MISSION TRIP TO BANGLADESH

MISSION TRIP TO BANGLADESH (13 – 20 FEBRUARY2012)

We arrived in Dhaka at about local time 10pm plus (12 pm Malaysian time).

Dhaka has very heavy traffic and it is filled with people.  Malaysia as a nation has 28.5 million people while the city of Dhaka has almost 20 million people.  From the two photos, you can imagine how life is in the city of Dhaka.

Our van driver tells us that he lives 5km away from the city but it takes him 2 hours to reach home in the evening.  The roads are dirty and filled with dust.  It is very noisy  with the car honks blaring all the time.  Traffic is practically at a stand still at peak hours.

After a night in Dhaka we left for the village, Dharabashail early in the morning.  It was a journey of about 8 to 9 nine hours in a van not because of the long distance but rather it is because of the road conditions.  It is rough, bumpy roller coaster all the way, you have to stay alert all the way, it is like  tossing your body up and down all the way.  The only rest time was when we crossed a river on the barge something like our Penang ferry in the fifties.  The river crossing takes 45 minutes and that’s where we really get to sit down with our bottom staying put on our seats.

And toilets are scarce along the way, even at petrol stations when there is one, it is in the most deplorable state that one could ever imagine.  So team members drink sparingly, taking sips only to avoid having bursting bladders.  Praise the Lord, no one complained or grumbled, every one took it in stride.

We arrived in the village about 5’ o clock in the evening, and stayed in the village guest house.  

Pastor Timothy shared on 1 Kings 18:21 on how Elijah challenged the worshippers of Baal.  Believers of Jesus Christ had being given the power and authority in Jesus’ name to heal the sick and cast out demons for the sake of the gospel.  Miraculous healings took place on the first night and about 15 people responded to receive Jesus Christ as their personal Savior on the second night.  The deaf and dumb, asthma, back-pain, and those having breathing difficulties were healed.  A lady was also delivered from demon possessed of some 5 years.

Worship Service

Saturday is day of travelling back to the Dhaka city.  It is the same “rough sea boat ride” journey but we stopped to visit a orphanage/school for boys and had lunch at a girl’s orphanage.  We reach Dhaka city at atbout 8pm weaving through the traffic and after many “ohs” and “ahs”, we finally arrived at the rest house,  and after dinner all the team members retired for a early night.

Sunday morning was spent visiting  the AOG council office and school, a last minute walk around the street where the rest house is.  Church service was in the evening at 5pm after which we had our last dinner in Bangladesh and then proceeded straight to the airport.  It was midnight  flight and immediately upon boarding  all of us headed straight to dreamland even before the plane took off.  

[Submitted by Joy]