BUSH BEAT: Dec. 2004

FOSTER MOTHER SURVIVES MASSIVE BURNS

After 30 days in the hospital, Rafina was finally able to come home.  In early Nov., a kerosene lantern exploded in her face, catching her clothes on fire. Two of our orphans beat out the flames, and WALKED her the HALF MILE to the hospital (none of us were home), where she gave birth as she was 9 months pregnant. Baby is doing fine. She had 2nd degree burns over 25% of her body.

She still has open burn wounds on her arms and abdomen, and is receiving treatment at the local hospital. Tosquino, her husband, manages our 72 bed dorm system. He needs a new house and building with mud brick is not possible as it has been raining 2-12 hours a day for 5 days straight!

His plan is to build a log and bamboo structure with an independently supported tin roof overhead. I think you can understand Rafina's fear of a grass roof.

Some of you have asked how you could help. We gave Tosquino $200 from our emergency fund for his house construction, as well as paid all her medical bills ($160). He still needs $300 to buy the tin roof materials.   Any help with this would be a great blessing to them.  

MISSION STATION TAKING SHAPE

   On Nov. 19th, Gerald and I moved into the new home that YOU PROVIDED AS OUR WEDDING PRESENT! It is really nice having our own home as I have either been in someone else's home, a mud hut, or a tent for the last 14 years! It has a bedroom, living room, and bathroom with a breeze way that separating the house from the office/radio room where we send our e-mail by Ham Radio. Thanks to Eric Dry's technical skills and Gerald's assistance, they were able to get the entire office moved and functioning in two day's time!

   The three of us spent the first two weeks of Nov. working along side 33 men who helped us build a 6' chain link security fence that was donated in March. Putting up 1,700 yards (17 football fields) of fence around 40 acres of raw bush was no easy task in 98F heat. This fence was badly needed as the locals show little respect for property lines. Last year, 4 families built houses on the backside of our land while I was away for a few weeks. Goats and pigs run loose as this is "Open Range", and destroyed some of our crops. The fence makes it possible to plant our fields, gardens, and fruit orchards for the orphans without having to pay guards.

Neither the animals or the people have ever seen chain link. It was quite funny when this small snake came up to it and instead of going THROUGH one of the holes, tried to CLIMB OVER IT! While ta ngled in it, 1 of my workers ended his life. Lack of knowledge can mean death to your bones!    We just completed the dorm's security fence in 3 days, and it really looks nice. After all, we've had enough PRACTICE!

SPECIAL NOTE:   RADHIKA's father had a heart attack, and she flew home to be with her family in early November. We pray he will recover quickly and hope that she will return soon. She was a great asset to this ministry and is greatly missed.

   ERIC DRY OF SOUTH AFRICA has decided to get his residency in January, and join us full time with us in Balama. He will head up the Skills/Jobs Training Center as he is an evangelist, master 4X4 mechanic, welder, electrician, and computer whiz. We thank the Lord for his many talents as he keeps this mission ticking!

NEW CHURCH IN NANUPO (Nah-new-poo)

   Thanks to our JESUS FILM TEAM of Radhika, Eric, and our local pastor's, 4 men from the all Muslim Nanupo village have bravely decided to follow Jesus. They attended our church for a month, and decided last week to build their own in their home village! IMMEDIATE RESISTANCE was encountered from the local village elders, BUT THEY BUILT IT ANYWAY!  These guys are really growing in the Lord, and being an excellent example to those around them. They risked losing their homes as many times revenge takes the form of burning your house at night. So far no one has been touched, as we keep the angels around them through prayer.

2004 EVANGELISTIC HARVEST

Forty-six (46) OF OUR seventy-two (72) TEENAGE DORM STUDENTS received Jesus after being shown the film "Cross and the Switchblade" about David Wilkerson and his New York gang evangelism. I was able to get the DVD in PORTUGUESE. Eric found a way to show it with his computer via our projector that ONLY WORKS WITH A VCR and had no computer hookup!     Twenty-eight (28) new converts received Baptism in the local pond.    Thirteen (13) mothers came to know Jesus from seeing their babies healed after Radhika prayed for them.     Five or our orphan teenagers received Jesus, and are now doing dramas and formed a band with homemade instruments as their singing witness.    Eric showed the Jesus Film this month to all the women with malnourished babies. Many responded and our pastors are following up on it. The church was packed out with street kids during this showing, and Eric says it was amazing to see how well behaved and attentive they were. THE HARVEST IS RIPE and WE NEED MORE PEOPLE TO HELP US REAP IT!

AS I STATED LAST MONTH, WE ARE VERY LIMITED BECAUSE WE LACK PEOPLE TO FULL FILL THE VISION THAT THE LORD HAS GIVEN US. GOD'S WORD tells us all to GO and BE WITNESSES TO THE FARTHEST REACHES OF THE WORLD. Those available only need to ask WHERE LORD?

THE GREATEST GIFT YOU CAN GIVE A CHILD IS YOUR TIME.

Please contact us if you desire to come here to help us REAP and TEACH in 2005. Please tell all those you know for we know many are willing, but don't know WHERE TO GO or HOW TO DO IT.

TEENAGE CAREERS

   We have 9 boys among the 8th, 9th, and 10th grades, They are very excited about our vision for building a Jobs Training Center here in Balama. We hope to get it started in 2005. 2 of the boys want to be the equivalent of a Physicians Assistant, and run a hospital. In the bush districts, the PA's do it all, as Doctors only exist in the cities.  The other 6 are all interested in becoming diesel mechanics, and getting their driver's license so they can drive trucks. Typical boys!

   YEAR END KID COUNT AT BALAMA (Your love gifts are doing a lot!)

Orphans with our foster parents: 6 families, 25 orphans Orphans living with aunts or grandmothers: 49 families, 100 orphans Malnourished mothers and babies=100 mothers and 102 children in the program Babies needing milk formula due to mother's inability to produce breast

milk=13 families with 17 babies (twins) Handicapped mothers with children=7 families (either blind or have only 1 leg due to the war)

BUILDING TEMPORARY CLASSROOMS TO AVOID AN EDUCATION DISASTER

   We just had lunch with the Sisters and Elisa, the District Director of Education. Elisa asked all of us for help. In order to add the 9th grade to the school in Jan. 2005, they have to push the 1st and 2nd graders out of their classrooms! That affects 12 of our orphans who graduated from our preschool and are entering 1st grade.

Gerald and I agreed on the spot that we would help by building 3 temporary classrooms from local materials (fence post and bamboo for the walls, with a tin roof on it). Nothing else is possible until next May as the rainy season is here in FULL FORCE with daily down pours. Some of you gave

gifts to be "used as needed". YOUR LOVE will build the school. We put those gifts in an emergency reserve, and use it for projects of this type that will affect many. Cost: $1,500 for 3 classrooms measuring 6 yards X 8 yards EACH. This project starts Dec. 9th, and will be a great New Year's present to the primary school.

BUSH BUNNY 2005 SPEAKING TOUR LOOKS LIKE A GO!

Thanks to your positive response to my Dec. bulletin about needing more church invitations in order to justify a trip to the USA, I may just ma ke it. Still pending a few dates, but I know if the Lord wants this to happen, it will.  I'm looking forward to making many new friends.

ALL OF US FROM ORPHANS UNLIMITED PRAY YOU HAVE A SAFE and PEACEFULCHRISTMAS and A VERY BLESSED NEW YEAR!!!

We thank you for your faithful support of our kids. They pray for you, and they know they have many friends around the world who truly love them.

Lots of love from the O.U. team! Brenda, Gerald, Eric and the Mozambican staff Oops, almost forget the guard dogs as they are an essential part of thesecurity system around here:     Buck, Bear, Max, Toto, Patch, J.D., Aurora (means beautiful in Makua), and Dip Stick!

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