Sunday, November 19, 2023

November 13 - November 19, 2023

Monday 11/13: Jared had a busy morning at the dispensary again! Layton and I did kindergarten this morning. Sumita came to clean. Layton likes to run and slide on the wet floors after she mops. He said “mom, she told me to stop because she doesn’t like when I do that.” I said “well then you better listen to her!” When she sweeps Shania likes to follow her around. She scoots after her so fast in her walker. Shania doesn’t want to sit or lay she just throws a fit. Wants to be held or in her walker so she can see what’s going on.   Jared got home at 1:30. We had a quick lunch and then headed off for the traveler’s clinic in Mahawkali. It’s a clinic that is specifically for foreigners that are NGOs. Took a CNG because there’s no van parking. We thought the commute would take all afternoon with the way traffic has been lately. There was a peaceful protest on the street right when we got into the CNG by Farmgate but they were just marching down the street with Bangladesh flags and chanting. The guards didn’t seem concerned so we kept on. The clinic was well marked and easy to find. (Which you can’t always say that when you’re trying to find new places in Dhaka!) The two ladies working there could both talk English. After helping us the one lady said, “now if you’ll excuse me I need to have my prayers!” Usually just the Muslim men have public prayers so it was interesting to hear a lady say she needed to pray. Shania got her vaccines and we headed back home. They didn’t have all the ones she needed so we decided to just get the ones that are available and then fill in the gaps when we get home. We got home an hour after we left. Like who are we and WHERE do we live??? We went all prepared for bad traffic. Fully charged phone, big water bottle, plenty of formula for Shania, blanket, pacifier, toys… πŸ˜‚one just can never guess at traffic in Dhaka. Riding in a CNG this time of year is so much more bearable than when it’s 115*. Came home and rested. Spent the evening having family time. One of Layton’s friends came and got him because they had the badminton net set up and they wondered if he wanted to play. Jared went down and visited with one of his friends. 


Tuesday 10/14: Jared had dispensary and Layton and I had kindergarten. Jared found a private driver to take Lawrence’s to Kuliachar today! He only charged 3,000 taka a day which we thought was a very good price.. They lived at Kuliachar 30 years ago when they were here. Sounded like quite a few people remembered them!  This afternoon around 3:30 I took Shania down to the courtyard in her stroller to walk for awhile. The guard came up to me and was very distraught. “Madam!” He told me someone had died, but I couldn’t understand who. I thought maybe it was his wife because she recently had a stroke. No, that wasn’t what he meant. There was a group of men all standing by the gate looking very sad and solemn. The drivers, the dokan man, different men that live in Siza Court, the chicken man and the sobji man. I thought maybe someone famous had died. One of Jared’s friends came through the gate on his motorcycle right then. He talks English and so I asked him about it. He said “so and do died at 1:30.” I didn’t recognize the name.  (We don’t know hardly any of our friends names here because they are so hard to understand and pronounce. Layton just calls his friends “hey girl” or “hey boy!”) Meanwhile Shameem the caretaker was going around asking people for money to help cover expenses for a sudden death. Jared gave him some money. We finally decided that the elderly man that lives here must have passed away. We left at 5 and went to the clinic for singing. The drivers and guards were still standing sad and solemn by the gate. After supper I took Layton down to play with the kids and then I finally pieced together from one of the older children what had happened. Our short night guard was sitting in the guard booth around 1:30 and told the other guard that he needed gastric medicine. Then he promptly slumped over dead!! Very shocking. They say it was a heart attack. We see him every day and he always gives the children lots of attention. So much so that it’s been making Jared and I somewhat uncomfortable. As is custom here right away after the death they are transported back to their village and buried. Layton overheard me talking about this with one of the girls and he said “we have a cemetery by our church at home but it’s almost full.” The girl told me that “the guard was a really religious person so that’s why they are all so sad.” We would often see him having his prayers in the guard booth. 


Wednesday 10/15: Jared and Layton went to the new Farmgate metro station and recharged our MRT cards. In case if any visitors want to use them this winter. Jared took Layton on a ride for fun! They could see our veranda from the station. If the trees were still in the backyard they wouldn’t never have been able to. The nice thing about walking to the station is that we don’t have to cross any busy streets. Just stay on the sidewalk and go around the corner by Farmgate! Any time I don’t have to cross a busy street here in Dhaka I am a happy woman. Went to the clinic for lunch. Josna made pilau rice, beef curry, mixed vegetable bajhi, and then chichinga/carrot/scrambled egg bajhi. Shania had her first taste of Bangla food and ate pilau and the vegetables. It was met with unanimous approval from the ladies.πŸ˜„ Later in the evening Lawrence’s came over for a snack supper. Layton had been telling me “Tyson and Zane’s mom lets THEM make cookies so why can’t I?” So tonight I said “here’s your chance.” Of course the mixer must be run on full speed at all times and the dough sampled multiple times.πŸ˜‚ When we had our evening walk in the courtyard one of our friends stopped and visited. He is a high up in a bank here in Dhaka. He has been working on getting an American visa for several years. His interview isn’t until the end of next year, which isn’t bad considering some interviews are 5-10 years away. He said “please pray that the Almighty would grant visa.” Tonight Jared said seeing the guard’s chair by the guard house made him feel sad. Grief lingers over the guards and drivers. Even the jolly moyla ladies soberly swept the courtyard this morning. There is a young kid filling the night guard spot. He had been working nights the past few weeks with the guard that died yesterday. 


Thursday 10/16: Jared got up at 6 and took Lawrence’s to the airport. This morning it sprinkled off and on. Was cool and cloudy so it gave me all the fall vibes. After kindergarten the children and I set out on an adventure. Layton was being hyper and onery. We went to the tailor and dropped off two more pieces of fabric for him to sew. Then stopped at the fruit dokan for oranges apples and bananas then finally stopped and bought eggs. I told layton since it was so nice outside we were going to walk to the tailor and the other places instead of taking a rickshaw. By the time we got home he was wore out from all the walking and much more subdued and inclined to listen to his mom. We stopped at the butcher and bought beef as well. I told them “no fat or bone!” I just wanted beef chunks for beef curry. Jon happened to meet us at the beef dokan. He told the butcher “I know her so only give her good meat.”πŸ˜‚ He told me next time to just ask for a whole front leg of the cow. That way there’s not much fat and you can cut the bone out. I have no idea how to do such but why not learn something new? The beef was just hanging out in the open on massive hooks and I couldn’t tell what the cuts where so next time I shall haul home a leg after I figure out how to ask for such a thing in Bangla. When we got home I quick put my beef in the freezer before Sumita could see it. I knew she would want to know where it came from, how much it cost and then she would tell me it was bad meat. I just didn’t feel like dealing with that. It’s the same butcher they use. Sometimes I hide what I buy if her or Lucky are around otherwise I get “educated.” I don’t mind but sometimes it gets a little old!  I’ve decided Americans have a much lower standard of food then Bengalis. Some won’t cook or buy vegetables that have small blemishes or are abit soft. I just figure it’s no big deal and just cut around the bad spots or put it in soup or cut the vegetables up and roast or cook them. If my potatoes even have the slightest black spot Lucky doesn’t like it.


Friday 10/17: Woke up to 74* and rain! A cyclone made landfall at Coxs Bazaar. We walked part way to church and then took a rickshaw the rest of the way. The streets were so muddy. The sidewalk is still tore up along airport road so that’s all mud too! I have quit trying to keep Layton out of the puddles when it rains. Figure a good bath will hopefully take care of whatever lies in those puddles.πŸ˜‚ Natun was wearing a thick sweater to church. He wondered why we weren’t wearing jackets. By the time church was out the rain had picked up. Some of us were quite wet and cold by the time we got home. I told Jared it felt good to shiver again. What a strange feeling after the summer! We changed clothes and headed out to shop. Stopped and bought more dress for Shania. Got her new dresses two sizes up and they are finally long enough. She seems tall to me but Lisa says she’s “average.”πŸ˜‚ Had lunch at Farmhouse Burger. It was cozy in there with the rain outside and our yummy food inside. The traffic wasn’t bad at all. Today and tomorrow there isn’t any sort of blockade so wasn’t sure if the roads would be jammed or not! Got our groceries and came home. Napped for awhile in the afternoon . It rained all the rest of the day. Poured rain I should say! Good amount of wind too. Before bed it stopped raining long enough I could take Layton down to ride bike to wear some energy off. 


Saturday 10/18: A challenging day… we shall leave it at that. Trevors came to Dhaka to do some shopping! We got together in the evening and had pizza and good talks for supper. The day improved 100 fold. 


Sunday 10/19: Jared canceled clinic this morning. He had other things that needed to be taken care of. He got some business done at the bank then him and Jon had a meeting with the auditor. Every two weeks they go and have a meeting with the accountants in hopes of getting the audit done sooner! Jared had to go take care of some loose ends with some patients so he quick did that before lunch. Later afternoon we grilled a bunch of chicken up for the freezer! Trevors headed back to Kulna. I did the usual. Folded laundry, did kindergarten with Layton, etc. Lucky came to cook yesterday. Usually we eat the leftovers for lunch on Sundays, however this time I discreetly tossed them in the trash. The food had a very funny taste and later I realized she had used a whole bottle of mustard oil. πŸ˜³ Next time she comes I will hide the mustard oil!πŸ˜‚ In the evening we were down in the courtyard walking our neighbor leaned over his veranda and hollered for us to come over! We went and had a really enjoyable time. He’s the one I mentioned earlier that is applying for a US visa. His daughter is home from Melbourne Australia now for three months. She goes to university there. Their youngest daughter in 7, and Layton plays with her a lot in the evenings. Here having your children far apart is quite common. No one even bats an eye that Layton and Shania are 6 years apart. Which is a relief to me. Anyways, as soon as the man let us in he said “excuse me I must go have my evening prayers.” True to Bengali culture they tried to stuff food in us every few minutes! The man was so excited because he had recently been to Aarongs and bought Jared and Layton Bangladesh cricket jerseys. He wanted them to wear them right away. We stayed and visited with their girl about Australia and with the rest of the family. When we left he asked us to pray for his parents. He said “ I know you do prayers so please pray.” I was struck by this as this is the second time this week that he has asked us to pray for him. Muslims don’t typically ask Christian’s to pray for them. And what about us makes him think we “do prayers ?” They’ve lived in Siza Court for maybe 6 months so it’s not like some of our neighbors that have lived here for years and watched all the CSI couples come and go. This evening the big boys here had their first badminton game of the season! They redrew the lines and got the caretaker to install new lights for them! They had a captive audience on the A2 veranda. 🀭

Sunday, November 12, 2023

November 6 - November 12, 2023

Monday 11/6: Jared had dispensary this morning. He said Dr Elizabeth, Miriam and him all sniffled and snorted their way through the morning. They all have bad colds! This morning in the paper Jared found the most hilarious add. I shall put it here: 

“ Bridegroom Wanted! Prospective Bride: In Country Mid-Level Banker, Well Educated, Intellectually advanced with modern outlook, Graduated 2007, American green card holder, height: 5 feet plus, complexion: fair, looking for same ranking university graduate as groom.” 

I do wish Romeo and Juliet a fairy tale ending.❤️ Shania pulled a lamp over onto her self today so I decided it was time to baby proof things. This led to a big organization project that I hadn’t originally planned on doing. This is usually how I operate. I start to do something and think of all the different ways I could organize something and off I go for far too long. This afternoon Jared had to take some papers to the bank then later we went to the guesthouse to make the beds and get it ready for the visitors tomorrow! In the evening Layton and I played badminton in the courtyard. Another boy joined us for awhile. He wanted to play a match so when we were done he shook my hand.πŸ˜ƒ



Tuesday 11/7: Jared canceled clinic for this morning. Lawrence and Bonnie Penner plus their daughter Jodi and 16 year old grandson Levi flew into Dhaka. They are from Pine River Manitoba and here to visit for a week. Lawrence and Bonnie were the first CSI couple here in Bangladesh back in the early 90s. They were here in Dhaka for awhile! Layton and Jared went to the airport and picked them up. Since Lawrence’s did the visa on arrival option it took them about 2-3 hours after they landed. While the men were gone Shania and I went and bought some vegetables and then went to Carebox. The people that work at Carebox just love Shania. They always want to hold her while I shop. I let them and it’s fun seeing them so enthused about my white baby😍 The one worker there insisted on carrying my bags home for me and I sure didn’t argue. I did have him drop them off at our gate because I didn’t want him to know our apartment number. Lawrence’s rested in the afternoon and then came for supper. They came here to Bangladesh to visit around 20 years ago when Pats were here in Dhaka. They hardly recognized our area, maybe just a few things in Monipuripara. We canceled singing for this evening due to Jared and Layton’s colds. Layton seemed abit feverish off and on all day and didn’t want me to get too far away. It was very interesting hearing what all Lawrence’s did when they were scoping out Bangladesh years ago. They know a whole different part of Dhaka then we do. Hearing what it was like back then to try and find a place to live and to have clinic makes us ever so grateful that we have good places to live and work! Their first week here was in a hotel that stank, had mice and cockroaches in it. They ate omelette and pop for the first week because that’s what the hotel had. πŸ€¨Lawrence’s daughter brought us a huge bag of Halloween candy. Jared was excited because it had O’Henrys! Apparently they are a Canadian thing because I had never had them before. We had to laugh because Lawrence gave Jared some air fresheners for the car because he said he hadn’t forgotten how bad Dhaka can smell sometimes! They are such fun people to be with. Shania was terrified of them for some reason. All evening she kept her eyes on Bonnie and Jodi. She would just cry and shake. I couldn’t figure it out because she lets all our Bengali friends that she doesn’t even know hold her. Bonnie said she wondered if it was her white hair that scared her because when they were here she said her children were scared of people with white hair. Maybe Shania is already used to all the black hair already? I was disappointed because I wanted Bonnie to be able to hold Shania so she would know what a grandma was! 


Wednesday 11/8: We all did nothing this morning. Layton had an episode of croup during the night so him and I were rather short on sleep. We rested and took it easy. Jon came over and did some paperwork with Jared and then they headed to the auditors office for a meeting. Lawrence’s and us headed to the clinic for lunch! Natun wanted to come eat too so he joined the party. He was busy eating and started laughing. He said “it looks so funny to see you all trying to eat with your hands.” πŸ˜‚ Layton convinced him to give him a motorcycle ride home again. We all took good sound naps. Around 4:30 we left the house and went to Chefs Table in Gulsane with Lawrence’s to meet one of their friends there. Traffic wasn’t too bad. The BNP (anti political party) announced another road blockade in order to try and upset the government. No buses are supposed to be on the roads, limited cars etc. These blockades happen every few days. We stick to going to familiar places and usually walk or take a rickshaw. We’ve been avoiding the markets or anywhere where there might be large gatherings of people. The BNP party is hoping to stir up violence and protests so that the current government will resign. I think everyone will be glad when the election is over. The government has been stopping the protests and arresting many of the BNP leaders. Lawrence’s friend was in his 20s I’d say. They knew his dad back 30 years ago! He is here doing a 3 year mission term through MCC. Interesting to hear about his program. Sounded like it was more agriculture related than health program oriented. They are teaching villagers how to farm and plant gardens so they can become more self sufficient. On the way home while we were sitting in traffic a little girl and boy came up to the van and were begging for money. They were so cute so I gave them a bag of animal crackers that I had brought along for Layton. The girl was so excited! She just hugged them to her chest and blew me kisses. She would not share them with her brother so they were chasing each other around. He kept coming up to the window and banging on it wanting more since she wouldn’t share.πŸ˜„ Got home and both the children were exhausted. The colds are setting in heavy at this house. Mama seems affected too. 


Thursday 11/9: This morning Jared took Lawrence’s half way to Golpagange to be with Doyle’s. Doyle met them at the bridge and took them back to Golpagange. We weren’t sure if it was safe to drive on the main roads with the BNP hartal now but Natun thought it was ok. Jared thought about getting a Green Line Bus for them but buses can’t leave or enter Dhaka right now during this hartal so that wasn’t an option. Some parts of Bangladesh are more strict about these BNP “rules.” Layton slept all night! I was so relieved. Jared got him some prednisone yesterday to take before his croup gets worse. Took the rest of the day pretty easy. Walked up on the roof for awhile. Noticed this morning that we can occasionally hear the announcer at the metro station. I was hanging up laundry on the back veranda and I heard “welcome to the Farmgate metro station.” The breeze must have been just right! 


Friday 11/10: Had church this morning. Jared’s thoughts were on prayer and how God wants us to pray no matter how small the need is. Natun was an hour late to church which is very unusual for him. Usually he is right on time or early. We finally started church. Sang several songs and then Jared had Miriam read the verses that he had to go with his thoughts. We sang another song and here came Natun! So Jared had the full sermon then. Natun said the roads were awfully jammed up. He left his apartment at 8 and it took three hours to get to church! He tried three different routes and finally he started just trying to weave his way through the jams until the police started yelling at him. He thought there was a VIP coming through thus why the roads were clogged. He needed a listening ear so we stayed for almost an hour and a half over church so him and Jared could visit. His Muslim friend asks him all kinds of deep questions that Natun doesn’t always know how to answer so then he asks Jared how he thinks he should answer! Natun had an interesting comment. He said “when I am in my own Christian community I don’t need to know much. But when I am with my Muslim friends then I need to know more.” By the time we go home from church I was so sick. Jared said “are you going to make it?” I said “I don’t see that I have much of a choice.”πŸ˜‚I warmed up lunch and then collapsed into bed for sleep. No shopping today! Jared left at 2:30 to go pick up Lawrence’s at the Padma Bridge. It took them quite awhile to get home. Traffic was really bad again. When the BNP goes a day without calling a hartal the streets are really busy because every one feels safe to get out. They didn’t get home until 7. I knew everyone would need supper so a nap, hefty doses of Tylenol and Ibuprofen gave me a kick in the pants to get it made. Made Stromboli. Lawrence’s stopped and got naan, chicken and some puri. (Lentil and onion filled tortillas. If you know what El Salvadoran papusas are, they are like that but with lentils inside.) Layton and Shania seem mostly over their sickness so I’m grateful. 


Saturday 11/11: Woke up feeling so much better. I was so thankful because I get really down when I’m sick. For sure when I have two little people depending on me. Lucky said she could come cook so I was glad! Lawrence’s love shrimp curry and so do we so Jared set out on a shrimp hunt. He came home with the biggest shrimp I have ever seen!! Layton has been restless with our lack of a schedule due to sickness the last few days so did kindergarten with him. Caught up on laundry and other things. Went to the tailor and got my dress and Jared’s clothes that he fixed. My dress fits much better. It’s a little snug now in the hips but he sewed such a big seam that there is plenty of room to let it abit. Lawrence’s had their own plans this evening so we just relaxed and took it easy. Jared worked on some reports for awhile. One noteworthy thing: It has been nice and quiet today. The past two weeks the helicopters and airplanes have been flying over very low. (The ones from the nearby military airport) Jared wonders if it has anything to do with the political unrest right now? Some days it’s literally every 10 minutes. The helicopters are so loud you can feel it in your chest. What an experience for these Kansas people, where the loudest thing we heard was the coyotes at night. I told Jared that when we go home we are going to feel eery with no noise. 


Sunday 11/12: Jared had a very busy morning! Had 45 patients. We were supposed to take Lawrence’s to New Market but Jared wasn’t able to finish up in time so they went by themselves. I was relieved it didn’t work because the roads were horrible jammed up today. Layton and I did kindergarten this morning. Shania slept long enough that we were able to get some extra work done even! I try to do that whenever possible. This evening when Layton and I were down in the courtyard I noticed the night guard was wearing a stocking cap. It’s 80*. While it does feel so much cooler I really don’t think it’s THAT cold.πŸ˜‚

Saturday, November 4, 2023

October 30 - November 5, 2023

 Well here we are again! Another week has flown by. My children needed me extra this week so I didn’t have much time to sit and write in the evenings so this will be a smorgasbord of thoughts. 

Shania turned 7 months this week! She has brought so much joy into our lives. I still can’t believe we have her some days. While having a baby is certainly exhausting it has been fun to watch her grow. She is developing quite a fiesty personality. She started to sit up for short periods of time this past week. Her walker is her favorite thing. She seems happier now that she can scoot around and observe things on her own. A favorite seems to be scooting under the table while we are eating.πŸ˜‚ She’s started scooting out onto the veranda if we leave the doors open. I think she likes all the sun on the back veranda.  Layton does so good with her! For being an only child for 6 years I’ve been amazed at how well he has adjusted. He still has times where he wishes he could have more time “just you and me mom.” But I remind him how much he prayed for a little sister. Soon we will have to move all his legos and Knex to a higher plain to keep her out of them. I’ve noticed there’s starting to be less and less burp rags and swaddle blankets in the laundry. 

November 3 marked our one year anniversary here! I had thoughts of writing a special post about our one year here but somehow I couldn’t get the words to come out how I meant them. Maybe next year… Time has went by fast. Our one year here feels like it’s been a year of growth for us… learning to be more flexible, surrendering control of everything, and patience patience patience. One of my devotionals said that everyone is “under construction” and that’s how it feels. I get quite discouraged some days at my poor Bangla and it feels like I will never quite adapt to this culture. One day it came to me clearly that “you're doing your best.” So I try to leave it all in Gods hands and hope these people excuse my stammering tongue and my cultural faux pas. Some mission fields boast of souls being saved, lots of interest in our church, etc. it’s not like that here. Several members are discouraged, some have mental health struggles… because of the strong Muslim culture there’s seldom new attendees. Occasionally new people will come to church but they usually end up asking for money after the service since we are white foreigners. This is something else I have had to lay down. Going to the mission doesn’t necessarily mean that your little church will be thriving and growing. Last year at revivals Neil said the church in Bangladesh is going through a low time. In our orientation Carl told us that missionaries shouldn’t judge their success based off of how many were baptized or expelled. Jared and I are very thankful for the consistent way we see our two sisters live here in Dhaka. It is enjoyable to see. A lot of people ask if we have been lonesome. After Shania was born I was really lonesome but now it’s just weird little things we miss. Things like the “empty” roads at home, being able to talk with anyone in a language we all know and understand, knowing where to go and buy things. When we had our staff visit the ministers told us that when hard times come it’s good to be able to think back to a time where you felt Gods call to serve. I’ve been thankful that we have been able to do that. Someone gave us a canvas with “our” verse on it “John 20:21.” There has definitely been hard days. Days where Layton cries and begs to go home, or when Jared can’t get visas for the other CSI men, or when I am just over cooking in a kitchen that’s 95* for months on end or when our male member here messages and lambasts Jared and calls him names. Remembering John 20:21 reminds us that God called us here even if we feel like we aren’t doing much. Adjusting to living in a big crowded city has been the hardest thing. Jared is an introvert and sometimes all these people EVERYWHERE drives him crazy. We are slowly learning what times of day there are less people out and what days are best for driving. We are looking forward to our next year here! This past year we have really enjoyed getting to know our other members, having church services at Golpagange and Kulna, seeing Kulnas crazy Sunday school, going to Kishorganj, revivals and fellowship, all the pizza parties when the other missionaries come into Dhaka😍, making friends here in Siza Court, seeing all our friends here fall in love with my children! It’s been good! 

Today (Sunday) the metro stations from Argogoan to Motihel are open! This means that our Farmgate Station in our backyard is open now. Every 10 minutes a metro arrives or departs. At first we were worried it was going to be really loud but when the fans are going inside you can hardly even hear it! This morning during devotions Layton was quite distracted as we sat on the couch. We can see it from our living room window so can even see the people getting off and on the train. πŸ˜‚ For the next few months this section will only be open from 7:30 to 11:30 am. After the initial public excitement wears off we plan to go on a spin.πŸ˜ƒ

Layton put on socks for the first time in months today. They barely went over the backs of his heels.πŸ˜‚ he was excited because he could really run and slide on our tile floors. 

After kindergarten today I took some pants for Jared that needed shortening, some shirts that needed an extra button and buttonhole, and my dress that the tailor had sewed all to the tailor. My dress turned out really well! He did a good job with the darts in the waist. Amber trained him well!😁 however it needed taking in at least two inches on either side at the waist. He measured off of one my cotton dresses that fit perfectly. (Kim, I’m looking at you!❤️) Lilen (not linen) is more of a drapier fabric so obviously it doesn’t need to be made abit bigger like cotton does. Lilen is a thinner fabric with drape to it. It’s not polyester really. Lanae and Amber really liked it so I decided to give it a try. It reminds me of DTY knit at home but with a bit more body to it and no stretch.

Thanks to our friends and church for the prayers and support. ❤️ 

July 2025

 Well it's been a minute since i wrote anything. There's been a lot of water under the bridge since May when Shana left! We are stil...