I’ve been in Bangladesh for about 2 ½ weeks now, and
ministry here is so different compared to in India. In India, ministry opportunities had long
been established and was basically set up for us. We were able to go into homes and share
openly with people about Jesus. We did
open-airs where we would stand in the middle of a community and do dramas &
preach, but here it doesn’t look like that.
In my current location, things are at pioneer stage. There aren’t really any ministries set up
that we can join in with, and it’s also not ok to convert, so things look
different here.
We spend much of our time in prayer walks at strategic
places in the community (hospitals, government offices, temples, jails, view
points over the whole city), and are working on relationship building, for it’s
in relationships that anything would be able to happen. So we have begun building relationships with
people on the beach, surfing & teaching swimming lessons, playing soccer, and
anything else that arises that presents an opportunity to build
relationship. The girls are also part of
a Muslim women’s sewing group. We are
learning to “stitch” as they call it, which basically means embroidering
things. So we are learning to stitch and
beginning to get to know the women, all in an effort to be able to share our
lives with them and the Hope that we have.
I must admit, it’s been frustrating to me. It doesn’t feel like I’m doing anything. I’m a
doer. I want to see tangible results for
what I’m doing, and here, I don’t get that.
It has come up multiple times through prayer that we are planting seeds
and probably won’t see the harvest, which is kind of a bummer, but we’re still
part of the work that is happening.
Someone sows, another waters, and another reaps the harvest. It’s just not always exciting to be the sower.
Another thing that is beginning to be frustrating is that
all the opportunities seem to go to the guys on my team. We’re in a Muslim country, so women don’t
have high regard. We are foreigners so
we have a bit more importance, but still, everyone seems to go to the
guys. We girls are learning to stand in
the background and pray for the guys and their new relationships forming, and
pray for different situations as they arise, but it’s not the easiest thing for
me. It’s hard because I come from a
place where women are raised to be independent and are equal with men. Not so here.
I’m already beginning to feel a bit of the oppression that women must
live under here. Frustrating.
But all in all, things are going ok. I’ve been feeling better and the antibiotics
seem to have killed whatever was living in me, so that’s good. Our living conditions are good, and we
actually have AC! This is a miracle and
is such a blessing to come home to at the end of the day. The temperatures here are in the 100’s with
lots of humidity, so the AC is amazing!
The team is doing well, and we’re all learning to adjust to this place
and figuring out what our role is in what God is doing in this nation.
Please keep praying for health, clear guidance &
protection. Thank you!
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