Tues May 19

 Lonnie cut up 2 chickens that Tulshi picked up for us. Maddie packaged the drumsticks, thighs, wings, breasts, and tenders. Our employees gladly take home the carcasses, neck, etc.

 This afternoon while Lonnie was out, the baby formula for the milk program was delivered.

I took the littles on a walk and met Lonnie at the bridge where he joined us. A couple boys on bikes, 12 and 13 yr olds, that often show up at our gate, joined us for a stretch. Chatted with Dipti’s sister and (stark naked🤦🏼‍♀️) 5 month grandson along the way. “Hi” to many other friends and acquaintances, like one can only do on an evening stroll in a 3rd world village with a high population density And being white American in a “black” country.

Miss Christina had cinnamon rolls, fresh out of the oven, and veggies and dip on the table when we got back😋

Mon May 18

 After school, the girls helped peel tomatoes and Jaira helped chop veggies for salsa. 

Lonnie had an interesting afternoon. When he was out and about, he helped get a cow and calf back to the barn. Like, carried the calf as it wasn’t following and the mama cow was new and not cooperating either Then they wanted him to wait, while they milked and sent home 4 liters with him 💭 looking forward to some more fresh cheese🤗

While he was out, the eye camp medicine was delivered and I had to count each kind while they waited out by the gate.

Sun. May 17 Gopalganj for church

 Cheesy sausage biscuits from the Simple Suppers Chat then off to Gopalgonj as Doyle’s are on furlough.

9:00 service.. I ended up with both the littles and Annslie was being an absolute pill. I handed Gentry off to the visitor lady sitting next to me so I could deal with my toddler. We left the terrible twos behind and entered the terrible threes , I guess.😏

Then we asked Khokon and Beauty if we could see their dhokan and where they live. So 1st we went to see Khokon’s ironing dhokan. Very small. Neat and tidy. right along a paved road. A pull up garage style door. 2 beautiful green parakeets in a cage..

 Then we drove down the road a piece and He had us park in a Baptist church compound. We walked to his house from there. Typical villagers. We wound our way thru narrow allies, stepping on bricks to cross muddy spots. And as is So common, they live right next door to Khokon’s parents and brothers, sharing the same path in and tiny yard. Stepping in to the crowded quarters is Sister Beauty’s sewing machine. She sews for her family and others. Their daughter’s “room”/bed is there also. Thru a small doorway is the middle part of the house. Small table under the window with Orpita’s(their dau.) school books, China cabinet, and Khokon’s bed. On the far side, another small doorway into the kitchen. And ladies back in America, 🗣️You All Have Very Nice, spacious kitchens!!! Our Sister Beauty here has a nice kitchen too, but from a different perspective.. she doesn’t have to go outside to get to it, she has a gas counter top burner(she doesn’t have to bend over a smoky mud oven), she has a fridge.  The room is the length of the small house, Very narrow!, and low ceilinged.   If we go back into the middle room past Khokon and Beauty’s bed is a door to a tiny walled in area. Their outhouse and she’s got some pepper plants growing back there too.

Beauty served us cold Coke, chanachud(which we all enjoy by now, unlike when we 1st got here and would just try it because it was too spicy for us), and biscuits (little boughten cookies). 

We did not stay long and Khokon led us back out the narrow allies back to the Baptist compound. There a white couple was just leaving but of course we had to stop and chat a bit!🤗 Did they say they were from Connecticut 🤔 but they have a son in Jackson,TN!! They were an older couple (maybe 60s-70s?) and have spent the last 22 years in Southeast Asia. China, Nepal, India, Malaysia,.. So fun to visit with white folks when we see them!🫶🏼

Brother Kobid caught a ride back to Khulna with us.

Back at the house, a quick lunch of ham sandwiches, watermelon, chips.

Then the girls went up to school to get a math and language lesson in.

One of these evenings we pulled out the word search book. A word search for each, we all started at the same time, seeing who could be done 1st.

Sat. May 16

 The girls and I, in our pjs, gathered in the living room at 6:00. We listened to the Year End program back home. The parts were performed well, we could easily understand the speaking parts and had fun thinking about each person. Lonnie joined us for the graduation. Enjoyed listening to Carlon’s graduation address.

Biscuits and gravy and boiled eggs. The power left us for the day when the coffee was only half brewed🤔

Gave Gentry his very 1st tiny hair trim! Just the little point that has grown down in the middle of his forehead. 

Round noon we headed into Khulna City for our weekly shopping

Stopped at Aarongs  https://maps.app.goo.gl/sLoz2bhKhdfFwgSh6?g_st=ic where I found a couple T-shirts for the Bud and Miss Christina and Maddie both found lil treasures😊

Mamboshttps://maps.app.goo.gl/sLoz2bhKhdfFwgSh6?g_st=ic for hamburger and fries and house made lemonades.

Grocery stores today were Shwapno, Safe N Save, and Day 7

Then the veggie market on the way home. Lichu and mangos are ripe in the markets now. But my friends still are having me try the unripe mangoes that are sweet but crunchy. I haven’t bought any yet like that, just keep trying them when they offer them to me. Good, but not good enough to buy..I told them they could have my family out in the van try them so they took their knife, peeled another one and cut pcs for those waiting.

Fri. May 15 1 year since moving down to Khulna

 At Chakrakhali, they had a Huge pile of rice straw in their yard and the S.S. shed was full of bags of their freshly harvested rice. They had us come inside for S.S. today. Dudjoy(18) was studying(for school exams) in one room. Taritro was sick with a fever in the bedroom. It was just 3 big boys today plus our crew, NeeTie(rickshaw van driver), and the man of the house (who loves Gentry and took care of him during S.S.). The story today was the creation story. The big boys love to try to beat Kobid with the interpreting. All listened with great interest. NeeTie commented after,  “the animals are greater than the people because God created them 1st!” So Lonnie shared how the Bible tells us that man was given dominion over the animals

I just took note of how extremely relaxed everybody was. Seemed to be zero peer pressure. Completely comfortable and at ease in their own “shells” and  a relaxed atmosphere in general 😌

The lady of the house brought small bowls of mango mash, flavored with green chili pepper. Each bowl had a mango pit in with the mash.. something most of us would have to learn to enjoy..

Home to lunch of ham, roasted veggies, and Chinese cabbage salad. For dessert, I’d made Cherry Berries on a cloud. Been wanting to make for a long time but wasn’t sure if it would work well here. It was a success☺️

4:00 service was quite slim but Liton had brought a visitor. Somebody that had known previous missionaries Brandon and Travis.. a nurse that has exams to take the next day..

We messaged a handful of people to see if we could come visit and it didnt work for anybody.. 1st time it’s happened to us in BD this way.

Miss Christina, the girls, and I played a round of Junior Pictionary and then Lonnie was gonna go for a walk so u opted to go with him taking the 2 littles on the stroller. Annslie wanted to go to Pim’s house but when we asked about him at the dhokan, we were told he was out in the rice field working. One of Lonnie’s acquaintances invited him to play Carrom there and I sat down on the bench. The dokander was quick to get Annslie a “chocolate” and proceeded to talk to Gentry. After a bit he said he had a little boy, Pele(named after a Brazilian player?). Come to find out he is only 10 days younger! I asked if we could go meet him and of course he was delighted to show me to his house! A very neat and tidy dirt yard and house. The dokander left the littles and I there with his wife and mother. His father was just outside the door washing freshly harvested produce. Soon an auntie and cousin showed up. The cousin was Tina who said she would have been friends with previous missionary girl Brandi. Tina’s little brother Piash comes to S.S. and is the little boy who noticed that Gentry has dimples just like he does🥰  Annslie made them think of Lauren another previous missionary girl… We were served “biscuits” , pictures were taken of the 2 little boys. We didn’t stay long and soon made our way back to the dhokan where Lonnie was playing. Pim got home from the field. Bought a couple single packets of shampoo so he could go bathe and was soon back, buying Annslie Coke and ice pop. Gentry was getting fussy, needing a bottle that I didn’t have along. So Pim walked us home as night had fallen and Lonnie wasn’t quite done with his game.

Thurs May 14

 3rd Sick Day for Tulshi(day guard)😏

While mixing up muffins for breakfast I hollered at the girls to set the table and make coffee. Annslie quickly piped up “I make the coffee!” And proceeded to trot right over. The girls protested that she was Not making the coffee! But, “Yep, I make the coffee.” Jaira let her help grind the beans.

After routine singing a song up in the classroom to start their school day, Lonnie and I shared hearts over cups of coffee in the living room, then he went out and worked in the yard… cut the grass, trimmed up trees, weeded,… 

This afternoon when Lonnie was out in the village, he went to one of his fellow carrom player friend's house. His wife picked some fruit, wax apples, and a bunch of fresh bananas. The friend brought him home on his motorcycle. This friend wanted Lonnie to check out his sick child and lo and behold, this is the same child that we met the other day!… 10 yr old handicapped girl.

Wed. May 13

couple babies at the gate.. 1 on the milk program, another just out of the hospital after spending onek din(many days) with pneumonia, etc. needing help with hospital bills. 

And the beggar girl, quietly asking for a dress for her 2 yr old sister.. “mama, poshak, please?”

Got half of a bodice cut out 😅

 Gentry took a couple bangs..just those baby bangs that seem to be inevitable.. Fell off the couch onto the ceramic tile floor this morning. Then later, Annslie was slinging his paci on a string round and round and got him good right behind the ear. Later face planted from a sitting position, but these ceramic floor tiles are so unforgiving…And he always yells Loudly when he gets hurt so it makes it seem really bad!

Dipti cooked lunch.. fried chicken, okra, rice and dhal

I mixed up a batch of loaf bread

Maddie’s been experimenting with her green thumb.. researching all the flowers and plants on the property, planting new little flower and plant sprouts, broken cactus pad, watermelon seeds, etc…. Watering, reporting to us about it all! The rescued vinca sprout was checked on Again right before she went to bed, the bud is just about to open and she’s pretty sure it’s gonna be white!.. all the others on the establishment are purple. In the morning, we heard her go out before we were out of the bedroom. The report? “My flower bloomed, and it Is white!”🤗