We are not at home anymore.

I have come to realize that while sitting behind my desk in my lovely hometown of Wakarusa, Indiana it was impossible for me to wrap my brain around the whirlwind of change that would greet my family in moving to Bangladesh.

In this, our families first blog entry, I would like to tell you a few short stories that have occurred since we have been in Bangladesh.

1.  After being in and out of airports and in and out of airplanes for 2 straight days, we arrived in the capital city of Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 13, 2012.  We were immediately faced with the fact that we were not at home anymore.  Little did we know when we booked our tickets that we would be arriving in Bangladesh at the beginning of Bishwa Ijtema which is the second largest congregation of Muslim men in the world after the Hajj to Mecca.  It has been estimated that Bishwa Ijtema drew close to 6 million Muslim people this year after drawing over 5 million people in 2011.  So there we were, exhausted and standing in the customs line at the airport in Dhaka, waiting hours and hours in a sea of thousands and thousands of people.  We were quickly aware that we were no longer at home.

2.  Soon after moving down to our home in rural Bangladesh (if you can call a place rural that has a town with over a million people seven kilometers away) I discovered that I could not find my razor in my luggage.  My razor is an essential part of life for me as I shave my head every day.  I was told that not having a razor is not a big deal because I could go to the barber shop across the street and get my head shaved.  So, the night that I arrived at my new home, I ventured over to the barber shop expecting a refreshing and relaxing shave.  Never did I anticipate the stir that would be caused by me getting my head shaved in the Dokon (dokon is the word for shop.)  People in Bangladesh do not shave their heads by and large.  Men in Bangladesh who are bald like my father and have hair on the sides but not on top are referred to as having "stadium cuts" but I have never seen a Bengali who shaved their head bald.  My head has caused quite a stir since I have been here.  Everywhere we go, people want to touch my bald head.  I mentioned this to a friend back home and he wondered if it was annoying to have this happen?  Simply put, no it is not.  Crazy as it seems, my bald head has become an ice breaker of sorts.  It has been a real blessing to me to have people approach me just to see what my head feels like that I never would have had the opportunity to meet otherwise.

3.  One thing that is integral to life in Bangladesh in tea time.  Twice each day, Bengali's break for tea, once around 10:00 a.m. and once in the afternoon around 3:30.  Sitting around the table talking and drinking Bangla cha with friends and strangers have been some of the sweetest and richest experiences we have had in Bangladesh.  By and large, Bengali's are poverty stricken people, but all Bengali's are incredibly hospitable.  Any time you visit a Bengali they  serve you cha and some kind of snack.  The story of Elijah and the Widow of Zaraphath in 1 Kings 17 comes to life every time we are invited in to have tea in people's homes.  Our family has become so accustomed to all of the conveniences that are offered in our home in the USA that I am afraid that we have forgotten about the treasure that comes with sitting and enjoying the company of the people around us, even when we don't feel we have anything to offer.

4.  There is nothing that could have prepared me for learning a new language and a new culture.  Our family took a week once we got here to get our legs back under us (it took us at least a full week to get over jet lag.)  The second week we were here we jumped in to language study.  I am a proud husband and father and I am thrilled to tell you that my daughters and my wife have really done well with language study.  Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for myself.  Language study is and will continue to be a labor of love for my family and me.  The people of Bangladesh love their language, they fought against Pakistan for their independence on the basis that they wanted to be able to speak their own language.  We love the people of Bangladesh.  We want to be able to tell the people of Bangladesh about the love of God in their mother tongue, so we will push on no matter how agonizing. 

Please pray for us.  Pray that God would help us with language studies.  Pray that Ruth, Sarah, Lexi and I would be able to develop meaningful and lasting friendships with people in Bangladesh.  Most importantly, please pray that God would continue to draw each of us nearer to Him.