Bangladesh Video

For all of you who weren't there this Sunday. Here is the wrap-up video from Bangladesh. It was an amazing experience and I can't wait until others of you get to go.

Home at Last!

After the 10-hour flight from Seoul to San Francisco, the team was weary to say the least. As we made our way through customs, we were welcomed by the smiling faces of the Creeksiders who had come to take us home. Home. Only one more van ride away. And what a ride! Orderly. No honking. Utterly surreal. After a quick lunch of burgers and fries, we all returned to the church where our families met us with much-needed hugs and kisses. It was a strange good-bye for those of us on the team, going our separate ways after so many days of being inseparable. Of course, we all look forward to coming back together with the rest of our church family this Sunday. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers, your support and your sacrificial giving that allowed us to truly Go The Distance...and back!

Time Travel

We just traveled from tomorrow to today! And while a few of us slept on the 4-hour flight from Dhaka to Singapore, many of us are trying to beat the jet lag by holding off sleep until after we begin our long flight (13 hours!) back across the Pacific. When we got off the plane in Singapore, the iPhone told us the time back home was "3:10 p.m. yesterday." For the next 20 hours, it will be daylight! See you soon!

B'halo Bundhu - Good Friends

Kelly has lost her heart to Suborna, one of the 28 children living in the Birampur children's home. And she is not alone. Tears of children and adults alike were flowing as we said good-bye to the children who have greeted us when we wake up in the morning and when we return home each night. While we have done most of our formal ministry in the Birgonj preschool, we have spent the most time with the Birampur children because their home is right outside our back door.

Our final day truly put our team to the test. In the morning, we ran a two-hour VBS for 70 preschool children from Birampur. Despite having twice as many kids at one time and having our games cut short by a torrential rain, every team member stepped up to the challenge. After a lunch break, we spent the afternoon with the children in the Birampur home, and most of us returned to visit with them after dinner. If success could be measured in smiles, then today was a HUGE success in the Kingdom of God!

Tomorrow we return to Dhaka, so please pray for our safety as we travel these incredibly dangerous roads!

Hurray! We "found" internet today! All of us are alive and well (though missing all of you), and we continue to be impressed with the ministry of BYFC through the leadership of Peter Halder. Here's a quick recap of our last few days.

Tuesday: After 9 harrowing hours of near-death experiences on the highways of Bangladesh, the team has reached the northern city of Birampur. Met by rustic (read: no A/C, no hot water, no beds for half of us, BIG bugs) living quarters and another day of ceremonies, many of us were weary both in body and soul.

Wednesday: Faced with an early morning after a short, uncomfortable night, the two-hour drive to Birgonj worked on everyone's nerves. But the shining eyes and cautious smiles of the five children we would soon grow to love instantly erased the strain of our travels. Having only been there for 12 days, the children were obviously nervous. Our short meeting was followed by the home's dedication ceremony and an opportunity to play with local school children. We ended the day by giving the children their gift bags on behalf of the church, and another long drive back to Birampur.

Thursday (today): After many weeks of planning and preparation, we began our first day of VBS with the Birgonj preschoolers, who were actually a mix of ages from 4 to 8. The teaching was well-received, the stamps and stamp pads were a hit, and games were a smash hit with the kids, teachers and translators alike! Pray with us that tomorrow will go equally well, and that God will bring a harvest from the seed He has enabled us to plant.

Annoucements Live From Bangladesh

Just because we can't be there in person, doesn't mean that we can't stay connected. Thanks to the internet, a laptop, a flip video camera, dropbox, and the creative genius of Ed Grover and Scoty B. We brought announcements live (sort of) from Bangladesh. Watch this video it is 1 minute and 4 seconds of brilliance.

Bangladesh Day 2

Not so long ago, Creekside held a Commissioning Celebration where our single purpose was to glorfiy God for the great work He had done on behalf of our church family. And it was our desire that anyone and everyone who knew of our history and our ministry would be there to celebrate with us. The Grand Opening of the BYFC National Headquarters in Bangladesh held similar significance for Peter Halder, who has labored long with this dream in his heart and now stands joyfully worshipping God, who has made it a reality.

After 20 years of supporting BYFC, Creekside has a share in his joy, and I cannot express what a privilege it was for us to represent all of you as we stood with him on that day. Even greater was the privilege of seeing first-hand the great fruit of his ministry when we visited the nearby Dhaka Forgotten Children's Home. Their beaming faces and welcoming smiles far outshone the beauty and regalia of the well-planned ceremony.

We all received special outfits to wear to the ceremony; ladies in purple, guys in blue.

Candice and Dale smile in their very colorful (and very warm!) outfits.

Here stand three generations of men who have sold their lives for the mission of Christ: Neil of New Zealand; Ron Harder, United States; David Wraight, Australia. They eagerly await the honor of welcoming the various national and local elected officials who have come to support Peter's work in the community.

Our own police officer Steve Dowling shakes hands with the local authorities who have come to provide security for the local government officials.

The arrival of the Advocate Sahara Khutan, Minister of Home Affairs, brought even heavier security. We were all acutely aware of the high number of automatic weapons surrounding us!

Minister Sahara Khatun cuts the ribbon. When later asked by the media what she was going to do about the drug problem in Bangladesh, she was reported to say, "This! This is what I am doing. I am partnering with BYFC, who has committed itself to reaching the youth of this country with education and hope." Let us pray that one day the government will allow the BYFC to openly share not only the hope of a drug-free lifestyle, but also the hope of Christ.

The older children from the Dhaka Forgotten Children's Home presented flowers to the guests of honor.

All of our spirits lifted upon meeting the children of the orphanage. Here Candice poses with her new friends.

Scot with a new buddy.

The BFYC director explains how the Forgotten Children's Home ministry began with reluctance in his heart ("I do youth, Lord, not noisy, little children"), an overwhelming need, and nearly non-existent resources.

Kelly gives a high-five to the daughter of Boppi, whose dedication to the Lord made possible the opening of the first orphanage. His is a story of amazing sacrifice; ask Kelly to tell it to you!

The night ended with church followed by a lavish dinner at a local Chinese (!) restaurant. By the time we returned to the guest house (after a harrowing car ride for some), all of us were completely exhausted!