Today there was absolutely the worst rain storm/down pour ever. Traffic was at a standstill and the exhaust fumes were getting into the van, thus making the sick people sicker. For instance, Caleb threw up outside of the World Concern site (we carpooled). So he did not stay at the clinic; he went back to Grace House. I was supposed to lead the devotional this morning but we were so late due to weather and traffic. When we got there, they were finishing their devotional on Ester. I was stationed at reception again and I was totally excited about it.
Due to rain the early morning was not busy at all, so I showed all the people I work with pictures of my family and friends. I drew such a huge crowd; this was in part due to the fact that there were 0 patients. At one point Agnes left and that’s when I had to fill out the book, cards, and forms for 2 patients. One of the ‘security’ guys helped me, Ramon. I was sort of excited about this, but still very slow and nervous. The rest of the morning, when Agnes got back, was at a normal pace. She and I were working well as a team; we were getting a good ‘flow’.
Also there was a patient’s daughter who had to sit out by us. She was so curious and stared at me a lot. At one point she found a friend and they totally were sitting there looking at me and talking. They were super cute. I had bought gum and I gave them each half a piece. It took some pushing for them to take it because in Bangladesh it is not polite or good to seem needy, wanting, or eager. I also got to chat with the Assistant Manager. He used to be part of BSFB when he was in University. It was so fun talking to him because he was eager to talk and practice his English.
We went back to the Grace House for lunch. We had free time (aka sleep and other activities). When the World Concern people got back Bath went straight to sleep in Sarah’s bed (Sarah was away for the week at her site). We were concerned about her physically and emotionally because she had not wanted to talk to anyone. Later that night we had prayer and worship to intercede for the city. It was a very good time spiritually. My stomach was doing summersaults. We prayed over Caleb because of how sick he has been. After we did that we prayed over Milan, the cook’s son. Milan had sung worship songs with us earlier. I really pray that he grows up to be the man of Christ that he could be.
When I got back to the room Beth was up talking to people. She was feeling frustrated. Lauren had gotten an email via Ray telling her that her sister had left the Canadian Armed Forces, wheat she had wanted to do for over 6 years. We all talked more and then went to bed.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Monday July 10, 2006
Today was my first day at our official and now permanent work site: The Saidabad Clinic. It actually was started by Americans. I was stationed at the receptionist desk and was told to help make cards with the patients name, age, date, and number on them with a plastic covering. The girl I worked with, Agnes, was nice. She doesn’t speak a lot of English, but was very cheerful and used others that know how to speak English to communicate with me. Zach had this job before, when I was sick, and he thought it was boring. I guess you could say it is, but I find things to do. For instance, I pray for the people coming into the clinic, I practiced listening for ages, I know #1-20, and little things like that. We only stay for half the day because we ate lunch at Grace House. When everyone is feeling better we will have an afternoon site, but that might not be until next week.
I got to take a nap, which helped me to feel recharged. (I really need to stop writing half a day of journals and then leaving it, because when I do go back I no longer remember when I wrote it or what happened the rest of the day.) Later I got a few people together to play settlers. I really like this game. Zach won and I came in last due to a conspiring by Caleb and Lauren who try to mess everyone else up because they couldn’t win. That night we were playing cards and we were told to worship. We had originally met to see a slide show of picks from Old Dhaka. Adriel was really pushy and kind of harsh especially towards Caleb. I don’t know if this needs to be addressed, but her words and actions did not leave me with peace. I tried to go to bed early, but my roomies decided to stay up and leave all the lights on. On top of this there was a storm this night.
I got to take a nap, which helped me to feel recharged. (I really need to stop writing half a day of journals and then leaving it, because when I do go back I no longer remember when I wrote it or what happened the rest of the day.) Later I got a few people together to play settlers. I really like this game. Zach won and I came in last due to a conspiring by Caleb and Lauren who try to mess everyone else up because they couldn’t win. That night we were playing cards and we were told to worship. We had originally met to see a slide show of picks from Old Dhaka. Adriel was really pushy and kind of harsh especially towards Caleb. I don’t know if this needs to be addressed, but her words and actions did not leave me with peace. I tried to go to bed early, but my roomies decided to stay up and leave all the lights on. On top of this there was a storm this night.
Bangladesh Journal: Sunday July 9, 2006
The teams left this morning, but Kyle and Sean stayed because they were too sick. I was ordered back to bed. I slept a lot and tried to journal in-between sleeping time. I remembered this morning that in Manila I had said “If God wants me to just sit and pray at the Grace House, I will say ‘OK God. Awesome!’” I didn’t think he would do it, but if that is his will then that’s ok. I have only been able to keep crackers down.
On a plus I’m finally caught up on my journal and I have gotten to pray so much today. In my whole time of being sick, I have tried to rejoice in the Lord and praise his name. When I was feeling a little better, I went upstairs to the conference room. Caleb and Zach were working on a game. They were making Settlers of Catan. It was actually a surprise for Kyle because of how sick he was. I helped even though I had no idea what I was doing and no idea how to play. When they were finished they taught me how to play. Lauren won; she had played before, but had never won. Darren then taught us how to play ‘Big 2”. It’s kind of like Presidents, but with some twists.
Dinner was pretty good. We then had to register at the American Embassy. I got to talk to Ling about me feeling distracted at times. She was really glad I was so willing to share and had some great advice. I tried to go to bed early, but that didn’t work out as well. The other girls stayed up.
On a plus I’m finally caught up on my journal and I have gotten to pray so much today. In my whole time of being sick, I have tried to rejoice in the Lord and praise his name. When I was feeling a little better, I went upstairs to the conference room. Caleb and Zach were working on a game. They were making Settlers of Catan. It was actually a surprise for Kyle because of how sick he was. I helped even though I had no idea what I was doing and no idea how to play. When they were finished they taught me how to play. Lauren won; she had played before, but had never won. Darren then taught us how to play ‘Big 2”. It’s kind of like Presidents, but with some twists.
Dinner was pretty good. We then had to register at the American Embassy. I got to talk to Ling about me feeling distracted at times. She was really glad I was so willing to share and had some great advice. I tried to go to bed early, but that didn’t work out as well. The other girls stayed up.
Bangladesh Journal: Saturday July 8, 2006
Today was the Sabbath. I got to sleep in (Sarah and Lauren also brought toast to me in bed). We then had a ‘meeting’ to talk about why we should keep the Sabbath. From there we had free time, which was spent ‘50s style in our room. We had to leave at noon to have lunch at a woman’s house, who is a part of BSFB. It was in a pretty nice part of Dhaka. I guess Salam lives down the street. Then we came back and goofed for a while. We also did some heavy duty praying for Andrew who was still sick. Four of us girls wrote him a letter and had it given to him.
We then played cards, but that was stopped by some BSFB student stopping by with board games. Marie, Kyle, Caleb, a BSFB student named Johnny, and myself played LIFE. I forgot how much I loved that game. We didn’t get to finish because it was dinner and the BSFB students had to leave. After dinner, which I ate too much of, there was a prayer meeting. We prayed for the upcoming week and wrote praises on the dry erase board.
Then some girls (Beth, Lauren, and Rachel) worked out, but I hung out with Sarah who had to leave again for her site. I realized her and I are a lot alike in good ways. It was great talking with her. I miss her during the week. After we went to bed what I have decided is the flu or Genghis Khan, attack again. Oh man what a few days.
We then played cards, but that was stopped by some BSFB student stopping by with board games. Marie, Kyle, Caleb, a BSFB student named Johnny, and myself played LIFE. I forgot how much I loved that game. We didn’t get to finish because it was dinner and the BSFB students had to leave. After dinner, which I ate too much of, there was a prayer meeting. We prayed for the upcoming week and wrote praises on the dry erase board.
Then some girls (Beth, Lauren, and Rachel) worked out, but I hung out with Sarah who had to leave again for her site. I realized her and I are a lot alike in good ways. It was great talking with her. I miss her during the week. After we went to bed what I have decided is the flu or Genghis Khan, attack again. Oh man what a few days.
Bangladesh Journal: Friday July 7, 2006
Today the sickies slept through breakfast and didn’t go to the church. I did QT in Ray and Danielle’s room. I, however, did throw-up the little breakfast I ate. Due to that I slept a lot of the morning till lunch. I showered and went to lunch (just to be with people). Then Lauren and I went back to our ‘hospital bed’ while the people who were well went on a picnic. We played cards, journaled, did more QT, and slept.
I finally felt ok, so I went and hung out with people in my room before dinner. We got mashed potatoes for dinner and our table was the ‘sick’ table. We were actually in pretty good spirits and started to make more “You know you’re in Dhaka when...” jokes. It was a good time. We then played more cards before our debriefing meeting. It was great to hear how everyone’s sire was going and what they have been up for 4 days. After the meeting, the girls in my room plus Sarah talked about a lot of stuff (like healing and struggling while sick). Then we all crashed after a long day/night.
I finally felt ok, so I went and hung out with people in my room before dinner. We got mashed potatoes for dinner and our table was the ‘sick’ table. We were actually in pretty good spirits and started to make more “You know you’re in Dhaka when...” jokes. It was a good time. We then played more cards before our debriefing meeting. It was great to hear how everyone’s sire was going and what they have been up for 4 days. After the meeting, the girls in my room plus Sarah talked about a lot of stuff (like healing and struggling while sick). Then we all crashed after a long day/night.
Bangldesh Journal: Thursday July 6, 2006
Today was spent until 5ish in Darren and Ling’s bedroom, which also has A/C with Adriel who also got sick last night, but after me at like 4am. All the groups that had to leave for their sites (far from the Grace House) began to arrive back for the weekend at about 4pm. This was like tourcher for me because I was in my PJs and I couldn’t go out and talk with them and I also did not feel well. I finally got dressed and attempted to mix, but after a while sickness kicked in. So I went to rest in Ray and Danielle’s room where Lauren was because her team (with the exception of Darren and Ling) all got food poisoning at their site.
As the night went on Lauren, Andrew, Phil, Adriel, and I got worse. Beth got better. Andrew was almost taken to the hospital, but instead they brought a doctor to us. Lauren and I didn’t see the doctor, but we saw the doctor that came the next morning. Out of all this junk it was amazing to see how God used it to bring out community closer together. I felt that people really cared because they would stop by to talk, pray, or run and do things for us. God is awesome.
Lauren and I slept in Ray and Danielle’s room (Ray wasn’t there, he slept with the boys). That whole night was one of the loudest thunderstorms I’ve ever experienced in a long time. Lauren and I jumped and startled each other when we were sharing a king bed.
As the night went on Lauren, Andrew, Phil, Adriel, and I got worse. Beth got better. Andrew was almost taken to the hospital, but instead they brought a doctor to us. Lauren and I didn’t see the doctor, but we saw the doctor that came the next morning. Out of all this junk it was amazing to see how God used it to bring out community closer together. I felt that people really cared because they would stop by to talk, pray, or run and do things for us. God is awesome.
Lauren and I slept in Ray and Danielle’s room (Ray wasn’t there, he slept with the boys). That whole night was one of the loudest thunderstorms I’ve ever experienced in a long time. Lauren and I jumped and startled each other when we were sharing a king bed.
Bangladesh Journal: Wednesday July 5, 2006
Today was a long, hard, trying day. I actually got to go to a slum community with HEED. They were there to collect people’s savings as a part of their micro loan program. The smells were disgusting; there is no other real way to explain it. There were children running up and down the streets in barely anything and with no shoes on. Most homes seemed to be a part of others with connecting doors. They would offer us their beds to sit on, which was a seat of hone and the only place to really sit. I was still so surprised at what I found in their homes: a TV, fine china, name brand toiletries, etc. I was also surprised to see what customs were still in place, like taking shows off before entering the main room. We all did this to be good guests, but we prayed for health. Also their ability to give was amazing.
Then we went to visit a small business owner who used to be on the micro loan program. She was also very giving. We received gifts, pop, and a shirt. She was so proud of her accomplishments. She was making shirts and sweaters that people would wear in the states, but they were being sent to Saudi Arabia. Not everyone received the hospitality as well and there was too much joking about gifts. This was a tad stressful. Then we had lunch. (OH I got to go on my first 3 rickshaw rides.) HEED got us Bangladeshi take-out. It was way spicy and I knew it would make me sick. It was a hard lunch because I was being told to smile as I was starting to feel sick.
From there we went to a woman’s ‘place’. At this sect of HEED women who may be tricked into marriage (it does not have to be registered) or their husbands leave them when they get pregnant, can live and learn a trade and one day give birth and either keep their child or leave it. A lot of women leave their children and they end up getting adopted. Also most girls were under the 18. This was so hard because the babies were abandoned on the streets or are diagnosed with CP and are thought to die in a few months. I really wanted to cry at the thought. They had to keep about eight women in one room, on the floor, sleeping even, with their babies. The conditions would not be acceptable in the USA. I was having a really hard time.
After that we went and saw a place where they made artificial limbs. We couldn’t stay long because the smell of the toxic glue was overwhelming. From there we headed home (Grace House). On the way back we saw many other things that bothered me: children picking through garbage, people bathing in muddy water (glorified puddles), and many slum communities, which were much worse than ones we saw.
When we got back we were told that Peter had told Jotti that a couple of us girls would go to her Bible study with her. This would mean we would run it, because the guests normally are honored in this way (I don’t know if I understand this). Rachel said yes, which everyone had guessed would say yes, and myself, with my stomach feeling bad and after having a really long day, said I would pray about it. Ray called my room like 10 minutes later and said I should really be praying about going so that I could be stretched. We much up and I was livid. STRETCHED!!!! He thought I could/needed to be stretched more that I had already been today. I broke down in tears to Rachel, later Lauren and Bath, about how I was torn about going and how mad I was. I shared how I felt about everything I saw and how I really just wanted to journal. I know that this should have been just a simple choice, but for some reason it wasn’t, in part because I had been volunTOLD to go. So after lots of talking to many people, I decided to just go because no one else wanted to go.
As we went I felt horrible physically. The girls who were at the Bible study lived at this girls' hostel and were my age about. It was a good time; God used the verses he had been focusing me on and my insight for the girls. After the Bible study while the power was out, it goes out every night for an hour, Rachel agreed that we would stay longer. I was feeling really sick so after a while I told Rachel we should leave. It was kind of scary to walk back to the Grace House. Jotti had decided that there was no need for a rickshaw or CNG so we walked up and down the streets and alleys, just us 3 girls in the dark (no street lights and no power). There were also men that would say something to Jotti; Rachel and I did not know what they were saying (we both knew that Danielle would not be happy about this). After I got back (safe and sound) I hung out with people and prayed. At about 11pm the sickness began. Over the course of 30-45 minutes I threw up 10 times. We called Danielle; we have a room phone that can only call other places in the Grace House. Then Mama D, as the girls were joking, swept me downstairs to share a room with her and ‘couch’ (Ray). The room has the option of A/C and they turned it on for me and made up the spare bed too. I feel asleep only awaking a few times to throw up again.
Then we went to visit a small business owner who used to be on the micro loan program. She was also very giving. We received gifts, pop, and a shirt. She was so proud of her accomplishments. She was making shirts and sweaters that people would wear in the states, but they were being sent to Saudi Arabia. Not everyone received the hospitality as well and there was too much joking about gifts. This was a tad stressful. Then we had lunch. (OH I got to go on my first 3 rickshaw rides.) HEED got us Bangladeshi take-out. It was way spicy and I knew it would make me sick. It was a hard lunch because I was being told to smile as I was starting to feel sick.
From there we went to a woman’s ‘place’. At this sect of HEED women who may be tricked into marriage (it does not have to be registered) or their husbands leave them when they get pregnant, can live and learn a trade and one day give birth and either keep their child or leave it. A lot of women leave their children and they end up getting adopted. Also most girls were under the 18. This was so hard because the babies were abandoned on the streets or are diagnosed with CP and are thought to die in a few months. I really wanted to cry at the thought. They had to keep about eight women in one room, on the floor, sleeping even, with their babies. The conditions would not be acceptable in the USA. I was having a really hard time.
After that we went and saw a place where they made artificial limbs. We couldn’t stay long because the smell of the toxic glue was overwhelming. From there we headed home (Grace House). On the way back we saw many other things that bothered me: children picking through garbage, people bathing in muddy water (glorified puddles), and many slum communities, which were much worse than ones we saw.
When we got back we were told that Peter had told Jotti that a couple of us girls would go to her Bible study with her. This would mean we would run it, because the guests normally are honored in this way (I don’t know if I understand this). Rachel said yes, which everyone had guessed would say yes, and myself, with my stomach feeling bad and after having a really long day, said I would pray about it. Ray called my room like 10 minutes later and said I should really be praying about going so that I could be stretched. We much up and I was livid. STRETCHED!!!! He thought I could/needed to be stretched more that I had already been today. I broke down in tears to Rachel, later Lauren and Bath, about how I was torn about going and how mad I was. I shared how I felt about everything I saw and how I really just wanted to journal. I know that this should have been just a simple choice, but for some reason it wasn’t, in part because I had been volunTOLD to go. So after lots of talking to many people, I decided to just go because no one else wanted to go.
As we went I felt horrible physically. The girls who were at the Bible study lived at this girls' hostel and were my age about. It was a good time; God used the verses he had been focusing me on and my insight for the girls. After the Bible study while the power was out, it goes out every night for an hour, Rachel agreed that we would stay longer. I was feeling really sick so after a while I told Rachel we should leave. It was kind of scary to walk back to the Grace House. Jotti had decided that there was no need for a rickshaw or CNG so we walked up and down the streets and alleys, just us 3 girls in the dark (no street lights and no power). There were also men that would say something to Jotti; Rachel and I did not know what they were saying (we both knew that Danielle would not be happy about this). After I got back (safe and sound) I hung out with people and prayed. At about 11pm the sickness began. Over the course of 30-45 minutes I threw up 10 times. We called Danielle; we have a room phone that can only call other places in the Grace House. Then Mama D, as the girls were joking, swept me downstairs to share a room with her and ‘couch’ (Ray). The room has the option of A/C and they turned it on for me and made up the spare bed too. I feel asleep only awaking a few times to throw up again.
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