When I woke up, I said to Beth, “Today is going to be a LONG day,” having really no idea that this was an insight from God. We had a great time or worship. Darren and Ling led. We did a song called “Sweetly Broken”. During this song I asked God to break my heart and how he wanted to break it. We then went into quiet time and later a speaker (Father Ben). I loved him. He has been the best speaker so far. He is from Smokey Mountain, which is famous for being a burning garbage mountain in Manila. His vision is infectious; he said that he was sorry for inflicting us with it. He said that this will be a journey of solitude, a journey to help find out who we are, and a quest of spirituality. He really spoke to my heart when he talked of the Holy Spirits’ guidance and leading being better than being organized and prepared. This is because our God is a God of surprises. Father Ben was bursting with wisdom and humor; at one point he quoted Backstreet Boys (“show me the meaning of being lonely.”)
Relating to my entry from yesterday, he said, “We are not called to be successful but to be faithful!” God doesn’t desire for me to wind but rather for me to follow him recklessly and with all that I am. There are so many amazing notes in my trek journal from his talk that it would take forever to write them down. But I would like to write one quote that really hit me. “If I do not belong to a community, whose feet shall I wash?” I was like WOW! I can’t always be an individual. I need armor bearers, I need helpers, and I need people to walk with me! This was kind of huge but God still hadn’t answered my prayer.
So we had lunch and then prepared for a ‘race’ activity. Also we were preparing for walking to a different place. It was amazing to be outside of the compound. Everyone would stop and stare at us. This has never happened to me before. The streets were busy with motorcycles that had a passenger cart attached. There were trucks that were filled with men (most of the trucks said “Not 4 Hire.”) There was half of a sidewalk often being blocked by something. The whole time we were talking it was raining. The rain felt cool because the air was hot and sticky. We finally reached where we were going, a covered multi-purpose room. There were kids playing basketball at a hoop just outside in the street. This did not seem at all safe to me.
The ‘race’ activity started with every member starting shoulder to shoulder. Then we were asked a series of questions. Depending on our response we could take a step either forward or backwards. The questions were about family, finances, education, ethnicity, media, work, safety, and etc. Depending on where we landed is where we were allowed to start the ‘race’ for candy. By the end of the questions, I was up by the front. My ethnicity is portrayed in a more positive light in the media. If I need to, I could pay for an apartment, I could make that work. My Dad does have his masters and PhD. My parents both graduated from high school. I technically do not have to work to pay for school, I have parents to support me and I have student loans. I have so many things other do not. When ‘go’ was said I half walked, half ran to the finish line without thinking. I had my pick of candy, bit others did not. There were women of non-white ethnicity up against the wall in the back of the multi-purpose room. They were crying. I didn’t know how to respond. We then had a time of debriefing. These sisters in Christ were hurt and feeling all the pain they had fought to pass by and forget. They saw the men of non-white ethnicity only getting so far and the white men and women passing everyone by. Some comments they had filled me with anger. For instance, when one girl said “our parents never had to work as had as hers did”. I thought my parents have sacrifices a lot for me to go to the school I wanted. Also I was mad that there was never a question in the ‘race’ about debt for I would have then had to take a few steps back. My family makes things work.
I wrote a lot of questions of wonder, anger, and curiosity in my trek journal. At the end of one page, I wrote, “Lord, I surrender all of these things to you!” And I did. I prayed to see his children as he did. This was all at debriefing at the compound. God told me to “Weep with my children as I weep with them. Mourn as I mourn for their pain. My heard is broken for them and their pain, so yours should be too.” Then God broke my heart for His children who have been hurt, oppressed, prejudice against, who cry, weep, fight for a right, who have no where in the world to turn but Him. I began to weep uncontrollably. God’s heart and my heart were aligned. I rejoiced in my heard and mind for the Lord s good and faithful to all prayers. He had answered my prayer and I continued to weep for and with His children.
We had a time of sharing after this time of processing. After a few people, I got up and told what the Lord had done. I thanked them for sharing. I apologized for not being an advocate, for not stopping every joke or comment that may be tearing people of non-white ethnicity down when they are not there. For being tired of fighting for God’s children. I thanked them for giving me a window of what my little cousins could face if the world does not change. My heart wept or Max, Vincent, and Eric. I had grown to not see differences in skin color and the pain they could feel. I had never talked with my Uncle Rick about what he has gone through being a black man. I never talked to Gespar about his fight staying in the USA. My anger was washed away, there is no need for anger, just grace, mercy, and love. I had heard Jesus weep that day and I wept along side His children. I cried till I thought I had no more tears but more tears came. We finally finished the time of sharing. There were apologies from the white community, men as a gender, from people who had been filled with hate due to what people had done to them or people of their same ethnicity. It was a blessing for my heart to be broken.
I missed dinner that night because I had cried so hard I had a headache. This God turned into a blessing. Marie was willing to share with me about her hurt and I prayed over her. Lauren shared in her feelings of guilt and pain and we prayed for her, when I say we I mean Beth, Marie, Lauren, and myself. Then Beth shared in her hurt, pain, and anger towards men. We prayed over her. For each of these women God had led me to pray for them in a specific way and to lay my hands on them in a certain place. For Marie, I was called to lay my hands on her back for her burden. For Lauren, I placed my hands on her head for her confusion of thoughts. While I was praying for Lauren before Beth shared, God gave me a picture of hands on her heart, so when we prayed for her that’s what I did, for that’s where she is hurt. Then they went to dinner and I laid down. Adriel came to see if I needed anything, so I prayed for her. Danielle came to see what I needed. It was great to feel cared for by this new community. I talked with Danielle about how she was doing. I was so happy that she was willing to share with me. She was also able to minister and relate to the pain that Beth felt; Beth had come back from dinner. I then prayed for Danielle and the Holy Spirit was there for the words that I said were words that her and ray had been praying about that I could not have any knowledge of. Some where in this whole evening of prayer Lauren said that she could see that I have a gift of discerning. This was such a blessing to me for I had been praying for this for my chapter of InterVarsity this whole year.
After we prayed, it was time for worship and the nighttime activity, which was seeing how we approach conflict. I’m a compromiser. My commission was to be more accommodating and at times willing to collaborate. We then went into team time. We shared about what god has been doing and is doing. This was awesome. I felt exhausted through. It was great and recharging to see how God is building us as a community. After this Danielle requested individual group time, her, Rachel, Adriel, and myself. This time was so great for we came together as a community and ministered to Rachel and each other. This time was also recharging, yet when I left I asked Beth to pray and then crashed.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Bangladesh Journal: Friday June 23, 2006
Last night we had another potty party. This time at 4:45 am and Beth joined in. I got up at 5:50 am to shower and get ready. I also worked on my journal. I am all caught up not and am really excited to write down my feelings when they happen.
Today we did a few different activities to learn about diversity. For one activity part of a group went into hiding and then the other people decided a task for the person to do and then we could only communicate how to do the task by clapping. The first time we had one person, Andrew, who had to take a chair from the patio and put it in the circle and I just remembered I can’t write about this…sorry.
We then did another activity where we made two different societies and then we visited the other community. I can’t talk about this either. At times, I felt really frustrated because I wasn’t able to communicate with other people. Also I found the group dynamic distressing. Going back to my thought about the guy and girl dynamics in Bangladesh, I feel frustrated that I wont be able to start conversations with men and I cant make eye contact. Also I do not know how I will handle walking behind the men and things like that. I am worried that his might be my pushing point. But I will have to trust the Lord and what he wants to show me through this.
Oh yeah, we had a speaker today as well. She is actually published in a book we have to read Quest for Hope in the Urban Slums. It was really good to hear from her for she talked about the aspects of poverty. I felt tired and fought to stay awake but I really wanted to listen. But I did take notes, and I will reflect on them later. I am talking with the girls, Adriel, Beth, and Lauren, during our unexpected break after our two activities. I also found out that Lauren and Beth will be staying at Grace House with us. So YAY!
Tonight we are having a non-optional fast. We gathered to pray and Ray said we were having a feast and he revealed nothing. After, Ray spoke and then we had a time of prayer and reflection. I for the first time had a tiny glimpse as to what it means to be hungry NOT by choice. They don’t have a choice. Lord please continue to give me revelation about Your kingdom, Your poor communities, and Your will. Lord give me Your heart, eyes, and ears to connect and bond with Your people. I know that the only reason for hunger and poverty is because of sin. The speaker later said, “The hungry do not die because God did not care for them but because neither you or I gave them anything to eat.” I was left with WOW! Nut I still want to know why I have been blessed while others live in poverty and hunger? Lord help me to see and understand Your vision. I was left with these words the speaker said, “The poor are or desert.” I know I still have to process this a lot more.
Looking back on the activities from today, I know that I need to be gracious towards all people dealing with miscommunication and I need to be brave and bold. I should not fear being made a fool or stepping out in new ways. I should never just stand there and/or retreat to my comfort zone. I should and need to be bold because I have the Lord. Also today I really feel called to encouraged (by God and Sean) to be intentional with my relationship with Marie. I think it will be so easy for her to crawl inside herself and be an introvert. Also I want to encourage Sarah more and grow closer to her. We both have had little interaction with one another. I feel as though she can be discouraged and may feel on the outskirts at times. I feel overjoyed that the Lord has put these thoughts and desires in me and I have a desire to respond and I WILL!
On a more surface level, I killed my first cockroach. I think only 2 or 3 of us have done this. There is a contest for who can kill the most. I really want to talk to Phil about spiritual gifts; we started this talk back in April when I drove him home. I’m really amazed right now as we all journal before group time how we all have such a passion for God and his people in each of our own ways. I also can see that we each show it very differently at time and at other times similarly. God is good like that. “I’m in awe.”
I might loose this summer, loose according to me. I might be called to get my competitive side in check. God brought this to my thoughts when we had group time. We reflected and we prayed. This was a time to talk and apologize for thoughts, actions, and words. It was good to do this so that we were able to get things and thought off our chests and out of our minds. After words we went to bed. Adriel prayed for us. Yet NONE of us went to bed. We talked until about midnight.
Today we did a few different activities to learn about diversity. For one activity part of a group went into hiding and then the other people decided a task for the person to do and then we could only communicate how to do the task by clapping. The first time we had one person, Andrew, who had to take a chair from the patio and put it in the circle and I just remembered I can’t write about this…sorry.
We then did another activity where we made two different societies and then we visited the other community. I can’t talk about this either. At times, I felt really frustrated because I wasn’t able to communicate with other people. Also I found the group dynamic distressing. Going back to my thought about the guy and girl dynamics in Bangladesh, I feel frustrated that I wont be able to start conversations with men and I cant make eye contact. Also I do not know how I will handle walking behind the men and things like that. I am worried that his might be my pushing point. But I will have to trust the Lord and what he wants to show me through this.
Oh yeah, we had a speaker today as well. She is actually published in a book we have to read Quest for Hope in the Urban Slums. It was really good to hear from her for she talked about the aspects of poverty. I felt tired and fought to stay awake but I really wanted to listen. But I did take notes, and I will reflect on them later. I am talking with the girls, Adriel, Beth, and Lauren, during our unexpected break after our two activities. I also found out that Lauren and Beth will be staying at Grace House with us. So YAY!
Tonight we are having a non-optional fast. We gathered to pray and Ray said we were having a feast and he revealed nothing. After, Ray spoke and then we had a time of prayer and reflection. I for the first time had a tiny glimpse as to what it means to be hungry NOT by choice. They don’t have a choice. Lord please continue to give me revelation about Your kingdom, Your poor communities, and Your will. Lord give me Your heart, eyes, and ears to connect and bond with Your people. I know that the only reason for hunger and poverty is because of sin. The speaker later said, “The hungry do not die because God did not care for them but because neither you or I gave them anything to eat.” I was left with WOW! Nut I still want to know why I have been blessed while others live in poverty and hunger? Lord help me to see and understand Your vision. I was left with these words the speaker said, “The poor are or desert.” I know I still have to process this a lot more.
Looking back on the activities from today, I know that I need to be gracious towards all people dealing with miscommunication and I need to be brave and bold. I should not fear being made a fool or stepping out in new ways. I should never just stand there and/or retreat to my comfort zone. I should and need to be bold because I have the Lord. Also today I really feel called to encouraged (by God and Sean) to be intentional with my relationship with Marie. I think it will be so easy for her to crawl inside herself and be an introvert. Also I want to encourage Sarah more and grow closer to her. We both have had little interaction with one another. I feel as though she can be discouraged and may feel on the outskirts at times. I feel overjoyed that the Lord has put these thoughts and desires in me and I have a desire to respond and I WILL!
On a more surface level, I killed my first cockroach. I think only 2 or 3 of us have done this. There is a contest for who can kill the most. I really want to talk to Phil about spiritual gifts; we started this talk back in April when I drove him home. I’m really amazed right now as we all journal before group time how we all have such a passion for God and his people in each of our own ways. I also can see that we each show it very differently at time and at other times similarly. God is good like that. “I’m in awe.”
I might loose this summer, loose according to me. I might be called to get my competitive side in check. God brought this to my thoughts when we had group time. We reflected and we prayed. This was a time to talk and apologize for thoughts, actions, and words. It was good to do this so that we were able to get things and thought off our chests and out of our minds. After words we went to bed. Adriel prayed for us. Yet NONE of us went to bed. We talked until about midnight.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
Bangladesh Journal: Thursday June 22, 2006
Last night it was funny because at 1:30 am Lauren, Adriel and myself, all woke up and needed to pee. We then talked but none of us remembered what about. I got up at 5:40 am to take a shower when the water was running. There is only running water from 10pm until noon. After I showered and got read I got to lay down for a bit. (To go back a bit, at 1:30 am when I was peeing the longest pee of my life I remember thinking “WHAT AM I DOING HERE?”; at this point I really had no idea what I had gotten myself into). I thought about this as I was lying down. I know that God has called me here, but I don’t know exactly why. The rest of the girls got up at about 7 or 7:30 am.
As they were getting ready and I was playing catch up in the day before’s journal entry, I really connected with Lauren and Beth. I feel really blessed to feel that bond. We headed p to breakfast. I got to sit by Megan, Amanda, Dan and Zach. It was a lot of joking around. I also met Betsy, Sophia, and Julia who are all going on other Treks. It was cool to see how God called us or led us to pick our Trek. After breakfast, we went to worship. UI am really glad that this is a priority for I know we are here o do Orientation but we should rejoice in the Lord always and praise His name daily. After worship, we had assigned quiet time. This was really good because so often in my day I feel so busy that even in my quiet time I’m thinking about what I have to do, but what I have been getting ready for and organizing for (this trip) is finally happening and now I am really focused on being here and the people I am with.
From that point we went back to the meeting room for a talk. They guy who talked in name Jess. This mansion is actually the place he grew up in. He talked about how we normally just focus on our relationship with God and still it is very Christ-centered. He went further to day that God has intended to have our focus on each other and the world. This really hit me (I am still processing some of it) I know my personal relationship with the Lord has at most times been me-centered. I have been focusing on “Lord what is our will for ME” instead of seeing the LORD WILL. Also in serving other I tend to serve the ones I know and not anyone. I really need to continue to think and pray about this including my world connection. What am I doing in the world to stop social injustice? I know I fight it in conversation with my friends and family but that’s it. What does God want me to do? How far does He want me to go? I’m praying about all of this.
From there we had free time until lunch. At this pint I really got to talk with Lauren and Beth. I feel as though I can be open with the both of them. I can’t wait to see how God will use each one of us in the other’s lives. But I have to admit I am nervous for they are both in the same trek group, so I am afraid over the time we are apart I will get left out of the special bond. But I will trust God with this for He knows best and He has a plan for me. We then went to lunch and I just realized that I got the people I sat with at lunch and the people I sat with at breakfast confused, so I will just skip lunch because I already talked about it and I forgot what actually happened at breakfast.
After lunch we had action training. We had students that spoke other languages lead a group of 3 people. Our leader, Eddie, spoke Korean. He was suppose to make a picture out of 2-D shapes (that he was given) and then describe to us in Korean and using gestures how to make the same picture. It was difficult, but I never got frustrated, which was surprising. With the help of the group and picking up or recognizing the word triangle in Korean, I was able to duplicate his picture. It was really cool. We then split up into group time.
We talked about some happenings from our day and then split up into our smaller groups. My group members and I really all felt disconnected. I felt comfortable enough to share the reasons. I felt disconnected because: I had not spent any real time with time, Rachel and Danielle being mentor and mentoree and having that history, and me not feeling as though I have anyone from my past her like so many other members. Adriel expressed that she thinks it will all come with time, which I think is true. We just need to get to know the other people and how they work. Jess earlier in the day called people to talk about if they were feeling broken due to abuse, sexual impurity and a few other things. Nothing really his me until Danielle asked us about it in group. I have not gotten to share how I feel broken or how Doug’s relationship with me really effected how I trust people and my suspicions of them. Adriel shared about her family (I’m not going to write about it because I’m not sure if she is ok with that). This helped me to feel close to her and understand a little of how she works. Rachel shared about her family (same reason as above for not sharing). This very much gave me a huge insight to the way she works and feeling that much more connected to her. Danielle and I will share with the group later because we ran out of time.
We got back into the bigger group and discovered that for the rest of the day we would have a buddy (guy/girl). The guy (this time) is suppose to serve the girl, carry her things, open her doors, wait for her while she is in her room/going to the bathroom, and make her plate for dinner. This seemed very awkward to me. I’m very use to doing things for myself. But I really believe this is one way God is going to be working on me thins summer (my need to be in control). My partner was Andrew. I was excited for I hadn’t felt like I got to talk to him as much. It was really weird to have to tell him that I am going to the bathroom now or that I forgot something in my room. I felt as though I was being babysat or that I was accountable to someone. We have some free time before dinner, Phil, Beth, Andrew, and myself sat with our feet in the pool. Andrew and I talked about our families and us. We forgot to talk about our expectations for the other person. I might do that today. When I say expectations I mean for protection and everything that goes along that line. We also ate dinner together. There were these awesome fruits, I don’t know what they are called but you suck on the seed and the surrounding fruit. (I later discovered that they a lychee). Then Phil and Andrew had to bring chairs to the other meeting room so Sean had to “watch us”.
We went down stairs to get our stuff for our next meeting. At that meeting we got to hear from the IV Philippines leader and team, Missionaries that are going to Cambodia, and Scott Bessenecker, the father of the GUT (Global Urban Trek). It was almost impossible to stay awake and I ad to pee but I didn’t want to ask Andrew to go to the bathroom with me. But we got a break before Scott talked. That was good. Scott was awesome to hear talk. He talked about the purpose of the GUT and how every 40 years there is a radical movement of young adults going into missions. He also put a challenge on us or rather a thought of if we are called to missions. He prayed that if we were that God makes it clear and if we aren’t that we feel freedom. I haven’t felt either yet, but I’m excited to hear God’s will.
Ray cancelled team time; he and the other leaders felt that we needed to rest. This was true. The girls and I were escorted to our door and then got ready for bed. I LOVE OUR AIR CONDITIONER! We spent time talking and journaling until 11pm. I forgot to put this the other day but we have started to pray before we go to bed. I did it the first night and Lauren did it tonight. I feel blessed to live with these girls.
As they were getting ready and I was playing catch up in the day before’s journal entry, I really connected with Lauren and Beth. I feel really blessed to feel that bond. We headed p to breakfast. I got to sit by Megan, Amanda, Dan and Zach. It was a lot of joking around. I also met Betsy, Sophia, and Julia who are all going on other Treks. It was cool to see how God called us or led us to pick our Trek. After breakfast, we went to worship. UI am really glad that this is a priority for I know we are here o do Orientation but we should rejoice in the Lord always and praise His name daily. After worship, we had assigned quiet time. This was really good because so often in my day I feel so busy that even in my quiet time I’m thinking about what I have to do, but what I have been getting ready for and organizing for (this trip) is finally happening and now I am really focused on being here and the people I am with.
From that point we went back to the meeting room for a talk. They guy who talked in name Jess. This mansion is actually the place he grew up in. He talked about how we normally just focus on our relationship with God and still it is very Christ-centered. He went further to day that God has intended to have our focus on each other and the world. This really hit me (I am still processing some of it) I know my personal relationship with the Lord has at most times been me-centered. I have been focusing on “Lord what is our will for ME” instead of seeing the LORD WILL. Also in serving other I tend to serve the ones I know and not anyone. I really need to continue to think and pray about this including my world connection. What am I doing in the world to stop social injustice? I know I fight it in conversation with my friends and family but that’s it. What does God want me to do? How far does He want me to go? I’m praying about all of this.
From there we had free time until lunch. At this pint I really got to talk with Lauren and Beth. I feel as though I can be open with the both of them. I can’t wait to see how God will use each one of us in the other’s lives. But I have to admit I am nervous for they are both in the same trek group, so I am afraid over the time we are apart I will get left out of the special bond. But I will trust God with this for He knows best and He has a plan for me. We then went to lunch and I just realized that I got the people I sat with at lunch and the people I sat with at breakfast confused, so I will just skip lunch because I already talked about it and I forgot what actually happened at breakfast.
After lunch we had action training. We had students that spoke other languages lead a group of 3 people. Our leader, Eddie, spoke Korean. He was suppose to make a picture out of 2-D shapes (that he was given) and then describe to us in Korean and using gestures how to make the same picture. It was difficult, but I never got frustrated, which was surprising. With the help of the group and picking up or recognizing the word triangle in Korean, I was able to duplicate his picture. It was really cool. We then split up into group time.
We talked about some happenings from our day and then split up into our smaller groups. My group members and I really all felt disconnected. I felt comfortable enough to share the reasons. I felt disconnected because: I had not spent any real time with time, Rachel and Danielle being mentor and mentoree and having that history, and me not feeling as though I have anyone from my past her like so many other members. Adriel expressed that she thinks it will all come with time, which I think is true. We just need to get to know the other people and how they work. Jess earlier in the day called people to talk about if they were feeling broken due to abuse, sexual impurity and a few other things. Nothing really his me until Danielle asked us about it in group. I have not gotten to share how I feel broken or how Doug’s relationship with me really effected how I trust people and my suspicions of them. Adriel shared about her family (I’m not going to write about it because I’m not sure if she is ok with that). This helped me to feel close to her and understand a little of how she works. Rachel shared about her family (same reason as above for not sharing). This very much gave me a huge insight to the way she works and feeling that much more connected to her. Danielle and I will share with the group later because we ran out of time.
We got back into the bigger group and discovered that for the rest of the day we would have a buddy (guy/girl). The guy (this time) is suppose to serve the girl, carry her things, open her doors, wait for her while she is in her room/going to the bathroom, and make her plate for dinner. This seemed very awkward to me. I’m very use to doing things for myself. But I really believe this is one way God is going to be working on me thins summer (my need to be in control). My partner was Andrew. I was excited for I hadn’t felt like I got to talk to him as much. It was really weird to have to tell him that I am going to the bathroom now or that I forgot something in my room. I felt as though I was being babysat or that I was accountable to someone. We have some free time before dinner, Phil, Beth, Andrew, and myself sat with our feet in the pool. Andrew and I talked about our families and us. We forgot to talk about our expectations for the other person. I might do that today. When I say expectations I mean for protection and everything that goes along that line. We also ate dinner together. There were these awesome fruits, I don’t know what they are called but you suck on the seed and the surrounding fruit. (I later discovered that they a lychee). Then Phil and Andrew had to bring chairs to the other meeting room so Sean had to “watch us”.
We went down stairs to get our stuff for our next meeting. At that meeting we got to hear from the IV Philippines leader and team, Missionaries that are going to Cambodia, and Scott Bessenecker, the father of the GUT (Global Urban Trek). It was almost impossible to stay awake and I ad to pee but I didn’t want to ask Andrew to go to the bathroom with me. But we got a break before Scott talked. That was good. Scott was awesome to hear talk. He talked about the purpose of the GUT and how every 40 years there is a radical movement of young adults going into missions. He also put a challenge on us or rather a thought of if we are called to missions. He prayed that if we were that God makes it clear and if we aren’t that we feel freedom. I haven’t felt either yet, but I’m excited to hear God’s will.
Ray cancelled team time; he and the other leaders felt that we needed to rest. This was true. The girls and I were escorted to our door and then got ready for bed. I LOVE OUR AIR CONDITIONER! We spent time talking and journaling until 11pm. I forgot to put this the other day but we have started to pray before we go to bed. I did it the first night and Lauren did it tonight. I feel blessed to live with these girls.
Bangladesh Journal: Monday June 19, 2006-Wednesday June 21, 2006
I have been almost non-stop traveling since Monday at 4:30 am. My flight from O’Hare to LAX was good; I slept most of the time. Or rather I tried to. When I got to LAX, I felt a little unsure about what to do and where to go. LAX is a beautiful airport. There are little boutique type places inside. Once I got my bags I called my family and the LAX point person (Bo) who I think I woke up. I then wandered around the American Airlines terminal until I found someone and asked him where the International terminal was. I got to walk outside from one terminal to the next. I breathed in CA air and saw some palm trees. I can officially say I have walked in CA now. I wandered around the International terminal, just to check it out. I then settled at a table in the upstairs sitting/waiting/dining area. I found different ways to amuse myself a.k.a. sudoku, playing cards, reading a magazine and a book, and just people watching. Close to lunch the place got really busy and I needed to o to the bathroom, but I was afraid to loose my table. God provided me with a person who asked if she could sit with me. She was also willing to save the table as I went to get food and to the bathroom. Both of these tasks were rather interesting since I got a cart for my bags and I took that everywhere. The food I got (for both lunch and dinner) was almost like Panda Express but more authentic.
After she left I just chilled more and worked on my prayer journal and calendar. It was really amazing to see how God really led me to write certain prayer requests down for specific people, when I never really thought about praying for that person in that way. Praise the Lord. The seating area died down a bit so I went to the bathroom and explored the upstairs. My table was taken when I got back but there was one open closer to the window. I then table hopped for a while till I was sitting at a table that was by the window and a plug but not in direct sunlight thus making it extremely hot. I got to talk to Brad Drewes. It was great to talk to him. He gave me some praise (from himself). He is getting married (YAY)!
Finally at around 6pm other people started to arrive in this order: Kyle, Caleb, Andrew, Lauren, Marie, Adriel, and Phil. These were the ones who arrived before 10. We played some card games, which made the time go by faster. Finally we went to go check in and go to the gate. We then met Dan; he had already checked his bad. Beth arrived right before we boarded the plane. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone. We then took a bus to get to the plane. That is when I started to feel unbelievably tired. I had some good conversation with Andrew about where I have traveled before and my goal of swimming in every ocean and visiting every continent with the exception of Antarctica. We then boarded the 747. All of our seats for the most part were scattered. I was a little glad about this because then I would not be tempted to talk or stay awake.
So I slept for 10 hours of the 13 hours flight. Waking up only for meals, bathroom breaks, and the last Movie (Last Holiday). When I was awake it was good t see some familiar faces and to talk with the people I am going to spend 7 weeks with. When we finally landed in Taipei, I was ready to go and very awake. It was 6 am there but 3 am in LA and 5 am at home (so there was a 13 hr difference). At the airport we played “Evil Dictator” which was so much fun. It’s a game where you make up rules that no one knows about (only the ruler does) so people get penalties until they follow the rules. During this time I got to know people from other Asia Treks and Kyle, who also played.
It was fun to just talk to people. I sat by Dan and Kyle on the way to Manila. We listened to Jazz on the plane and talked. When we finally got there, I was hit by a wave of heat. The smells were totally different there. The air is more humid and it just felt wet. We then went to an area where we were going to meet our ride. We put our luggage on a truck and then we boarded a nice bus. We finally connected with the rest of our student group (Rachel, Sarah, Zach, and Sean). It was great to see everyone. We then drove through Manila for 45 minutes till we reached Quizon City where we were staying.
It was amazing to see the city. Manila had a lot of modern and English billboards. I found out that movies come out on Wednesday. Also gas prices are about the same. It was amazing to see how certain areas were really clean but still looked unclean or old. Every building was so close to the next. They almost looked like one long building. When we arrived at the mansion, I noticed that all the houses had brick walls around them with barbed wise and broken glass cemented to the top. The place we were staying had a textile factory up front. I am not sure if the factory is still in use but it is still there.
When we walked up the driveway we got t o see our trek leaders (Ray, Danielle, Megan, Amanda, Ling, Darren, and John). We then got to have lunch not that we hadn’t eaten on the plane. The main meal was pork so I ate the sides. The backyard was amazing. The porch is stone and has columns. There is a pool and a performance stage made out of bamboo. They had set up tables on the back lawn and on the porch where we could eat. After we ate we got our room assignments. I was staying with 4 other girls who are going to Dhaka (Marie, Beth, Lauren, and Adriel). We share 1 double bed and 1 Queen. It’s kind of fun. We have been spoiled for everyone had an Air Conditioning unit in their room, not you are suppose to only have it on at night. The rooms are not what I expected. The only way I can explain it is a really nice hotel that needs A LOT of repairs, but imagine that it is a hotel from the 80s.
After we got settled a bit, we had team time. We talked about what our expectations were and where we were. We then ate dinner. (It is a little hard to remember because of the jet lag). We then went to group time (all Asian Treks). They knew better than to do something important because we were so far gone. Before our leaders would let us go to bed they made us play mafia, missionary style. That was draining. We then fought to stay awake until 10pm their time 9am my home time.
After she left I just chilled more and worked on my prayer journal and calendar. It was really amazing to see how God really led me to write certain prayer requests down for specific people, when I never really thought about praying for that person in that way. Praise the Lord. The seating area died down a bit so I went to the bathroom and explored the upstairs. My table was taken when I got back but there was one open closer to the window. I then table hopped for a while till I was sitting at a table that was by the window and a plug but not in direct sunlight thus making it extremely hot. I got to talk to Brad Drewes. It was great to talk to him. He gave me some praise (from himself). He is getting married (YAY)!
Finally at around 6pm other people started to arrive in this order: Kyle, Caleb, Andrew, Lauren, Marie, Adriel, and Phil. These were the ones who arrived before 10. We played some card games, which made the time go by faster. Finally we went to go check in and go to the gate. We then met Dan; he had already checked his bad. Beth arrived right before we boarded the plane. I really enjoyed getting to know everyone. We then took a bus to get to the plane. That is when I started to feel unbelievably tired. I had some good conversation with Andrew about where I have traveled before and my goal of swimming in every ocean and visiting every continent with the exception of Antarctica. We then boarded the 747. All of our seats for the most part were scattered. I was a little glad about this because then I would not be tempted to talk or stay awake.
So I slept for 10 hours of the 13 hours flight. Waking up only for meals, bathroom breaks, and the last Movie (Last Holiday). When I was awake it was good t see some familiar faces and to talk with the people I am going to spend 7 weeks with. When we finally landed in Taipei, I was ready to go and very awake. It was 6 am there but 3 am in LA and 5 am at home (so there was a 13 hr difference). At the airport we played “Evil Dictator” which was so much fun. It’s a game where you make up rules that no one knows about (only the ruler does) so people get penalties until they follow the rules. During this time I got to know people from other Asia Treks and Kyle, who also played.
It was fun to just talk to people. I sat by Dan and Kyle on the way to Manila. We listened to Jazz on the plane and talked. When we finally got there, I was hit by a wave of heat. The smells were totally different there. The air is more humid and it just felt wet. We then went to an area where we were going to meet our ride. We put our luggage on a truck and then we boarded a nice bus. We finally connected with the rest of our student group (Rachel, Sarah, Zach, and Sean). It was great to see everyone. We then drove through Manila for 45 minutes till we reached Quizon City where we were staying.
It was amazing to see the city. Manila had a lot of modern and English billboards. I found out that movies come out on Wednesday. Also gas prices are about the same. It was amazing to see how certain areas were really clean but still looked unclean or old. Every building was so close to the next. They almost looked like one long building. When we arrived at the mansion, I noticed that all the houses had brick walls around them with barbed wise and broken glass cemented to the top. The place we were staying had a textile factory up front. I am not sure if the factory is still in use but it is still there.
When we walked up the driveway we got t o see our trek leaders (Ray, Danielle, Megan, Amanda, Ling, Darren, and John). We then got to have lunch not that we hadn’t eaten on the plane. The main meal was pork so I ate the sides. The backyard was amazing. The porch is stone and has columns. There is a pool and a performance stage made out of bamboo. They had set up tables on the back lawn and on the porch where we could eat. After we ate we got our room assignments. I was staying with 4 other girls who are going to Dhaka (Marie, Beth, Lauren, and Adriel). We share 1 double bed and 1 Queen. It’s kind of fun. We have been spoiled for everyone had an Air Conditioning unit in their room, not you are suppose to only have it on at night. The rooms are not what I expected. The only way I can explain it is a really nice hotel that needs A LOT of repairs, but imagine that it is a hotel from the 80s.
After we got settled a bit, we had team time. We talked about what our expectations were and where we were. We then ate dinner. (It is a little hard to remember because of the jet lag). We then went to group time (all Asian Treks). They knew better than to do something important because we were so far gone. Before our leaders would let us go to bed they made us play mafia, missionary style. That was draining. We then fought to stay awake until 10pm their time 9am my home time.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Back from Bangladesh
So I am back and I will write more later. But here is something now to hold those of you that are interested over...Pics.
Album 1:
http://carthage.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008019&l=202aa&id=51600478
Album 2:
http://carthage.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008023&l=99a23&id=51600478
Album 3:
http://carthage.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008118&l=e1194&id=51600478
Album 1:
http://carthage.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008019&l=202aa&id=51600478
Album 2:
http://carthage.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008023&l=99a23&id=51600478
Album 3:
http://carthage.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2008118&l=e1194&id=51600478
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