FROM “BUSH BUNNY BRENDA” DATE: MAY 17, 2014
MOVING DAY… WE ARE A BIT OVERLOADED, BUT THE WHEELS STILL MOVE!
3 DAY INSPECTION MADE FOR AN INTENSE WEEK
It was a looong 3 days of “show and tell” to reveal all the types of children’s programs we use, with detailed housing inspections of all 26 houses (included the 23 houses of widows with their orphaned grandmothers), briefings on document requirements for final licensing, and the final summary/results yesterday at 11a.m.
WE PASSED!!!!
This is the culmination of THREE YEARS OF HARD WORK and it is a great relief to have it behind us. (compares to getting your PHD) Our “file” is literally a dissertation of everything we do, right down to the kid’s weekly food menus!
In three weeks, we will receive a 12 month CREDENTIAL CERTIFICATE which makes us a legal Foster Care Facility while we write the final documents missing from our “2 inch thick” file that must go to Maputo for the final licensing. This final licensing can take 6 months to a year to obtain, as the National Social Services people must scrutinize every part of our program.
The WHOLE WEEK was centered around making this place all “spiffy” clean with new touches of paint on the children’s pre-school and the mother’s homes where the kids had been a bit rough on the walls.
The inspectors were totally fascinated with the NEW PLAYGROUND and our AWANA games/teaching program, as they had never seen those types of games before. Many photos and videos were taken by the head inspector, (including photos of me teaching one of the lady inspectors “by example”, how to go down a slide). They all got a big laugh out of that, which helped break the ice on our first day. These young adults were deprived of slides and swings to grow up on, due to the destruction of parks in the time of war.
Their single summary comment says it all! “We like the changes VERY MUCH”. Keep on moving forward by enforcing the children’s teaching programs.” God moved on our behalf, thanks to the prayers of many of you. THANK YOU for all you have done to support us via prayer and finances so that these orphans can have a future.
ZIPPY, THE VINE SNAKE, GREETS VISITORS
SPITTING COBRA IN ACTION !
Friends from the graphite mine down the road, dropped by at midday on Monday in their King Cab pickup. Parking behind my King Cab pick-up provided a nice shady spot in a large area of hot sand. A 3ft. (1 meter) Vine Snake took advantage of the car’s shade, zipping from the shade of a nearby Cashew Nut tree to the pick-up truck. Once it got to the truck, the snake raised its head and stared at us, like “uh-oh, now I’ve blown it, cause that’s people over there”. (It was obviously headed to the super shady Cashew Nut tree behind my house, but those “people critters” were in its path.)
The snakes movement caught the eye of a visitor (who was not keen on first person encounters with venomous bush creatures). I yelled “COBRA” and out runs our guard with his 12 ft. snake killing bamboo rod, BUT, he couldn’t kill the snake without damaging the truck. I told the owner to move the truck forward a bit, and was answered with a swift “BE MY GUEST! No way am I getting in that truck”. Bunch of city folks. So Bush Bunny showed them how it’s done.
Getting the guard to distract the snake, DE BUNNY jumps onto the running board, opens the driver’s door, moves the truck 3 feet forward, and HEARS WHACK!!!! THE ZIPPY VINE SNAKE IS NOT MORE!
City folks can be so, so funny. ALL snakes are to be respected, but experience teaches one how to deal with them in a safe manner. Besides, I have great angels, who are super great at messing up a snake attack!
That’s it for this week! We begin corn buying June 2nd, and 3 visitors will arrive before the end of May. This week we drag out the cleaning cloths, sweep the visitors housing, and get ready for a new team and a “corny” June with our new found friends.
Blessings, Bush Bunny Brenda Lange Eric Dry (P.S.: Andy Gonzales left Thursday for his commercial deep sea fishing job in Alaska). Andy truly loves playing with our children, and helped with odd jobs during his short stay.)