The Joy of Obedience

This is just a picture from my last stay in Bangladesh and some of the kids Shompa and I taught. I will put some pictures of my new place as soon as I get a way. None of these people are in the same place anymore as the police came broke down their houses and would not allow them to live on the side of the street any longer. 

This slum is my home. I love it here. I’m clumsily finding my way how to live. I feel really un-coordinated with many daily tasks like bathing with the bucket and washing my clothes by hand while keeping my orna(scarf thing) in place. But I love my neighbors who act more like family. I have 4 older sisters, an auntie, 3 brothers, and lots of little ones toddling around who call me auntie :) They have adopted me as their own and treat me with such kindness. They are all Muslim so please pray for them with me. 2 of my brothers attended school at the Mosk so they have memorized the entire Koran. There is still so much I do not know. But I have many teachers and the Holy Spirit to help me :)

I was studying John 15 in the states, memorizing it slowly. As I’m settling into a routine here in Bangladesh I’ve resumed my study. Yesterday, I memorized “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you: Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love just as I have obeyed my Fathers commands and remain in His love.” This is a great passage for me to know especially because obedience has been my struggle in the past and its my desire to obey in all things at all times. Its good to remember that when I obey it is an act of love for my heavenly Father and it is how I abide. It was a struggle for me to obey when God told me to come back to Bangladesh and it was only God who changed my heart. Today I memorized the next verse “I am telling you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” This makes so much sense to me now. God has given me more joy in this Bangladeshi slum then I’ve had in years. The reason God asks us to obey Him is actually for our own good. He desires us to have an abundant life and the most abundant life is when we are full of His joy. I actually remember the last time I felt this type of fullness of joy. It was at camp Mel Trotter with all my crazy inner city kids! I did life with them 24/7, it was dirty the food was nasty and there was not much time at all for myself, but I was filled with so much love for the kids and joy from God on a daily basis.

I think that the biggest ministry we can have is one of presence. Living, working, eating, cleaning, sharing the Gospel through doing life with people. Having joy when the ones around you don’t. That is what God has made me for, and I think maybe all of us were made that way. I have had other ministries in the past, but most involve working then leaving, and none compare to the ministry of presence. That is after all what Jesus did. He came. Gave up His luxurious heaven and came to a dirty earth, full of sinners. He entered as a baby, had to learn everything, He grew up, walked, lived, cried, ate, drank and served with those He came to save. I’m not saying everyone is called to go to a slum or a different country. I’m saying that we will have the best life, the most joy when we obey God’s commands. No matter how much it seems He calls us to give up, no matter how crazy, or difficult it may seem. When we obey, our joy is complete. So simple. And so true!!! I encourage/ challenge you today..obey Him! Even if you do not understand completely., after all His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Do what He is asking of you, seriously it is an adventure and a joy!

Bangladeshi Baby

Well I’m here. Bangladesh. A dizzy, sleep deprived Erica stepped off the plane at 8am Friday morning. Lucky for me, it was one of the two days Shompa has off of work in the week so she was able to meet me at the airport. Sweet Shompa paid the fee to greet me inside the airport even when I told her it was not necessary. When I saw the crazy packed out crowd gathered at the entrance to the airport gate I nearly teared up with thankfulness that my friend was a stubborn Bangladeshi and hadn’t listened to me. (This Bangladeshi girl is more than a friend she is more like a sister and I admire SO many things in her). At that point I knew it would have been impossible to find my friend while dragging my broken suitcase along behind. The wheel stopped rolling somewhere in Switzerland and then the handle broke before I caught the metro in London...so much for my black friday special luggage. The cheapest option when arriving in Dhaka is to walk as far away from the airport as possible before getting a rickshaw or CNG (small green taxi), but since neither of us could hardly carry my sad suitcase, and the crowd was denser than Disney we decided to hail a taxi on the spot. So we drive only about a 15 minute drive from the airport but into a whole new world. A world I slightly remember walking to maybe once or twice in my last stay in Bangladesh, but living in it is something unknown to this spoiled American. We drive past the big concrete roads, the nice foreigner houses that I used to live in and onto a rocky, dusty path filled with rickshaws, a few cars, and A LOT of people. My mind raced back to when my dad came to visit Bangladesh, and he described one of his outings to a rickshaw driver named Shonju’s house. He said it seemed like every corner they turned from one street onto the next was like a different level of poverty. Well Dad...we turned a lot of corners. Shompa lives behind a rickshaw resting place where they take a break from the heat of the day. We pull up to the place where finally the car can not manage to drive on and its time to get out. She owns a room and shares a stove and bathroom with 3 other families. To my pampered American eyes this place looks like the worst of any ghetto, a grimy slum. Not even the poorest people in America live in these conditions. But to my sweet Bangladeshi sister, this place is home, something she has slowly saved up to buy over time, she is proud of her room, her dishes, her pots and pans, and her bed that she fixed with nails and a borrowed hammer.   She is smiling from ear to ear as she shows me her things and where she has made space for me to put mine.  The joy that emulates from this girl brings tears to my eyes. I love Shompa dearly and I am so happy to have her as my Bangladeshi sister and now roommate, but I seriously have no idea how to live in these conditions!  No fridge, no faucet, no toilet or toilet paper, definitely no microwave, no shower, no hot water, and ofcourse no washing machine. I’m like an infant in this world I can not do anything including speak. I am the entertainment/laughing stock of her neighbors but I don’t blame them. Things that they have done their whole life and see as common sense, I have to be taught and shown by example a few times before I get the hang of it. This morning 2 people helped me to boil water for my coffee, and they laughed historically the entire time.  Soon I hear them telling the neighbors the last few Bangla words I attempted and the laughing starts again. Their laugher is catching, I can’t help but laugh too even though I know this means I’m laughing at my own stupidity. This afternoon another lady stood watching as I attempted to wash my camise (shirt), I know I look ridiculous but I seriously was doing my best! Soon there is a crowd of 5 people laughing. The first lady finally couldn’t take my clumsiness any more and took over as the crowd erupts laughing. Well, at least someone is having fun. Who knew washing clothes could provide such entertainment?! Wow, the list of things I do not know is unbelievably long. 

Mr. Atheist. . .

So it has been about a month since writing. And honestly until now i was not sure why i could not bring myself to update this blog. I mean I’ve been traveling all over Europe, seeing amazing sights, eating delicious foods, meeting with friends who i haven’t seen in ages. There should be plenty to write  about right? Well yeah, but in all these travels i’ve had a strange sluggish attitude. My mom noticed it right away when we spoke  one night a few days after I arrived in Spain so around 2 weeks ago. She asked what was wrong...”you don’t seem that excited” she said and I was thinking “yea i’m not excited” what is my problem?? Everything was perfect. Surrounded by friends who love God, in a safe, warm, loving, home with family eating delicious spanish dishes.....i was stumped. I left the question in God’s hands. God, am I doing something wrong? and where are you? why cant i feel you near? I didn’t get an answer. 

This weekend I decided to take another side trip and try this thing i heard about called couch surfing. I decided to go to Porto, Portugal. because it was the nearest country that I havent been to. So i found someone willing to host me in Porto, went to the bus station and found out that actually it was a lot cheaper to go to the capitol city Lisbon, so without having a place to stay....i bought the ticket. This weekend I went to a country where I didn’t know anybody, I was not surrounded by Christians, I didn’t always actually have food when i wanted it, I didn’t actually always feel safe, sometimes I didn’t know where I was and I was alone, most of the weekend I was surrounded by people who who do not believe that God exists, I got less sleep than I’ve had this entire trip yet I feel more energized than ever, closer to God than I have felt in a long time. God's presence was tangible to me in Portugal. The Holy Spirit was speaking clearly prompting me with words to share, and actions to take, I feel refreshed. My host for saturday and sunday was an athiest. I did not  mention to him that I was a Christian until a whole day of sight seeing and conversations had passed and He asked me over bread  and olives..”can i ask you a question”  “what do you believe?” i smiled and thanked God silently for this divine appointment. We had a long conversation about our different believes and he said he wished he was wrong. and also that before me he had never heard someone say that they love God. the next day was sunday and after randomly finding out through facebook that a friend who i hadn’t seen in 10 years (Brandon Rookus) was about 12 minutes away serving with ABWE at an evangelical church, I invited my host to join me. He politely declined in the moment, but I prayed that night that God would invade his heart and low and behold...the next day sitting in babtist church was my host the atheist. he actually  told me the day before that there was only catholic churches in Portugal. He did not accept Christ as his savior but he said his eyes were opened to a world he did not know existed.  Also, the sermon was on faith, which was pretty cool I thought. 

So now I’m on the bus back to Pamplona, I didn’t sleep last night since i was on the train but I still have more energy than ever. I actually teared up a bit while thanking God for the weekend He planned.  And I think...God has proven His point with me once again. He didn’t create me to be comfortable, safe, well fed, well slept, and surrounded by Christian friends all t time. My purpose on earth is not traveling and seeing new places and trying new foods, my purpose is to be near to the broken hearted, to glorify God with how i live and to be a light in the darkness. And for the longest time my light has been shining in already brightly lit places. THAT was why I had been so tired. I was having fun, but I was not fulfilling the purpose that God created me for. My light shines brightest in darkness. Thank you God for the reminder. Perfect timing as I head out to the darkest of places in a few days. I needed that. If you think about it pray for Mr. Portugal :) I have a feeling he will not be Mr. Atheist for long :)