Settling Down & Settling In
The Christmas decorations made a record-long apperance at my parents house this year, thanks to my gracious mother. They were my reminder of the faithfulness of God in bringing me home for the holidays. This season I was overwhelmed by the blessings in my life: my incredible family, loyal friends, a prayerful & supportive spiritual family, and dairy products. Why would anyone leave all that?
I'll have to admit, getting on the plane was quite a struggle this time. I was far from certain it was the right timing of God's plan for me. Through my 2-day journey, I had plenty of thoughts of just turning around to return home. That peace I had departed with every other time never showed up to calm my anxieties. I arrived in Bangladesh safe, but numb--numb to the excitement of a new adventure, numb to the life in this culture, and numb to the presence of God. A long 3 days after my arrival, God lifted my burden and His peace has rested in my heart ever since.
I can now honestly say that I am glad to be back in Bangladesh. Last week I escaped from the city & joined a short-term team in a village outside of Khulna. Much of the ministry their focused on 'reviving' the local Christian communities. We shared how being a Christian allows us to enjoy more than salvation and heaven. We taught about how we don't have to wait until heaven to be with God, because God wants an intimate relationship with us on earth. So many Christians know about Jesus and acknowledge Him as Lord, yet don't spend time with Him. One of the most exciting stories from the week was seeing God soften the hearts of a group of 20 Muslim men. They were working nearby to dig a pond and one of the local Christian men invited them to join our meeting that night (to see the foriegners). The joined us but, at first, when we were clapping and singing songs about Jesus, these men just stared at us with that cold-hard look in their eyes. After the team started sharing about who Jesus was and the love He has for us, a transformation occured and they were captivated. When their dinner call rang in the distance, they hesitated to leave. They were considering surrendering their meal to hear more about Jesus. They all ended up leaving, but returned 15 minutes later for more of Jesus and fellowship!!
I would've liked to stay in the village longer, but I had to return to Dhaka for the start of my Bangla Language Course. Little did I know that I would miss my first class. The Biswa Itjema, the 2nd largest Muslim gathering in the world (2nd to the Hajj in Mecca) was in session nearby. All day long, getting around deemed nearly impossible as the roads were filled with Muslims dressed in their white shirts and hats all walking in one direction to the meeting. Getting to my class required me to work against the white tide. Thankfully, my teachers understood and appreciated my innocent attempt to still get to class. It turned out that the other student in our class of 2 had the same problem, so I didn't even miss a thing.
I have had 4 classes now and am really enjoying it. I am learning the script and feel like I am in art class at times. It is beautiful and fun. I have learned 28 of the 52 consonants now and am starting to be able to read words on signs and billboards (but have yet to understand what I am reading). Please continue to pray for my understanding of Bangla!!
I know I went a long time without updating everyone. My hopes are to have an afternoon set apart weekly for internet communications. As long as the electricity works in my favor, plan to hear from me weekly. Thanks again for all your prayers, support, and encouragement. Habar dekah Hobay. It means: I will see (or in this case write) you again.
I'll have to admit, getting on the plane was quite a struggle this time. I was far from certain it was the right timing of God's plan for me. Through my 2-day journey, I had plenty of thoughts of just turning around to return home. That peace I had departed with every other time never showed up to calm my anxieties. I arrived in Bangladesh safe, but numb--numb to the excitement of a new adventure, numb to the life in this culture, and numb to the presence of God. A long 3 days after my arrival, God lifted my burden and His peace has rested in my heart ever since.
I can now honestly say that I am glad to be back in Bangladesh. Last week I escaped from the city & joined a short-term team in a village outside of Khulna. Much of the ministry their focused on 'reviving' the local Christian communities. We shared how being a Christian allows us to enjoy more than salvation and heaven. We taught about how we don't have to wait until heaven to be with God, because God wants an intimate relationship with us on earth. So many Christians know about Jesus and acknowledge Him as Lord, yet don't spend time with Him. One of the most exciting stories from the week was seeing God soften the hearts of a group of 20 Muslim men. They were working nearby to dig a pond and one of the local Christian men invited them to join our meeting that night (to see the foriegners). The joined us but, at first, when we were clapping and singing songs about Jesus, these men just stared at us with that cold-hard look in their eyes. After the team started sharing about who Jesus was and the love He has for us, a transformation occured and they were captivated. When their dinner call rang in the distance, they hesitated to leave. They were considering surrendering their meal to hear more about Jesus. They all ended up leaving, but returned 15 minutes later for more of Jesus and fellowship!!
I would've liked to stay in the village longer, but I had to return to Dhaka for the start of my Bangla Language Course. Little did I know that I would miss my first class. The Biswa Itjema, the 2nd largest Muslim gathering in the world (2nd to the Hajj in Mecca) was in session nearby. All day long, getting around deemed nearly impossible as the roads were filled with Muslims dressed in their white shirts and hats all walking in one direction to the meeting. Getting to my class required me to work against the white tide. Thankfully, my teachers understood and appreciated my innocent attempt to still get to class. It turned out that the other student in our class of 2 had the same problem, so I didn't even miss a thing.
I have had 4 classes now and am really enjoying it. I am learning the script and feel like I am in art class at times. It is beautiful and fun. I have learned 28 of the 52 consonants now and am starting to be able to read words on signs and billboards (but have yet to understand what I am reading). Please continue to pray for my understanding of Bangla!!
I know I went a long time without updating everyone. My hopes are to have an afternoon set apart weekly for internet communications. As long as the electricity works in my favor, plan to hear from me weekly. Thanks again for all your prayers, support, and encouragement. Habar dekah Hobay. It means: I will see (or in this case write) you again.
posted by Lindsay at 11:59 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home