Lonnie went with Brian and John (our Bangla teacher’s husband who helps with the missionaries’ legal work) to the visa office where we are working on our extended visas.
The girls went with Kaylee to the clinic for lunch, cooked by our Sisters. Then Singing with them after.
After Annslie’s nap, we went to Gulshan 2 UniMart. The rest of the family went up to Chef’s Table for supper while I shopped to my hearts content😅 Told Lonnie later, it had been good therapy, so much fun!
A day at the house
School
Lonnie worked on the online forms for Gentry’s passport
We’ve been struggling to get the Bud to take his bottles. Lonnie got the inspiration to try some fruit yogurt on him. Gentry was quite pleased and ate a good share of the little 100g container😋 A couple hours later he downed another whole container…
Lonnie went for cha ☕️ in Dumni with SyedAli and Brian. Then to Brian’s, to work with him at the computer till the littles woke from their naps.
To Neela Mkt with Brian’s for the Yummiest “Barbecue”/chicken kabobs and their special ruti/tortillas. They offer several tortilla options but my favorite is a yellow one that has more the consistency of a corn tortilla. Makes me think it’s made with lentils maybe and they also flavor it nicely and add just a bit of spice. We also were planning to put up with a bit of hot sticky weather as these eating places in Neela Mkt are open air. But we sat at the back, with the river below us. There was a nice breeze coming in, totally comfortable, while we watched some large boats come by 🚤
Walked down to a meeshti(mostly deep fried sweets) shop to try one of Brian’s favorite meeshtis. Then hung out at Brian’s till it was time to get everybody to bed.
Back to school for the girls
I started tracking Gentry’s intake. So far it’s been .5 or 1oz. about every 3 hrs. His follow up appt is Thurs. We are Really hoping his intake will increase so he does not have to go back on IV fluids!
Lonnie, the littles, and I headed for the US Embassy to get Gentry’s passport in progress. We were not even allowed into the parking lot without an appt. We caught North End coffee shop for lunch and coffee bean restock on our way home.
We don’t know what is going on, but we observed several episodes of Police trying to deter/confiscate? rickshaws and motorcycles. One tried to pull the keys of a motorcycle to get the driver to comply, while we were waiting at an intersection and another Police pulled the seat off of a rickshaw to disable his passenger potential, another started tearing wires off till he complied🤔
This evening, we hit Jamuna Future Park mall. Smash burgers and fries at Takeout. Sadly, a couple of our favorite stores were closed. We spent the rest of the evening shopping Wholesale Club. We found out later that as of April 2026 most shops and shopping malls are required to close by 7:00 due to government-imposed energy-saving measures. These measures implemented due to a global energy crisis and rising fuel prices.😏
Gentry is 6 mo today
He sits unassisted, those 2 bottom teeth are very sharp and would Love to eat whatever we’re eating.. he was fussing at supper tonight reaching for the fries.. tickled pink when we would momentarily let him put it in his mouth but his gag reflex is pretty strong yet for anything that’s not puréed.
His brown hair is increasing.. has blonde roots and a definite red hue. A couple weeks ago Maddie had fun styling his hair into a Mohawk😉
He is a smiley, happy, social baby, but also enjoys sitting and playing with his toys for short spans of time.
Gentry’s oxygen level is up to par today🤍 His pediatrician asked if we felt confident that we could get him to take sufficient amount of formula. Well, we didn’t feel confident about that but she wanted us to try. Says he is clinically ready to leave the hosp. So they started working on discharge and early afternoon we were headed back to the guesthouse. It was very relaxing to not have to worry about protecting his IV and also to be able to turn him over to the girls while we got some much needed rest in.
I forgot to mention that our Tala outpost Brother’s ailing mother passed away yesterday morning early.
We wish we could’ve been available, But, Doyle rented a car and took some of the brethren from Gopalgonj and Khulna to the burial that afternoon at 4:00
Another day at the hosp. for us. Gentry’s oxygen levels are still too low on his own and not eating enough to stay hydrated on his own. No fevers today tho 🤗
Nurse today was taking some liberties with her white patient, unhooked his IV ,took him to the nurses station, passing him around and getting pictures. Hopefully he’s not contagious anymore and that there’s no other viruses floating around!
But he hasn’t been scared of these nurses and usually is happy when they come to check on him.
We decided I should go spend a bit of time at the guesthouse with the girls so I went out to the curb and hired a CNG all by myself😜 It was quite liberating to be able to do that😂 and I know, we’ve been here for over a year already but I usually have not had much of an occasion to do something like that with Lonnie always around.. and I found out later that I quite over paid him as I just gave him the price he quoted😏 (about $4 USD for a 20 min. ride) Oh well, lesson learned and maybe he can go home early tonight, or buy a chicken to have with his supper.
At the house, I read Annslie a few stories and she fell asleep. At 6:30 the girls were invited to Brian’s for supper. I stayed while Annslie napped. Kaylee showed up with a plate of food and sweet tea💛 then stayed to visit. It reminds me of visits with Brianna before Brian’s term started💛.. couples placed in Dhaka fill a special role when their fellow missionaries come in to the City💝It was amazing to visit without any littles to be attending to 🫶🏼
Lonnie contacted his auto rickshaw driver friend, Syed Ali, about taking me back to the hosp. as CNGs are not as readily available on this end. Auto rickshaws are not allowed the last stretch to the hosp. I don’t know if that was the reason or what, but Syed Ali ended up summoning a car and driver to take me back! Annslie was being Quite clingy so we opted to take all the girls back to the hosp with us and then they would return home with Lonnie, so he could shower and put Annslie to sleep for the night. He had the driver run him to a pharmacy for a med that the hosp ran out of and then take him and all the girls home. Another way to use somebody else’s hard to obtain fuel🫣
A long night with only a precious hour or 2 of sleep. Gentry was a full time job, Miserable and wanted nothing to do with the oxygen mask.. he also has almost completely quit eating! But they said he is getting glucose in his IV fluid and not to push the bottle because he is so weak.
Medical conditions in this country can be extra frustrating and stressful 😣 I finally asked them how often they check vitals. “Every 4 hours”, was the reply! Quite a bit different from the hospitals back home where you can just glance at the monitor and see how the patient is faring! And only oxygen and fluids All night while waiting on bloodwork to return from the lab and determine what medicine to administer.
When it got light out, I went out to charge my phones in the car.
Quick note here, while out waiting for my phones to charge, I was quite burdened and overwhelmed with the situation at hand. I asked God what verse he had for me today? Opening my Bible app, the verse of the day, Jeremiah 29:12 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. What a comfort! What an encouragement🤍
Stopped by North End for a little breakfast and coffees. Being Fri, the parking lot and the main floor of the hosp was mostly empty! I had never seen this normally teeming place, So quiet! Fri and Sat are this country’s weekend, so only on call Drs etc. At North End, I had a friendly chat with the employees. They commented, that usually they are so busy they cannot chat with their customers like this!
Diagnoses is Influenza A.
So they want Lonnie and I to wear a mask when leaving the room now and Gentry is not to leave the room, which he’s not in any condition for that anyway..
When his pediatrician came by, she was optimistic about the situation. Said his X-ray was clear! The oxygen is needed because of the mucus that has collected in his nasal passages and throat. Nebulizar treatments with physical therapy after to help loosen things up and get him to cough it out. Nasal spray every hour that he’s awake to help the drainage there. Fever reducer is still needed a couple times a day.
We had a very good nurse today. She seemed to love her job and be a natural with this 6 mo old. While waiting for a temperature reading, she was all sudden singing “Baby Shark” and then “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” In English! Perfectly on tune! What a beautiful surprise💗 come to think of it, she knew pretty good English, so was not too difficult to communicate about the situation in front of us. She spent extra time with Gentry just playing and gently getting him to do what she needed him to💝 This momma heart rejoiced. Prayers are being answered.
So Dr says not to push the bottle but nurse says if you are to be able to go home tomorrow, Gentry will be needing to be able to take in enough fluids to keep from getting dehydrated again! She wanted me to try every 1-2 hrs. At 1st it was just 1 swallow. We started making 1 oz. bottles and got him to take 1/2 an oz a couple times and now by this evening, a few 1 oz bottles
We did a couple calls with the girls at the guesthouse and this evening, Lonnie went to shower and put Annslie to bed.
We finally made the decision it is time to get help for Gentry’s medical condition.
After lunch, we packed and got the house ready to leave. Traveling was Very good!
Oh and by the way. As we were leaving, we saw Akash working on our generator part in his dokan. Generator should be good as new again😅🙃
4 hrs later, at the guesthouse. Brian and Kaylee showed up soon with sweet tea and Carmelito bars💛. Doyle’s had just left this morning after a stay here, so there was not time for the maid to come in and clean. So we did a quick bathrooms and floors job and made the beds. Showered, got Annslie to bed for the night, gave the girls instructions, and left for the hosp.
We got to the E.D. round 11:00.
Your boy needs to be admitted. Oxygen saturation 87, temp 101, high heart rate, rattly breathing,
They gave breathing treatment and chest x-ray then ushered us up to our private room on 5th floor. Here they started IV fluids and oxygen.
Power out the middle part of the day
The repair man was here rebuilding a part on the generator
We decided it felt cooler to be outside where there was a breeze even if the temp was hotter
Dipti cooked Bangla rice, curry, dhal, and shobji for lunch
After school, I had a tub and bucket of water on the front porch for Annslie to get wet in. Jaira and Miss Christina found it a good opportunity for a water fight 💦 … Gentry and I were benefactors also🙃
In the evening, after singing with Annslie for awhile, I went into the bedroom with Gentry. It was stuffy in there and completely forgetting we were running on generator I turned the AC on 🤦🏼♀️
So much for the generator repair job😱
Our repair man thinks we need to get a new generator, says he’s been workin on this one for about 20 yrs😅 .. It’s just getting tired..
More power outages.
The generator cannot be coaxed on anymore. The repair man is here today tho
It’s hot, the baby is sick and miserable
Thankyou for your prayers 💫
Electricity is restored and somehow the courage picks up also.
The busy toddler goes down for a nap.
We go up to the classroom to help sing at the end of music class
The chicken and pork mangsho(meat) is washed and in the fridge and freezer.
Lonnie goes out to mingle with the villagers
After Christina’s supper of sausage n rice casserole and fried apples we walk over to the mela that Tulshi told us about. The religious part was held at the school grounds and all the food and gift booths were behind. If we hadn’t just eaten supper we would’ve gladly bought more from the food vendors. As it was, we didn’t actually buy much, an icy cone(don’t think it can hardly be termed an ice cream cone😉) and as we stood waiting for some bags of popcorn, acquaintances from Chakrakhali S.S. just ahead of us bought for us. And one of our neighbors running a meeshti(deep fried sweets) stand just gave us a taste, as we didn’t want to buy a whole kilo. We did come away with hand held palm frond fans and a toy for the Bud 👶🏼 and lots of hellos to neighbors and friends.
Maddie’s still been feeling wiped out from the virus, taking 1-2 naps a day, a low grade fever returned this evening 🤒
Every morning that the power has stayed on all night and we are able to get around in the morning and make breakfast with electricity is something to be thankful for these days✨
The Bud woke fever free! But by noon it was back.. The next stage of this virus is chest congestion and sinus drainage.. and we hadn’t got him completely over his last respiratory illness😩 we’re doing warm onion poultices and fever reducer around the clock..
Our night guard Shunil, has been having ongoing sickness also. He coughs and coughs! So much that he can hardly visit for the coughing and it has made his voice raspy. For reference, Shunil is the same age as Wade, Jon C., and Merle from our cong. And has worked for CSI for about 20 years💙
More power outages, a battery backup that’s not been lasting long, and then a generator that’s giving fits now too!
The youngest 2 running fevers
Breakfast table statistics researched:
Nashville: square miles- 526
Population- 712,581
Density- 1,498 people per square mile
Khulna City: square miles-58.14
Population - 998,460
Density - 17,170 people per square mile
Lonnie figured that’s 2 1/2 sq. ft. per person, but thankfully they build up, so there’s room for roads, etc 🙃
Dipti brought her husband’s photo ID, needing some copies. She wanted to know how many years older he is than her!🙃He is 49 and she is 41 according to the birth dates on their ID cards.
Tulshi was out til 2:00 this morning with the current 5 day Hindu festival going on. When I asked him about it, he says they will be holding a ceremony next to us this evening. Where a man will climb and cut the fruit of the beetle nut palm tree.
So this afternoon, he let us know it would be happening at 5:00 and we joined the crowd just down the road to watch the ceremony. The special tree 🌴 was right beside the road. There were food and drink booths around, a couple people selling balloons,
Gathered under the tree, was a group of orange shirted fellows and 4 young, brawny men with no shirts. To one side was all the Hindu worship jinish(stuff). Incense burning, etc, etc.
We bought a couple bags of popcorn salted with a spicy salt😋 to munch on while we stood there in the hot sun and observed the ceremony. The drummers keeping up a steady beat.🪘 we said “hi” to those we knew in the crowd.. Sunday School girls and boys, Dipti’s niece, neighbors,…
The 4 shirtless men sat cross legged under the tree with their eyes closed for quite a span of time… an elder, strategically dabbed a dark red smear on the small of their backs and each bicep, and maybe on their chest also 💭, there was a time of hugging with emotion.. they were laughing and then were they crying and then laughing again!?!. Then the orange shirted group gathered at the base of the tree, with hands raised to the heavens they chanted. Then the 1st shirtless fellow climbed the tree, navigating thru the spiny palm fronds, up to the top where he started gathering up the topmost middle fronds together to create a sort of post to hang on to. The next man climbed up and joined him, then the 3rd man worked his way up thru fronds and took up his post in the top of the tree. It looked like a good way to get hurt up there and we hoped we didn’t observe anything tragic! And then the 4th man nearly jumps up that tree, quite an animated feller!
Next in the ceremony was the distribution of the fruit of the tree. Clumps of beetle nuts hang all the way around and these men start tearing strings of beetle nuts off the clumps and throwing to the crowd below. The observers all trying to get their hands on a string or 2. The animated 4th feller up there was bouncing to the beat of the drum as he ripped beetle nut strings.
The descent of these men, was probably the most fascinating. Putting a clump of beetle nuts on their head or shoulders They took turns riding a palm frond down to the tree trunk and when they got to the outstretched hands of the orange shirted men below, they would fall backwards into them, making their final descent to the ground via the hands that caught them😱 the 3rd fellow at the top of the tree, we all sudden noticed, had put a blind fold on!?! And made his descent that way!😳 the last man at the top of the tree was making a spiny wreath out of a new little palm frond to wear on his descent. Their backs shiny with perspiration and quivering from exertion…one of our bystanders commented, “spiritual power”.
the crowd started to disperse and we took our leave also as Lonnie had a milk program patient waiting at our gate. Annslie wanted one of the little spicy cups of chick peas yet. According to one of our neighbor girls, there would be a prayer yet, and then the beetle nuts that were caught, would be eaten.
The Bud’s turn for the fever virus 🤒
We have some legal documents that need to get to Dhaka ASAP and Doyle’s are going tomorrow. So after breakfast, we headed to Gopalgonj. With the rain we’ve been having, the detour around the bridge project has been deemed too risky once again. So, the extra 20-30 min out, creeping thru the village on a narrow path with bricks 🧱 sticking up a rakish angles in some places, which are Lonnie’s nightmare. He’s guessing we’ll end up getting a flat tire from them yet.
At Doyle’s we got out and chatted a bit, used the washroom, .. they were having a week like ours, battling the fevers.. then back to Khulna City to get our weekly shopping done.
Stopping 1st for a late lunch at Dominos. Was it ever good to go there again😋 the pizza is So yummy and the atmosphere modern and upbeat.
Day-7, Shwapno, and the fruit and veggie market.
Maddie registered a fever again this evening and spent the night on the couch🤒
Lonnie went to the S.S.’s alone today. Maddie and Jaira's fevers are gone🤗 but didn't feel up to Sunday schools yet. They did go along to the afternoon service tho while I stayed home with Annslie as she is still running a fever.
Sunday schools were slim today, only bout 8 students at each. There is another 5 day, Hindu festival going on. It’s orange shirts this time and they walk thru the village barefoot, was the info from Peem.
Tis the season! Thunderstorms most every night and power outages. The bright side… it cools the air so nicely!!
All 3 girls still under the weather with fevers.
After ibuprofen and breakfast they were up to going to school tho, knowing that if they got to feeling too bad they could go take a rest. And since they don’t have to worry about infecting any other students or teachers it works well. A plus to mission school life… gotta make notes of those!..since most days I have to be ok with the school life they are missing out on back home.
In the evening, Lonnie and I took Gentry on a walk thru the village. Stopping to visit with the girl that is home from Dhaka for 10 days with her little 1 yr old., then for peyagi and dim chop, Lonnie hung out at the carrom board with the men then while I visited with some ladies cleaning a pile of onions that were headed to market. Further on, a group of S.S. girls joined us for a piece…
Lonnie’s prayer at supper last night was answered. The little thunderstorm that came thru only had the power out a little while in which the battery backup was able to take care of. So our night was not impeded by multiple or lengthy power outage.
Long story, short, of our day… Our 3 girls spent the day with low grade fevers.. read on for the details🙃
Maddie came down in the morning not feeling well and registering a low grade fever. After a bit of breakfast she took a nap. At 1st recess, Jaira said she was cold and had been all morning! I knew their classroom, having no A.C., could not be classified as cold. Headache was still a symptom hanging on so more fever reducer and after awhile Maddie was feeling better and Jaira was in her room taking a nap. Then Lonnie got home from taking a walk with the littles and Annslie was ready to go down for a nap!(2 1/2 hrs earlier than normal)
Dipti made Bangla noodles for our lunch.
She needed to talk to Lonnie about more advance pay as she has school books and shoes to buy for her younger son, Turjo. While she waited for him to get home, I had her clean a couple mirrors. She proceeded to spray windex and wipe down everything in the room with paper towel🤦🏼♀️ varnished door, plastic dresser, painted metal wardrobe, etc… whoever thought using job appropriate methods/cleaning rags could be so difficult to savvy?! And I know probably every missionary wife thru the years has had her clean a little differently from the last one!.. but for example When she’s washing the dining room table some days, I see she has gone to wiping the dining room chairs and then on into the living room dusting the furniture with her same dishcloth!… I Am glad for what she does around here.. it just gets a little interesting some days🙃
At lunch time, Maddie and Jaira were feeling pretty good again but after school Jaira was hit pretty hard again. Neither were very active. By evening, Annslie and Maddie were both having the chills and lying around also. The quietest, most docile evening version of Annslie ever! She sat, reclined in the love seat with Jaira, while Jaira sang song after song..and then was ready to go to bed early.
My day consisted of..a couple loads of laundry, a bit of mending, shirts ironed,
Lonnie got the tracts all bagged, ready to give to the local pastors that distribute them. And I helped him with a 12 lb. batch of sausage
A wild storm came thru in the night. Quite a bit of wind with the thunderstorm. It made me think of tornadoes back home and I asked Lonnie if we shouldn’t find a safe place and he says, “You’re in the safest place.”. And then I wondered if we shouldn’t surely get the girls down from upstairs, but he didn’t think that was necessary either.. we could hear the wind howling around the house and things crashing about outside.. we Are in a concrete house.. I said a prayer for our neighbors near and in surrounding villages that live in such flimsy looking houses with metal roofs.. I can’t even imagine how terrifying it would be! But in the morning, the damages weren’t so major. Tulshi did report his cowshed roof got messed up, but otherwise ok. Says his house is in a protected spot from the wind.
The power was out from 11:00 last night and all morning. Thankfully, some cooler weather was brought in. The girls played in the water on the roof again after school. With it not being as hot, the water from the tank on the roof is also a nice temperature to enjoy, and not too hot. The time on the roof also served the dual purpose of cleaning it of the debris from the storm. Gentry enjoyed sitting in the water, with the girls slipping, sliding, and splashing around him also 💦
After Christina’s supper, Jaira crashed on the couch after being awake since the early morning hours and also coming down with something… headache, sore throat, and low grade fever. Maddie went to bed early also after waking early this morning. Lonnie was out playing Carrom and I was enjoying the beautiful cool evening outside with Annslie and Tulshi and then Gentry also after his nap. Night guard, Shunil, did not come tonight as he had been in to the hosp. again with his high blood pressure… Tulshi stayed almost an hour later.
After too many interrupted nights, we woke, realizing the power had stayed on All night🤗
After School, we had our 1st Mon of the month, School Board Mtg.
Meanwhile, the girls played in the water on the roof.
After awhile, Jaira came down, inspired to put on a tea party for Maddie and Annslie.
🕯️ On our coffee table in the living room she spread a black with gold orna/strip of fabric, candle, clear glass tea cups, black printed napkins, lemonade in a small gold pitcher, dish of Energy Biscuits(comparable a bit to Graham crackers) and Miss Christina helped her prepare a bowl of apples and oranges. Turned out the lights. Miss Christina joined them for the tea party and Annslie was super impressed with the occasion🥰
To Gopalgonj for 10:00 service.
Brian and Kaylee from Dhaka and Kobid and Liton from our cong. were there also.
All church attendance were invited to Doyle’s for lunch. Maid Sheema had cooked us a yummy Bangla meal. Her children were there too so she had her 15 yr old dau.’s help also.
A gigantic tarp had been strung from the house to the wall for shade and it ended up not being too miserable hot out there with a breeze blowing😌
The afternoon was spent with the children playing outside, the school children did another year end program practice, and the adults enjoyed each other’s company. Kobid bhay(bro) was on a roll about starting a cold tea dokan. He thinks Bangalis could enjoy drinking their cha cold, thru the long summer months. 💭 But how to go about it exactly and price for a cup of tea, etc. Liton said he would supply the tea leaves and sugar and it could be set up beside his barber dokan.. 💭 Beauty told how they how tried a tea stall by their ironing business and people thought the cup of tea should be Free!
The power was out most of the afternoon, so we enjoyed going home to our cool house. Although, it would be interesting to hear if you would consider 25*C/77*F. a cool house😉 Tulshi said our power came back on at 5:00 and we got home at 6:30..
Lonnie recently read and was inspired by a book titled The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer. One of the things it expounds on is the need for a day of worship and rest. Our day of worship does not feel like a day of rest. So we took today as a day of rest🤍
After lunch, one of the pastors that we supply with gospel literature, came by with 3 containers of pita. 3 different kinds, the doughy turnover style filled with gur(molasses) and coconut, the crepe-like variety, and the round flatter deep fried ones that are delectable but leave your lips feeling like you just applied chapstick😅
Then a trip into Khulna City.
Octane booster to take to Gopalgonj
Mambos for hamburger, fries, fresh lemonade,(and Tom & Jerry😅)
Safe and Save for groceries
Gentry was down for his morning nap and with his continued respiratory ailment/chest congestion decided to just let him sleep. He was still sleeping when everybody stopped in after the 1st S.S. So they went on without me again.
I worked on lunch prep and made cheesecake squares for the evening
The report from S.S.’s was the attendance was slim but at Chakrakhali, Bodi(the lady of the house), helped them sing and stayed for the story. She wondered about the other 2 crosses in the picture. Lonnie told her there is more details to the story and the grave is not the end of the story. Come back next Fri. to hear more!
BBQ meatballs from the freezer, mashed taters, and lettuce salad lunch
Afternoon service was scheduled to begin at 3:00 to allow everybody time to speak. Ripon Bro. came from Gopalgonj and All of the Khulna Brothers and Sisters were there! It has been Way too long since a full attendance even if there are only 5 households!
Gentry was napping at 3:00 so I stayed home with him till he woke. Worked on veggie platter for after church. When he did wake, Lonnie didn’t think I should bring him because we have entered the “dog days” of summer (And it’s only April!😱) That church house with it’s metal roof is a real oven Especially as the power was out this afternoon, so not even fans! When the power came back on, I walked to church and got in on the last hour or so. Lonnie’s message seemed timely today, Noise and Distractions. The Hindus we’re having some serious celebration going on and Lonnie had to raise his voice to be heard over the drums 🪘 🥁. And there was Quite the parades of hot pink T-shirts and then red shirts and red and white saris marching past the church windows🤦🏼♀️
After church Ripon took Gentry and carried him home.💙
Shanto’s had brought snacks also. Chira, which is flattened/beaten rice. Shotti softened it a bit in a little water, making me think of cooked oatmeal a bit. So they served up the plates with a Nice sized spoonful of chira, a dollop of doy(yogurt), and raw sugar. To eat it, you mix it altogether for an enjoyable experience😋
They also brought a mango drink mix👍🏼
I served my fresh veggies and ranch dip. Ranch is not a Bangali thing, but they like it. I think, because it’s flavors they are accustomed to.. onion, garlic,.. and mayonnaise based dips are very common!
And the cheesecake squares.. they held their plates out till I’d put 2 on! I said, “How do you know you’ll like them?!” They do have a light, fluffy version of cheesecake in modern locations here..
Lonnie and Annslie met Kobid in Khulna City.
bank: Christina’s legal work/bank account for extended visa. Still unsuccessful.
Hunt for Octane: one place said come back at 3:00 we don’t know if it will be Octane or Petro
Lunch at Mambo’s with Kobid
Picked up Octane booster in case only Petro is available
Headed back to fuel stations. stopped at one with long line of motorcycles. drove to the front of the line. No Octane, but they put twice the rationed amount of Petro in, 2,000 Taka, which got the tank to 1/2 full.
On to the place that said, come back at 3:00, long line of motorcycles + 5 cars. Got in the car line and they filled the tank with Octane🤗🤗 We never know when and where we’ll be able to get fuel hopefully we can continue to get it!
On the way home, he stopped at the veggie and fruit market that we frequent.
It was entertaining to hear him relate his experience
“Where is Madam?” “Sit,sit!” “What do you need?” “Madam always gets this!” “Where is Madam?” And then he would holler to a neighboring vendor for boro size peyag (large onions),….
Back at the house I was Sure glad Lonnie had Annslie as putting a load of laundry in and getting lunch on by noon was “pedal to the metal” in between taking care of Gentry. I did find out that it works quite well to plop Gentry in an empty laundry basket so he can be supported and upstairs with me while I do laundry, etc. without dragging anything up there or out of the girls’ room😊 and Dipti always seems to enjoy taking care of him if I need free hands for a minute.🧕🏾
This last month, Lonnie took seriously shedding the pounds that he’d put on since coming to BD. His program was very effective! No extra Taka 💵 needed maybe less used, no special drink to buy , or only certain kinds of food allowed. Message if you are interested in more details😅 He invited his family to join him for this next month as he felt like he needed some moral support for his continued effort and I’ll see if his method works for me. Can’t hurt, might help..
At 1st recess Christina needed to come with us to the bank. Another(normal for acquiring legal documents in this country, but wearisome!)attempt at securing a bank account for her, for legal purposes. Unsuccessful. The man at the bank asked Kobid if Lonnie was angry about this situation. Kobid told him,”yes!” 😂 So, the man calls for Lay’s Sips(chips) as a peace offering. Btw, if Kobid tells us somebody’s angry in the future, I might take it with a grain of salt, if their emotion is the same level as Lonnie’s “angry”😜
Picked up a few groceries and went to our favorite biryani joint on the other side the city for lunch.
Back at the house, the girls finished school, skipping music and health since it was also Miss Christina’s turn to cook supper and we’d been gone a few hours of the day.
Annslie’s Cake Day(as she has been calling it) has Finally arrived!
5:00 pm birthday party, we invited our employees, S.S. van driver, and Kobid(for interpreting purposes). Dipti brought her diabetic husband Uttam, night guard Shunil came with his daughter in law Shumi and grandson.
Day guard Tulshi gave Annslie a long haired, stuffed dog with a heavy bottom,
Dipti brought her 6 Nic Nacs(imitation Kit Kats),
Shunil brought a bagful of candy and snacks, daughter in law Shumi brought the decorated layer cake that we’d ordered… white cake, the frosting had a yellow hue, a paper butterfly perched in the piping on the top edge, a few pearls and Happy Birthday Annslie written on the top
Kobid brought her a small tub of chocolate icecream.
A living room full of our Bangali friends visiting, my heart was full💗 but just a bit daunting to Annslie, she climbed up on the bench next to Tulshi, her favorite Bangali
Christina and the girls made some spiced cha ☕️
We turned out the lights, lit the candles, sang Happy Birthday during which Annslie started crying… was all a little much for her.. and then she wouldn’t blow out the candles so we gave her some time, Lonnie held her and started sending little puffs at the candles, blowing out 2. When she saw there was only 1 left she quickly blew it out cause she does love to blow out candles! Then we filled the plates with cake, icecream, and chanachud (a spicy, crunchy mix). Annslie helped me serve them, starting with Tulshi and Dipti. Nee-tie, our S.S. rickshaw van driver reminded us we needed to pray 1st(he very faithfully reminds us at any occasion involving food).
After the food we had Annslie open her gift from Maddie.. the quiet book I’d helped her make. And then Shunil said he needed to go, Hindu prayer time. Shumi was not in a hurry to leave tho and lingered, taking a picture of our peach colored hibiscus tree 🌺 But Shunil was insistent. Everybody else took their leave also.. We told Kobid, if he didn’t have anything else going he could stay and play Carrom. Tulshi came in also and Lonnie and I played against those 2 with plenty of interruptions for Lonnie and I. We both spent partial games playing the other side as well.
After they were gone, we let Annslie open the rest of her gifts. 💭 We had varying opinions on whether we should let her open them in front of the natives.. We didn’t know what they would think of More toys and books when we already have more than any of them! But, maybe they would enjoy trying to play the fishing game too or listening to Kobid translate a children’s story about a mudskipper in the Shundorbans..?.?.?
Fuel is still in high demand. Lonnie took Shanto into Khulna looking for Octane for his bike. Unsuccessful.
Then he took the rest of us into town for groceries and hamburgers and fries at Mambo’s.
Bathroom break at Artisan for the toddler.. a good chance to get some clothes shopping for the littles in😊
Maddie and I finished up the quiet book project for Annslie’s birthday
Today is a Hindu festival so the 1st S.S. is pretty slim and the 2nd is canceled..
Went home and made BBQ meatballs, mashed taters, and stir fry veggies.
After the 4:00 service, those that had showed up, came over to discuss Easter plans. Gopalgonj invited our cong. for Easter Sun. service and lunch. Do we want to invite them for our Good Friday service? One wouldn’t think such a simple question could spawn such a complicated discussion🤯
Served cold sweet tea, popcorn and Christina’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake from breakfast. Sent the last pc. of cake home with Shanto for Shotti. She had stayed home with her goat, as it was expected to kid this evening.
After a very fun and exhilarating week for the girls and I, we headed to Gopalgonj to pick Miss Christina up and have a fun school day for the children.
Lonnie was put to the max taking care of the 2 littles this last week and let me know that if I had to teach the girls we would have to just go home. So, Miss Christina has job security👍🏼
It didn’t help that Gentry is teething + has some kind of respiratory illness going on. Lonnie did get him on antibiotic as this has rocked on for so long with him not being able to kick it.(fast forward, he took several doses just fine, and then he started throwing up every attempted dose😏. We then fell back on the onion poultice. I grew up using onion for many ailments but as an adult have found it’s usually the last thing I try🤦🏼♀️🤷🏼♀️)
At Doyle’s, the girls were turned over to the teachers where they went over year end program, did an Easter art project, Spelling Bee,..
Sheema cooked us up a yummy Bangla lunch of chicken curry, shobji(vegetables), and dhal(lentils).
Then the teachers and children went out and had a water balloon fight. 💦
5:00 we headed back home
I opted to teach school this week since we already will be hard put to finish the lessons in a timely manner.
Lonnie took over babysitting the toddler and the 5 mo. old.
I had So much fun getting back in the classroom🤗
Every morning Lonnie joined us for a song to start the day.
We took these days to learn the poem “It Couldn’t Be Done” by Edgar A. Guest
We played 3 square ⚽️ for recesses.
Leftovers/meals from the freezer everyday for lunch🙃
Short stories after lunch in the living room with the whole family📖
And after school, finishing up the grading and preparing for the next day, putting up board work.
Tonight we went in to town for groceries since the stores are open again after Eid.
Mambo’s for supper https://maps.app.goo.gl/mKrja3tHfZStgSLZA?g_st=ic
A climb to the 2nd level for a very decent burger, delicious fries and brownie sundae😋 referred to us by our Lamar(Southern Baptist) friend. Will definitely be back!
The Bud, our little Gentry man, hits the 5 mo. mark.
He’s such a fun, happy little guy, his medium brown hair with the fresh haircut look yet, square chest, smiley, laughs easily, and is working at mastering sitting solo.
In the Hindu culture, we are hearing, 5 months is cause for celebration https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annaprashana
A ceremony to introduce rice, the 1st solid food.
We had a good little thunderstorm come up right at church time, so church was canceled. Kobid had already left his home before it became apparent that a storm was brewing, so he came on and we had a little service in our living room with him. Singing English Christian Hymnal songs since he knows English😊 while it stormed outside and the power did it’s disappearing act..
After breakfast we left to meet Doyle from Gopalgonj. The long way, thru the village, as the detour around the new bridge project is still not passable by car. They got an earlier start, so we met them just this side of the Rupsha River bridge in Khulna. Miss Aleigha had spent a week with us at Christmas time and now they were returning the favor, also inservice days at their school since these teachers don’t get School Meetings or even a fellow teacher in the same school building.
We needed groceries, but everything was closed since today is the Muslim holiday Eid, after their month of fasting. There was a few veggie stands open in New Market where we were able to pick up a few veggies. Not all veggie markets are equal🙃 made us thankful for the nice concrete floor/no muddy puddles to navigate, veggie market that we frequent. We picked up fresh ruti from our favorite stand where they are the best combo of crispy, flaky, chewy goodness and drove out to Shipyard road. I’ve been wanting to take the girls there ever since we’d been there on our hunt for a local dentist. Along the paved road that goes past the Bangladesh Naval Base we got out and took a view of the wide river and its ships 🚢 🛳️ . On the way back we counted goats 🐐 that live in the lumberyards that line that road..
Back at the house when I came down the stairs from putting a load of laundry in, Jaira comments that she was thinking it was Miss Christina up there. Annslie keeps asking “Where is Miss Christina?”
Visited with Pim(one of Tulshi’s young friends) awhile. He knows pretty good English so I was asking him Lots of questions🙃 Found out that both of Tulshi’s parents are gone! His mom died sometime in that 9 month gap between us and the last missionary family.
🦷 Gentry cut his 2nd tooth!! Right there on the bottom beside the 1st one
Lonnie reported exciting news on the (new bridge project) detour! They are laying bricks 🧱 🤗🤗 After the 1st rains arrived, not even the rickshaw vans could use the detour! It looks like the road will be just wide enough to fit our van with a tire reaching both sides at the narrowest spot.
Last night a real storm came thru! ..Thunder, Lightning, Lots of wind, AND SOME RAIN!! .. our First rain since Nov!! 👏🏼 … it was not enough to settle the thick dust but it’s the beginning of rainy season. A down side, is more power outages.
And the report from Gopalgonj was their maid Sheema’s bathroom blew away and her neighbor lost their roof!
Here, Tulshi has plenty of yard work for the day.
Lonnie made a batch of tortillas so I could make the pinwheels that Jaira had requested for her birthday, but I hadn’t had a chance to make.
Gentry cut his 1st tooth!.. 4 days shy of his 5th month
