is one truck load we won’t have to make! Praying for more corn to come forth as we needed him to organize 43 tons! We have only 3.5 in the barn after the first week of buying. We have a bit of a challenge on our hands for sure!
Blessings from Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama gang!