Bangladesh

After Oman, our group split into two. Half of us went to Egypt to explore Muslim-Christian relations there and half of us went to Bangladesh. I was in the group that went to Bangladesh. The group that went to Egypt were able to see all sorts of sites--the pyramids, the tombs of Pharaohs, ancient churches, and more. They even went on a hot air balloon ride. The promotional line of Bangladesh, however, is "Discover Bangladesh before the tourist does..." Besides navigating the insane traffic on the roads, the most exciting thing we did was cross a river in a giant rowboat. And yet our experience here was incredibly rich--in many ways and in many places we met Christ.

We started at a theological school in the capital city of Dhaka. The night we arrived, they were having a family fellowship night that included much singing and dancing and then a communal meal together. The next morning we met Brother Guillaume--a monk from the Taize community in France. He guided us throughout the day to various religious sites--the Catholic cathedral, various mosques, madrasas, the old Armenian church. He has an extraordinary ability to walk through walls and gain access to people and places that would be hard for virtually anyone else.

After seeing much of the city of Dhaka, we traveled north 120 kilometers to the city of Mymensingh. The is an old Anglican church here that the Taize community has made their home for the last thirty years. There are three brothers currently living there and they made us feel very welcome. We participated in their daily prayer rhythm--prayers every day at morning, noon, and night. In between, we visited various organizations in Mymensingh--many of which were started by the brothers. There's a hostile for students studying at the local schools, workshops for adults with disabilities--weaving, sewing, and woodworking. There's a L'Arche community for people with intellectual disabilities. And an institute for peace. The second day we were they, they had a gathering of all of the various community agencies they helped to start, and there were over 200 people there and it included seven schools for children in villages and clubs for kids who essentially live at the trains stations. One of the impressive aspects was that these groups span Christians, Muslims, and Hindus--and they all work together and were able to celebrate together. The presence and influence of the brothers was the glue that held this all together--and everyone was able to see Christ clearly in who these brothers were.

Bangladesh is a country of sensory overload--there's something new and extraordinary around every corner. I don't have pictures of pyramids or ancient tombs, but I have pictures of people. Extraordinary people doing extraordinary things, and I have been blessed to be here.