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.
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