December 4- December 10, 2023

 What a busy week! Tuesday Carls and their Family plus Trevor’s all came roaring into Dhaka. Life has not been the same since.❤️😍 Carl called Jared and said “Meet us at Pink City in Gulsan. CSI needs to move the Dhaka missionaries to a better place.” So that’s what we have been up to. We found two houses. We’ve already payed rent for one that will be the guesthouse and the other one that will hopefully be ours is “contract pending.” It’s a beautiful neighborhood. Quiet… no apartment buildings just two story houses. They all have small yards with real true green grass in them. The yards are fenced with a gated driveway. Both our houses will need quite abit of work in them to get them up to our American standards. The counters in the kitchen are quite low. I never thought I was tall person but wow! Those counters are made for midgets. This is quite common in Bengali houses and we can’t figure out why. The kitchens are not made for ovens either. Most Bengali women use a two burner stove top that sits on top of the counter.  Also both our houses have hand washing sinks in the dining rooms. We are going to put a wall in part of the dining area to make the fourth bedroom. We are getting a teacher next year for Layton so now we will have plenty of space for a classroom and a teacher room.🥰 Pink City is considered a gated community. We had no idea such a neighborhood even existed in Dhaka. CSI has been wanting to move out of our current location for years but in a city like this trying to find a suitable house is like looking for a needle in a haystack. It appears as though God has shown us the needle! Trevor is talking with a contractor to see if he would be interested in the job of getting crews in to fix up both houses. In the meantime I am starting to go through our apartment to get things somewhat ready for moving. We have no projected moving date yet other than “before it gets hot again.” I was imaging that we would have a quiet boring winter but we are holding onto our hats! Life in the mission has a way of making a person flexible whether they want to be or not! We are sad to leave our friends in Siza Court but this move feels right. Pray that getting our two houses fixed up won’t cause the CSI men ulcers. no seriously… it’s not for the faint of heart. Trevors will come into Dhaka the end of the month and we will start the process of decluttering the guesthouse. 

The weather is definitely cooler now! A tropical depression came swooping by Bangladesh so for two days it rained day and night. It was so nice! It cleared the smog significantly. Lately Dhaka has been in the top 3 worst air polluted cities. Sometimes the air looks like heavy fog. 

Love to you all…. 

🌴November 20 - December 3, 2023 🌴 In Which CSI Goes On Vacation 🌴

Please excuse the lack of a post last week. We have been very busy and I had to let a few things go in order to stay on top of things. But we are back this week😀

Carls and their family flew in November 21. They were in Dhaka with us for Thursday and Friday. It was good having them here again! This time they brought their older children. Layton is loving having their youth boy and son in law here to rough house with him. Apparently Thursday was Thanksgiving which I couldn’t quite wrap my mind around. Holidays here just don’t really feel like at home and it’s easy to forget them! Josna made chicken curry, shrimp curry, mixed vegetable bajhi and chichinga bajhi. For dessert she had bought some tok misti doy for dessert. It’s like a Greek yogurt dessert that’s baked in a clay pot. The meal was incredible! I felt sorry for everyone at home that had to eat plain ole turkey and stuffing. Although I wouldn’t have minded some of Jared’s mom’s angel food cake with lemon curd. Natun came for lunch too. Later he took Carls boy on the metro and out for coffee. It doesn’t take much convincing to get Natun to come eat with us at the clinic.😂 

Friday 11/24: Had church… Jared was glad to have a break and let Carl have the message. Took Carls out to Farmhouse Burger. It’s so fun to take people to the places we enjoy! Spent the afternoon doing laundry and preparing for the upcoming travels. Carl was able to convince Shurov to meet him for supper in the evening. Sounded like not much has changed… 

Saturday 11/25:  We headed out around 10 am for Kishorganj. Jared hired our private driver that we had for when Lawrence’s were here. We took a different route this time which was a big relief to me. The route last time was rough and really congested in Dhaka plus narrow roads with massive potholes through the villages. Took the expressway and another new wide open 4 lane road and literally flew out of Dhaka. Had an enjoyable ride with Carl’s children. Having them along made the 5 hour drive go by fast! It’s fun to hear visitors exclaim over random things here. Got to Kishorganj around 3. Went to our motel and unloaded. Jared was able to park in the parking garage under the motel this time! It was so handy. They made the garage bigger so now it’s much easier to park. Good parking anywhere in Bangladesh is hard to come by! Monica wanted to make us lunch so we were supposed to be there at 4. We hadn’t eaten since breakfast so we were starving! Carl went and found some samosas. A “bread pocket” filled with potatoes and dal. We had those for a snack before heading to Monica’s. She made chicken curry, sobji and rice. It was good to see them all again. Their family is so depressed and tired. They look like the world’s burdens are on their shoulders. Michael (Monica’s husband) continues to be in the mental hospital for treatment for his anger and bipolar/depression disorder. He has been so hateful and physically and emotionally hurtful to them in the past that they are relieved he is gone right now. They are fearful of how he will be when he gets home. His brother Steven says that Michael can put on a good front around his friends and many of his friends have no idea that he has these issues. When he is around his family he is not a good person. We stayed for several hours and visited. Around 7 Monica’s daughter in law wondered what we would like to eat? Having just eaten a big Bangla meal a few hours before we said “please no we are still full!” Carl told them he needed to rest since he was still recovering from jet lag. They all understood that so they didn’t keep hounding us like usual.🤭😄

Sunday 11/26: In the morning we found a good restaurant right down the street from our motel that served breakfast. Got some dim, ruti and vegetables. (Eggs and tortillas) Shania ate and ate the vegetables. Clearly she must come from different stock than her brother! Judith and her girls, my children and I went shopping at some markets in Kishorganj. It was so fun! It felt like I was having a girls day with my mom and sisters.🥰 Layton attached himself to Lanaea. (She reminds me a lot of my sister in law Keisha so maybe that’s why he liked her so much.) Mostly went to fabric dokans and the like. I got two new 3 piece sets. Anytime we entered a dokan or stopped on the street it literally took 2 minutes before we had a crowd of people watching us. I’m not sure what the men all did. They met one of Carl’s friends for tea. (Carls used to live in Kishorganj when they were here 13 years ago!) We went and found their old house and looked at it and then tried to find some of their old friends. For lunch we took Monica and her family out to a restaurant. They seemed to enjoy that. Jared had a hard time explaining to them that we wanted to take them out for a meal and no it wasn’t because we didn’t like Monica’s cooking but rather an act of kindness and love! Monica and her daughters in laws and granddaughters got all dressed up. We spent the afternoon napping for abit before going back for supper. Monica made a pasta dish with scrambled eggs. Steven was disgruntled about it because how was he to go sleep on such a light meal? Now he was going to have to eat rice yet before he could go to bed. Mind you this was at 8-8:30 in the evening. 😱 We all were still very full from lunch so we were trying to politely eat as much as we could in order to make the cook feel good. It was delicious but a big rice meal for lunch and then pasta for supper?! While we were eating Franklin came  in the house with a loaf of white bread and some sweets that were like a huge doughnut hole. We were supposed to sandwich the doughnut hole between two pieces of white bread and eat it like a sandwich. I almost cried. I can’t eat much gluten because I get bad headaches so this meal was a real shipwreck. I ate the pasta and one doughnut hole WITHOUT the bread and fervently prayed I wouldn’t get sick. Around 9:30pm we had a service with them before we left in the evening. They just all cried when we had to tell them goodbye. Jared told Franklin (Michael’s son) “we love you.” Franklin just stood there with tears streaming down his face and said “I love you too.” It’s so hard to leave them. Franklin and Monica aren’t sleeping well at night because of the stress and mental strain. Franklin said “Elwood told us to count our blessings but it’s impossible to do right now.” I had taken them some chocolate cake and that gave them all a smile for a short time. 

Monday 11/27: We left Kishorganj at 6 am. The driver that was helping us transport everyone showed up at 5:20. We headed for Dhaka… stopped for dim and ruti for breakfast and still made it home in 4 hours. When we got home at 10 we flew into action! I did two loads of laundry, quick repacked our bags and got more snacks for the road. Took Layton down to ride bike to wear some of his energy off. Jared took care of some things at the clinic and Jon came over to take care of some paperwork. At 1, (3 hours after we got home.) Jared and I picked up Judith and the girls from the guesthouse and headed to Golpaganj. Hellel (our driver) had taken Carl and the boys on ahead to Golpaganj. The guard didn’t quite know what to think of all our comings and goings.😂 Got to Doyle’s around 4:30. Spent some time with them and had supper.  Layton headed straight to the sand pile and there he remained for the rest of the afternoon. I overheard Amaryllis enthusiastically telling Layton that the tooth fairy left TWO coins under her pillow since she has lost two teeth. Layton said “don’t you know? your mom and dad are the tooth fairy!” Amaryllis just kinda had a stunned look on her face. I felt bad that Layton had spoiled her innocence!🤭 Around 7:30 I was so tired, so we took our children and headed to Samuel Bella’s little guest house and had a relaxing quiet evening and went to bed early.   Wish we could have stayed at Doyle’s with the rest and kept visiting but I knew the children and I needed some quiet alone time as we were only half through our travels at that point! I was glad we did do that because they slept all night and woke up excited and happy. 

Tuesday 11/28: Got up early again and hit the road at 6:30 am. This time Doyle’s joined the crowd. Stopped briefly for dim and ruti in Golpagaj. While we were eating at the restaurant we noticed that part of the room was portioned off with curtains around some tables. Later we realized that maybe it was for the women that wear burkas to eat! They can’t remove their veil around other men so if they are behind the curtain then they can eat. Some will just lift their veil just enough to put the food in their mouth. We hit the road and drove for the next 5 hours. Trevors had left Kulna at 4:45 am in order to avoid some of the heavy traffic. They were quite pleased with themselves to get to Kuakata by 8:20.😂 The traffic wasn’t awful for us… hit a few political prosessions but nothing serious. It was interesting to see the landscape change. The closer we got to the coast the bigger the rice fields became. We started to see more and more tractors and then several rice harvesters. Layton was beside himself! Saw a small John Deere, new Holland tractor and then some Eicher and Mahindras. More and more trees… pine trees, evergreens, lots of palm trees, coconut and banana trees etc. We got to our resort around noon. It was so nice!!! I guess I have been gone from the states for over a year already but it doesn’t take much to think things are really nice. Our room was huge! It had AC, a fridge, tub and shower and two huge soft beds with soft mattresses, lots of big fluffy pillows and crisp white sheets. It felt so luxurious.❤️🥰 There was an eating area beside the pool so we ordered pizza for lunch and ate there. Layton literally jumped out of the van and straight into the pool. He was like a fish in the water. The pool had a hot tub too and he loved it. Anytime he got the least bit cold he said “I think it’s time for the hot tub!” 😂 Him and Brock swam and swam and swam. They stayed out there for several hours. The nicest thing about this resort is that it’s so quiet and there’s no one there other than the workers and a few other guests that stay there. No one was lining the fence watching us because we were foreigners, no one was constantly hounding us saying “please can I take a selfie?” Or “excuse me where your country?” We have gotten so burned on pictures since we’ve been here. If anyone asks Layton for a picture he takes off running or hides behind my skirt. I noticed Kylie does the same thing. It feels like such an invasion of privacy when people take pictures of our children and then we have no idea where they are all going and ending up at. Anymore we ask Layton “are you comfortable with them taking your picture?” If he says no we say “ajke na.” (Not today!) Mid afternoon we all loaded up on vans and headed to the beach! These vans were much more substantial than the ones we ride on in Kulna. They had huge tires and then on the flatbed part where we sit they had mattresses to sit on. It didn’t take long for us all to be very thankful for the mattresses. The drive out to the beach took maybe 30 minutes. It was beautiful scenery. All along the shore was hundreds and hundreds of fishing boats. The children said they looked like “Peter James and John” boats. The fishermen had their nets all layed out on the beach and were carefully folding them all back up! We got to the beach and walked and walked. Just enjoying the quietness… just sand and ocean. No buildings in sight! There were a few other people on the beach but not bad … mostly fishermen. There’s something about standing on a beach and watching the endless waves that makes a person’s problems and anxieties seem so small. There weren’t big waves or anything but it was just so peaceful and calm. There were crabs there so that was really neat to see. Layton was worried that the crabs would jump out of their holes and pinch him so I told him just to leave his shoes on and he would be fine! The sand was black by the water and then up on the beach part is was more grey. Collected a bunch of little seashells. We talked to some fisherman that were working on the shore. We watched the sun set and then headed back into town to get some supper. We went to a “food truck” area. The men went to a BBQ place and ordered squid, octopus, shrimp, crab and two other kinds of “normal” fish. Us ladies went and got fuska. By the time we got back all the men had left of the fish was a pile of bones. They all raved about it and how good it was. We bought a bunch of fresh tortillas for the children to eat as fish and fuska aren’t super kid friendly meals! We went back to the motel and the kids all jumped back in the pool and hot tub. Layton was having so much fun I didn’t have the heart to make him get out and go to bed on decent time so let him stay up late and swim. 

Wednesday 11/29: Several of the men that partook of the seafood the evening before spent part of the morning in the bathroom.😂💩 They all came out saying it was worth the misery and they wanted more! We loaded up on vans again and headed into town. We drove through a village and it was so neat to see. Every village has its own unique personality and style. We went and visited the biggest Buddhist idol in Asia. It was massive. Maybe 20 feet tall? They had candles burning in front of it and incense wafting. Went to a little market and bought the children kites for flying at the beach. When we got to the beach there were lots of tarps on the ground with little fish drying on them. It was neat to see but the smell was not neat to smell! We had our sandwiches and then spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon playing in the sand, getting in the water and playing with crabs. The water was surprisingly cool but the children still played and played in it. Mid afternoon we headed back to the hotel and the kids got in the pool again. Us ladies enjoyed the hot tub and sat and visited. We pulled out our American snacks and enjoyed them! Salted nuts, M and Ms, etc.☺️ Spent the rest of the day by the pool. The men went back to the seafood joint while us ladies stayed at the motel and got pizza for the kids from the restaurant there. The young folk played badminton and we built a fire beside the court! It was so fun to sit around a fire again. Layton fell into a sewer trench and that was a-bit traumatic. He went in up to his waist. I took him in right away and washed him from head to toe and then put triple antibiotic ointment on any open areas on his legs and face just to be safe. It was dark and he didn’t notice it and in he went. Everyone was worried about him because everyone is afraid of their kids landing in those things! He was fine just took awhile to calm down. I washed his clothes in the bathtub with shower gel to get the sewer smell out so we wouldn’t smell you know what all the rest of the night. 

Thursday 11/30: We all had one last breakfast together before heading out. Some men may or may not have spent more time in the restroom, compliments of their evening meal the day prior.😀 This is a normal occurrence in Bangladesh so if people are late to a meal or suddenly missing we all just assume they are doing “business.” Haha! We had an 8 hour drive ahead of us so we got on the road maybe 30 minutes before the rest? Carls went to Kulna with Trevor’s and Doyle’s. We were thankful we left when we did. We ran into several political demonstrations. The one they waved us through the crowd that was gathering and the other one we met several hundred motorcycles. Lisa called me all of a sudden and wondered if we were doing ok? I guess the crowds got bigger after we had passed them and by the time Trevor’s and Doyle’s got there they had to be escorted through while the buses behind them got stopped. They saw one political party that it appeared as though they had been throwing bricks at each other. Jared decided that if we encountered anything more that we would reroute to Kulna and spend the rest of the day and night there since Friday is always a non blockade or hartal day. Thankfully we didn’t see anything else the rest of the way home. The roads in Dhaka were pretty good! Got home around 5. Layton was so happy to be with his friends again! He right away got out his kite and played for awhile with them. His one friend said “where have you been?” I said “we went to the beach!” She said “you mean the Maldives?” I laughed and said “no dear Kuakata.”  The caretaker came to tell us hi and said “madam Apni onek besto.” (Madam you have been very busy!) IShania and I went to bed early as we were exhausted. Layton and Jared stayed up later. 

Friday 12/1: Had church like usual. It was good to see Josna and Sumita again! Natun was off at Coxs Bazaar with his friends so we had a short service. We sang Christmas songs and Jared had Sumita read the verses about Elizabeth finding out they were with child. Part way through the service Miriam and her husband Michael came. Michael seldom comes. Jared enjoyed visiting with him after church for awhile. We were all pretty wore out still after our adventures of the past week so we stayed home and had lunch at home and then long naps. Clearly we aren’t used to such excitement! Shania has been been quite a rascal today. She has been held non stop the past week and now expects it to continue. She handled the trip and the 30 hours in the car this past week so so good! She is on the verge of crawling and just wants to be on the move constantly. I spent the afternoon doing laundry and catching up on some housework. Layton had to wear jeans today because all his shorts were in the laundry. He found this to be quite a cross to bear. “Can I take these ridiculous pants off?” Had to have Layton move all his Legos to a higher plain as Shania got into them and was putting them in her mouth. Also how is it December already?? 

Saturday 12/2: Sumita came to clean. Lucky never showed up which honestly I was relieved about. I couldn’t bear the thought of anymore rice this week. Jared did bookwork most of the day and then ran some errands. Shania is developing a strong personality it appears like. She is very determined to get things that are just out of her reach. She got her first tooth a few days ago. Layton likes to tell people that “Shania popped a tooth!” 

Sunday 12/3: Jared had dispensary today. Layton and I did kindergarten. The break from school was nice but it’s time to buckle down and go for it again. His class at home just started kindergarten. Makes me really lonesome. I always dreamed of taking Layton to school and hearing his stories when he got home. But we will wait for that until we are home and he’s in 2nd grade. I tell him that in the meantime he gets to see crabs, go to the Bay of Bengal and ride rickshaws and none of his friends at home get too. It helps convince us both!🤭😂 After our naps we went to Farmgate. We got invited to one of our neighbor’s son’s weddings! We hope to go just for fun. They are always really friendly and are always giving Layton chocolates. Anyways at dressy events like weddings the men here always wear punjabis. It’s like a long shirt that goes down to your knees. I’ve been wanting to get Layton one anyway so we went to Jared’s tailor and got him and Layton measured for one and picked out the fabric! Muslim men wear their punjabis whenever they go to have their prayers. Bought the CSI ladies Christmas gifts while we were at Farmgate. Glad to have that off of my mind! Had supper at Shuktara… 

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… 😂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.😄 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.😂 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.”😂 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.😂 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.”😂 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. 😳 Next time she comes I will hide the mustard oil!😂 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. 🤭

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.😃

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. 🤨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.” 😂 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.😄 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.”😂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.😂

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.😂 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. 😂 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.😃

Layton put on socks for the first time in months today. They barely went over the backs of his heels.😂 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. ❤️ 

October 23 - 29, 2023

Monday 10/23: Jared had dispensary this morning. It was such beautiful weather today! Cool at 85*. Layton wanted to wear his sweater while we did kindergarten! After naps we headed to Farmgate. I got 7 pieces of fabric for new dresses. 🤭 yes they were mostly pink! I needed some new ornas too. My ornas somehow get used as napkins and burp rags by the small fry in this house thus they have tumeric and other stains on them that bleach or stain remover does nothing for. I had to laugh the last time we were at Santos because after Antoor (that’s in his 20s) finished eating he used his mom’s orna to wipe his hands and mouth. Some things must not ever change with age.😂 Anyways, found the button dokan as well. Amber had showed it to me but I haven’t needed to go there until now so I was glad to find it again. Stopped at Jared’s tailor and his new shirt fit wonderfully! Finally a shirt that’s wide enough across his shoulders. He ordered three more. His tailor also makes beautiful suit coats and pants! It is crazy to me how the sweat and grime here wears our clothes out. It seems like at home our clothes last forever and we finally stop wearing them because we are tired of them! Here they last about a year. Guess that’s not too bad actually! Anyways… Farmgate looks so different than it did a year ago when we came. The foot bridge is now connected to the different levels of Farmgate. Now you can walk up the footbridge and up the steps to the 2nd or third level instead of only being able to access it from the inside. There’s also a massive walkway being constructed that will have escalators on one side from Farmgate to the Farmgate metro station. In front of Hotel Shuktara they’ve taken out all the street side dokans and put up a nice metal fence. Now the market road there is much wider and not so horribly crowded. Used to be when you walked down the steps from Shuktara you were right in crowds and whatnot of the dokans. It seems easier to walk there now. It will be interesting to see after the metro gets inaugurated how long it will be until it’s all crammed with dokans again or if it will actually stay that way. Layton and Jared do NOT like shopping at markets. I have to beg to convince them to go so I was glad they were willing to go today. I could spend hours at the market but my men get peopled out quick there. Now that it’s cooler it’s more enjoyable to be out and about. We can take our time instead of rushing to try to beat the heat and get the children back home before they overheat. We had rain most of the afternoon and evening. 

Tuesday 10/24: No dispensary today. It was some sort of holiday. It’s the last day of the Hindu puja. They dip their idol Durga in the water to signify her return to the heavens. I’m so thankful we don’t have to dip our god in the water. Durga looks like a lady with 8 arms and a brightly painted naked body. No singing tonight since Josna and Sumita weren’t feeling well. We went out for supper later on. Spent quite abit of time outside today. Swung at the guesthouse on the swings for an hour then rode bike for awhile in the evening. It is so nice that Layton can play outside for longer periods of time now! He is much happier. Anything to expend more energy. Shania loves being in the stroller and being pushed around! Washed all my fabric I bought. The fabric and ornas here bleed alot so I’ve learned the hard way to wash each piece separately. My house cleaner and I have been going through some “adjustments.” 😂 I told her I was only washing the curtains once a year and that the furniture in the bedrooms was going to stay the way it was right now. I so appreciate her cleaning but sometimes it is a challenge. She gets upset when Layton makes a mess on the veranda and I told her I will always clean up his dirty messes so she doesn’t have to but that she can’t expect Layton to play “clean” all the time, because goodness he is a boy after all. 

Wednesday 10/25: Jared and Jon had a meeting with the auditors this morning. They are breathing down those men’s necks to get the audit finished. Kulna needs more funds released by January and they aren’t able to get the funds if the audit isn’t finished. Went to the clinic for lunch. Before lunch Jared replaced a capacitor in the fan and then changed the filters on the water system there. I dropped off a piece of fabric at the tailor. I found a picture of a dress I like so just printed it off and showed it to him. Easier than trying to explain it!! This is the first time I’ve gotten an actual dress sewed by him. He’s sewn me 3 piece sets before and they’ve always turned out great. Spent more time outside swinging and riding bike. While we were swinging I was walking around with Shania. All of a sudden Layton said “it’s like Pippi Longstocking says: ‘She’s out for her morning promenade!’” Oh how I howled!😂 The rest of the day was uneventful…. 

Thursday 10/26: Jared went to the clinic and took apart several fans for the sisters to clean. They are in a real cleaning spree right now. If they aren’t telling me to wash curtains, couch covers, rugs, etc, they are busy scrubbing their bedroom and washing the fans at the clinic! I thought I was a clean freak but I feel like a slob when I see how clean and tidy they keep the clinic. I think that’s why my housekeeper gets frustrated because the clinic stays clean and at our house we have children (and adults) that don’t keep things clean all the time. Made some caramel popcorn in the afternoon because I thought it sounded good. My recipe called for marshmallows in the caramel. Well I found out pretty quick that Bangladesh marshmallows don’t melt too well so I chopped away with my spatula until they unwillingly partially obliged. 

Friday 10/26: Church today. Jared spoke on the tree of life out of revelations. After Natun was done interpreting he said “you should preach out of Revelations more!” After church Natun came over for coffee and to visit awhile. He gave Layton a ride home on his motorcycle again which was highly enjoyed by both it appeared.😃 Natun invited us to Golpagange to see his family sometime over Christmas. That will be enjoyable! Went to Gulsan and did our shopping. There were a lot of people out. More than usual. There’s a big protest tomorrow so wondered if everyone was out getting their groceries and things before it happened? Ate at Cilantro in the UniMart food court. They had nachos!!! And they were so good! I miss nachos a lot but we can’t get tortilla chips here. Cilantro had them but it looked like they were homemade. Spent the rest of the day relaxing and enjoyed being outside. Now that it’s not so hot it’s so so much more enjoyable to take Layton outside when he wants too. 

Saturday 10/28: The BNP party had a huge event today. The streets here in Monipuripara were pretty quiet. I went to the pharmacy right down the street and the rickshaws and CNG drivers were just aimlessly driving up and down the street. The one rickshaw man was outside our gate and asked me if I needed a ride. I said no I was just going to the pharmacy. He wondered if surely I didn’t need to go to my office too? I said no! He followed me to the carebox and sat and waited for me until I came out. So I let him take me home just so he could make a few taka! Felt sorry for him! There were hardly any buses out either. This evening when we were up on the roof we noticed how quiet it was! Only heard a few bus horns and that was it. That’s one thing here when there’s a big political rally the people that aren’t involved stay home. They don’t loiter and socialize much. We are thankful our community here is safe. Jon came over and worked on some audit paperwork with Jon. Shania has been loving her walker today! I put her in it to keep her entertained while I made supper. She only goes in reverse in that thing.😂 she would roll up to the curtains and grab them and closely inspect them, then roll up to the windows and watch Layton play on the veranda, then she’d roll into the kitchen and sit and watch me for awhile! She is very observant. Looks like she takes after Layton in that regard. I caught her rolling into the entry and checking out all the shoes on the shoe rack. I moved her quick because I can’t handle the thought of her trying to chew on our street shoes.😣 Lucky didn’t come to cook today. She didn’t want to be out and about with the big rally going on. Sumita came to clean. I fried up some eggplant for lunch because I’ve been hungry for it. She came into the kitchen and told me that I’m just like Lucky because I use too much oil.😂 

Sunday 10/29: Jared had dispensary this morning. Did kindergarten with Layton. He did really with learning addition. He was quite busy afterwards… made a “pool” for Shania with a big plastic tub and wanted to teach her how to swim, then we went to the courtyard and took a screwdriver to his bike to remove the carrier thing on his bike. He daydreams of all the attachments he could make for his bike. Reminds me of my brothers when they were young. 

October 16 - 22, 2023

Monday 10/16: Jared went to the dispensary. Had 28 patients this morning. Layton always wants a precise number as to how many cleft palate patients Jared saw.😅 I did kindergarten with Layton. Doing our best to be consistent with it this week! Elwoods arrived in Dhaka from Golpagange and got to our flat around 11:30 or so. Their bus didn’t stop for breakfast so they were quite hungry!  Sumita was still here cleaning with they arrive so she told Melissa that Amber could understand her but that I can’t. 🫢 😂 I said “Amber was here three years and I’ve only been here one!” Had a relaxing rest of the day. The men went to see Abraham (our expelled brother) at the Bangladesh Bible Society. They got stuck in quite a jam on the way home. Later in the evening we hailed some rickshaws and went to Parktown for supper. Melissa was hungry for Thai Soup and wontons. It seems like it’s God’s leading that Elwood’s were able to come to Bangladesh right now. Our sister Monica and her family are going through a tremendous valley right now. Her husband Michael is in a psychiatric hospital right now to get some help. Elwood’s were Michael’s missionaries until they moved to Kishorganj. This was why Rajshahi closed earlier this year. Elwood’s know them very well and with their amazing Bangla they were able spend several days with Monica and their family and be a “ministry of presence.” 

Tuesday 10/17: Dispensary was canceled this morning. Dr Elizabeth had an exam. She’s been taking some classes. I made a pie to take to singing this evening. An apple crumb pie… Did kindergarten with Layton. He thinks of many shortcuts that he could take with his writing and learning and I tell him “no shortcuts, we are doing it just exactly how Silas and Kobe and Kenyan will learn it.” His mind leaves me in the dust some days. Elwoods were out and about on their own. Melissa wanted to go a store for some souvenirs. Shania was quite fussy this morning. Finally after baby food, a bottle plus walking around, we turned on the AC in the bedroom and she went right to sleep. I was glad Jared was home so he could watch her while I did school with Layton. Walking to the clinic for singing was quite an “adventure.” They have the sidewalks all tore out and a 4 foot trench dug where the sidewalk was. They have big piles of sand and gigantic spools of electrical wire siding beside the trench. There is also sewer bubbling up onto the street at various places. Traffic continues to fly by at their usual pace unless it’s jammed up. The only place for pedestrians is to dodge traffic and walk around sand piles, spools and sewer puddles or if the road is jammed to wind your way through the jam between motorcycles and CNGs. So we ventured forth. I held onto Layton’s hand for dear life. When we went and came we managed to hit it so that the road was quite busy. We dodged as best we could and almost got sideswiped a few times but we eventually turned onto our side street and heaved great sighs of relief. We like to call this sort of thing “adventurous” in order to be Pollyanna. 😂 

Wednesday 10/18: The apartment that the dispensary is in plus a few other nearby buildings are out of water. Jared tried to call the caretaker and ask if it could be fixed. He was told “in one hour a mistri will come.” Josna and Sumita brought all their food over and cooked lunch for us here at our house.😃 Had lunch abit early since Elwoods needed to leave by one for the airport. Jared took them… the new expressway makes such a difference!! They were able to make it back to India without problems. They were unsure how it would go since their 6 month visas were expired. Later in the afternoon the sisters came back for showers and to fill up their water jugs with water. Apparently the mistri still hasn’t gotten the issue fixed. I guess the underground water storage tanks are empty and haven’t ever gotten refilled by the city. 

Thursday 10/19: We woke up with a start at 7 to the doorbell ringing. We couldn’t figure that out as most Bengalis are still in bed at that time so Jared went to investigate. Here it was Harun! So we welcomed him in and gave him coffee. He wanted a shower and then I made everyone breakfast. I didn’t really have anything on hand that Bengalis eat for breakfast so I quickly ran to the dokan but it was still closed. He had to eat American food. Fried some eggs, cut up bananas, and had granola. We showed him how to add milk to the granola. 😀 He ate it all so it must not have been too bad. He stayed and visited for awhile. The conversation was pretty simple but we still were able to communicate some. He got ready to leave at 9 and then asked Jared for money. Our hearts always sink when this comes up. One of Harun’s family members had been in an accident awhile ago. Jared told him we can’t give him any money. Harun is one of our brothers that is quite offended from things in the past. We are praying that us not giving him money won’t deepen the offense. We have to be careful with giving out money. This specific brother asks for money a lot. Around 10 Jared left and went to a Baptist clinic. They had called him last week and wanted more tracts. He was enthused to go and take some! The lady that’s in charge talks English. Jared wanted to go today specifically because the workers where going to be there. Last time he had to leave the tracts with a caretaker so he was glad to be able to give them to a worker! It has been a smidge cooler lately. Layton washed his bike in the courtyard and then I put Shania in the stroller and walked her around. These Bengalis always stare at a stroller.😂 All the trees are officially down in our backyard. Next summer I’ll need to find some thick curtains to hang up over the windows because now that the sun shines in the living room it definitely makes things toastier! The extra sun and heat will be nice in the winter though. Jared had a good laugh yesterday because there was a group of men working on cutting up the felled trees into smaller pieces. Two men got into quite an argument over it all I guess and went at it for quite awhile. Jared stood and watched and laughed. 

Friday 10/20: Church today! Jared had the message on “The Lord is my Shepherd” and how God will always be with us in the hard times. It was a good message for both of us. Natun left right after church for  Golpagange. He said he missed his mom and wanted to eat her cooking again. He talks alot about his mom and her cooking😁 He says “I’m afraid when I get married my wife’s food won’t be as good as my moms. And then what will I do? I can’t be quiet if it doesn’t taste good. I’ll have to tell her that.” 😂He wanted to park his motorcycle in our parking garage but our alloted space for motorcycles was taken by someone else when we got rid of our motorcycles. Went and got lunch and groceries. We found a neat play place in the food court at UniMart. You have to pay for it but Layton played for an hour and had so much fun that we felt like it was well worth it. Got ice cream too while we were up there. Today is the first day of “Durga Puga.” It’s a Hindu holiday where they celebrate their god Durga. The Hindu portions of Dhaka are all decorated. Ec Number Gate had a big castle looking canopy over the gate with lights hung down the walls on both sides of the street. We noticed that other Hindu areas had the same thing. Wish we could be in the villages right now and see and hear their celebrations. Krystal says at Golpagange they’ve been hearing a lot of drums at night. 

Saturday 10/21: Just a usual day… nothing too exciting. 

Sunday 10/22: Jared had dispensary this morning. Did kindergarten with Layton. After naps we went to Farmgate. It is quite a chaotic mess there right now. There are redoing alot of the sidewalks around the area and now the foot bridge is open. Unfortunately the tailor and fabric store level was completely closed. I did find a pair of jeans for Layton though for this winter.