Wed Aug 12

One of those days when the thoughts have a strong downward spiral, nobody can do anything right, and the “house” is falling down around about us. I’d had a big disappointment this week and maybe some after party blues hanging on with nothing to look forward to..

 Dipti did not come due to sickness… and today is the day she normally makes us a Bangla lunch… my counter is Full of dirty dishes… and now I need to figure out what’s for lunch yet in my terrible frame of mind… there is no ground beef in the house due to missing that item on my grocery day in Dhaka… I have 1 package of Frozen chicken in the freezer…. I had planned to have Dipti fry fish, Lonnie had forgot to get it yesterday and now Tulshi thought our best possibility of a nice fish would be all the way at Gollamari which we were planning to go get until we found out Dipti wasn’t coming. I haven’t fried fish Bangali style yet but I sure could’ve tried🤔 but instead I got the chicken out to thaw..

I shared my mental situation with Lonnie, he offered understanding words and a couple things I could try then took Annslie with him as he had a business errand in Khulna City. 

I got Gentry down for his morning nap

Mixed up a batch of bread

Messaged a couple people

Got inspired to try making a couple Bangla dishes that I haven’t made yet

And thanks be to God, I was eventually able to shake the thought pattern and emotions of the morning🤍

Annslie down for her nap

Singing with the girls after their Music Class

I had a cold coffee waiting in the fridge for Maddie after school and she was able to get the Pile of dishes washed in a much more timely manner than her normal

Video called with Mom so she could see Gentry as he seems to be changing looks again. He is So close to walking independently! He now only needs one hand to be held and nearly runs as he gets around

Lonnie worked all afternoon again putting plexiglass on the stair railing to make it safe for little people.

Mango smoothies, pickles, and popcorn in the evening.

Tues Aug 11

 Maddie’s latest inspiration has been a fairy garden. She’s been getting up early and going out before breakfast working in the dirt under our Huge sago palm. 

After lunch, the littles and I went with Lonnie to get a couple more pieces of plexiglass. Stopped by Shwapno for a few groceries and the vegetable and fruit market.

In the evening, while Miss Christina made supper, Jaira the littles and I walked with Lonnie to Neconjo where he played Carrom with the local villagers. The children and I hung out at the new bridge for awhile visiting with passers by, a school girl who didn’t have anything else pressing either, and the dokander’s little girl who’s just a year older than Annslie.

Sun Aug 9 Aleigha leaves

 Miss Aleigha offered to make breakfast one more time yet. Baked oatmeal, mangoes, and eggs that were fried perfectly☺️

The girls each got a math lesson in and then at 1st recess we got in the car and headed to Gopalgonj.  🎶 On the way over Miss Aleigha says, “Let’s sing “Standing Tall” one more time!” 💛   Brian’s had come down from Dhaka and had church there. They picked up Kacchi Dine and met us at Doyle’s house.

Brian had brought Doyle’s car keys thinking their house key would be on the same ring. But no, not the case and Lonnie hadn’t brought his key because we hadn’t even originally planned to go to Doyle’s. The men tried several different things trying to get into the house, but finally gave up and joined us ladies in the garage. Day guard, John, got the generator going so we could have a fan and we sat in a circle and enjoyed Kacchi Dine takeout.

After lunch, the men put a ladder up, climbed to the rooftop, and put the hose over the edge, creating a waterfall for the toddlers and babies to play in on the sidewalk below. 💦 🪣  💦 🚛 💦 

The teachers and Jaira walked to a dhokan for cold drinks for everybody

And all too soon it was time to part ways and head home.

With sad, heavy hearts we drove home. We had been looking forward to having Miss Aleigha with us for about a month and it got terminated at just over a week when other plans were made for her. I can just hear my dad telling me,“There you go thinking again.” So that tells us it’s been lifelong for me that I don’t handle disappointment very well😏

Lonnie said, “It Feels like summer vacation is officially over now.” I wanted to plan a fun little outing for something to look forward to, but that didn’t fly…

Sat Aug 8 Boro Bazaar

A crepe breakfast cleaned up and we were off to Boro Bazar. The teachers “needed” hijabs 🧕 😉, Aleigha wanted to go to the brass dhokan, and I was not done shopping fabric. 

Lonnie told us to remind him next time that we don’t want to go to Boro Bazar on a Sat😳 As we were inching along in traffic, us girls finally decided we would just get out and head to the brass dhokan, had to be faster on foot! Single file, we wended thru the masses of humanity. Aleigha and I bought matching sets of beautiful, short, brass taper holders. We always like to slip down to the Riverside for a minute where the burly Bangali men are carrying massive loads on their heads down to the boats waiting below. 

At one “walk in/back out” fabric dhokan, I spent enough time and Taka for them to close the sliding glass door, turn on the AC, treat everybody to icecream, gift a pc of fabric for Annslie, and put my purchases in a heavy duty canvas bag😅

To Mambos for hamburgers, fries, and lemonades

Back at the house, everybody got outfitted in their Muslim hijabs and went out to show Tulshi. He got a kick out of the Muslim poribar(family)😂 and said the previous missionary girls had them too😉

Fri Aug 7 A matchmaking quest

 Lonnie left after breakfast to take our Brother Harun (from our Tala outpost) and the men of his family to Jashore to meet a girl for a possible wife for his oldest son Dipto. Lonnie had told him in the beginning that he would be leaving at 2:00 so he could be home for our service at 4:00. But when 2:00 rolled around and he realized that they were actually 3hrs from home, not the 2 that he’d been told…No way to be back in time for our service and they hadn’t even had the meeting with the girl yet!

Back at the house:

Lonnie had arranged for Shanto to lead the Sunday School for him, But it was raining. So Lonnie told Shanto he did not have to make his way over here in the rain.. Sunday School canceled. 1 boy was at the gate and later 3 girls hung out at the gate for awhile. The teachers and us sat in the living room and sang Bangla Sun School songs. 

Chicken Taco lunch

Afternoon service, Only Shanto and his boys showed up (Shotti was at home taking care of her goats. A pack of dogs had attacked them when she had them out grazing the roadside) So we sat in a circle and sang and listened to Shanto’s thoughts on “heaven”(..Espondant interpreting)

I made chicken quesadillas with sauteed peppers and onions while Miss Aleigha made choc chip cookies. Visiting while we worked, ending up sharing our conversion experiences💗

The teachers and girls played soccer

Lonnie got home at 10:00 and commenced to tell us all about his day👂🏼1st stopping at Harun’s brother’s place in Jashore to pick him up and getting served fish, chicken, and egg curry, rice, stir fry vegetable, cucumber slices.

Then on to the girl’s village near Kaligonj where they met with the “go between” and then went to the “go between’s place”. 1st grapes, apples, chanachur, cucumber slices, and coconut water were served. Then they brought in Bangla noodles. And next was hot tea. The 15!yr old girl came in to this roomful of men with head bowed and “like a deer in the headlights” quote Lonnie..😏 female relations gathered at the door to observe the suitor. Now was the time to ask questions! Any question you might have about this girl, her family, etc

They did go to the girls home also.. The father and mother kept themselves very scarce, the girl had a little sister 5? yrs old that Lonnie thought was quite a honey🥰 they were served chanachud and biscuits

Back at the “go between’s” place, the family brought them hot tea(cha) yet.

So guess we’ll see if anything comes from this meeting.. if the parents decide it’s a go ahead and if bargaining terms are met 

Thurs Aug 6

 Lonnie took the gari 🚙 in to Khulna City to get a hole in the tire fixed and ran a few errands including a 2nd battery for the house as our power has been off just as much as it’s been on and the 1 battery hasn’t had enough time to recharge. 1 hour on, 1 hour off has been the pattern these days.. If we get up in the morning and the power is on,.. we quick grind coffee beans and make coffee, blow dry hair, etc.. whatever we’d for sure like to accomplish that the generator doesn’t do too well and then I unthinkingly choose a quick easy breakfast that includes toast. Just before we sit up to the table, the power goes off again, and the toaster is no longer an option😏 So back into the kitchen to butter the bread and toast it on the griddle on the stove. The biggest factor for needing extra battery for backup tho is for the night.. we would wake up all thru the night, every time the battery was gone and the fans quit.. too many terrible nights in a row and the days get pretty difficult to navigate..

Back at the house, I made a double batch of tortillas which turned out well🤩 and Mexico Enchiladas for lunch

Miss Aleigha made Apple Danish which we enjoyed for an after school snack☺️

And then Tropical Chicken Stromboli for supper which has an Alfredo sauce instead of red sauce and extra Alfredo sauce for dipping☺️

Wed Aug 5

Dipti made dim(boiled egg) curry and chicken bhaji (fried) for lunch with rice, dhal(lentils), and shobji (vegetable stirfry)

Doctrine class at Lewis and Purnima’s at 5:00

After wards she served us the best version of her Bangla noodles yet and little fried pita balls made with palm fruit and gur(molasses)

Ran by Safe & Save for an ingredient that Miss Aleigha was needing