Well I have officially started my 2nd (and final year...at least for this degree) of grad school. I really do not know how to feel about that! Last year went so fast and I can only imagine how fast these next 8 months are going to fly by!
This quarter (the next 8 weeks of my life) I am taking two classes...Legal and Ethical Issues in Student Affairs and Counseling: The Helper Relationship. Going into these classes I wasn't exactly sure what to expect...but after attending classes this week...well I love both of them! For my law and ethics class I am actually getting (an optional assignment) to go to Vermont for a conference (with a little pre-trip to New York City!!!...the plane tickets were actually cheaper to go from here to NY to Vermont and home than it was to go from here to Vermont and back...so I am just being frugal...well sort of!). The counseling class is amazing! I get to learn how to better listen and work with students...it doesn't get any better than that.
My internship has been a little hectic. I am trying to figure out foundational elements for the Global Relief program (like mission statements, goals, brochures, the vision for this year and the future...which we all know is like pulling teeth for me!), wrapping up the loose ends from last year's Bangladesh Relief Effort, putting together a new weekly program (not a tough one but it is launching next week and well I haven't printed the posters yet...oooppps!), assisting with the planning of a relief team to go to New Orleans over Thanksgiving (which is only what 10 weeks away...yeah no worries!), sitting on a committee for Global Vision Week (a campus wide theme week that has about 31 events in 5 days), meeting with my student worker for an hour a week, meeting with my supervisor for an hour a week, and trying to pull together all the details so we can launch our new Global Relief: Global Water Concerns campaign for the entire school year...yeah the first two weeks have been a little hectic! Was that a run-on sentence??? Despite the slight feeling of being overwhelmed (which I know I am feeling because I lay awake at night remembering emails I should have sent and coming up with amazing ideas for our fundraising campaign that I tend not to remember by the morning) I am really enjoying my second year in the Office of World Missions.
Which sort of leads into the reason that I am so nervous about this year "flying by." Because after May 9th 2009...I am headed out for who knows what! I am so open to what God may have in store...but I don't even know where to start looking! A big part of me is excited about the possiblity of moving to Thailand and doing some sort of missions and/or humanitarian work there but the other big part of me is dying to work with students or with a non-profit here in the states or at a Christian university working in a missions office or the list goes on forever!! I found something I love...but there are so many options! My "plan" is to not plan for what is next. Instead I have just been praying that God would put the pieces together so that I have a more focused direction once the decisions have to be made.
Life at the apartment is great! We are almost done decorating...I have a difficult time hanging pictures on the wall straight and our table is still not completed put together...but we definitely have made it home. (I will post pictures once we are finished). I am loving our apartment and our location...super close to some amazing running trails and at the base of the mountains...seriously it's beautiful!! My roommates are great! Heather and Meghan and I have classes together and are home together quite a bit...we all get along great and we have a good bond due to the fact that we all have the same load of homework on our plate every week. My third roommate Megan (same name different spelling) just moved to California from New York and is just starting the same master's program as the three of us. We don't see her as often because we have class on opposite nights.
Other than that life consists of grocery shopping, jogging, and sleeping (when I get the chance)...its great! (But it is only the first week of school!!)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Summer is Over
Summer is over! Wow I really can't believe it. I honestly am so blessed to even get a summer! Most of my friends are working office jobs where summer vacation is not even part of their vocabulary anymore. Instead of that, I got one more summer vacation. Every year I think about how this could be my last "real" summer, but every year somehow I am blessed to not be stuck in an office "working".
Instead, my "working" consisted of traveling around the world: an unexpected visit to Hong Kong, two weeks in Bangladesh building homes for Cyclone Sidr victims, two weeks at the California Delta enjoying beautiful sunsets and amazing water, and a week of sightseeing in Southern California when some of my friends came from Oregon and Chicago to visit.
I also had a lot of time to just sit and "be" this summer. I am learning to enjoy all the down time because as classes quickly approach I am realizing more and more how little time I have to "be" when there are papers to write and books to read. The only downside to all this downtime has been the amount of time I have had to think! For a summer that was suppossed to be transition free...well there has been way too much change and transition, but that is life! One big thing I have learned this summer (or relearned maybe) is that I think about things too much sometimes. I just need to live life and stop think sooo much!
These last couple weeks of summer I have spent moving into my new place for this year. God was so good to give me an amazing place to live this school year. Just a side-note...I had to move because APU bought the apartment complex I was living in. I am living with three amazing girls...all of whom are in the same Master's program as me. We have a 2 bedroom plus a den (which we are using as a bedroom), 2 bathroom condo. We have a garage, appliances (thank goodness we didn't have to buy a fridge!!), tennis courts, a big kitchen and THE MOST HIGH TECH WASHER AND DRYER that I will ever have in a home for the rest of my life!! (If you read the blog from a few months ago about my washer and dryer you will be privy to the reason I am soooo excited about having an awesome washer and dryer!).
Our place is "in process" right now! For the first week is was just one of my roommates and I...hello huge rent check!! We got the utilities turned on...hmmm they make so much money when people move in...they didn't even have to come out to turn them on, but they did charge us $75! I bought a tv stand at a thrift store that barely fit into my civic...but honestly I have hauled so much stuff in it the last two weeks you would think it was a truck! I got my sofa and chair (which I got from a friend...thank you sooo much!!) however one of the cushions flew off on the way back to the condo so if you look closely (you don't have to look that closely!) you can see where it got run over by a car! At least my sofa has a story...does yours??? We also got a supercheap kitchen table from Walmart that w
e had to put together...yeah that only took us 3 hours! We should have known it would not have been easy...there were two returned tables at Walmart from customers who "didn't think the finished product looked like the picture on the box" and the guy at the store kept asking us if we really wanted to buy this table. The table still isn't completely put together...suppossedly you are suppossed to be able to attach the seat cushions to the chair frames and the table top to the table frame with just the screws and a manuel screwdriver...I don't think so!! I spent 45 minutes trying to put one stupid seat cushion on a frame and it is only slightly attached. And trying to put the table top on...yeah right I am not strong enough to make a hole in 1/2 inch of solid "fake" wood! Hmmm...going need to find someone with some powertools! (Sooo...just remember not to sit down too hard on our chairs or try and lift the kitchen table by the table top...because it all just might fall apart!). Other than that we are slowly decorating. My third roommate moved in on Tuesday and the fourth roommate should be moving in next weekend. So hopefully, we will be settled in a week or so!
I started back at the Office of World Missions at APU this week for Graduate Assistant training and next week our entire office is going on a retreat from Monday through Wednesday. I start school the week after that! Ahhhh summer is over!
The cool, scary, and exciting part is that I will be done with school in 9 months and by next summer I have no idea where I will be! So here's to an amazing school year where I get to learn, work hard, do missions, work with students, live with friends, and see where God is going to take me for the next part of my future!
Instead, my "working" consisted of traveling around the world: an unexpected visit to Hong Kong, two weeks in Bangladesh building homes for Cyclone Sidr victims, two weeks at the California Delta enjoying beautiful sunsets and amazing water, and a week of sightseeing in Southern California when some of my friends came from Oregon and Chicago to visit.
I also had a lot of time to just sit and "be" this summer. I am learning to enjoy all the down time because as classes quickly approach I am realizing more and more how little time I have to "be" when there are papers to write and books to read. The only downside to all this downtime has been the amount of time I have had to think! For a summer that was suppossed to be transition free...well there has been way too much change and transition, but that is life! One big thing I have learned this summer (or relearned maybe) is that I think about things too much sometimes. I just need to live life and stop think sooo much!
These last couple weeks of summer I have spent moving into my new place for this year. God was so good to give me an amazing place to live this school year. Just a side-note...I had to move because APU bought the apartment complex I was living in. I am living with three amazing girls...all of whom are in the same Master's program as me. We have a 2 bedroom plus a den (which we are using as a bedroom), 2 bathroom condo. We have a garage, appliances (thank goodness we didn't have to buy a fridge!!), tennis courts, a big kitchen and THE MOST HIGH TECH WASHER AND DRYER that I will ever have in a home for the rest of my life!! (If you read the blog from a few months ago about my washer and dryer you will be privy to the reason I am soooo excited about having an awesome washer and dryer!).
Our place is "in process" right now! For the first week is was just one of my roommates and I...hello huge rent check!! We got the utilities turned on...hmmm they make so much money when people move in...they didn't even have to come out to turn them on, but they did charge us $75! I bought a tv stand at a thrift store that barely fit into my civic...but honestly I have hauled so much stuff in it the last two weeks you would think it was a truck! I got my sofa and chair (which I got from a friend...thank you sooo much!!) however one of the cushions flew off on the way back to the condo so if you look closely (you don't have to look that closely!) you can see where it got run over by a car! At least my sofa has a story...does yours??? We also got a supercheap kitchen table from Walmart that w
e had to put together...yeah that only took us 3 hours! We should have known it would not have been easy...there were two returned tables at Walmart from customers who "didn't think the finished product looked like the picture on the box" and the guy at the store kept asking us if we really wanted to buy this table. The table still isn't completely put together...suppossedly you are suppossed to be able to attach the seat cushions to the chair frames and the table top to the table frame with just the screws and a manuel screwdriver...I don't think so!! I spent 45 minutes trying to put one stupid seat cushion on a frame and it is only slightly attached. And trying to put the table top on...yeah right I am not strong enough to make a hole in 1/2 inch of solid "fake" wood! Hmmm...going need to find someone with some powertools! (Sooo...just remember not to sit down too hard on our chairs or try and lift the kitchen table by the table top...because it all just might fall apart!). Other than that we are slowly decorating. My third roommate moved in on Tuesday and the fourth roommate should be moving in next weekend. So hopefully, we will be settled in a week or so!I started back at the Office of World Missions at APU this week for Graduate Assistant training and next week our entire office is going on a retreat from Monday through Wednesday. I start school the week after that! Ahhhh summer is over!
The cool, scary, and exciting part is that I will be done with school in 9 months and by next summer I have no idea where I will be! So here's to an amazing school year where I get to learn, work hard, do missions, work with students, live with friends, and see where God is going to take me for the next part of my future!
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
I could sit here forever!!
Just wanted to post some pictures from one of my favorite places in the whole world...the Delta at Sunset! I say one of my favorites because I have a hard time deciding between rain storms in the jungles of Thailand or Sunsets at the Delta...honestly both are just so amazing!
Anyway, I got to spend two weeks at the Delta this summer with college and high school students...it is always a pleasure! Plus I get to wakeboard, tube, and sit on a dock and watch God's beautiful creation for as long as I want...enjoy!
Monday, June 23, 2008
I'm Back!
I am home in California...though I have not quite settled in yet...sleeping and eating still seem to be a problem, but that will go away soon enough!
I want to start this part off with a quote from a book I was reading while I was in Bangladesh...
"'The first time you share tea with a Balti, you are a stranger. The second time you take tea, you are an honored guest. The third time you share a cup of tea, you become family, and for our family, we are prepared to do anything, even die,' he said, laying his hand warmly on Mortneson's own. 'Doctor Greg, you must make time to share three cups of tea. We may be undeducated. But we are not stupid. We have lived and survided here for a long time.
...Haji Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them." -Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson, p. 150)
...Haji Ali taught me to share three cups of tea, to slow down and make building relationships as important as building projects. He taught me that I had more to learn from the people I work with than I could ever hope to teach them." -Three Cups of Tea, Mortenson, p. 150)
This quote speaks volumes of the lessons God has taught me over the last several years of travels and continued to teach me (quite literally in regards to sitting down and having tea) on this trip to Bangladesh.
As I mentioned in the last entry we were suppossed to start officially working on building, but of course things changed. We left the hotel early and drove for an hour an a half to the World Vision Office in the area we would be working in. Upon our arrival we were served coffee, biscuits and 
mango (let me tell you the mango is amazing here!). We also were briefed, in a little more detail, about the families we would be helping and what our time in Bhanaderia looked like. At the end of the meeting we were informed that we would not begin construction that day because the supplies had not arrived from Dhaka. So we went to the village to meet the reaminder of the families...or so we thought. Upond our arrival we walked out to a clay foundation (raised) and we were introduced to a widow and her mother whose home was completely destroyed by the Cyclone...i nfact all that was left was a pile of debris that had most likely been sitting around for the last 7 months. Then we were told to work and clear away the debris. The
team went to work-sweating incessently. In the process many frogs, centipeds (which a woman crushed with the heal of her bare foot, cockroaches, and large spiders came out of hiding. The villagers just laughed at us. I was able to bond with some of the children by taking their picture and showing them the picture on my digital camera. The children interacted with us by giving us beautiful flowers-which we proudly wear in our hair. After about an hour and a half we had cleared the site and we headed back for lunch at the Office and then drove back to the hotel to get ready for church.
mango (let me tell you the mango is amazing here!). We also were briefed, in a little more detail, about the families we would be helping and what our time in Bhanaderia looked like. At the end of the meeting we were informed that we would not begin construction that day because the supplies had not arrived from Dhaka. So we went to the village to meet the reaminder of the families...or so we thought. Upond our arrival we walked out to a clay foundation (raised) and we were introduced to a widow and her mother whose home was completely destroyed by the Cyclone...i nfact all that was left was a pile of debris that had most likely been sitting around for the last 7 months. Then we were told to work and clear away the debris. The
team went to work-sweating incessently. In the process many frogs, centipeds (which a woman crushed with the heal of her bare foot, cockroaches, and large spiders came out of hiding. The villagers just laughed at us. I was able to bond with some of the children by taking their picture and showing them the picture on my digital camera. The children interacted with us by giving us beautiful flowers-which we proudly wear in our hair. After about an hour and a half we had cleared the site and we headed back for lunch at the Office and then drove back to the hotel to get ready for church. On Monday morning we headed out to the villages and really got to do some work. The supplies began arrivin
g to the village. The measurements for the home were taken and three foot deep holes were dug by hand (and coconut shell) for the concrete pillars that would serve as the supports for the first home. During the afternoon some of the team continue work on the first home, while the rest of the team started demolition on the second site. Some of the orginal home was still standing and the woman was still living in it so we had to clean it out and then tear it down. Once again...the big critters came out, by this point I was so over them it didn't even bother me anymore! By the end of the day the first home had a frame and the second home was measured and ready to get going the next morning. After a long day of work we were ready to go home, but it was time for tea. So we were invited into one of the villager's homes and we had tea (which by the way is amazing here!) and biscuits in our very sweaty clothing...I am sure we all smelled wonderful.
g to the village. The measurements for the home were taken and three foot deep holes were dug by hand (and coconut shell) for the concrete pillars that would serve as the supports for the first home. During the afternoon some of the team continue work on the first home, while the rest of the team started demolition on the second site. Some of the orginal home was still standing and the woman was still living in it so we had to clean it out and then tear it down. Once again...the big critters came out, by this point I was so over them it didn't even bother me anymore! By the end of the day the first home had a frame and the second home was measured and ready to get going the next morning. After a long day of work we were ready to go home, but it was time for tea. So we were invited into one of the villager's homes and we had tea (which by the way is amazing here!) and biscuits in our very sweaty clothing...I am sure we all smelled wonderful.Tuesday was ve
ry similar to Monday. The team was working in groups on several sites. One group continued working on the first home by helping put the tin roof on. The second group dug holes for the supports at the second home. And the third group...well we got to deconstruct a clay home! Cockroaches, termites and rats!! It was actually pretty fun! At 11:30 am it was time for tea and then we headed to lunch. After lunch we continue work on our sites. The Third group used the clay from the demolished home to level out the foundation for the new home. Around 5pm it was time for another round of tea and then we went back to the hotel.
ry similar to Monday. The team was working in groups on several sites. One group continued working on the first home by helping put the tin roof on. The second group dug holes for the supports at the second home. And the third group...well we got to deconstruct a clay home! Cockroaches, termites and rats!! It was actually pretty fun! At 11:30 am it was time for tea and then we headed to lunch. After lunch we continue work on our sites. The Third group used the clay from the demolished home to level out the foundation for the new home. Around 5pm it was time for another round of tea and then we went back to the hotel.Wednesday was very simliar to the two days previous...continued worked on the different sites. Late in the afternoon it began to 
pour! The ground turned into a super slippery mess! Working became almost impossible and walking...well, I didn't fall but I came pretty close...it was funny! We finished the first home on Wednesday which was great timing since it was my last day down in the village. It was really unreal to be handing over a brand new home to this family...there are really no words to describe it!
pour! The ground turned into a super slippery mess! Working became almost impossible and walking...well, I didn't fall but I came pretty close...it was funny! We finished the first home on Wednesday which was great timing since it was my last day down in the village. It was really unreal to be handing over a brand new home to this family...there are really no words to describe it!On Thursday morning my boss and I left for Dhaka. The trip was normal until we stopped at a dock. I thought we were going to put our van on a ferry like before, but we quickly found out that our driver was staying on this side of the river and our host was waiting on the other side of the river for us. So, to get to the other side of the river we had to hire a speed boat to give us a ride. I was so excited (though our hosts and several other people have told us how "dangerous" this is)! The boats were not anything super amazing, but they were seaworthy...so we hopped in! All I could think was...I should be wakeboarding right now...but the ride was incredible! We got to the other side and they pulled the boat up to the muddy side of the river and we had to hop out with all our luggage...we really stuck out! After about another 2 1/2 hours we were back at our hostel in Dhaka (about 1 1/2 hours of that was stuck in traffic in Dhaka...LA traffic has nothing on traffic in Dhaka!). That evening we had one last dinner with our host family and then I was headed to the airport for my 1:30 am flight to Hong Kong. Thankfully all my flights were failry on time and I got home on Friday afternoon as scheduled!
Adjusting to time differences, food, and life have been a little easier this time around...though I am still tending to wake up at 3 am and not being able to go to sleep!
So Bangladesh...I am still processing! It is beautiful, hot, crowded, and definitely a place that I have been blessed to get to serve! I am thankful to all of you for your prayers and support as I continue to explore what God has in store for me all over the world as I continue to chase after Him and His heart for the world!
Friday, June 13, 2008
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!
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!
Monday, June 9, 2008
Stuck in Hong Kong!
Things don't always go as planned...that is what I continue to learn on this trip!
My flight was delayed 2 hours from LAX which was not a huge deal until they informed us that we were going to have to make an unplanned fuel stop in Korea due to massive headwinds...so that took over an hour....needless to say by the time we got to Hong Kong (11:30 pm) we had missed our connecting flight to Dhaka.
The airline put us up in hotel and informed us that our flight (on a completely different airline) would not be leaving until the next day at 7 pm. Which meant we had a whole day in Hong Kong. We (my boss and I) decided to enjoy our time here and do a little site seeing. So today we took a train to one of the islands and went to Victoria Peak on this oldschool cable car (wish I coud attach pictures, but I can't download anything right now).
We rushed back to make sure we got checked in for our flight and then we were informed that our flight would not be leaving until 11:30 pm...so they checked us back into our hotel for the evening. We just checked out of the hotel and finally got our real boarding passes to hopefully get on a plane to Bangladesh. Our biggest concern at this point is that our luggage gets there...our luggage spent the night at the airport instead of with us...hmmmm we will see if it gets there.
So yep that is it for now...I will try and update more when I get to Bangladesh. But so far we have heard that the plan is for us to head down to southern Bangladesh on Wednesday to start some relief work.
Hope you all are doing well!
Blessings from China!
My flight was delayed 2 hours from LAX which was not a huge deal until they informed us that we were going to have to make an unplanned fuel stop in Korea due to massive headwinds...so that took over an hour....needless to say by the time we got to Hong Kong (11:30 pm) we had missed our connecting flight to Dhaka.
The airline put us up in hotel and informed us that our flight (on a completely different airline) would not be leaving until the next day at 7 pm. Which meant we had a whole day in Hong Kong. We (my boss and I) decided to enjoy our time here and do a little site seeing. So today we took a train to one of the islands and went to Victoria Peak on this oldschool cable car (wish I coud attach pictures, but I can't download anything right now).
We rushed back to make sure we got checked in for our flight and then we were informed that our flight would not be leaving until 11:30 pm...so they checked us back into our hotel for the evening. We just checked out of the hotel and finally got our real boarding passes to hopefully get on a plane to Bangladesh. Our biggest concern at this point is that our luggage gets there...our luggage spent the night at the airport instead of with us...hmmmm we will see if it gets there.
So yep that is it for now...I will try and update more when I get to Bangladesh. But so far we have heard that the plan is for us to head down to southern Bangladesh on Wednesday to start some relief work.
Hope you all are doing well!
Blessings from China!
Friday, June 6, 2008
Leaving for Bangladesh Tomorrow
I'm packed, ready and I really can't believe I am going to Bangladesh in just a few hours!
I have no idea what to expect! Seriously! All I know is that I am flying from LAX to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong to Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh)...from there all is unknown.
I am nervous...it has been a long time since I have headed half-way around the world and not had a clue as to what to expect when I arrived. But at the same time I am so excited!
So just in case your wondering why I am going to Bangladesh (I know, I know...everyone still thinks I am going to Thailand tomorrow because that is where I always go)...well, this year I was the Graduate Assistant in the Office of World Missions at Azusa Pacific University. Somehow they thought I would be the best candidate to work on developing a brand new program called Global Relief. The goal of this program is to provide for humanitarian aid needs globally by engaging the APU community and working alongside the Global Church.
A student at APU grew up in Bangladesh and his parents still live and work there (for a prominent non-profit that I probably shouldn't publish here just in case random officials read this!!...no joke!!). Well, when Cyclone Sidr hit in November this student and I had a conversation and the idea came up that we could do some sort of relief effort for the victims. This idea turned into a full-fledged semester long, campus wide fundraising campaign to build houses for those who no longer had one.
Throughout the semester we had almost every student life office on campus get involved (which is amazing!) and we raised over $6,000 (or approximately 10 houses) for the victims of Cyclone Sidr. The amount is not what I had hoped for, but I know it is just the beginning of a program that has the ability to change lives.
So what am I doing in Bangladesh? That is the question even I am asking...but I will have the answer very very soon (oh in about 48 hours when I arrive in this new foreign land). For sure we know that the supplies are on their way from Dhaka to the relief effort site...that was probably one of the most amazing emails I got...to know that the money was actually going to work on the other side of the world. While in Bangladesh we are more than likely going down to the relief site (with a team from APU...students that have been overseas for over a month) and hopefully getting to help do some construction. We are also more than likely going to do just about anything we are asked to do (which is very exciting) and meeting lots of people and sharing the TRUE reason we are there...to show some LOVE!!!
So yep, that's it! I will try and update you from Bangladesh and post some pictures...but just not too sure if I will even be able to get anywhere near somewhere that has internet access. But I will for sure post stuff when I get home!
I have no idea what to expect! Seriously! All I know is that I am flying from LAX to Hong Kong and from Hong Kong to Dhaka (the capital of Bangladesh)...from there all is unknown.
I am nervous...it has been a long time since I have headed half-way around the world and not had a clue as to what to expect when I arrived. But at the same time I am so excited!
So just in case your wondering why I am going to Bangladesh (I know, I know...everyone still thinks I am going to Thailand tomorrow because that is where I always go)...well, this year I was the Graduate Assistant in the Office of World Missions at Azusa Pacific University. Somehow they thought I would be the best candidate to work on developing a brand new program called Global Relief. The goal of this program is to provide for humanitarian aid needs globally by engaging the APU community and working alongside the Global Church.
A student at APU grew up in Bangladesh and his parents still live and work there (for a prominent non-profit that I probably shouldn't publish here just in case random officials read this!!...no joke!!). Well, when Cyclone Sidr hit in November this student and I had a conversation and the idea came up that we could do some sort of relief effort for the victims. This idea turned into a full-fledged semester long, campus wide fundraising campaign to build houses for those who no longer had one.
Throughout the semester we had almost every student life office on campus get involved (which is amazing!) and we raised over $6,000 (or approximately 10 houses) for the victims of Cyclone Sidr. The amount is not what I had hoped for, but I know it is just the beginning of a program that has the ability to change lives.
So what am I doing in Bangladesh? That is the question even I am asking...but I will have the answer very very soon (oh in about 48 hours when I arrive in this new foreign land). For sure we know that the supplies are on their way from Dhaka to the relief effort site...that was probably one of the most amazing emails I got...to know that the money was actually going to work on the other side of the world. While in Bangladesh we are more than likely going down to the relief site (with a team from APU...students that have been overseas for over a month) and hopefully getting to help do some construction. We are also more than likely going to do just about anything we are asked to do (which is very exciting) and meeting lots of people and sharing the TRUE reason we are there...to show some LOVE!!!
So yep, that's it! I will try and update you from Bangladesh and post some pictures...but just not too sure if I will even be able to get anywhere near somewhere that has internet access. But I will for sure post stuff when I get home!
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