BRENT

                         

   The first days of teaching in Bangladesh I was familiarizing myself with my first grade class. As days turned into weeks I began to pick up on the children's different indivualities. Some could be helpful, demanding, sweet, loud, and others lazy. Yet none of them were like Brent, his desk impeccably clean, but he cheated on assignments, rarely gave eye contact and seemed ashamed and lost. On the playground he would observe at a distance or start fights with the other children. Brent did not seem to have a friend and with good reason.
  Despite Brent's attitude my heart went out to him.  My greatest desire was for this little boy to be happy. I began going to his bedroom at night and telling him good night and I loved him. For weeks it seemed as though I was getting nowhere. Often he would ignore me, staring straight through me, meticulously making his bed, or hiding under his blanket. I considered quitting, maybe I was trying to hard, or possibly I was the reason he was acting like this. I wondered if I should let him be. But I could not let him be. I wanted this boy to know what it was like to feel loved and not to be afraid to love.
  One evening I walked back to by apartment, it was dark but the moon was bright and I could see Brent watching me from behind a rose bush. When I got to the bush I bent over picked him up, held him, and told him I loved him very very much.  He tried turning his head so that I could not see his face but he was a little late, for the first time I saw him smile.
   That night I lay in bed and thanked God. My prayers were beginning to pay off. I felt as though I had won a battle.  I had just broken through a major barrier but there were still many difficulties lying ahead. The times Brent demanded, broke, bad mouthed, or just simply hated were many. I wondered how on earth a six-year old boy could possess so much anger. All I knew to do was love him.
  The weeks prior to my leaving were filled with good memories of Brent. Often times I would look out my window and see him waiting for me to come play.  We would walk around the campus hand in hand. He loved jumping over the small bushes that lined the sidewalks. So many times I found myself running along side him swooping him up into the air so he would clear the scratchy bushes. Sometimes he would come to my apartment and want his hair done. One time he helped me with my laundry. In the beginning I remember watching Brent during worships, he did not sing he just sat there with his head hung. He was happier now and I would often see him singing and doing the motions to the music.  Each night I went to tell him good-night and give him a hug he would ask if he could kiss me good-night. Brent's kissing routine was one kiss on the forehead, then both my cheeks, nose, and chin. Sometimes he would sit on my lap outside his room as we would both watch the other kids play.
   I love Brent very much, pray for him, miss him a ton. I don't know how Brent is doing now but I pray that he continues to love and be loved. "But the greatest of these is love"- 1 Corinthians 13:13

Mr. Clean

   Ever since I was a wee little thing I always imagined the Ethiopian eunuch that Philip baptized to look just like Mr. Clean!
   Over a period of years Mr. Clean's products slowly disappeared out of our cabinets. Then one day mom came home with this box and low and behold Mr. Clean's face was on the front of it. But inside the box was something incredible, a magic eraser! Today I used the magic eraser to clean our kitchen floor and it worked like a charm. So if you ever are having a difficult time cleaning just give Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser a whirl.

THEY DON'T LEAVE

   I just got back from a two month stay in Bangladesh. The majority of people in Bangladesh are Muslims. Atop their hospitality, Muslims are full of other respectable qualities that I wish my own religion/denomination could be known for. One of the most impressive characteristics I noticed is that this religion has an effect on its children. Many of these kids grow up very God fearing. From the encounters I have had with Muslims I have come to the conclusion that they are not ashamed of God and in fact they are very proud of the God they serve. I believe this is one of the reasons why Islam is the fastest growing religion. "Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it." - Proverbs 22:6

Ahhh the good life...

   Crossing the bride from Souix City IA into Nebraska you go under the green government sign which reads Nebraska... the good life.
  Today I came into Lincoln and let me tell you it looked as though a tropical paradise compared to the frozen prairie that I now get to call home. I couldn't help but think of the sign that I used to so often pass beneath. Today felt so good, green grass, trees in bloom, warm rain and ginormous green wheat fields.  I miss this place.

Hours in the Sky

   In the past month and a half I have spent 56 hours in the sky. Flying gives me great anxiety, in fact I think it's one of my bigger fears. Unfortunately it seems as though there is no way for me to avoid it, tomorrow I have to catch a plane at 7 am.
  This is a picture I took with my ipod I flew right over the north pole! The airplane was 37,000 feet off the ground and it looked as though we were just a few hundred, the landscape was huge and vast. I prayed many times nothing would go awry.

Bootea Knife

   This is my new knife! I paid 150 taka(less than 2 USD). I love this knife it makes me feel powerful yet vulnerable, I know if I fell on it there may just end up being two of me. Anyhow when I was in Bangladesh these knives were always used to chop up food. They are quite fast once you get the hang of them. Making it more stable I place my foot on the tail of the knife then I slice away.

Luke + Rumi

   Luke and Rumi were two of my first grade students. Both of them had very good english so I got to know them a bit better than some of the other children. Whenever we sang songs during class Rumi could always be heard, she never ceased to call me Shara teacher and she was always quite insistant on making sure that I looked at every detail of her school work and gave it an A+. Often times I would pass by her and she would ask me, "Shara teacher how are you?" "I am doing good. How are you doing?" Rumi's response was  always, "I am fine".

   Luke was very demanding when I first arrived at the orphanage but as time progressed he became one of my favorites. Luke just wanted to be with me. Unlike many of the children he never demanded I give him stuff. Sometimes I would take Luke on walks and he would be nearly silent the whole time. I remember asking him how long he had been at the orphanage, he wasn't sure but he thought he came when he was three. I asked him why he came. He told me that his parents could not take care of him any more so it was better that he go to the orphanage. I will not forget how on the day that I left the orphanage Luke kept pulling on my shirt telling me that I was not leaving. I told him I had to go and his only response was "No". I told him to be good, "No". I told him I would miss him, "No". I told him I would come back, "No Shara teacher". I miss Luke very much and will not forget all my Luke memories. 

BANGLADESHIS