God's Children

For us this was a life-changing experience, and we are grateful for the opportunity. After spending two months with those kids, it was easier to say goodbye knowing we are returning to Bangladesh and will get to see them all again. We are also so excited to be even better friends and encouragers to the Kuehns, as we know a little more their daily blessings and struggles.

The idea of stepping into the Kuehn's shoes for two months sounded like a great and "true religion is this" thing to do--positive in every way. I wasn't prepared for the emotional reality of 65 needy kids and 10 staff members who need encouragement to keep going just like we all do. As a mom, I was so sad that there were, indeed, 65 orphans.

So much of the time, I wanted to meet all their needs--you know that "supermom" feeling where you feel like you could do anything for your kids to protect them and give them the best opportunities. But then you realize you're really powerless to do any of that, and you just have to entrust them to God over and over and over. Imagine feeling that to the 65th power. But where else do you want to be in your life than handing everything over and over to God? That's what I love about living in Bangladesh; it is so deliberate.

And God just continually reminds us that His ways are best. He gives us glimpses of the beauty of his church and his children. Like the family who sends each child a birthday card and small money gift--what a great idea! Only God could lay that on someone's heart to do. And in the kids' Bibles, they would have postcards and pictures of so many team members who have come through and ministered to them and been special to different ones. And then there are people from all over the world who give so generously to feed and clothe these kids and enable others to go as ministry teams. God's body is an amazing ministry of grace.

I catch myself a lot trying to make it "perfect" when perfect is what heaven is for--I want each of those kids to have godly parents and a strong home, but God's way is best. Probably if those kids had parents, they would most certainly not be Christians. I have to praise God that even though they are orphans they are His children, and I pray that these kids would continue to know the depth and breadth of that in their hearts. I think that's the best thing to pray for Home of Love; that's what they need the most. God knows that and He keeps reminding me.

So, thank you for giving us the opportunity to see God's hand and church body at work in such an obvious and firsthand way. We wouldn't trade our time at Home of Love for anything.

The Rainy season is FUN

One on One

We have fallen in love with the Kuehn’s verandah. It’s on the back of their house and, as the smallest room in the house, is really the place for hanging your laundry to dry. But, when the fan is blowing your wet clothes, it is even cooler, and thus an even nicer place to sit and read in the morning.
The other night, I was rocking Grant in the rocking chair out there, and we were talking about visiting his Grandparents in New England when we head home at the end of the summer. I was so glad for the lure of New England that made him stay in my lap and be rocked when he is normally a busy 3 ½ year old. And then, as I invariably do, I thought of the 66 orphans next door, who never had a mom to rock them or a chair to be rocked in, and my mind was racing with how I could give them some one-on-one attention like that.
You’d think it would be an easy task, but the problem is nothing is ever one-on-one in this country—when there is an accident between two cars, there are still 50 people involved, and when you are asking one child a question, you get answers from five. It is also like this with hand-holding—you don’t hold hands with one; there are two holding EACH hand, and at least one on each arm and you walk down the verandah as kind of group huddle rather than next to each other. So you understand my quandary. And then, yesterday, it happened.
I didn’t know it, but Jolie-didi had declared it “nail-cutting day.” I quickly seized my opportunity to sit across from her with each child on my lap, and while she did the trimming, I did all the back-rubbing, arm-stroking, and holding I could pass along to each one, one at a time. It was priceless, and I just have to wonder how often we do this “nail-cutting day”; because it’s really a good set-up.

Sports Every Day - Rain or ...About to Rain

In Bangladesh they are very passionate about their sports. We are still trying to get up to speed on the game of cricket, but besides that soccer and basketball are the sports we play the most here at the Home of Love. A major problem in Bangladesh is a lack of suitable playing fields. Of course, our definition of suitable and theirs would greatly differ.
On July 4th we decided to play a little baseball. The kids had a great time but we very quickly learned how baseball is a very confusing sport for those who didn't grow up playing it.

So Many Hurting People

Lately I have been overwhelmed by the need and the poverty and the hurting and the difficulty for the masses in Bangladesh…again. Everywhere I look, I see need. And I don’t have enough apples or mangoes to pass out to the beggars. And there isn’t enough corrugated tin to make roofs in the middle of the monsoons. And really, unless you’re singing at the top of your lungs, “the kindness of a Saviour—the hope of nations; our God is mighty to save,” it is really hard to believe there is any hope for a place like this.




When I do have an apple to give out to a beggar girl, and then she taps on the car window to ask for another, and the guard employed by the store in front of which I am parked, yells and swats her away—he thinks he is helping, but I want to say, “wouldn’t you ask for another one?” I mean, really, if you lived on the streets every day of your life and you lived in a country where there are far more people taking up space than there are jobs to offer, wouldn’t you ask for another apple?
I saw a glorious moment the other day though, and it was like God put it there just for me. Rick had put two apples beside a baby who was playing on a tarp while his mother picked through the trash heap nearby. Another beggar family came by and the boy picked up one of the apples; his mother asked what he was hiding, and he reluctantly showed her. She told him to put it back, and he did! He actually did instead of wolfing it down and running away and destroying the evidence .

Psalm 35:10 My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, O Lord? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.”

Psalm 68:5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. Not that we can say this, because God never changes, but if He were to be at his holiest at any one point, he would be so when he is looking after his orphans and taking care of his widows. Now there is hope for a place like Bangladesh.


written by Chris

Birthday Meal

Thursday night, we had a feast. It was my birthday, and so we decided to give everyone a big chicken dinner. Partly because it is Bengali culture, but mostly because what could be more fun than giving 75 people who eat meat twice a month an extra special meal? It turned out to be even more fun than we expected. There was such a spirit of excitement and celebration, and since Thursday night is the beginning of their “weekend,” we were celebrating a week of school and studying being finished as well as a birthday and a good meal. I loved helping serve everyone dinner. We all ate together, and then I served everyone bread pudding for dessert. (That was the mom in me trying to shove more nutritious eggs and milk into their growing bodies.)

I knew the party would be fun, but what overwhelmed me was the generosity of the kids. Many of them made me cards and delivered them throughout the day. After evening devotions, they presented me with a pound cake and flowers and a wrapped gift, and all sang to me before we went in to eat dinner. I knew I would enjoy giving to them, but I was really surprised at how much they enjoyed giving to me. It really is better to give than to receive; I am humbled that these kids who have so little compared to me, know that truth so well.

Connecting through Cooking

Chris connects with the girls and staff through cooking. Today she had nine of the older girls to our apartment to teach them how to make lemon squares. They made enough for all the kids to have one for their afternoon snack. Relationship building is so important in this culture.