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BUSH BEAT: August/September 2007OPERATION RESCUE: LIONS, LAND, & NEW HOUSES August, 2008, brought many improvements to the Meluco (Op. Rescue) mission station which is serving orphans & widows in desperate need of food & clothing. With the new 50 cc motor bike, Sylvai, the mission manager, was able to register the orphans in the 6 remote villages we were unable to assist last year. Four of these small villages are located 16 miles from our mission station (just outside the game reserve), where elephant & lion problems are the greatest. Fifty five orphans & their grandmothers are now receiving food & soap at our new monthly give out in a place called Revia. New clothes are in the works. Many of the kids were covered in Scabies (tiny microscopic mites that burrow under your skin). These mites cause serious skin ulcers if not treated. Living in the dirt, these mites invade your clothing & bedding when it's not kept clean. Thanks to RACHEL & DAVID GALLAGHER, FOUNDERS OF OPEN ARMS INTERNATIONAL, we were able to treat all the kids for their scabies, as they blessed us with 5 liters of the lotion that kills this type mite. Part of YOUR GIFT to these orphans is a monthly ration of soap to promote cleanliness to prevent this type problem. With the soap & the health care training given by our staff, we hope to eradicate this pesky bug among our kids. Our Pastor Albino teaches the children & foster mothers about Jesus BEFORE each monthly food give out. There are no churches in this area, so our pastor & his assistants are TRUE PIONEERS as they blaze new trails into unreached areas where the gospel has never been heard. Thirty children & their grandmothers joined the feeding program this month at the main mission station in Meluco. Total being served by YOUR LOVE GIFTS is 397. LAND GRANTED: (30 ACRES) was given to us by the local government free of charge on Aug. 16, 2007. A gift of $2,400! This allowed us to start immediate construction of housing for children who have no family to care for them. With 80 grandmothers caring for those in our current program, it's overwhelming to think what will happen when all those grandmothers pass away. Most of the children have no other family left! Thus we are using the mud hut money to build housing NOW at our Op. Rescue base. I prefer to be prepared ahead of time so we can meet the needs as they arise. LIONS VISIT OPERATION RESCUE BASE: Callum, a missionary intern from Tulsa, & Alison, our South African board member, wanted to visit Meluco as I took in their supplies for Sept. Our local staff stated that no lions had been heard in the area for over 30 days. Well, one must have gotten lost, because he came close to finding us. We set up our 2 tents inside the 6 foot chain linked fenced base area & had a nice meal of chicken & corn meal mush for supper. It was a beautifully clear, star filled sky that night. At 11:30pm, I was awakened by a roar followed by several grunting sounds. Seems a lonely lion was looking for his buddies about a mile from our camp. I told my friends the next morning that it's a good thing they have angels, or they could be meeting our "boss" before the rapture! Bush Bunny Proverb: WISE ONES sleep LIGHTLY when only a tent separates them from the bush critters. KIDS FOUND EATING TRASH IN THE STREETS A village chief in a remote part of Balama county reported to us that children were scavenging for food in the village trash piles. Upon investigation, we located 6 orphans & their grandmother living in squalor conditions, with no food of any type in their mud hut. I sent food with the investigators, so the family could survive till we could move them. Upon the team's return, I immediately bought a mud hut that only needed a new roof. We repaired it, & had them moved in within 8 days. One of the little boys, Assane (A-san-y) is 5 years old with a quick wit, & a very outgoing personality.
Assane decided to adopt me as his very own. He walked to my house very early the next day, & climb into my pick-up expecting to go to work with me. It took us 3 days to get him to understand he couldn't go everywhere I went. He's quite the character & very lovable. He loves the church, & is now one of the key dancers in leading praise! AND THE CHILDREN SHALL LEAD THEM IN THE LAST DAYS. I believe God sent Assane to us so we could train him up for these last days. He's a natural leader & shows much boldness & courage in all he does. (reminds me of David in the Old Testament) 1,888 ORPHANS & WIDOWS NOW BENEFIT FROM YOUR LOVING KINDNESS Here's the breakdown: In our care: means they live in OUR houses, & are our direct responsibility because they have no family. BALAMA DISTRICT:
Balama feeding programs:
MELUCO DISTRICT: OPERATION RESCUE
Sept. 20th GRAND TOTAL = 1,141 orphans & 477 widows. Total=1,888 people Our goal was to help 2000 kids by Dec., 2007. Looks like we will surpass it. In August the State Director of Social Services spoke on a Moz. radio show telling how much our program has positively impacted these 2 districts. We THANK JESUS & YOU for all the LOVE GIFTS you bless us with to make this possible! IT'S A PRIVILEGE TO SERVE AS JESUS' RESCUE TEAM IN THESE 2 COUNTIES.
BUSH BUNNY TIDBITS 1. CONTAINER WITH WATER WELL EQUIPMENT & CHILDREN'S CLOTHING IS NOW ON A SHIP, HEADED TO MOZAMBIQUE! Expected Arrival at the Port of Pemba: Early November, 2007. A special thanks to Linda Ferguson & her family, my parents, & the JL Obenhaus and Ron Kariker families who worked long hours to prepare & load all the items in this container. ALBERT DELGADO OF EAGLE LAKE, TX & his specialized "ROTATOR TRUCK" came to our rescue. He made the job seem as simple as loading a Tonka Toy on a flatbed. Albert, you made our day! THANKS! 2. Alison Papenfus, our South African board member, & all around GREAT FRIEND, flew in & taught a 5 day seminar to strengthen our pastors & Bush Bikers for Christ (evangelist). They received extensive teaching on effective Bible based story telling that relates to the African culture, & on the power of the Holy Spirit & His gifts. 3. JL OBENHAUS, over 60 years of age, was an all around handy man for the 90 days he spent with us (May 16 to Aug. 12th). NEVER THINK YOUR AGE INHIBITS YOU FROM DOING WHAT THE LORD TELLS YOU TO DO! Thanks to his help in the June/July food buying, we were able to put over 400 TONS of corn & beans into the warehouse.He braved the lions & elephants at the Melcuo Base to help there as well. THANKS to his mechanical aptitude, he made over 10,500 bricks with out hydraulic brick press so that we could build a new church. Our 100 seat church became too small for our congregation, so we tore it down & are building a 300 seater that should open in November, 2007. 4. Callum Cookson from Victory Christian Center in Tulsa has come for a year's internship. Callum is a mission's school graduate who serves in the ministry of helps. He has a big heart for the Lord & our children. His teachable heart makes him a joy to train, & I believe he will be a big asset in all our programs. 5. NO APPLICANTS so far for any of the positions I announced last month. Blessings & Love to all of you!
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