Friday, November 30, 2012

Homemade/handmade headboard

Since moving into our new house we have not collected a lot of furniture.  We bought a new mattress and boxed springs and a hollywood frame.  While I like that look I did kind of want a head board.  I was thinking on how I could make one that wouldnt be costly and could be easily dismanteled if I chose and this is what I came up with.
Mollie and I found boxes that were similar in size in our stored things and used them as the base.  I had this lovely quilt that my mom's cousin made that is a full size and therefore would not fit my bed so we draped it over the box's and pinned it.  I ended up killing two birds with one stone so to say.  I was able to put some things I had in storage in an out of the way spot as well as be able to see the pretty quilt that had previously just sat on a shelf.  The only problem I can see with it is some day I may want to find some of the things that are in the box's and I may not remember that the head board is really a stack of box's.  lol  My grandmother moved around a lot when she was a young married woman and she got to where she didn't even unpack everything.  The things that were keepsakes she left boxed and just used sheets to hide them.  She then used them as room dividers, end tables and so on.  I thought if she can do it so can I and so can you.  If you lack storage space just put your keepsakes in similar sized boxes and stack them into table sizes, or head board sizes and so on.
Do you have unusually ways you make storage where there previously was none?

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

fabric bowl cover tutorial

Some of the ladies in my sewing and craft group on facebook wanted instructions for my bowl covers.  I decided it was time to make my first tutorial.  My daughter Hannah filmed me while I demonstrated the process.  Hope you enjoy it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrmPpXiA-fE

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Missionary update

AND THE LAME SHALL WALK!


Rabia (Rah-bee-ah) is 8 years old and had not walked for 5 years due to some kind of illness that affected both her legs. Severely malnourished and very frail, both her lower legs were covered with open, infected ulcers. Rabia and her grandmother came to our church last week for the first time. We prayed for her complete healing and commanded life back into her legs. I treated her ulcers with Melaleuca oil (which has 5 times the healing power of the Alavera cactus) and gave her antibiotics as well as a week’s worth of the high protein cereal, Hypo Pop, for malnourished children.
TODAY, RABIA SHOCKED ALL OF US BY WALKING TO THE CHURCH AND SHOWING EVERYONE THAT JESUS HAD HEALED HER!!!!!

It was amazing to see her WALKING on legs that were no more than toothpicks with skin covering them. The smile on her face said much more than words ever could. Her grandmother said that 5 days after we prayed for her, she just got up and started walking. Before this, Rabia had to be carried everywhere.
BACKPACK CLINIC BRINGING MANY TO CHRIST

I spent over an hour treating the sick after church today, as many are coming to seek prayer and medical help from the “backpack clinic” that I hold right after the Namara church service. A teenage boy brought his little 4 year old brother because his mother had neglected the little boys’ severely injured foot for 7 days. A metal rod had punctured the top of his left foot, causing an open wound that was badly infected. How the little one tolerated the pain, was amazing to me. The mother couldn’t be found, so the aunt agreed to come with us so the child could be attended at the Balama hospital. The little one needs 7 days of Penicillin injections and frequent bandage changes, so he will be living with his friend Veronica (the woman who was healed of the severely burnt foot). These 2 families know each other well, and Veronica was glad to have them stay with her while the little one gets the proper treatment.



My Christmas Wish List includes medicines for my “BACKPACK CLINIC”. This clinic is saving many lives each week with medicines that costs pennies per treatment. A child’s life can be saved for ONE DOLLAR. That is all it cost to treat a child with an infected wound, diarhea, respiratory infection, or an ear ache. $60 buys 1000 tablets of antibiotics that can save the lives of 65 children.
ROCKET STOVES BLASTING A REPUTATION IN BALAMA

FIVE HOUSES received the Rocket Stoves last week and more will be built this week. As you read this, Engineer Michael Lowe, will be landing in Atlanta, after working with our brick layers for the last 3 weeks to determine the best stoves for our needs. He built 2 different types: large stove for the huge pots needed for large groups, and the smaller household stove for families.

Rocket stoves use less firewood and put out very little smoke in comparison to normal open fire cooking (which is all we could do before learning to build the Rocket Stoves). The mothers LOVE THE STOVES as the food cooks so much faster, making it easier to prepare and eat a meal without having to wait 2 hours for the beans to cook.


THANK YOU MICHAEL LOWE FOR YOUR HELPING HAND IN BRINGING EFFICIENT COOKING TO OUR WIDOW’S HOMES.

We’d also like to thank our Texas donor who blessed Michael with the funds for this trip. God used Michael in many ways. He told me before he left that he really learned a lot from us too. It was a great learning experience for all of us.

Food Distributions are now completed for 2012 and it has rained 2 days this last week. We are hustling to complete all the construction as oil paint doesn’t dry well in damp weather. More to come next week, so stay tuned to the Bush Bunny Blog for further development.



FYI: due to a slightly faster internet service now in our area, I can now download Facebook. I have reactivated my personal page, so look me up if you want to be friends. Search for brendasuelange and you will find me.



PRAY FOR SAMANTHA BARNHART, as she will fly out this Wed. and be back in Butler, PA by Friday. SAM has been an awesome helper over the last 90 days as she assisted in the Sept. corn buying as well as coordinated the loading of all the truck loads of food that was distributed in the last 3 months. Sam assisted Leona with the woman’s programs, and helped with many children’s and sports evangelism programs. We wish her well, and hope God will call her back to us very soon.
Blessings,

Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama gang
P.S. Personal thanks and blessings to all our readers who have sent get well messages and prayer support for me while I have been mending from my altercation with the rogue vacuum cleaner. The road to healing continues and God is faithful teaching us new things daily. Continued prayers are appreciated.

Bowl Covers

The other day the preachers wife and I made some bowl covers.  In days gone by this was the type of thing ladies used to cover left overs and such before there was plastic wrap and tin foil.  I am not a fan of either of them, they cost money and are a pain to use, (foil and plastic wrap, that is) so I thought the old fashioned bowl covers would be just the ticket.

First we found some nice fabric and some bowls, lids and plates to use as templates.  Remembering that a using a large bowl to trace would result in a medium bowl cover we used a super large mixing bowl, a large plate and the cover from a large tub of ice cream.  I also wanted a cover for 9 X 13 pans so I used one of mine and traced around it adding about 2 inches on all sides. 

We then cut out two of each size we were making.  With wrong sides together we began sewing and stretching 1/4 inch elastic around the perimeter of the fabric using a stretch zig zag stitch.  We sewed the elastic about 1/4 inch inside the two layers of fabric.  Once the elastic was stretched and stitched I zig zagged along the very edge of the fabric so you would not be able to see the elastic.  I did not measure the elastic I just stretched it as I sewed and when I got to the place where I had started I cut it off and carefully stitched the end.


Do you have any easy frugal gifts you like to make?

Friday, November 16, 2012

Spice cake recipe


•3/4 cup butter or shortening


•1 cup brown sugar

•1 egg

•1/2 cup raisins

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

•1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

•1/4 teaspoon allspice

•1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

•2 cups all-purpose flour

•1/2 teaspoon baking soda

•1 cup buttermilk

•2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Cream together the butter, brown sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Stir in the raisins, salt and spices. Mix well. Add half the flour. Blend in the baking soda and milk. Stir in the remaining flour and baking powder.
For layer cake: Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch cake pans. Bake at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until top springs back when touched, or test with cake tester. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks to finish cooling before frosting.

For Sheet Cake: Pour into greased and floured 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes or until top springs back when touched, or test with cake tester. Frost in pan.

Source:  http://www.texascooking.com/news/recipe/nov2012b.htm

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Tonic

Antibiotics have done more harm than good.  I think I will make a batch of this up to have on hand this winter.  For more information go to  http://heal-thyself.ning.com/


Missionary update

From: "Brenda Lange"


Subject: Blog, Nov. 11, 2012

Date: November 11, 2012 5:41:29 AM CST





NOVEMBER—HOT AND DRY—WATER OUR MOST PRECIOUS COMODITY

With temps at 95 to 98 F (36 C) most of the day and EVERY CREATURE looking for water, this country’s water wells are packed with people.

Our water well team repaired 2 village wells this week within a few hours of being notified, because even 1 day without water makes people desperate.

That means the kids will drink any surface water they can find, leading to deadly dysentery or cholera.



WATER WELL REPAIR GIFTS DO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Mpaca’s (M-pah-ka) well was out for several days, when Pastor Pinto out of desperation, (his wife was seriously threatening to take the kids and go back to their home village where water existed), rode his bicycle 17 miles in this intense heat, to beg us to come fix it.



There are several wells in that area, but over 5,000 people needed water, and women were having fist fights over the 8 to 12 hour waiting period. He said the 5 gallon containers waiting to be filled covered an area 50 yards/meters square at each well! Pumping 24 hours couldn’t fill the need.

Our team was out there the next day. The well was down because $30 worth of plastic and rubber parts had worn out.



On Thursday, my driver picked up our painters after they completed painting the Namara church walls to protect them from rain.

As they passed the Pequaria church, they were stopped and told that the village’s ONLY water well had broken that morning.

They begged us to fix it. Within 2 hours our team was there and the same $30 worth of parts was all it needed to fix it.

SO LITTLE CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH FOR 1000’S OF PEOPLE.



STOVE BUILDING GOING WELL

The 2 prototypes have been built and we will fire them up tomorrow (had to let the mortar dry).

The women have seen it and are excited as they are willing to try anything to cut down on their use of firewood.

We’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Michael is enjoying getting to know the local culture and the people.

He’s even learned the essential words of Bom Dia and SALAMA! (greeting in the local Makua language)



GOD OPENS THE DOOR FOR MASSIVE HEALTH TEACHINGS VIA RADIO!

IMPACT WILL AFFECT 128,000 PEOPLE!!!!



The Balama radio station manager came to us in desperation this week, begging for help with his community service programs.

His sponsors had slowly melted away this year, until he was left with NO funds to help the people learn to live healthier lives.

The men and women working to put these radio programs together, AND handle the daily radio broadcasting only receive $7/MONTH as their reward for over 80 hours of work. They truly have a heart to help the public.



This is a great OPEN DOOR for us, as it gives us the opportunity to impact 128,000 people with our health teachings on Abstinence against the spread of AIDS, preventing malaria, cholera, dysentery, TB, and many other health problems that plague these communities. We’ll be able to impact them with Biblical morals, etc. as well as teach them through Christian music.



PROGRAMS are as follows:

COMMUNITY HEALTH: (30 minute program) how to avoid and what to do when you get sick with the main killer diseases of our area (malaria, cholera, dysentery, AIDS, etc).

WOMEN’S PROGRAMS (15 min) on better BABY CARE and how to raise healthy children, nutrition, etc.

SANITATION PROGRAMS: (20 min.) Construction of latrines, hygiene, avoiding water borne diseases

CHILDREN’S PROGRAMS: (15 min.) teaching them the basics of healthy living in a very simple way



Eric and our Program Director, Nilza, who is specially trained in Social Service work, will be combining forces with the local radio station volunteers to get these programs organized and ready to record in January. CHRISTIAN MUSIC will be used to highlight the programs.

These villagers are crazy about our music, so this will be used as a drawing card to get people to learn what they need to know.



WE NEED SPONSORS FOR THESE PROGRAMS that will air WEEKLY for a total of 80 minutes/week starting in Janaury.

Nov. and Dec. has been donated, as the radio station has programs that are ready to air.

30 min. costs $42/week or $168/month

20 min. costs $28/week or $112/month

15 min. costs $21/week or $84/month



This is a gift that will impact the multitudes as EVERY VILLAGE has people with “boom boxes” who blast these programs for all to hear.

If God leads you to help us with this program, please put RADIO in your check memo so we know how to use your gift.



BIBLE SCHOOL GRADUATION FEAST HELD LAST FRIDAY

NINETY FIVE Students from 3 bush Bible School extension programs converged on Balama Friday to receive their final words of wisdom (and a great goat feast) before being sent out to evangelize their neighbors in very remote areas of Balama county.

Pastor Alberto Pessute and I are part of the International Victory Bible Institute program. Victory Christian Center in Tulsa, OK provides us the teaching materials in Portuguese. Pastor Alberto translates it into Makua for his teachings in the remote areas as the people do not speak Portuguese.

God’s Word is being planted and multiplies among the lost as we train up leaders to help harvest God’s End Time Believers.

YOUR LOVE GIFTS ARE REAPING A TREMENDOUS HARVEST!



Blessings to all of you, as we continue to hand out food to the orphans before the rainy season isolates them in their remote villages.

Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama Team.









Saturday, November 10, 2012

Happy Birthday Kaleena

Today is my second daughters birthday.  Happy birthday Kaleena, I love you.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

We have a dinningroom table and hutch

Every time I have found a piece of furniture on Craigslist and called about it, made an appointment to go look and buy it I get a text that it is sold.  The only thing I have been able to buy is the German Shrunk. 
I noticed a used furniture store in town so I stopped to check it out.  They had a very large dinning room table and 6 chairs and a matching hutch.  The price was right so I told Jeff and the girls about it.  The girls and I drove back to town today in the pick up and after the girls saw the set they thought it was worth the asking price so we bought it, loaded it up and brought it home.  I was able to unpack some of my pretty glass things to put in the hutch.  Once we get the German Shrunk put back together I will have lots more places to put the pretties.  I downsized quite a bit on them but some of them were things I wanted to keep.
This is the table, chairs and hutch set up in our new dinning room.
There were only 6 chairs but there is plenty of room for at least two more chairs.  I will be on the look out for two chairs that are similar to the ones in the set.  I am sure I will not be able to find some that match exactly but if I can find some that are similar I can place them in the middle with the others on the outsides I think it will work just fine.  I do want to buy a nicer table cloth.  This is one I found in some things headed to someones dumpster.
We plan to go to a furniture store to look for living room furniture.  I am not in a big rush so I can take my time and find the furniture that will look nice and that we like.

Gift list



OUR CIRCUIT RIDING PROFESSOR URGENTLY NEEDS NEW BIKE:


Evangelist Alberto Pessute travelled 4,500 miles (7500 km) as a circuit rider teacher on his 50 cc motorbike this year in order to teach 3 Bible Schools (100+ students) and start the 2 churches in Namuno county. He just called to ask for emergency help, as his motor bike “bit the dust” about 9 miles (15Km) out in the bush as he was coming back from teaching at one of our bush churches today. We knew the bike was near it’s limit, but had hopes that it would last through December when the Bible School year was over and the 2 Namuno churches were able to be independent of his teachings.



$750 is needed to provide him with a new bike so Teacher Alberto can wrap up his teaching year.



NEW BORN BABIES:

•BABY BOTTLES: (6 pack) $7

•FORMULA: (1 can) $6 or (12 pack) $72
ORPHAN CHILDREN:

We have over 1,750+ orphans living with a grandmother or aunt who lack the basics to live a healthy life. No matter how small, each gift does make a difference.
Each orphan is in need of the following:

•PLATE,CUP,SPOON SET: $3/each ($30 provides for 10 orphans)
•FOOD: (1 sack of corn) $20

•BEANS: (1 sack of beans) $32

•CLOTHING: (4 shirts and 4 pants or skirts/year) $30/child/year

•BLANKET: (one blanket per child) $15

•BLANKETS: (bale of 25 blankets) $375

•BED and GRASS MAT: (each set) $7

•SPONSOR AN ORPHAN: (Provides an orphan with food, clothing, school material, school uniform, and medical care in one of our Christ centered foster homes.) $30/month or one time gift of $360/yr.

*WIDOW’S KITCHEN START UP KIT: (2 cook pans, wash Basin, bucket, 5 gallon water container) $30

•FLASHLIGHT: (and set of batteries) $5 (no electricity makes it pretty scary to go to the outhouse at night without one)

•SCHOOL BACKPACK: (for the kid’s school supplies) $8 each.



GIFTS TO PROVIDE A FUTURE:

As our orphans grow up and leave our “nest”, they need a helping hand to get started.
We have almost 100 kids needing Young Farmer Kits so they can start their own farms.

Each of these kids is eligible to enter into our 2013 Goat Rearing School, and receive a “starter goat herd” once they graduate.
•PREGNANT GOAT: $60 each

•YOUNG FARMER STARTER KIT: (includes farming hoe, machete, and seeds for corn and beans) $15

•DUCK: $10
CLEAN WATER:

(a gift of life to a whole village)

•DRILL A WELL: $8,500

•AFRIDEC HAND PUMP: (for a well) $2,500

•REPAIR A WELL KIT: $100

BRENDA’S BACKPACK OF MEDICAL MIRACLES:

(Donate the cost of basic medications that saves lives in remote areas)

•WOUND INFECTIONS: (treats 60 children) $40

•MALARIA: (saves a child from certain death) $7

•DYSENTERY: (treats 60 children) $40

•CONJUNCTIVITIS: (buys a 12 pack of ointment that treats over 60 kids) $60

•VITAMINS: (buys 1000 tablets to treat post malaria anemia that kills many children, includes iron) $40

•HYPO PACKETS: (For malnourished children; buys a baby a week’s worth of high protein cereal) 50 cents or $100 buys 22 lbs. (10 kg) of Hypo and provides 17 children with 4 months of high protein food. ( Dixon, Zito, and many of our babies and malnourished toddlers were saved because of this high protein instant cereal that must be bought in South Africa). We use about 200 lbs. ($900) (100kg) of it a year.
Baby Dixion

MERRY CHRISTMAS and A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Thank you for giving to our children as we celebrate Christ’s birth on earth.



Bush Bunny Brenda and the staff of Orphans Unlimited, Inc.

LOVE GIFTS TO:


ORPHANS UNLIMITED, INC.

11152 WESTHEIMER RD., PMB 391

HOUSTON, TX 77042
LOVE GIFT TO: ORPHANS UNLIMITED in RSA

Standard Bank-Hatfield

(branch code) 011-54515

Name: Orphans Unlimited

Acct. # 017743036
PERSONAL NOTES TO BRENDA

brenda@orphansunlimited.org

ALL OTHER INQUIRIES:

LINDA FERGUSON

linda@orphansunlimited.









Kidnapped

From: "Brenda Lange"


Subject: Blog, Nov. 4, 2012

Date: November 4, 2012 4:50:05 AM CST





KIDNAPPED


MEET DOMINICA, AGE TWO
Nov. 1st started out as an uneventful food distribution morning at our Balama base, which turned into an “AMBER ALERT” by 2pm.

The 2 year old toddler, Dominica, has been with us for over 18 months.

She was removed from her home as a 6 month old infant, due to severe neglect by her “mentally disturbed mother” (given no food until she almost starved to death, and left outside to cry for hours with no care). This woman has caused several disturbances at Balbina’s foster home in the past, including one incident where she brought her machete and demanded the return of her child. When that occurred last year, Balbina sent someone to fetch us and calmly kept this woman “at arm’s length” until help arrived. A severe counselling at the police station, and she kept her distance for over 10 months.

Last Thursday, this highly disturbed mother went to Balbina’s house demanding her food allowance for the week.

(She never showed up at our mission station that morning to get the food we normally give her). Balbina explained she didn’t have her food, and that she would have to go to Mama Brenda, as the food distribution was over. She began to scream at Balbana and grabbed for Dominica, who was being held in Balbina’s arms.

Balbina jerked away, but not before this woman bit Balbina’s arm. The pain from the bite, loosened Balbina’s grip enough that this desperate woman was able to snatch the child and run. Balbina’s husband got home just has it all happened. He raced to my office on his bicycle to tell us that Dominica had been kidnapped.

Dominica was once again in the hands of this mentally unstable woman and no one knew where she would be taken.

(FYI: Balbina was fine as the bite didn’t’ break the skin.)



I immediately called our District Social Services officer, but he was in Pemba (4 hours away). He instructed me to get our leaders and go to the police if she wouldn’t return the child.

Capena, Head Administrator for O.U, in Balama, and Nilza, our resident Social Service worker, met me at my house.

We decided to “trade her” for what she really wanted. (The food she never picked up that morning.)

She has said many times she has no use for Dominica, so we knew she didn’t really want the child.



We fixed up the food she was supposed to receive that morning and went looking for her. PTL that she headed to her mud hut in a village about 3 miles from us, and our team located her near her home.

She willingly gave up Dominica in exchange for the food, and was told that if she does this again, she will go to jail. (The Police is the only thing she is really scared of).

In Moz., the laws protect the mentally disturbed. Unless she physically harms someone, the police can do nothing to this woman. So although this looks like it was not the right thing to do (giving her what she wanted), the important thing is that Dominica was returned unharmed.

This was very traumatic for Dominica, as she sees Balbina as her true mother. She possibly has some memory of the bad times in her early life with her birth mother, so right now we are concentrating on making her feel secure.

We also realize that if this woman fails to pick up her food in future, we need to take special precautions to prevent a repeat of this incident.



WEIRD WEATHER IN MOZAMBIQUE





Normally, October and November are SUPER HOT AND DRY—98-102 degrees F (38-40 C) with no rains till end of November.

But Antarctica has been sending us some unique cold fronts this year, causing many kids to have colds and upper respiratory infections.

Remember, these kids have only thin cotton clothing, and most don’t own a long sleeve shirt, much less a jacket.

Thursday and Friday it RAINED many hours with strong, bitterly cold winds coming from the south.

I spent the day in a sweat suit!



With the unexpected rains, our teams had to scramble as the Naccaca church is not roofed yet, and the Namara church needed it’s concrete footing and oil paint to protect it from blowing rain. Our 18 man brick laying team went out yesterday and in 6 hours completed all the work on the Namara church.

Our teams will work hard this week to dig the holes needed so the roof can be built over the Naccaca church.



With Jesus returning soon, the only “norm” we can expect is that “NOTHING WILL BE AS IT WAS IN THE PAST”.

So expect the unexpected and you won’t be caught off guard.



ENGINEERS WITHOUT BORDERS representative, Michael Lowe, of North Carolina arrived yesterday.

After church today, I took Michael to 3 of our homes so he could “get a visual” on what is needed. He will be assisting us in planning and building 2 types of very efficient wood burning stoves that use only small amounts of firewood, even twigs if that is all you have.

I’ll keep you updated on how this goes and we’ll send photos of the end result.

Michael has 3 weeks to organize, build, and train our team to duplicate what works best with our local materials.



Blessings,

Bush Bunny Brenda and the Balama gang







Paying the price

From: "Brenda Lange"


Date: November 4, 2012, 7:25:24 AM CST

Subject: Blog addition, Nov. 4th, 2012





THE PRICE OF SERVICE TO OUR LORD JESUS



In Mozambique, if you want a church in the bush, the members have to build it.

Pastor Alberto just returned a few minutes ago with a heavy heart.

He went to preach God’s Word at Ntele, a very remote village with over 40 adults and 80+ children attending our newest “under the tree” church each Sunday.

The rainy season is only 2 weeks away, so the members are in a rush to complete their church. It only lacks the roof.

Late yesterday afternoon, a group of church men were out cutting bamboo poles for the roof.

The grass and bamboos were swaying in the heavy winds. It was hard to hear and difficult to see with all the dust flying.

Unknown to these men, a black mamba, the fastest snake in the world, was stalking the area. The snake struck one of the men before anyone saw it.

That man only had minutes to say his goodbyes before his tongue was paralyzed by the fast acting venom. He met Jesus a few minutes later.

Alberto encountered the church members digging his grave when he arrived.

Alberto preached the funeral, as the whole village looked on.



This man did not die in vain, as many from his village heard the gospel today who might not have ever heard it otherwise.

His earthly body lays near the church he helped build, while he’s enjoying a NEW BODY with Christ Jesus in heaven.







BLESSINGS,







BBB and The Balama Gang





Monday, November 5, 2012

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Happy Birthday Joy!!!

Today is my daughter Joy's 20th birthday.  Happy Birthday Joy.  We love you.