I called my sister-in-law the day before her birthday and sang her a happy b-day song. That was embarrassing. I was up in the middle of the night and slept in the day time that I thought it was a new day by the evening time same day... I hope this disorientation and jet lag wears out very soon.
I have just noticed something as I reminisced the experience when I returned to US. This is my delayed realization of the children's action on Sabbath program at Jalchatra, Bangladesh.
I asked the children to raise their hands if they were Christians (right before I had them say the memory verses) on purpose. I had many non-Christian or Muslim children who came to our VBS during that week. So, I wanted the audience/ church members to see these dear children.
However, to my surprise, the majority of children's hands went up. There were only 8 - 10 kids who did not raise their hands. You see, on Sunday (9/21/08), I registered 26 kids from the Adventist Boarding school compound in which I assumed them to be Christians. On last Sabbath, 61 kids showed up at church at 9:00a.m. I was guessing that at least half of them are non-Christians. But no. Because the majority of children all raised their hands.
COULD it be possible that they did not understand their translator in their own - Bangla - language?
Or is it that they all WANT TO BECOME Christians? (I'm hoping that this is true.)
Only God knows and we will too when we get to Heaven. For the mean time, I wondered if there is any way to do a follow up with those kids. I addressed this concern and a wish of mine to Dr. M (the missionary there) for a pastor, or a Bible worker, or someone who can do the follow up and lead them to a baptism. Can you imagine that.!! Kids spreading the good news to other kids in the neighborhood... Would this be wonderful?!
In addition, I volunteered to bring English or Bangla Bible for kids next year. And here is what he responded: "Your observation about Christian number of children is right. Some children was so impressed that they made decision to become Christian, too. It is difficult to say which children present on Sabbath was there before and who of them made decision for Jesus this week. But I believe that all children was very powerfully touched by the way how you managed them and inspired for following our loving Savior."
"I will call to local pastor to take care for this children and to guide them to Jesus, to do follow up program. There is our SDA school it is one option how these children can accept Jesus into their hearts. It is possible to buy Bible here in Dhaka. There is Bible society in Mogbazar where you can buy Bibles in Bangla language. You can buy them here directly in Bangladesh."
Lastly, I found his other comment on the email to be a humble call - a calling to do something for God's glory.
“Tomorrow morning we'll go for another mission trip to Dinaspur, a very poor area with many tribal people. Thank you so much for your great financial help. It will give me more blankets, and gifts for children, bananas, and rickshaw and sewing machines which are saving families from starvation and from miserable life for better prosperity and it guides them to Jesus our Savior. One Muslim mother with two kids is already baptized after receiving a sewing machine and several others after receiving rickshaws. Let our Lord be glorified in us and also through us now and for ever. Thank you for great and powerful cooperation.”
Little goes a far way, indeed. And as for me, just like how Jesus fed 5000 with two fish and five loaves of bread, more I break and share His blessings, more I feel full and satisfied.
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