We arrived in Dhaka at 10:30 pm on the 6th(approximate 8 am on the 6th for you all in Denver) and were so thankful that we flew through immigration and customs. The immigration officers were so thrilled that we were re-visiting Bangladesh after so many years and bringing friends to see it for the first time they didn’t give us any trouble at all. One of our prayers the entire way was that we would be permitted to bring all our goodies into the country without getting hung up at customs. Many of the CCA kids and Valley Community family had sent gifts to be given out and it was our desire to hang onto every one of those items as we passed through customs. That, however, would be no small miracle! Our prayer was answered in a HUGE way when we were let out of the airport without even having to open one bag for inspection!
Donna & Kamal and their daughter, Sylvia, were at the airport to greet us. Donna is my Bengali “sister” who lived with us for a time when we were young girls. She had been saved and was desiring to take the next step of baptism, which could’ve been very dangerous for her (it had proven to be for her father and sister already). She came to live with the James family where we provided a safe home for her until the danger passed. I haven’t seen Donna for 22 years and so it was a tearful and happy reunion.
We went to the Dhaka Guest House where we found our room and crashed for the night. It was so good to stretch out on a bed and sleep!
Today we enjoyed a breakfast of French Toast. The kids broke out their board games and are enjoying a lazy morning of hanging out at the GH while the men exchange our money and the ladies visit more with Donna.
The sounds, smells, and crowds of the city have overwhelmed the children. Kenlee is especially struggling with the way Bangladesh smells. It is over-powering and until you get used to it, very uncomfortable. The girls are struggling with the requirement to used an eastern toilet (hole in the ground) and the filth of the bathroom has been an emotionally difficult thing to process. Thankfully, when we get to Malumghat we will be very comfortable with western amenities again. The streets are over-crowded with many cars, buses, and the various forms of taxi transportation as well as the throngs of people on foot. You can’t get anywhere fast and the dust and humidity make it even more difficult. I find myself enjoying every minute of it but also worried about my children and friends as their tired bodies work to process the overwhelming cultural differences. They are all keeping a very positive outlook and handling it so well, but I know it is a struggle for them all. What is a homecoming for me is a tremendous culture shock for them, something that you really cannot prepare anyone for.
We will board a bus tonight and make a 10-12 hour drive down to Malumghat where Memorial Christian Hospital is located – the place where I lived as a kid. I am so excited to see it and to be reunited with old Bangladeshi friends who are still there. The bus will be quite the adventure, I’m sure. Will share how that goes when we next have an internet connection.
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