A day trip...

There is a sweet family from Ethiopia on our team.  They live in Mirpur, which is basically a suburb of Dhaka.  We were excited when they invited our family over for lunch.  It was a bit of a trek to get there, but a fun adventure.

 We took a local bus for the first time.  This shot was taken from the bus window.  The colorful rickshaws are so pretty, and how about the guy in pink with the big beard?!

This was also taken from the bus window, so it's hard to see, but those sweatshirts say "SHOWER" in big letters.  What do you think?  Is it a command?  A suggestion?  ; )

 After the bus we all got on rickshaws.  Ben and Annie are on the one in the middle of this picture.

 Mary rode with Legesse, the pastor from Ethiopia, who was our host.  Yes, those are moving vehicles - we ride right through the middle of traffic!  It's a little crazy, but has become pretty normal.

This was just a sweet shot of a little boy we passed.  It is so Bangladesh.

Finger Puppets

One day, Will and Jack started making finger puppets with notebook paper, colored pencils, and tape.

The cast of characters included the detective, Mr. E. (get it?), Frankenyakyelmoaghast, Super Panda, and Super Calafradgalisticexpialadocious.  I'm pretty sure there was a Yoda in there, too.

Settling in...

When traveling back from a conference recently, we had a very limited number of bunks in the air-conditioned part of the night train.  The boys had to sleep on the floor!  They were very good sports (and it was worth it to have the AC!).  This picture was taken from a top bunk, looking down.

 In our apartment in Dhaka there are three bedrooms.  The boys share a room and each have a single bed.  The girls share a room AND a big bed.

 While we were at our conference the kids got to attend a kids' program.  They played fun games and learned about putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6).  Here they are singing a really catchy song- it looks like the "Be strong" part of "Be strong and put on the armor of God".  Music is such a fun way to memorize Bible verses!

Jack's class has been studying Vikings.  For a recent field trip he was supposed to dress as a viking.  You've gotta love duct tape!  : )

Recently the entire country lost electricity for over 12 hours.  It was hot.  We couldn't open the refrigerator, because all the cold air would go out and the food would spoil.  So there wasn't much to eat that was very appetizing.

Just as our mom was wondering what we would do to get a little exercise, she walked into the living room and found this...

The kids had created an obstacle course out of a couple of spare mattresses and furniture and were timing each other to see who could complete it the fastest.  They were sweaty and happy certainly getting plenty of exercise!

Later we stretched a net across the dining room table and played ping pong!

Have you ever heard the expression "Necessity is the mother of invention"?  It's funny how the toughest challenges can sometimes become the happiest memories.  We will remember this hot, hungry day as a very happy one!

Okay, so this is a terrible picture.  But what middle school boy is going to stop and smile for the camera with all his new classmates watching?!  ; )

It gives an idea of the kind of "bus" the kids are taking to school.  Will's campus is farther away, so he  gets home a bit later.  Jack and Mary take a bigger bus to their campus.

It's purple!

Anne's school is only half-day, so she gets home around 11:40.  The bigs kids got home around 2:45, happy and exhausted.  After a snack, each one could be found laying in bed and reading a comic book.

This is the boys' room.  It's hard to see, but Anne is standing next to Will's bed and Jack's mattress is on the floor on the right.  

The community here has been very welcoming and the kids are finding friendly playmates.  They will be learning French and Bangla and are already practicing for their Christmas programs.  Every day is still full of new and unfamiliar experiences.  This is both fun and exhausting!  : )

Jet lag...

We've made it to Dhaka!  Everything is going very well, but there is one problem:  the time change.  Here the time is ten hours later than it is in Maine.  So, even though our bodies feel like it is almost 11 in the morning, the actual time is almost 9 at night.  It's going to take a while to get used to this!  So what do we do when we're up at odd hours of the night?  We read, play Legos, and...
COVER OUR BROTHER WITH STICKERS.  ; )

Our First Trip

In 2011, our family spent two months in the Desh.

  

                                   This is us in the airport as we were leaving.  We look so little!

Here are Jack (he was 6) and Mary (almost 4) on one of the paths at the hospital compound where our dad worked.

Will (he was 9) got in trouble for climbing these trees!  Thankfully, there was a jungle gym by the school for him to climb on instead.  

Who We Are

We are Will (11), Jack (9), Mary (almost 7), and Annie (4).  We are heading on a journey to Bangladesh, and we invite you to join us for a kid's-eye view of the adventure!

You can tell right away that this picture was not taken in Bangladesh.  Know how?  Because we are sitting on a big rock, and there are NO rocks in Bangladesh!  From now on, we are going to shorten the name of the country and just call it 'the desh', okay?  'Bangla' is the language they speak and 'desh' means country.  They are so proud of their language that they named the country for it!