Saturday, September 15, 2012

Sacrifice or honored calling?

Dr. Steve Kelley a surgeon at Memorial Christian Hospital helps put things into perspective.  Such truth to these words of widom!! 

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Attempting to flee the floods

My flights were booked out of Dhaka (capital of Bangladesh) on June 28th early AM.  Susan was travelling to Europe for a class around the same time, so perfect - let's travel to Dhaka together!  She suggested leaving a day early, as with it being the rainy season sometimes travel plans can be messed up.  Well she was absolutely right!!

Chapter One
It started raining on the 25th, like alot!  On the 26th we drove to Cox's Bazaar to catch a flight to Dhaka...well the flight was cancelled because of the rains.  Plan A - not working.  

These were pics I took on our drive back to Malumghat.



Bazaar shops (market) flooded

Houses flooded

Why not try fishing?



Plan B: Let's catch the night bus out of Cox's Bazaar to Dhaka...then I can still be on time to catch my international flights.  We leave Malumghat a second time, head to the bus station only to find out the bus couldn't come from Cox's because a bridge (that we crossed earlier that day) washed out. 

Plan C: Catch a flight from Chittagong (3hrs away)  to Dhaka in the morning.  Left Malumghat a 3rd time early morning on the 27th to catch the flight.   Well no, the runway was damaged from the storms and the airport was shut down.  (At this point some bideshi's were saying I'm not meant to be leaving :)

Plan D: Let's take a bus from Chittagong to Dhaka - yep, we got the last 2 seats - God thing, definitely.  Yay, we're headed to Dhaka!!

Chapter Two:

Bloober 1: Getting settled on the bus ride, let's check my flights.  So I'm checking my flights/getting Tim (a bideshi administor for MCH) to confirm them only to find out my first international flight was cancelled,with no notification.  I'm frantically emailing my travel agent in Canada (oh yeah, there's a 12 hour difference, it's the middle of the night at home).  So Tim emailed the same travel company and called the on call person who started rebooking my flights.  Thankfully Tim, the trooper, was able to get this in the works while I was sitting on a bus. 

Bloober 2: So flights getting rebooked, I was instructed to go to the China Eastern Airlines office in Dhaka to get my tickets confirmed with them and be sure it was all sorted out.  While no where online or in the phone book could we find an address for China Eastern office.  Finally one of the locals after making multiple phone calls located the office.  We took a rickshaw to the office.


We're getting somewhere - made it to Dhaka, flights rebooked, tickets in hand.  It's not finished there.

Chapter Three

Airport challenge 1: Leave the guest house midnight with a driver who doesn't speak much English, we make it to the airport and he drops me off.  Ok, we're here, I'm good to go.  Bit difficult time finding the right check in because of the tiny little sign on the counter but made it.  I stand in line to check in my luggage.  Finally my turn, 'Madam your luggage is too heavy', I'm  not surprised.  He tells me the amount needed, I hand him my credit card.  They don't take credit card.  He tells me to go to an ATM to get cash for payment.  Trekking around the airport, and asking people where an ATM is (of course with language barriers get directed in multiple directions).  Finally, find an ATM, it doesn't take international cards - seriously, at an airport??  Yep.  Searching the airport terminal for yet another ATM, find on one floor down - again doesn't accept internatinal credit cards.  I'm lost.  A really nice pilot (I actually think he was an angel)...told me I looked lost, I explained the situation.  He said there's an ATM on the arrivals side, which security wouldn't let me through, but he spoke kindly to them and I was able to get passed security to an ATM that accepted international cards.  Get the taka (money) and head back to the checkin counter, repeatedly thanking the kind pilot!  Give him the taka, breath a sigh of relief.  Should be good to go.  (A few hours later I'm calculating the exchange realizing it's more then $300 Canadian dollars!!! - and I was so frazzeled by this point I didn't even get a receipt as proof.  So basically I'm positive he took advantage of that).  Grr!  And after paying all that my luggage was only checked through till China, my next layover!!

Airport challenge 2:  Flight Dhaka to Beijing...that's what my ticket and itinerary said.  Well no we have a stop over in Kunming.  They made us get off the plane, take a bus to the terminal, go through security - get a day visa...???  I'm suppose to be in Beijing why am I getting a visa for Kunming??  A flight attendant is scrambling as she's leading us all around the airport, then turning back as she's forgetting directions of where she's suppose to go.  Find out this is the 2nd day this airport has been open.  Yikes!!  At this point my patience is wearing thin...and lack of sleep isn't helping.  So we finally get back on our plane after 'touring' the new airport and our flight is delayed, surprise!  Thankfully I had a 5 hour layover in Beijing till my next connecting flight.

Airport challenge 3:  I get to Beijing and head to the airlines counter where I'm suppose to confirm my next flight out (as per China Eastern Airline).  I get to the counter and they're all confused saying they don't have the confirmation and I may need to pay for my next flight.  I'm disagreeing with them, saying everything has been confirmed by China Eastern and my travel agent back home.  They call the manager and finally get things sorted out.  By this time it's almost boarding time.

Beijing to Vancouver.  By this time I'm so excited to be 'home', although it wasn't Saskatoon yet it was Canada and I was sooooo relieved!!  I went to the Air Canada counter to be sure my flight to Saskatoon was confirmed and it was.  This made me a happy woman! 

So I arrived home one day later then planned.  I think I encountered every travel challenge except lost luggage.  So relieved to see familiar faces at the airport, thanks for those who came out basically in the middle of the night!  God brought me home.

Today I was reading 'A Chance to Die - Life and Legacy of Amy Carmicheal' by Elizabeth Elliot.  She was explaining her travel story back many years ago, how she sailed from England to China and the different travel encounters she had and how she laughed at them viewing it as an adventure.  I think I need to learn from that. 

God blessed me with the wonderful opportunity to experience and be a part of His work in Bangladesh.  I'm reminded how most people in the world don't have the opportunity to fly or experience life in another country.  I come home to food, clothes, and a roof over my head.  The country I just left - many people lost that just a day before. 

 Here's a link of news regarding the flooding/deaths/homeless from the rains:

  Paul's words in Phillippians are a good reminder.  'I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.' Phil.4:11


Meet more Bengali's and Bideshi's (white people)

Susan...working in Bangladesh for more then 20 years in multiple different roles - presently with the Health College.  A woman of God who took me under her wing not only as a coworker and friend but letting me eat at her table every day in SGR 2, my neighbor on the compound.

 Ruth.  Another amazing woman with a huge servants heart!  Such a great example to learn from.  She lived with Susan in SGR 2.

This is Peter, SGR 2's cook, his daughter and brand new grandson who he was so proud of!

Samsho and Peter the men who kept me alive while I was in Bangladesh...great cooks!  It was such a blessing to be so well taken care of. 

Eti - my language teacher and her family.  This woman had the gift of patience definitely!!  Being a language teacher has got to be such a challenge, listening to adults talk baby talk in their own language.

Lovely and her husband.  Lovely worked in the administration office on the compound.  Not only is her name Lovely but she truely match's her name inside and out.  Wonderful woman!  We were invited to her home for her son's birthday party.  She'd had Bideshi's over many times as she understood we can't eat a heaping plate of rice and everything else too.

Lovely's children...Sunny and Rainy :)  These truely were their names.  They also had Bible names - David and Jonathan.

Annie - full of energy and spunk!!  Bengali people are so hospitable.  Such examples to learn from.  I had the priveledge of being invited to many different homes.  Annie's house was one of them.

Annie came over to my house one day to decorate my feet with mende. 

Mohim (right) and his brother.  This Muslim family was so involved in the work of Memorial Christian Hospital.  Most of their family members were employed by MCH and were amazing workers.  So kind and  hospitable!  I also was blessed with eating a tasty curry meal at their family home.

Hanna (left), one of my students and her family.  Yep, you're not seeing double, she does have an identical twin sister.  I could not tell the 2 apart.  Her Mother and brother Ronnie were also employed at MCH.  Wonderful hospitable people!

Rotna and her son.  A widowed woman with an amazing testimony and heart for God.  We were invited to their home for her son's birthday.

Ruth, Mary (the only other Canadian - yay), Megan, and Susan at the party.

The deCosta family and Grandma.  They gave so much when they only had so little.  Such wonderful people!  Since I left Bangladesh they were blessed with a little baby girl.  Subrato is an employee at MCH.

A boat ride out on the Cal...(inlet of Bay of Bengal).

First day of rainy season...but it held off for a few hours :)

Goats...everywhere.

We visited a couple fishing huts.

 Sujan and Sukumor, my translators.  Sukumor is arranging a wedding in this picture - not a joke, he really was!

Caught some crabs

 Sujan, Sukumor, me, and Lynette holding huge crabs!

Fishing traps would be up or down, depending on the tide.


Sujan's family home.  This Hindu family is all employed by MCH.  Yet another wonderful, hospitable family!

Heidi (who works in translation) and I were invited for an amazing, one of the best I've ever tasted, curry meals!

This is SGR 2, the home I ate at each day.  Susan and Ruth hosted a singles dessert farewell for me when I left.  It was such a wonderful evening of playing 'Would you rather...', eating awesome desserts, and hanging out together one last time.

Glenda, Lisa, Susan and I.

Lynette, Mary, Megan, and Christel.

Such wonderful people who have such an amazing ministry here! 

Clinical - Memorial Christian Hospital

I loved how you'd teach something and the next day they'd see it in the hospital!  The students spent time in different areas including wards, outpatient department, operating room, physiotherapy, orthopedics, pharmacy, and registration.


Physiotherapy with the physio techs.

Outpatients with the medics

Outpatients

Orthopedics - teaching cast care

More practical class...Gag me, literally.

Gastrointestinal system - everything and more from tube feeds, inserting NG tubes, oral rehydration (ORS), hospital diets, to colostomies, bedpans, and enema's.

NG (nasogastric tube) is a tube inserted through the nose into the stomach, used to remove stomach contents or for tube feeding.  Probably one of the least pleasant experiences done to me, but watching others is one of the most entertaining.  I think we all laughed till tears were shed.  I was the first example...it was completely their choice if they wanted to experience it :)  They were pretty amazing sports.

Irine and Rumpa...first trying it on the dummie.  Just not as realistic and entertaining.

Porashor, the first brave soul.  Love the others expressions.



Get this thing out of me

How can I do this without vomiting?

"Swallow Halim, swallow!"

Practical classes - Integumentry (Skin) system

Practical classes...after vital signs we learned about sterile technique, dressing changes, wound care, surgical wounds and drains, and bandaging.  So fun to work with!!


Bishwazit and Halim

Kapil and Mintu

Baby and Johanna

Dezy and Irine

Bishwazit and Kapil

Bishwazit, Noyan, and Arup

Halim and I

The lovely bunch