Smiles and a little bit of tears

I think I smiled all day long today. Each day here continues to get better and better. Today was definitely a very good day. Early this morning I went to a Bengali house church. It is all in Bangla, and I usually don't understand what's going on, or what is being preached about.. but I still enjoy it. I enjoy the company of other Bengali believers and seeing them worship the one true God. Even though I don't understand all that is going on, I use that time to pray for the national believers. I pray that the message from the Lord would resonate in their hearts and that they would be doers of the word, and not merely hearers. After church, we drank cha (tea with milk and sugar) and ate biscuits (cookies and sweet crackers). This is very customary in Bangladesh.
 Later I went out with one of my national friends to an area I used to go to last year. We did not go to the same house, but instead went to another house. My national friend had mentioned that these ladies were very interested in knowing more about Jesus Christ. For muslims all over the world, today was the first fasting day of Ramadan, so I was very grateful that they allowed me to come into their homes and share with them. We talked about God's Word, and that we can trust it is good and true. We also talked about creation and the fall of man and how because of that, we now face troubles and struggle with sin. When I go next week, we will talk about our own personal sin, and hopefully by the time I leave in July, we will have finished Jesus' crusifixtion and ressurection! They were all very eager to hear what I had to say, and were excited to welcome me back next week. Please pray that God will soften their hearts, and that they would be receptive to the gospel. Also pray that I will be faithful to say and share what He wants me to say. I cannot save these people, all I can do is be faithful and plead with the Lord to do something supernatural in the hearts of these women that only He can do. I ask you to join me in that.
As I was leaving, I began to see many women who I shared with and visited with last year. In fact, one of my favorite aunties saw me and came up to me and gave me the warmest hug I have probably ever gotten. I was so shocked to see her, I honestly did not expect to see her today. For some reason, this elderly lady is just someone who is always on my heart. As I hugged her and caught up with her, more women began to make their way to me. Most all of them were ladies who I shared with last year. At this moment a couldn't help but cry small, happy tears. These were ladies who I got to know over a years time. Almost every saturday that I was in country, I would go to their neighborhood and share the gospel with them, as well as basic health lessons. When I had to leave, I was so sad. These ladies are muslim, and I have prayed countess prayers for their salvation. When I was leaving last year, I had no idea if I would ever see them again. But there have been so many times when I've lied in my bed begging the Lord to allow me to see them in heaven one day. I have prayed for their salvation over and over again. I have pleaded with God to plant the seeds of His word in their hearts, and to see fruition. Even though I did not personally see them give their hearts to Christ, it is never too late. I pray that the words me, and others have shared with them would somehow take root in their hearts. But today, what once was a doubt that I'd ever see them again, quickly vanished. God has given me another chance to share with them and to love on them, and I want to be faithful with the task He has given me! I can't wait to share with you all that God is doing.

Also, Ramadan is going on for the next month. Please pray for the muslim people. Pray that God would reveal himself to them in dreams and in visions, though He is not limited to only this way.

(two)day(s) in the life

Today was my first full day in the city where I will be living for the next month. It was the city that I lived in last year! This place feels so much like home. After I flew in yesterday, we had a shuttle take us to an intersection that was very close to my old house, as well as the house I am staying at now. Immediately the memories started flowing, I knew exactly where I was…and oddly, it was if I was never actually gone. I love that my heart is so invested into this country. I love that God has given me a heart for these people. I love that Bangladesh feels like home to me.

After I flew in yesterday, I dropped off my luggage and went straight to Light of Hope to see all the girls and the staff, the girls had no idea I was coming! I walked into the school and one of the girls noticed me walk in and her jaw hit the floor, she was actually speechless. She then screamed as the other girls turned around to see me walk in. More screams, hugs, and lots of love were exchanged yesterday. It was a great day, and it felt so good to be back at the school with the girls who are so near and dear to my heart.

Today, I went to the school as well and taught a discipleship class over wisdom. We talked about what it means to be wise verses smart. We read through many proverbs and the book of James. After our class we ate lunch; boiled egg, potatoes, curry, and rice… one of my favorite meals! It was just as good as I had remembered! After school, I decided I wanted to walk home instead of taking a rickshaw. They all called me crazy for walking 50 minutes in the blazing heat, but I loved it. I love being able to see the city, the people, and so much more at a slower pace. You don’t miss anything when you walk; you get to see it all. I took my old shortcut back to the house. The streets are quieter, there’s not much traffic, nor are there people all around. It’s probably one of my favorite places to walk. Later today, I went to the store near the house to get a few things. This store ALWAYS has beggars nearby. Always. The children there will bombard you, asking for money, food, and anything else they can think of. Not wanting to be bombarded, I tried to take a different way out. Fail. They saw me anyways. About 7 of them came running up to me, and as they got closer they realized they knew me, and I knew them. “Friend, friend, friend”, they yelled as they gave me huge hugs, “it's been so long since we have seen you”. This absolutely melted my heart. They remembered me and knew who I was. I walked back to the house and they all yelled to me,  “you don’t live over here, you need to go this way to get back to your house”. They were directing me to the way I would take if I lived where I used to live. I sadly had to tell them I am not staying there (I loved our old house), and that I was staying with a friend. They then walked me half way home hand in hand.

These past two days have been such a blessing. When I first booked my ticket in February, I was anxious. Anxious that it wouldn’t be the same without my roommates here with me, or that I wouldn’t be staying in our apartment. I didn’t want to compare the two times, and it not meet my expectations. And yes it is different, but it’s good. God continues to show me his faithfulness, and I believe that he has increased in my heart a love for this place even more.  

Spiritual battles and how to fight them

I have been back in Bangladesh a little over two weeks! It feels so surreal and I still cannot believe I am actually here; God is SO good! There is so much to love about this place. The food, the people, the simplicity of life. But one of my favorite things about being here is that I feel so close and connected to the Lord. The reason I feel this way is because I have quality time with Jesus everyday. Bangladesh is a very oppressed country... you can feel it in the air, you can see it when you walk down the street, and you can hear it wherever you stand. As a believer, you can feel the spiritual tension. You wake up every morning knowing that you are having to fight a spiritual battle. You know that satan is out among the streets, wondering in the slums, corrupting the hearts of young children. It's evident here, and there is no way of getting past it. Knowing this, it pushes me to spend daily time in the Word so that I may be able to fight the days battle.
It was not until I came to Bangladesh in 2013 that I truly understood what it meant to put on the armor of God. When you walk outside your apartment here, you are walking into a battle zone. Ephesians 6:11-12 says, "Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." There are true, and powerful evil forces in this world that want nothing more than to destroy your life, and especially your walk with the Lord. So knowing that there is a spiritual war in Bangladesh, it would be foolish of me not to spend time with the Lord and prepare myself for the day.

But then there's America... completely opposite of Bangladesh. There's no Islamic call to prayer five times a day. There's no Hindus worshiping loudly in temples sacrificing animals, no Buddhists chanting and worshiping an idol on the street corner. The sins of America are so greatly masked that we don't even realize that America itself is the ground of a spiritual war zone. I think this makes satan extremely satisfied and happy. Maybe this was his plan overall. In America, it's so easy to feel as if you don't need Jesus. You can live your everyday life without having to fully rely on Him. We don't feel the spiritual tension like we would in an Islamic country; but it's there. It's there in the temptations that women struggle with to look and be someone they're not. It's there when a spouse wrongfully lusts after someone who is not their own. It's there when we buy material items that falsely tell us we will be satisfied once we have it. It's there in the movies we watch and the songs we sing along to. Sin is everywhere, and it demands our attention, and many times we give in.

One thing the Lord has been teaching me here is that I need Him in America just as much as I need him in Bangladesh. Just as I can't go one day without his Word here, so it should be the same way in America. There is no doubt that satan is powerful, he is even described as the "prince of the power of the air" in John 12. We cannot fight this battle alone, and we cannot do it if we are not prepared. The only way that we can be prepared each and every day is by spending quality time with Him each day, knowing that He fights for us. He helps us fight off sin, temptations, and traps that "so easily entangle us". But that only happens when we sit down each day, spend time with Him, and put on the FULL armor of God. There's no other way around it. And until we see that our own country is just as sinful and corrupt as outside countries, it will be extremely difficult for us to fully rely on Christ to help us fight this fight.

But we can find encouragement and strength in knowing that "we fight from victory, not for victory. " -David Platt