I made it to Bangladesh!!

Hello from Bangladesh!! We finally made it!

Our flight from Hong Kong to Bangladesh was very interesting. Since the airline we were going to fly to Dhaka only has 2 flights a week from Hong Kong, we were put on a flight with the Bengali national airline. There were about 50 people on the flight (and it was a very large plane!)...so at least we got to sleep on the flight. Though there were other Americans on the plane, my boss and I were the only ones aboard who were not of Bengali descent...let's just say my height and skin color truly make me stand out. Alot of the passengers were very curious why we wanted to go to Bangladesh, it was wonderful to be able to tell them that we were going to help with the Cyclone Relief.

We arrived in Bangladesh at 2:30 AM and were greeted by our host. It was raining when we arrived. We drove directly to our hostel in Dhaka City. On the drive, my heart was just opened to the need of these people...this country is definitely one of the world's poorest. The city is chaotically beautiful...extremely crowded, polluted, loud and hot...but the people are beautiful and wonderful. The country is predominately Muslim...only about 1% Christian...so there is great need there also.

On Tuesday we were able to spend time with the team from APU and fellowship in our host families home. (The team had just arrived from India the day before) We spent the day getting supplies for our trip down south and trying to recover from jet lag. Our host family and all the people we have meet from World Vision and local churches have been incredibly hospitable. We are always invited in for tea and biscuits (still so much English influence here) and conversation.

On Wednesday we had a 6 hour drive down to Barisol. Driving here is an adventure! One of the most interesting parts of our journey was a 20 minute ferry ride across a river. We had to stay in our vans because it was not safe for us to get out. It was incredibly hot in the van, but it was very memorable!

On Thursday we drove about an hour to the village we are going to be building the homes in. (We are staying in the city during our time here instead of the village) We got to meet 3 of the 10 families...thank the Lord for World Vision and all they do! The village we are working in was not completely destroyed (it is about 40 kilometers from the coast), but there was a lot of damage to roofs (completely gone) and walls (trees falling). There has been absolutely no relief in this village (or area) due to the lack of "severity" of their circumstances. The families we met truly are the least of the "least of these." One of the families is living out of their little kitchen area of their home, the dad has gastric cancer and cannot work, and one of their three children is mute. Another family is composed of 1 woman who has no one to take care of her...she literally has nothing! The villagers were very leary of us at first (we are probably the first Americans they have met) but by the end, the little boys of the village were showing off by jumping off trees into the river and the women were trying to keep us girls out of the heat by welcoming us into the shade with them. There is at least one young woman in the village who speaks English very well, so we are praying that God will use us to be able to minister to her and to others through her interpretation. God truly has prepared this village of Bhanderia for this team and this time!

Fridays are the day off here (due to the country being Muslim...that is their holy day) and some of the staff that we need to begin have been delayed in other parts of the country (the World Vision staff is not getting paid to help with this project...it is all volunteer for them to be assisting us...and we could not do it without them because they are our go between between the government and villages...like I said we are so very thankful for them!) So we went to a "pond" that used to be part of a King's home. I have never experienced heat and humidity like yesterday! It was incredible! In the evening we were invited to meet with the pastor and some of the deacons of the Barisal Baptist Church. They are partnering with us in building the homes by sending four of their college students to work alongside of us...we really are getting to partner with the global Church! These four guys have become inseperable from the team! Their English is wonderful and we are able to share life with them here in Bangladesh. After visiting the church we were able to also visit the home of one of the World Vision staff. We all crammed into their humble home and enjoyed laughter and some ice cream...quite the treat on a really hot day.

Today we are spending time as a team to prepare for the work ahead. (The team has spent 4 weeks in Calcutta, India and these four days have really served them as a time to rest and debrief before they spend 5 more weeks in ministry...they will not get any days off until they fly home).

Tomorrow (Sunday) we should begin work on the homes! My boss and I will stay until Wednesday morning and then head back to Dhaka so we can make contacts with some strategic people for further ministry here in the future...then I fly out Thursday night.

I spend most of my days intentionally hanging out with the students and being in utter disbelief that God is using our tiny Relief Effort to really do huge things 1/2 way around the world. This still seems like a dream and I do not really know if I will ever fully grasp why God decided to use me (and this project)...but He has and I am so very thankful that I get the chance to witness it taking place. I have also had the amazing opportunity to build some great relationships with our APU students and am looking forward to continuing to invest in them when we are all back at APU.

So...I think that is it! I am healthy and so blessed! I hope all is well at home!

Love you and miss you!