Thurs. Sep 25

 Dipti’s last day before we go to Dhaka till the baby arrives. She didn’t want to leave, and kept hanging around washing up the dishes as I made lunch, etc.

Oh another Dipti story. The other day I was upstairs ironing, the girls were there in the classroom having school, Annslie was sitting at the table close by drawing on a little marker board. Dipti came up and hung out a bit, drawing with Annslie. And then Dipti tells how she never got to go to school.. she wiped the tears from her eyes with her orna as she went on to tell about how there were 4 sisters and 1 brother in her family and she had to work as a young girl…. There are still folks in the world like her…😢 Made me want to set up a schedule with her and teach her the ABCs and 123s! I can’t even imagine not going to school as a child!! So many aspects of life we take for granted

Wed. Sep. 24

 Lonnie and I took care of the pork this morning, grinding and making sausage. We were able to get a hold of 11 lbs this time.

Dipti started on lunch and Lonnie, Annslie, and I ran into Khulna for a few groceries.

Was so lovely to get home at noon, the girls were setting the table and Dipti had the hot pots of rice, chicken curry, veggies, and dhal sitting on the table😌

Lonnie took Tulshi with him and they cleaned the windows at the clinic

 Couple loads of laundry

Brought the shelves down from the classroom that Christina hadn’t found a use for and fixed up a changing table

The girls all spent the eve out writing with sidewalk chalk under the mercury light till shower time.

Toby, our dog, slipped out the gate the other night AGAIN! He has not showed back up yet like he normally has in the past. We are sure hoping he does!!! As he would not be easily replaced as in, I trust him with Annslie, he’s a mannerly dog to have around.. does not jump on you etc., does not chew things up, etc.

Habib, electrician we got to know in Pink City, messaged Lonnie this afternoon telling him that his wife just lost their baby at 6 months gestation! They had been praying for this baby to not be autistic like their 6 or 7 yr old boy! So sad!😩 They contacted the new Dhaka family also, who went to visit them in their home in Dumni.🤍 the report was that his wife seemed really sad, just layed on the bed. Her d+c is tomorrow. They took a bag of rice and flour and left some taka.  Habib has been out of work but has found a job that starts in Oct. the Dr visit tomorrow is 20,000 taka, about 200 USD, a large bill in their situation!

Tues. Sep. 23 Pork Day

French toast breakfast

I got a couple more final seams sewed on my latest dress

Lonnie worked on giving our bedroom A.C. a thorough cleaning with the incentive that it would help his allergies and seemed like maybe it wasn’t cooling as well lately either.?.

Then he and Tulshi went to pick up the pork we’d ordered and Lonnie washed it for me also!🤗

 Grilled chicken sandwiches for lunch.

I mixed up a batch of loaf bread and Cowboy cookies.

Lonnie took Annslie with him to meet the Dristidan(eye camp hosp.) staff with his paper work. Doyle and family were gonna be there too. Christina had lang. class 3:30-5:00 so the big girls n I stayed home with her.

Mon. Sep. 22

Beef roast with carrots and potatoes lunch

Later in the day, made Ranch Party Mix and jumped in on Christina and Jaira’s Cover Your Assets game.

Lonnie visited with Pat via WhatsApp. Overhearing bits and snatches of them hashing pros and cons of the different aspects of the livestock/farming business sure made me lonesome for those folks 💭 

I worked on trying to finish up a dress that has sat on my sewing cabinet for probably a month now.

Sun.Sep.21

 Breakfast burritos

 Lonnie grilled up some white bbq chicken for me

Grilled chicken salad for lunch 🥗 

Lonnie went to clean at the clinic in preparation for hosting the follow up visits from the last eye camp.

In the evening, we all played several rousing rounds of Cover Your Assets.

Sat. Sep. 20

 The days are flying by! Already to the latter part of September!?!

A rare Sat. As we opted not to have school even with our short school weeks due to our two Dhaka trips so close together, the recent one and the one in the near future.

We had a relaxed morning frying pancakes and sausage hash browns. Oh, by the way, we had put ketchup on the table for the hash browns and that was what Annslie opted to dip her pancake in, instead of syrup😝 

Made a grocery run into Khulna, hitting Dominos for our next meal.

We found a nice selection of fruits and veggies so Maddie and Jaira were busy getting those and a couple doz. eggs washed up.

Lonnie left on a walk to go find the dokan to add more Taka to my BD phone plan. 

Later we all walked into the village and us girls left Lonnie at the carrom board and walked home.

Eventually, Lonnie joined us in the living room where we were doing personality questionnaires…

Fri. Sep. 19 Worship Day🥵

 After coffee cake and sausage patty breakfast, we walked up the road to our 9:00 Sun. School. Today was another Cooker!! We’d had some days that weren’t quite as hot but today it was back in full force🥵 Attendance was good! Right up next to 50 boys n girls

Caught rickshaw van to Chakrakhali dropping me off at the house. I’d forgotten to put the roast in last night🤦🏼‍♀️ but had some chicken thawed in fridge. So stirred up some tortillas, seasoned and fried the chicken, made cucumber salsa, cut up avocado, made lemonade with slices of mishti(sweet) green lemon for extra flavor and garnish. When the crew got home, Lonnie fried up the tortillas for me.

Nap time

Mixed up a batch of Oatmeal, Choc. Chip Cookies (Love Wears An Apron, Lavonne’s)

4:00 service

Everybody was on time today!! Felt like it had been awhile since that was the case🙃 

We sweated thru the service. Annslie was being a “pill” like she hadn’t been in awhile, possibly just plain hot and miserable..?..

The service was good, the general feel of the afternoon seemed to be a bit more peaceful✨ 

We were invited to an evening meal, one of Shanto’s neighbors(an older woman)that Lonnie had visited and helped with Shanto a month or so ago, Had passed away and Hindu culture is to serve a feast 13 days later so the deceased one’s spirit can be at peace.

We were told 500-600 were possible to be served at this feast!😳 Lonnie told Shanto, he didn’t think they’d miss us, but Espondant said we’d regret it!.. he thought they served The Best dhal! We opted to go, but didn’t need to leave right after church. We told Shanto, Shotti, and Espondant (Rhidoy’s and Antoor hadn’t come to church) to come in and cool off till it was time to go. It was an enjoyable relaxed time with some carrom being played, showing Shotti the baby bed that’s waiting, Christina and the girls playing Uno, and then 13 yr old Espondant getting wound up about the validity of the Big Bang theory saying how that you can believe God and evolution. He goes to public school and has been submersed in the thought. He is also quite an intellectual lad and very much enjoys a discourse. Has read MUCH and retained it and can expound at length and has much to back his thoughts up with! Looks like a “slippery slope” he’s on with trying to mesh God and evolution😣.

Anyways, before long it was time to head to the feast.

We parked just down from Shanto’s, walked down the road a piece, then turned down a path with other people. 1st we came upon 3 fires with Large pots a double table with a Pile of rice and then a large tent set up with rows of tables and chairs. Lonnie thought the tent held about 150- 200 people. When a table became available we sat down and there were 6 layers of clear plastic table cover stapled on the table so it could be removed for each setting. The servers were busy! Plates were brought, then water. The natives would pour a little water in their styrofoam plate and wash their right hand. A bucket was brought to dump the water from your plate in.

 Next a heaping, oval platter of sticky rice, we served ourselves. 

Then a very thin soup with potato wedges. 

Next the dhal that Espondant had bragged up. It was good, a little on the spicy side for me to enjoy more than a small amount with the rice. And there were fish parts in it for flavor, that needed to be discarded.. my helping had a fish tail and also what Shanto said was a fish lung😝

Another very thin substance was brought by.. Espondant said it was sour but they had added lots of sugar so it was sweet.

And the final food item was doy, their dessert yogurt. But alas, we did not even all have time to finish it as our table was needing to be used for more guests that were arriving..

Thurs. Sep.18

 Dipti made us Bangla noodles for lunch

Then walked up to the pharmacy with Lonnie to pick up her prescription

In the evening, while Lonnie was out in the village, the girls n I walked up the road for a few veggies

Then made up Mexico enchiladas (Down Home Southern Cookin) for supper with the last of the corn tortillas. And Christina fried a little okra.

Wed. Sep.17

 Checked out of the hotel by 6:20

To Pink City to pick up our groceries and on the road to Khulna by 7:00.

Breakfast on the road. I’d found some of those glass bottled Starbucks cold coffees at Wholesale Club that got us off to a good start😋 complimentary apples, oranges, and bananas from the hotel and the last of the muffins..

✨ A little happy here…the oleanders are blooming in the median again😊

We made good time. Our prayer was answered and no road blocks❣️ 

Got everything put away.

Dipti showed up. She hadn’t come in the morning as today is the 1st of a 5 day Hindu holiday (is what I gathered) I didn’t think it was quite Puja holiday so not exactly sure, maybe we’ll get the straights of it yet. And Tulshi (day guard) wanted to leave as soon as we got back also because of the holiday.

Got some enchiladas made up for lunch with the corn tortillas from Chef’s Table Mexican restaurant. Kaylee had suggested that maybe they would sell just the tortillas and I was so happy they agreed to that since corn tortillas are pretty much non existent in this country as well as the MaSe flour. Plus I’d picked up a bag of pre shredded mozzarella in Dhaka also and was very pleased with its flavor! The little tubes of mozzarella that are more widely available, sometimes have a flavor that we are not so keen on but those tubes of mozzarella are still better than nothing!😉

Lonnie went for a walk.

I tried to start a load of laundry but my washing machine has been throwing me a curve ball with not filling with water🧐 When Lonnie got home, he worked on it and got it to fill but the rinse cycle he had to work with also…

A light supper of cheese and crackers.

Tues. Sep. 16 appt. day

While down at the hotel complimentary breakfast, there was a group of ladies that got our attention. They were decidedly African and spoke fluent English. We met at the elevator on our way out. We asked them the same question that we answer over and over, “What country are you from?” Their reply was, “Kenya!” That was special, as my brother and his family are stationed in Tanzania and get to Kenya😊 they were very amiable and I would’ve enjoyed visiting longer but the elevator doors opened and we had a schedule to meet..

Oh, another tidbit from breakfast time, the crew working that morning was mostly not the normal crew we were used to seeing, and after awhile, Annslie commented, “No man is ‘gettin’ me!”😊 and she was right, usually she gets more attention than she appreciates and this morning everybody was busy and otherwise occupied, I guess?

 Got the girls dropped off at Jared’s by 9:20. They’d left for Raj 2 hrs previously, but graciously offered their house to use while we were in the city. We ended up getting to our appt an hour early! 

Riding the elevator up to the OB floor with us was an older white couple, They got off at the same floor! And we were able to visit a bit. They were from Vancouver B.C.! The man was helping manage a Grace British school in Gulshan 1&2 there in Dhaka. White people are Very rare in this country and this couple was very easy to visit with and once again, I would’ve loved to have stayed and visited awhile, but we were called back to our appt.

According to ultrasound, all is well with our little man🤗 things are progressing normally and Dr Nargis feels like it is ok to go back to Khulna for a couple weeks but  wants us to be back the 28th and feels like it would be best to stay in Dhaka then if that is where we plan to deliver. We told her we felt the same way and were planning that way. She asked if we had a place to stay when we came back up for a few weeks, because we could come to her home and stay with her!! Bless her heart! Wouldn’t that be an experience😊

Back to Pink City to pick up the girls and then to Jamuna Park shopping mall. Wholesale Club for a few groceries and then up to the 5th floor to get burgers from Takeout😋

Back to the Hotel for Annslie’s nap, Christina’s lang. class, and the girls’ swim. Lang. teacher ended up canceling class so Miss Christina went up to the rooftop with the girls and Lonnie and I caught a nap with Annslie 😌

Decided to catch the 3rd UniMart yet and wanted to get a little supper at North End but traffic was bad enough we opted to stay in the tower and go up to Chef’s Table. Only the 3rd Chef’s Table meal in 3 days😅and a different one every time! This time we all opted for grilled chicken kebabs and naan bread, dining out on the balcony in the night air with the sounds of Dhaka traffic below🌃

While Lonnie ordered grilled pineapple to finish off the meal, I went down to start browsing the 4 floors of Gulshan 1 UniMart. Eventually the rest of the crew joined me browsing and shopping. And the drive back to the hotel was a total of 9 min. versus the 30 or 40 min. that it took to drive from the hotel to UniMart!! 

Mon. Sep. 15 trip back into Dhaka

Today marks 7 months in BD!

We left the house by 6:20

Brought banana muffins and sausage patties along for breakfast on the road

In the 1st hour between Khulna and Gopalgonj we hit 3? road blocks. Political unrest? But, the scenes were calm, just not allowing thru traffic. These were local citizens (trying to get some attention?) not the police force for the most part. The scenes were.. a crowd of men, trucks and buses starting to line up, and the actual road blocks made up of wooden benches strung across the road. Lonnie slowly eased up to the front of the lines around the backed up traffic. And told them, “My wife’s having a baby, need to get to Dhaka!”🫣 Which, we would not be going into Dhaka if it weren’t for my appt..!.. It worked every time! Praise the Lord! And the man that he would tell, would spread the word thru the crowd and a bench or 2 would be moved and the crowd would part!❣️

Otherwise, the roads were not very busy, and we made good time. Of course, until we hit Dhaka traffic. Then it was normal Dhaka traffic. 

1st stop UniMart, for groceries. Then up to Chef’s Table for lunch. To Jared and Brianna’s to drop off cold groceries that needed to go in the fridge and freezer. Then to the Golden Tulip for Annslie’s nap, Christina’s language class, and the girls’ swim.

We met Jared’s and Brian’s at the airport Chef’s Table for supper. It’s so nice to have a place for the children to play and a smorgasbord of food options. The girls had Domino’s cheese pizza for the 2nd time today and Lonnie his 2nd platter of sushi. Brianna had a little more exotic, yummy looking platter with leek dumplings, beef rice rolls, etc. After supper the children were back in the play area with Miss Christina and Brian playing single base, I believe.?.

Stopped in at UniMart for a new pair of flips for Maddie as her Old Navy pair that we’d bought in OK City while shopping with Nettie and Kenzie last summer had yielded to time and wear as we got out of the van before going up to Chef’s Table.

Then to Pink City for their house keys as the Dhaka folks are headed to Raj(their outpost)1st thing in the morning, and we’re in and out of there with groceries and a place for the girls to stay while we go to my appt. We were not gonna stay, but head right back to our hotel. But, when we got to Jared’s, Brian and him had their heads under the van hood. So he stayed and looked into it with him while the girls n I went in with Brianna and children..

Sun. Sep. 14

 Dipti had to go into Khulna to get some test results so she was not here in morning

Laundry, ironing, lunch-pulled kichuri(yellow rice with chicken) out of the freezer, cut up green beans, and made a fruit cobbler.

Lonnie worked upstairs💻  🖥️ printed off a bunch more Bangla flashcards 

In the evening we worked on preparations for a few days in Dhaka

Clean out the fridge supper😅

The girls cleaned the kitchen up nicely

We packed and I also packed a suitcase to leave there of things we’ll be wanting for baby’s arrival… less to haul when we go to stay for a few weeks at the end of the month.

Made a double batch of banana muffins. I called Maddie into the kitchen where I was mixing up the muffins. And told her to listen… we could hear crickets outside the window, we were currently running on generator power with the oven going in our little kitchen. So it was a hot and humid night with the sound of crickets.. very much like a Tennessee summer night😌

We had mentioned at the supper table our new young superintendents back home and thought we should tune in sometime. Morning church service at home is our bedtime over here so we pretty much never listen in, unless there’s something we really want to get in on and stay up late for😉 Wouldn’t you know, the service opened with 🎶Follow, Follow, I would follow Jesus. Anywhere, everywhere, I would follow Him…! One of the same songs we’d just sung at our service here in Khulna, BD on Fri. That was special🤍 Even if the words we’d sung sounded a little different 🎶Cholo, cholo poschat jishu cholo, ekhane, sekhane, jekhane choliben….

Sat. Sep. 13

 We opted to have school today since we’ll be gone to Dhaka for 3 days this week for my 36 wk appt.

Lonnie bought the local dim n ruti for breakfast this morning.. It’s fine, but we prefer what we can find in Chakrakhali..

He met with our business interpreter, Bobby, in Khulna today. The owner of the house we live in is divorced and ownership of the place is still a squabble. The father of the divorced man came by last Friday putting his 2 bits in and letting us know that it will be going to court about who is the rightful owner here in a month or so.. we would like to continue living here and just need to know who to pay rent money to.. 

Lonnie wasn’t home for lunch and I fried up the pancakes I’d mixed up this morning before I realized he was going for dim n ruti (just a little breech in communications🙃) whipped some “cream”, made syrup, and opened a can of pie filling. Don’t believe I’ve ever made pancakes for lunch before… 1st time for everything😅

Laundry

The girls worked on a pile of dishes that had accumulated for too long

Lonnie played  a game of Carrom with Pim. He only wanted Lonnie to speak English. If Lonnie accidentally slipped a Bangla word in he’d tell him to say it in English!

Enchilada supper

Miss Christina played outside with the girls till shower time. Pim brought them all a little garbanzo bean cup with diced cucumbers on top that are available at the little food stand up the way. He’s pretty sure Miss Christina could help him learn English better.🙃His request for her phone number was turned down. I guess Annslie’s got some competition for attention from the natives now🙃

Fri. Sep. 12 worship day

 Banana bread for breakfast

I was a bit later getting out the door than the rest of my family and about 5 little S.S. girls came running back to walk with me, holding my hands🥰

Annslie and I were dropped off at the house while the rest went on to Chakrakhali S.S.

We worked on lunch and the rest finally showed up at noon, bout an hour later than norm. Lonnie went straight thru the shower, as the reason for their lateness was doing some small engine diagnostics. Somebody’s tiller wasn’t starting so he helped them figure out what was going on and get it going. 

Grilled chicken thighs, mashed potatoes, veggies and ranch, and watermelon.

After getting the kitchen cleaned up, we all went for a walk thru the village. Taking the 1st left and circling around by the levee. Just as we got up on the levee there was a cow staked by the path and Annslie happily went to pet its forehead. Her unsettling outcome was landing on her seat when the cow let her know it didn’t appreciate her attempts! That was very offensive to Annslie, I’m quite sure the pain was only in her feelings because it appeared to be a very gentle push that was given, although with meaning!

Then we stopped to see a couple pigs that a man was raising..

Back home, a quick shower and re-comb the girls’ hair and to the 4:00 service. Church was full with almost a 100% attendance. Sister Shotti was not there due to being down with back pain, was what we were told. 2 different men came and left again and a couple of S.S. girls, their married sister and baby, and then maybe their mom and Grandma showed up for a bit at the beginning of the service also and then made their departure.

Lonnie stayed awhile after church to answer questions that the single brethren were having. We waited awhile at the gate then Espondan went back for the the key as Lewis’s always park their easy bike inside our gate and Lewis’s wife and Pinky were both asking for a drink of water. Lewis’s had brought a relative with them, 50-ish yr old lady that is Lewis’s sister and then upon further questioning his cousin..?.. relatives can be a bit vague here sometimes🤔

Made a taco supper

Worked on making Bangla flashcards. Lonnie printed about 40 at a time, 4 to a page, Christina, Maddie, n Jaira cut them out, I wrote the answer on the back, and Lonnie sent them thru the laminator. Little factory going on. We have several hundred more to go..

Thurs. Sep.11

 After lunch, Lonnie, Annslie, and I went in to Khulna to pick up the mattress topper and buy fruits and veggies. Jaira told Miss Christina that we were going on an anniversary outing😅( we haven’t been away from them very many times since coming to Bangladesh and for sure since coming to Khulna, we actually didn’t even leave them on our anniversary🙃) We told them we didn’t plan to be home in time to “pick them up after school”🙃 But that didn’t seem to bother them! They were enthused about “staying with their teacher after school” 😅

We stopped by the streetside building of fruit and veggie sellers that we’d had good luck with last time. One of the sellers waved me over and happily provided whatever he could, even buying from his neighbors so I had only one bill. He wondered if I was from Choyghoria and said one of the men from years ago used to buy his fruits and veggies from him and would call him up. He couldn’t remember the man’s name, so I went thru the list of our predecessors and “Brandon!” that was his name😉👍🏼 I enjoy meeting up with folks that remember and have fond memories of past missionaries😌 .. just never know where or who it will be!

Made a pan of cornflake squares while the girls cleaned up the kitchen.

Wed. Sep. 10

 Breakfast burritos

Lonnie went in to Khulna to buy a new printer, order a Queen size mattress topper, and get a haircut. He was not back by lunch time.

In the eve, the girls and I walked out to the levee. An older woman was unusually friendly and asked Lots of questions! Got abnormally touchy starting with Miss Christina, patting her hair, putting her hand on her shoulder, asking if she was married(maybe this woman is looking for a daughter in law🧐) she asked if we ate cow meat and felt my ear, commenting on the lack of jewelry,… anyways not sure why we hung around as long as we did🤔 but she was easier to understand than some of these village women and chattier than most that we’ve come in contact with so far..

We bought a bag of cucumbers on our way back thru the village and once again, I must get these numbers learned!! If it’s not a hundred increment number or some other 10s number that I know, I’m just quite at a loss for how much I owe🤦🏼‍♀️ I finally decided to just strike out and start by giving a couple 20s. After the bill was all settled they actually came up with the English words! 52 taka! Now, why couldn’t they have said that to begin with🧐

Tues. Sep.9 pork day

 We weren’t able to pick up as much pork as we’d ordered but were still able to make 1/2 a batch of sausage.

Lonnie got it cut up and ground while I made lunch.

Got the pork seasoned and bagged up

Lonnie went in to Khulna and FINALLY picked up the rocking chair we’d ordered! They’d written his phone number down incorrectly so weren’t able to get a hold of him

I mixed up a double batch of tortillas and Lonnie fried them when he got home.

Sun. Sep. 7 Miss Christina begins Bangla classes

 Big laundry day. Sheets and towels from 2 families + our normal laundry

The girls back to school, their 2nd wk.

And at 3:30 Miss Christina started Language study with Pannina via WhatsApp on the laptop🤗

Sat. Sep. 6

 Biscuits, sausage gravy, and boiled eggs.

Brian was still feeling under the weather😣

Brianna and I made up quesadillas for their trip back.

Dipti was here to clean but waited to mop til the guests left.

Brianna read to the toddlers while Jared packed the van and Kaylee packed up their stuff. They were on the road by 11:00 and back to Dhaka by 4:00.

We loaded up our crew and went in to Dhaka for groceries and the ATM.

Fri. Sep. 5 Worship Day

 Cinn roll, sliced cheese, and sausage patties breakfast.

Then the whole crew of us off to S.S. Layton, 2nd grader that’s been here in BD for 3 yrs, was really enthused about going to “Sunday School” again as the family in Dhaka does not have Sunday schools.. Was So fun to have our Dhaka families with us there and we had a nice turn out of children, around 40. I’m not sure what all Kobid told them before we started singing, but those children put extra volume into the songs this morning😀 Brian and Kaylee’s 3 yr old Bennett was having the time of his life in and amongst those children and 4 mo. old Lars was getting passed around amongst the 9-12? yr old dark skinned girls, pretty typical, Eh? Even over here😊

Brianna and I and our toddlers stayed home while the rest of the crew went on to the next S.S.

Lunch of beef roast, mashed potatoes, sautéed carrots, apple slices n pomegranate platter

4:00 service. Brian had the opening, Jared had the message and also led a song. I just soaked it in. 🤍 Services with fellow Americans sharing are a rare occasion these days. I enjoy the inspirations of our native brethren and my husband but maybe just because it’s rare, it was especially special..?.. I felt spiritually fed. 

We invited those that were in church to our place and served hot tea and microwave popcorn. After Lewis’s left, we pulled out the flan that we’d been waiting to dig in to. The men in the living room ended up getting quite animated!😂Lungi wearing demonstrations and lots of laughter. We hadn’t seen that side of Liton, Kobid, and Shomid, but it was good 😊 

After the 3 Brethren left, Brian wrapped up in a blanket, took some Ibuprofen🤒, and watched Jared, Lonnie and Layton play Carrom.

Thurs Sep 4 🧔🏻‍♂️41🎂 🇧🇩

 Our last meal together of this gathering at Gopalgonj. Krystal’s sourdough cinn. rolls, fruit, and scrambled eggs.

Jared’s and Brian’s stopped by Naton’s folks’ place yet and we hit the road back to Khulna. Got a few things put away and a few last minute preparations. And then Jared’s and Brian’s arrived to spend a couple days here at Khulna with us🥰 We have very much been looking forward to this and I’ve had So much fun preparing💖 Brianna had shared a small list of Khulna things they wanted to do for one last time. So after iced tea and  leftover lemon bars, Jared’s and Brian’s moving into their rooms, etc. we loaded up and went for chapati here locally at the bend in the road just past Shanto’s. Then drove out along the river, stopping at a nice sandy beach area. We were happy to see it was mostly not populated this evening🤗 There was a man with a food cart selling fuska, which Brian bought from and Brianna had him buy some for her too. Otherwise we hung out by the river’s edge watching a few boats go by, letting the children play, a clay vessel was spotted so Brian offered to shed his shoes and carefully traverse the muddy edge to rescue it for Kaylee. Lonnie was busy digging in the sand with the children, I didn’t go over there to investigate exactly what was going on..?.. 

The sun was already setting as we dusted off sand and loaded back up and headed to Shanto’s for the rest of the evening. It’s always a bit treacherous taking the path in to Shanto’s house in the dark, especially when there’s mud puddles to navigate also. 👀 We had told them we’d just come for cha, they didn’t need to make food, but when we got in we could see food prep going on in the kitchen.. I do wish you could see for yourself, the kitchen, etc. They do have a 1/2 size fridge with freezer otherwise just a very small area with a gas burner on the counter,… Anyway, the guys played carrom in the adjoining room till the food was ready. Then we all gathered in that room on the concrete floor. Everything is set on the floor in the middle of the circle.. plates, cups, food. And then the ladies of the house fill each of our plates. Pinky had made the meal.  They do well with serving us Bangla food we’ve never had before! And this time one of the dishes was egg with a thick batter around it deep fat fried crispy with a yummy dipping sauce. And then a noodle dish that the dipping sauce was good on also😋

Wed. Sep. 3

 9:00 breakfast

Shima (maid) came and cooked us lunch. Kichuri, a yellow rice with chicken pcs in it, I made sweet tea to go with it, and Kaylee had brought bars and cookies.

These girls that have recently arrived in the country, to teach our children, have been a wonderful asset🥰 they have spent time outside with the children, helped get meals on/cleaned up, played card games with the older children, given a random shoulder massage🥰, added their voices in song,…

5:00 we all trekked up the road after watching 2 men on a crosscut? saw working on the final cut of a huge tree by the end of Doyle’s drive there.. their sinewy torsos glistening in the hot humid air as they worked their saw blade back and forth at the base of the huge tree.

Up the road, Doyle had hired 3 boats. Now think, oversized canoe with a dark colored man standing in the back of each, using a long cane pole to propel us thru the flooded fields of blooming water lilies. A very peaceful experience, gliding along, seeing what we could see. There was the school age children that added their element, reminding me of school field trips with their camaraderie, throwing long stemmed water flowers at each other, etc. There were snails to be found on leaves as we floated past, flowers to be picked, a few men out on their boats tending their patch of bog, a small boat with a handful of children that found us and propelled their craft in and amongst ours…and as we headed back, the sun was beginning to set, a gentle breeze, a lovely evening😌

Back at Doyle’s, the ladies all pitched in to help get my chili verde supper on the table. After supper, we sang a few songs and then gathered around in the living room for a little farewell for Jared’s. They were given a chance to share and then we went around the room, each having opportunity to clear their way, share gratefulness, memories, etc. and then some discussion of things for the future..

Tues Sep. 2 BD missionary gathering Gopalgonj

 We all met at 1:00 at the new Kacchi Dine in Gopalgonj for lunch.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/xUXT92oVF7bkvfJdA?g_st=ipc

Then on to Doyle’s. The children went out to play in the water by the pump. 

Kokhon Brother, wife Beauty, and their dau. Orpitha came over for awhile. Us ladies sat in the living room and visited, putting forth some effort to converse in Bangla while Krystal was busy serving cha (tea). Brother Ripon showed up after awhile also. 

After Kokhons left, Brianna assembled her Hawaiian slider sandwiches while we helped cut up fruit n veggies.

Doyle’s put us and Christina up for the night. Jared’s and Brian’s walked up the road to the orphanage for the night.

Mon. Sep. 1 💭🍁 reality check 🌦️🥵

 French toast and sliced cheese breakfast.

 Lonnie mixed up a double batch of his sister’s tortilla recipe and used a tip from a tortilla recipe on a Simple Suppers chat: kneading the dough til it’s not sticky anymore!.. took the tortilla press apart and made some adjustments. We were finally happy with the outcome🤗🥳

I put a couple loads of laundry thru 

Diced and put together veggies and ingredients to go in black beans.

Lonnie left for an afternoon with Bro Shomid 

Toasted cheese sandwich lunch

Mixed up 2 batches of flan 

1st week of school down😊

Made spare room bed

Lonnie came home with fruit.. washed, de seeded grapes, cut up pineapple

Lonnie hauled some things up to the 3rd level storage area for me

Jaira got a boro (large) size pile of dishes rinsed up for Dipti to wash in the morning

Sun. Aug. 31

Hotdog in tortilla with cheese for lunch..

 After Lonnie got back from his walk we made a trip into Khulna. Day-7, Safe N Save, Domino’s for supper, Shwapnos, we still didn’t find everything we were looking for.