Tues. Mar. 3 Taritro’s Bday Party

 I forgot to write about our 1st native birthday party that we were privileged to attend!

The home where we have our 2nd Sunday School in Chakrakhali. Their one and only son, Taritro, turned 13 yrs old and we were invited for supper and the evening. 

Culture here, begins with dessert. 2 round layer cakes today. One was white confetti made by his mom with a big T drawn in the frosting on the top and the other was a chocolate layer cake made and decorated professionally by a friend.

Oh, and to put you into the setting.. we walk in from the road on a brick footpath shaded by jungly growth on both sides, we sit on hard plastic chairs in a dirt yard swept clean, in front of their concrete home.

So, we gather around the small cake table for pictures and  🎶 Happy Birthday 🎶 and then the traditional cake cutting. The birthday boy with maybe his mom guiding his hand to cut a small pc of cake. They feed each other pcs. of cake and maybe a close friend or 2. Then everybody gets a small pc of cake.

Then supper is served on flimsy plastic plates… rice, dhal, and curry.

After supper a musical instrument combo.. small tabletop piano with accordion on the back (I s’pose there’s a specific name for the instrument, maybe I’ll learn it yet.. ) and tabletop drums were bought out. Taritro’s mom is a music teacher so one of the guests this evening was a 7 yr old student of hers. She played and sang a song for us and one of the little boys also played and sang one. They asked us if we had a song to contribute. We quickly pulled one up on our phones and commenced to sing but about the same time a gathering next door was really cranking up and what they had going on drowned ours out… so much so that we could hardly visit.. I kept hearing the word “America” so I asked Kobid what was going on!? He explained the neighboring gathering being one that all religions come together. There was a women expounding.. and that was the 1st we heard of Trump being associated with the overthrowing of Iran’s leader… 

Taritro and his friends were busy preparing for a kebab BBQ. They were putting the 1st skewers of chicken over the fire at 10:00 so no we would not stay.. besides they’d already served us supper.. 

Journal catch up Feb 28-Mar. 11

 Sat eve Lonnie was not feeling well and spent the night with a flu bug

Jaira got a touch of it also

Our washing machine has been giving us fits! We babysit it All day to get one load washed! 

After trying different things and many trips up the stairs to get it going after throwing a code again..

Thurs. Mar. 5 Lonnie went into Khulna City and bought a new washing machine. He found one, same make as what we’ve been using but 12 kg capacity instead of 10 kg.. that sounded great to me!

Fri. Mar. 6 stayed home from S.S.’s with Gentry. He has come down with a terrible junky cough again and just seemed pretty miserable… not sleeping well at night..

After 4:00 service Kobid and Shomid came in for snack and Carrom.

Sat. Mar. 7 Tulshi wondered if the car was full of fuel. Said people are not being able to find fuel..

So on our trip into Khulna we stopped at the gas station 1st, expecting to get in a long line if what Tulshi said was true.. no line, no Octane!😳 We had just under 1/2 a tank, so went grocery shopping, stocking up extra so we could go a little longer before coming into town for supplies again!

Talking with the missionaries from Dhaka and Gopalgonj…fuel shortage and rationing there also.

Wed. Mar. 11  Lonnie had eye camp in Koyra, 3 hrs south near the Shundorbans.

Fri. Feb 27

 Stayed home from S.S.’s with Maddie, as she wasn’t feeling well..

Cajun Chicken Pasta lunch

After our 4:00 church service, Kobid Brother came in and started playing a game of Carrom until inspiration hit to go look up Louis’s who haven’t been showing up recently. Kobid gave them a call and yes, that would be fine.. and thus commenced another very Bangali experience..

Louis’s live in Khulna City in a Catholic community… Louis, his daughter Lisa, and 1 of Lisa’s friends, met us out by the street where we parked and led us down the alley to their home.. a low income, 3rd world situation, and quite hard to explain. A concrete housing community and when we walked thru Louis’s gate 

the 1st thing was his easy bike(his occupation as a driver) parked 

and then right there was a hand pump for their well water,

And then their shared kitchen. There was even a table there with one end against the wall and a bench along another wall from the corner. Right in the middle there somewhere you could look up and see the stars in the night sky but roof covering most of the area… the “kitchen”… very small, very scarce supplies, dirt floor, a double mud oven(so she can cook her rice and curry at the same time👍🏼) btw, she says she made the mud ovens herself☺️. There was a counter top gas 2 burner but fuel is expensive… Purnima sat on a low stool and was busy cooking.. Bangla noodles, chips ..she had dried potato slices in the sun and now she was deep frying them for homemade chips which she served with her homemade salsa.. This lady loves to preserve food and she pulled many different delicacies out for us…dried mango bars that she’d mashed mango spread it out in the the sun to dry…We could still see the print of the basket on one side😉.. and then she cut it into strips.. another was her “specialty” pickled crab apple with chili for a strong sour/spicy experience with a tough stringy/mushy texture that’s just too much for these Americans🤦🏼‍♀️ one of those instances where we really compliment on the more palette pleasing dishes!.. and then she asks point blank if we like the pickle and here have some pickle and we try to politely tell her that we really enjoy her strawberry infused prune dish and point out how Annslie is Really enjoying those mango bars, and your chips and salsa are Quite fine!🙃

“Coffee”  was served, single serve packages of instant coffee/creamer/sugar that you add to hot water. “Coffee”  is considered uptown, but Lonnie always chooses hot tea if it’s an option😉

So, I mentioned, there was a table but that is not where you serve guests..?.. and to continue the tour of their abode…

There were several rooms off of this kitchen and down a little hall where there was a wash room at the end. Each of these rooms is a home.. Louis’s married daughter Rosy and husband + 1yr old claim one room(They were away this evening).. We congregated in Louis’s room which is unlike most, in that it has a couple pcs of furniture as he is also a carpenter and built the living room set at the mission house also. Which makes me wonder, where he does that? And is that a thing of the past? Anyway, the girls all sat on their bed. Their fridge was in there also, which is a common place for such here. The other rooms are a bit shared also, as in, Rosy’s room is where Purnima’s treadle sewing machine is (she sews her and Lisa’s clothes/kameeze sets) and another room that a “brother” claims, is where Lisa would pull toys out of. Purnima(Louis’s wife) is also very talented in making quite designed rugs and quilts. She showed us several. One had an elephant design😊

The chickens were put in for the night already and what a surprise! They were right inside in a lower cabinet that made up one wall of the kitchen!😅 5 hens and a rooster weren’t making a sound 🐓 

After visiting them, we realized what a trek they have to come to church. It was a good 30 min drive and they come by easybike which would take longer..

Thurs Feb 26 Khulna 🚙💨 & miracle📦

 Fellow missionary Doyle’s birthday so Lonnie helped me put a little extra effort into breakfast… frying the crepes….Whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and fried crumbled sausage.

Worked on getting our bedding and bath towels all thru the wash and hung out, the ice chest loaded and van packed. We had airport UniMart to hit yet to pick up a stockpile of those amazing tortilla chips and big bags of American flavored Lay’s potato chips😋

We ended up at that UniMart during the same time as Doyle’s and had a sandwich lunch with them down at the 2nd Cup/Cinnabon.

Loaded to. the. hilt. we had an uneventful trip back down to Khulna.

Upon arriving back at Feda Palace🏡, Tulshi informed us we had a package waiting to be picked up!!! So, Lonnie went with Tulshi to the P.O. man’s house to receive the package. The P.O. got broke into awhile back, is the way I have it, so he takes the mail to his house here in the village.. 

Talk about a most amazing feeling!!! We truly felt like it was a miracle box! A birthday box from my mom🤍 and 6 other family and friends💛 Our 1st mail since arriving over a year ago! Very special!!

When mom told me she had sent a box, I had just groaned because I didn’t ever expect to see it and I wanted to So badly!! I had to fight feelings of it wanting to ruin my day because I had no hope about it. We know of one letter that we never saw and a wedding invite that was returned to sender.. But it looks like a box can reach us🫶🏼 AND our friends at Gopalgonj have told us, that we can use their address for anybody wanting to send envelopes!🥰 just put in care of:

Doyle Barkman

Po Box 10

8100 District Gopalgonj, 

Gopalgonj, Bangladesh

Their P.O. man knows them well and has been Very Reliable!! They receive birthday and Christmas cards, birth and wedding announcements etc. in 10-14 days!! 

Maybe we’ll get there with our P.O. man yet too..?..

Anyway, A Thankyou, from the bottom of our hearts for those that contributed to the box and to Mom. It means so much! As I write this, we have been enjoying Dove and Lindor chocolates for 2 weeks now and one bag got put away to pull out at a later date😉 The little boy has a fun, crackly book to play with, birthday cards and letters from family and friends on the other side of the world grace the top of our bookshelf, etc..

Wed Feb 25 🎂

 The other men left for the day to do an eye camp. Lonnie stayed home, since it was my birthday, Bless his heart❣️ That was definitely a sacrifice! And I told him he didn’t need to do that!… The big girls stayed at the guesthouse with Krystal and her children and we took the littles with us. Lonnie took me for a pedicure and manicure. 1hr, 3 ladies, less than $10 USD!?! 

Stopped back by the house, then struck out for Sha-var, where Rhidoy and Pinky are living currently. Rhidoy is from Khulna, oldest son of our members Shanto and Shotti. Rhidoy needed work, so his mom’s relatives up here found him a job on the outskirts of Dhaka…. quality control at a garment factory. When you see, “made in Bangladesh” on clothing just know, it’s very possible that some poor villager was given hope, by moving to the City and getting a job at a garment factory 🫶🏼. A very nice visit😊 Rhidoy’s are living in a nice apt building, in the country.. definitely nicer than their village home, tile floors/walls, indoor bathroom,.. and it’s the 1st time, as a married couple, they are out from under his father’s roof, kind of hard for the American mind to grasp. And I think they are enjoying it! Rhidoy works nights so he let Pinky have a kitty 🐈‍⬛ to keep her company. And let me tell you, Pinky is quite the little lady! She got the kitten when it was just a few weeks old and in 2 weeks time she had that kitten potty trained to use the washroom!!?!😅 she had her kitty, his name is Leo, trained better than our 2 yr old🤦🏼‍♀️ Annslie was just loving playing with Leo till she she got a little much for him and then they put him out in the little enclosed veranda. He started yowling to be let back in so Rhidoy went out and gave him a little pop and he quieted right down! Pinky has added little touches to the 4 walls to make it homey. Even curtains on the windows that maybe Lisa had given Rhidoy before he was married when he’d been helping remodel the Pink City houses in Dhaka.. is how I’m remembering the story. Anyway, Pinky is a very neat and tidy housekeeper.. Rhidoy says when he gets something out she makes sure he puts it back in its proper place😉 She has just a t.i.n.y. little kitchen area with a small sink and a counter top burner, But she cooked us up a very nice afternoon snack! Battered and fried egg plant with a homemade dipping sauce, peyagi (deep fat fried onion patties), and homemade peanut brittle😌 Pinky has made friends of her neighbors there🤍

Something Rhidoy commented on, was how for years he always hoped a missionary would come with a boy his age!… Well now, that he’s married, his dream has finally come true! The Dhaka brother, Brian is about his same age🤩

  We went on a little walk yet, meeting up with Rhidoy’s cousin. And then headed back to Pink City later than we were wanting to, getting caught in Iftar traffic (Muslims stopping on the highway to break their fast of the day)

Back at the guesthouse, the girls had supper with Doyle’s. The men were back from a big day at eye camp. Recuperating.. Lonnie said he’d take me and the family out for a “birthday coffee” at North End yet. Spur of the moment, we decided to stop by Brian’s and see if the teachers wanted to go with us. Which of course they did😉 Their crew had already mentioned North End at their supper table, so Brian’s and Chris’s met us there also🥰 

Fun little gifts from my Bangladesh family.. a lucky bamboo plant, a jute throw pillow, and a basket💛

Tues. Feb 24

 Doyle had told Chris’s they could come hang out with us for the day. We decided to go to a park.. https://maps.app.goo.gl/DeqmLWnnp2tcFqCz9?g_st=ic a Very nice, gated park in the City! The children played at the playground, us ladies did a couple laps on the nice walkway around the “lake” and then hit the book store where I found some treasures.📚 

Chef’s Table was closed at this hour due to Ramadan so we ended up at Indulge in the UniMart for lunch. This UniMart is the one we buy our meat from. So we “hit 2 birds with one stone”.

To Brian’s for supper and the eve with everybody. And more singing. Chris had put together a collection of fun songs🎶

Mon. Feb 23 🏥 & CSI mtg

School for the girls again.

We didn’t get to the immunization clinic at 9:00 so they told us to come back at 2:00. We took Annslie and Gentry to see the pediatrician. Gentry is 4 mo. A very happy baby, starting to grasp his toys and play. My colleagues(like our fellow missionaries are referred to the natives as)are saying he is looking like Annslie now, 14 3/4 lbs, 24.8” long. He also has almost no soft spot like it was with Annslie, but his head is still growing nicely so not to worry yet.. he has just a nice amount of medium brown hair that looks like he’s got a nice haircut although we have not touched his hair with a scissors yet.

We picked up sandwiches from the North End on ground floor to take home for lunch with the girls and Miss Christina. Got Annslie down for her nap and took Gentry for his 2:00 appt.

Doyle’s from Gopalgonj arrived in the City also and moved in with us at the guest house. Their teacher joined Miss Christina and field secretary Chris’s at Brian’s. 

Pizza was ordered in, veggies and dip, and Kaylee made a burnt grape salad (YUM😋😋) for supper at the guest house with everybody. 9 children playing, adults visiting and singing