March 10 in Bogra, Bangladesh.

Today was a very interesting and rewarding day. We started off early with breakfast in the hotel at 7:30. By 8:15 we were in the vans on our way to a ministry center 1 and 1/2 hours away. Don't know for sure how far that is.....doesn't really matter, I guess with they way they drive here! When we arrived we were greeted by many school children, teachers, and other officials. Some were in their school uniforms and some were dressed all in their finest saris. From the time we walked into the gate of the center we were treated like we were famous and honored guests. They sang and threw flower petals on us as we walked down the path lined with kids. Then we went into a room and met with the leaders of the school. Then to a small program by the kids where we were again given flowers. When that was over we split up. I (Susan) went with some of the people to two more schools where the same thing happened. The first school was a small village school where the kids, who were awaiting us, sang and presented us with flowers. We assisted them with washing their hands and helping to serve lunch to them. There were many children in the village who did not attend the school who, along with many adults stood outside the school watching and listening to everything going on. As soon as the kids finished eating we again helped them wash and then we left. The second school was way back off the road in a little tribal village....mud-walled homes, cow, chickens, and goats roaming freely. We were quite an oddity with our white skin and light colored hair. And, again, as soon as we arrived close to the village the drum started beating and the singing and dancing started as the kids met us and guided us to their school. A greeting and dance awaited us, along with pictures drawn for us from the students. We then toured their school before leaving and heading back to the ministry center. Another group of people, Sam included, went to see some of the micro economic development projects the ministry helps fund with easy payback loans. They were greeted at those projects with singing and dancing and flowers. They were able to hear about cows being purchased, gardens planted, and other projects the loans helped with in order to either teach a trade to someone or to enable them to buy something to become an income producing project. A third group went to see future ministry centers. We all met back at the first ministry center between 2-3 for lunch before one of our team members, Ron, went to teach a couple of classes to leaders from the area who had traveled in just for this day. Most of the team stayed at the center for the class or just to relax but we joined a few who were taken to another micro economic development area. We visited with many women of a large village who told us of their projects and what they had used their loans for. We were invited to go see the cow that one had purchased. We walked along the road to the next village...about 1/2 mile away...to see the cow and calf. Then we had to look at the garden of another lady, then see another cow...before returning to the van. The entire way we were surrounded by children and adults all wanting to touch us or hold our hands or just walk alongside the white people who had come to see them. Pictures cannot do justice to this day. Nor can just writing or talking about it. When we returned to the ministry center we all loaded up in vans and drove down the road a bit to where the JF was being shown. There was quite a crowd of people. We watched with them for about 1/2 hour then had to leave for the long drive back to the hotel and a late supper. Imagine driving at night with no streetlights and dodging thousands of people walking along the roadside, bicycles loaded with hay or tree limbs or any number of other things hanging off and facing the oncoming traffic all dodging the same thing on their side of the road...and it only being a two lane road, My, what an experience today was!