Bangladesh Adventures

Haiti Update and Prayer needs

2010-10-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a summary of recent activity from our disaster response in Haiti.
• On Friday Sept. 24th, a tornado-like storm hit Port-Au-Prince. 85 Compassion beneficiaries were affected, 83 had their tents destroyed and two lost the roof of their home. PF's and project workers are making sure that those affected have food, water and temporary shelter.
• Repair on the second Compassion office building is nearing an end.
• Expatriate staff have been hired to help with completing the strategies. Hilda Bojórquez, an engineer from El Salvador, will coordinate the rebuilding of the ICP's.
• 320 children have been seen through a mobile clinic in Miragoane (HA-789) and medical equipment (scales, stethoscopes, and thermometers) was distributed to 35 projects. This strategy is now complete.
• 339 families received temporary and transitional shelter materials during the month of September.
• Containers were delivered to HA-314, 727 and 800 for use as temporary meeting space.
• 44 church partners were selected to benefit from repairing and rebuilding works.
• 155 people (project staff members, children and parents) from 9 projects (HA-751, 355, 805, 748, 778, 717, 204, 319, 726) have benefited from group therapy and individual debriefing with the psychologists.

Prayer requests from Haiti:
1. Pray for the country as they approach presidential and general elections in November
2. Pray for the protection of the Haitian population during the rainy season.
3. Pray for the leadership team of the Compassion Haiti office as they need wisdom to make appropriate decisions for the success of the ministry.
4. Pray for an effective role for Compassion to play in the rebuilding of the nation.
5. Pray for the Disaster Response Team in implementing the strategies to respond to the earthquake.
6. Pray for the protection of people in tent cities in a hot sun (afternoon) and heavy rains (at night), a big challenge for school pupils, babies, pregnant women, injured people...

Haita updated June 10

2010-06-01T06:32:00.000-07:00

Here is a summary of the latest of our disaster response.

• May is the wettest month of the year in Haiti with an average monthly rainfall of 9 inches. Over 4 inches of rain had already fallen in Port-au-Prince by the middle of May.
• On May 9, an area called Bozan in Leogane was flooded when the Rouyon river overflowed. The families of 9 Compassion-assisted children from HA-152 were affected, losing uniforms, school materials, utensils, beds and income-generating materials.
• Thankfully, no children were injured or killed in the flooding and Compassion has given the affected families food, water and temporary shelter.
• Mobile clinics of 5 local medical teams visited all affected projects where they have treated more than 11,000 patients.
• Medical supplies sent after the earthquake were used to treat Compassion-assisted children, their families and people in the communities. Additional supplies have been distributed to 69 affected projects and 13 hospitals.
• All significantly affected projects received food supplies to serve children hot meals during the project activities.
• To date, 2,702 tarps have been distributed at 23 projects, with plans to distribute a total 6,000 tarps to the most severely affected families.
• Compassion-assisted children’s attendance at school is estimated at about 80 percent. More than 500 children moved to the countryside where there is a Compassion project and are attending school as well as project activities.
• Most of the schools allow children to go home at noon because of the extreme heat.

Please continue to keep the country of Haiti in your prayers. Prayer requests from Haiti:
1. Pray for our protection while working under a concrete slab roof.
2. Pray for self-control and peace of mind for our staff here and our children at school during aftershocks (our hope is that there are no more aftershocks.)
3. Pray that we can reach our full capacity (more productive) in a time where the impoverished children need us the most.
4. Pray for our effective role to play, as Compassion, in the rebuilding of the nation.
5. Pray for the protection of people in tent cities in a hot sun (afternoon) and heavy rains (at night), a big challenge for school pupils, babies, pregnant women, injured people...

Haiti Update May 2010

2010-05-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

Also, here is a summary of the latest of our disaster response.
• The Haitian government has reopened schools and extended the school term by three months through August. About 800 of the city’s 5,000 schools have reopened.
• All of the affected ICP’s have resumed project activities, meeting under tarps or tin roofs. School attendance is at about 70% because many children have moved outside of Port-au-Prince.
• All 38 of the significantly affected projects are meeting three times a week and so far, 21 of them are serving hot meals to the children.
• To date, Compassion has distributed 30,037 food kits to all affected projects. 1,000 additional food kits are stored in the warehouse to give to children who are still missing.
• All families from the 38 significantly affected projects have received vouchers for shelter materials and so far, 1,882 tarps have been distributed to 13 projects.
• Mobile clinics conducted by 4 local medical teams are visiting all affected projects to provide health care to registered children, siblings and parents.
• Additionally, medical supplies were provided to 12 projects and 3 hospitals in the affected areas.
• Trauma counseling was conducted for Compassion staff by trained psychologists.

Please continue to keep the country of Haiti in your prayers. Prayer requests from Haiti:
1. Pray for our protection while working under a concrete slab roof.
2. Pray for self-control and peace of mind for our staff here and our children at school during aftershocks (our hope is that there are no more aftershocks.)
3. Pray that we can reach our full capacity (more productive) in a time where the impoverished children need us the most.
4. Pray for our effective role to play, as Compassion, in the rebuilding of the nation.
5. Pray for the protection of people in tent cities in a hot sun (afternoon) and heavy rains (at night), a big challenge for school pupils, babies, pregnant women, injured people...

A NEW BEGINNING FOR EARTHQUAKE-STRICKEN HAITI

2010-04-08T08:47:00.000-07:00

About 120 countries met Wednesday at the United Nations in New York to hear Haiti's request for around $4.0 billion in aid to help it recover from January's devastating earthquake that killed more than 230,000 people and left more than one million homeless. The blueprint presented by the Haitian government to achieve that goal was supported by the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon who opened the fundraising conference on Haiti.

"Our goal is not just to rebuild, it is to build back better," said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, adding that the cost of rebuilding Haiti is estimated at $11.5 billion over the next decade.

Haitian President René Préval thanked the nations who have already contributed to relief efforts since the quake, and paid tribute to the actions of Haitians, both at home and abroad.

"Let us dream of a new Haiti whose fate lives in a new project", said Préval.

The U.S. government pledged $1.15 billion at the international conference on rebuilding earthquake-shattered Haiti, with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton warning that "what happens there has repercussions far beyond its borders."

At long last the conference seemed likely to meet that goal, with the European Union announcing a $1.6 billion commitment and Brazil pledging $172 million.

HIGHLIGHTS IN PROJECTS
-Ongoing Food relief activity
Over the past two weeks, 7471 food kits have been distributed to ICPs as an ongoing food relief effort. As a result, 100% of significantly affected ICPs (a total of 38) have received food kits twice for their children and families, and their staffs; and all 100% of moderately affected ICPs (a total of 31) have received food kits once. The office is managing to serve the moderately affected ICPs a second food kit as well, to fully benefit the disaster families in need of immediate food relief.
Children from the quake-prone areas who migrated to the countryside are also taken into consideration regarding the food relief intervention. Note that such children, especially the ones who moved to areas where there are Compassion projects participate in ‘’club associate’’, a strategy that allows them to receive all Compassion benefits related to the sponsorship and the developmental activities linked with it. To date, a number of 1052 have been found in this situation.
Each food kit which contains ingredients like: 20 pounds of rice; 10 pounds of beans; half a gallon of cooking oil; 12 pounds of oatmeal; 12 pounds of pasta, and 64 ounces of peanut butter, can sustain a family of five for two weeks with one meal a day.
-Milk distribution and other items
In thirteen (13) CSPs, powdered milk was distributed to mothers/caregivers with children aged up to 24 months. Six (6) boxes of milk were given to each caregiver to nourish their infants in this time of daily sustenance issue.
Other items that include flashlights and batteries were also given to parents to use in the evening as most of the areas of Port-au-Prince fail to have electricity. Thus, 747 flashlights and 1494 batteries (at a ratio of 2 batteries per flashlight) were distributed.
- Tarp distribution and other building materials
Among the 38 ICPs (22 west and 16 rural) selected to benefit from temporary and transitional shelter activity, only three (3) have received a total of 391 tarps for children’s families, and twenty-three (23) could distribute vouchers to about 3119 parents to claim materials such as corrugated metal sheets (those in rural), wood frame and nails to start making their shelters. As more tarps are expected to come, more families will be benefiting until reaching out to the targeted number which is about 6,000 who desperately need to cope with rainy season.
- CSP Camp
After conducting successful multi-day camps for both CDSP children and LDP students aiming to help address the psychological, physical, nutritional and cognitive needs of our registered children, our office has been holding a two-day camp for CSP mother-child units. A group of six (6) CSPs located in rural areas held camp last week (March 25-26) and a group of seven (7) in urban areas are ending the activity today. 95% mother-child units have attended this activity.
Camp activities focus on four areas:
-Occupational therapy, including art and games for children, and games and competitions for caregivers
-Cognitive therapy for caregivers, including earthquake and natural disaster education
-Individual therapy for caregivers by psychologists
-Immunization for children and their caregivers against typhoid, meningitis, tetanus and hepatitis B
CSP projects were grouped by 2 or 3, depending on their geographical position to make the event look more enjoyable and uncommon. Caregivers could have fellowship by comforting one another through testimonies, having fun and eating together.

Prayer requests:

1. Pray for the reconstruction plan of Haiti to be a reality
2. Pray for all disaster families who are still struggling to return to their normal life
3. Pray for our strategic plans to be carried out effectively on the field
4. Pray for resilience, courage and vision for the leadership of the office, to accompany the impacted ICPs in meeting their needs and the needs of the children we exist for

Haiti Update

2010-03-31T07:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a summary of the latest of our disaster response.
• About 80 children from the three child development centers in Les Cayes that were affected by the flooding received money to replace belongings such as school materials and uniforms. Families also received food kits and water.
• The Compassion Haiti office has begun to address shelter needs for the families from the affected ICPs. Six thousand families will receive shelter materials.
• Families in urban areas will receive shelters made from waterproof tarps, wood frame and nails. Families in the countryside will receive shelters made from corrugated metal sheets, wood and nails.
• Project staff were trained on how to construct shelters. Each shelter is big enough to accommodate a family of more than five.
• The second phase of food distribution is occurring, serving both significantly and moderately affected projects.
• Apart from one LDP student still missing, all LDP students (90 total) are attending a four-day camp in Merbalais, two hours from Port-au-Prince. Camp activities include psychological and social interventions, immunization and recreation.

Haiti and Compassion

2010-03-31T07:21:00.000-07:00

Haitian Children Need our Help! As a result of the Earthquake in Haiti children and their families are hurting. The tragic statistics: Compassion Children 49 were killed; 721 injured; 3,437 homes destroyed; 11,344 homes damaged; 227 siblings killed; and 203 parents killed.

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults. Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries.

Compassion's work in Haiti began in 1968. Currently, more than 62,900 children participate in more than 225 child development centers. Compassion partners with churches to help them provide Haitian children with the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become all God has created them to be.

Please continue to keep the country of Haiti in your prayers. Prayer requests from Haiti:
1. Pray for the country as the population is struggling to return to their normal life
2. Pray for the south population (Les Cayes).
3. Pray for the three projects that are affected by the flooding.
4. Pray for all specific responses of Compassion to affected ICPs to be effective.
5. Pray for resilience, courage and vision for the leadership of the office, the staff and the ICPs to meet the needs of all affected children.

On an interesting note; Compassion Children in Bangladesh raise more than $3,000 to send to the children in Haiti. It started with a day of prayer at all Compassion Bangladesh’s projects with the children praying for Haiti and ended up with the poorest children in the world donating $3,000 to the other poorest children in the world. Praise the Lord!

Bangladeshi cabbie in NY returns cash left in taxi

2010-01-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

Mukul Asadujjaman: "I did the honest thing"

A Bangladeshi taxi driver in New York City has gone out of his way to track down the person who left thousands of dollars in cash in the back of his cab.

Mukul Asadujjaman, a medical student, drove nearly 80km (50 miles) to an address he found with the money.

He left his phone number when he found no-one at home. The money belonged to an Italian grandmother visiting the US.

Mr Asadujjaman was offered a reward, but he turned it down saying that as a devout Muslim he could not accept it.

Felicia Lettieri, of Pompeii, Italy, and six relatives had taken two cabs on Christmas Eve, Newsday newspaper reported.

Mrs Lettieri, 72, left her handbag behind, with more than $21,000 of the group's travelling money, jewellery worth thousands more, and some of their passports.

Her sister, Francesca Lettieri, 79, of Long Island, said the honest driver had saved her family's vacation.

"We really love what he did," she said.

'Be honest'

A gracious Asadujjaman was quoted by the newspaper as saying that he may be broke, but he was also honest.

"My mother is my inspiration. She always said to be honest and work hard."

Mr Asadujjaman called a friend with a car and drove to a Long Island address he found in the handbag.

No-one was at home, so he left his phone number and a note, the report said.

His phone rang a short time later and he drove back to return the bag.

"They were so, so, so happy," Mr Asadujjaman told the paper.

Asked if he was tempted to keep the cash, Mr Asadujjaman said the money would have allowed him more time to study, "but my heart said this is not good".

He also turned down a reward, saying he could not accept it as a devout Muslim, Newsday reported.

"I'm needy, but I'm not greedy," he said. "It's better to be honest."

Mr Asadujjaman is not the first honest American-Bangladeshi cabbie to hit the headlines for noble behaviour.

In 2007, driver Osman Chowdhury returned a lost bag containing diamond rings worth $500,000 to the rightful owner.

The Hole In Our Gospel

2009-11-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

Rakai, Uganda, August 1998

His name was Richard, the same as mine. I sat inside his meager thatch hut, listening to his story, told through the tears of an orphan whose parents had died of AIDS. At thirteen, Richard was trying to raise his two younger brothers by himself in this small shack with no running water, electricity, or even beds to sleep in. There were no adults in their lives—no one to care for them, feed them, love them, or teach them how to become men. There was no one to hug them either, or to tuck them in at night. Other than his siblings, Richard was alone, as no child should be. I try to picture my own children abandoned in this kind of deprivation, fending for themselves without parents to protect them, and I cannot.

I didn’t want to be there. I wasn’t supposed to be there, so far out of my comfort zone—not in that place where orphaned children live by themselves in their agony. There, poverty, disease, and squalor had eyes and faces that stared back, and I had to see and smell and touch the pain of the poor. That particular district, Rakai, is believed to be ground zero for the Ugandan AIDS pandemic. There, the deadly virus has stalked its victims in the dark for decades. Sweat trickled down my face as I sat awkwardly with Richard and his brothers while a film crew captured every tear—mine and theirs.

I much preferred living in my bubble, the one that, until that moment, had safely contained my life, family, and career. It kept difficult things like this out, insulating me from anything too raw or upsetting. When such things intruded, as they rarely did, a channel could be changed, a newspaper page turned, or a check written to keep the poor at a safe distance. But not in Rakai. There, “such things” had faces and names—even my name, Richard.

Not sixty days earlier I had been CEO of Lenox, America’s finest tableware company, producing and selling luxury goods to those who could afford them.
I lived with my wife and five children in a ten-bedroom house on five acres just outside of Philadelphia. I drove a Jaguar to work every day, and my business travel took me to places such as Paris, Tokyo, London, and Florence. I flew first-class and stayed in the best hotels. I was respected in my community, attended a venerable suburban church, and sat on the board of my kids’ Christian school. I was one of the good guys—you might say a “poster child” for the successful Christian life. I had never heard of Rakai, the place where my bubble would burst. But in just sixty days, God turned my life inside out, and it would never be the same.

Quite unexpectedly, eight months earlier, I had been contacted by World Vision, the Christian relief and development organization, during their search for a new president. Why me? It wasn’t something I had sought after.

In fact, you might say I had been minding my own business when the phone rang that day. But it was a phone call that had been twenty-four years in the planning. You see, in 1974, at the age of twenty-three, in my graduate school dormitory, I knelt down beside my bed and dedicated my life to Christ. This was no small decision for me, and it came only after months of reading, studying, conversations with friends, and the important witness of Reneé, the woman who would later become my wife. While at the time I knew very little about the implications of that decision, I knew this: nothing would ever be quite the same again, because I had made a promise to follow Christ—no matter what.

Several months after becoming a Christian, I was newly engaged to Reneé. As we were planning our wedding and our life together, she suggested that we go to a department store to register for our china, crystal, and silver. My self-righteous response was an indication of just how my newfound faith was integrating into my life: “As long as there are children starving in the world, we’re not going to own fine china, crystal, and silver.” Perhaps you can see God’s sense of irony in my becoming president of America’s premier fine tableware company a couple of decades later. So when I answered that phone call from World Vision in January 1998, I knew that God was on the other end of the line. It was His voice I heard, not the recruiter’s:

“Rich, do you remember that idealistic young man in 1974 who was so passionate about starving children that he would not even fill out a wedding registry? Take a good look at yourself now. Do you see what you’ve become?
But, Rich, if you still care about those children, I have a job I want you to do.”

In my prayers over the weeks leading up to my appointment as World Vision’s president, I begged God to send someone else to do it, much as Moses had done. Surely this was a mistake. I was no Mother Teresa. I remember praying that God would send me anywhere else, “but, please, God, not to the poor—not into the pain and alienation of poverty and disease, not there.” I didn’t want to go there.

Yet here I was, the new president of World Vision, sent by knowing staff to get a “baptism by fire” for my new calling, with a film crew to document every moment.

Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, once prayed, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” But who really wants his heart broken? Is this something to ask of God? Don’t we pray that God will not break our hearts? But as I look at the life of Jesus, I see that He was, as Isaiah described him, “a Man of sorrows . . . acquainted with grief”
(53:3 NKJV). Jesus’ heart was continually moved to compassion as He encountered the lame, the sick, the widow, and the orphan. I try to picture God’s broken heart as He looks today upon the broken world for which He died. Surely Richard’s story breaks His heart.

Two crude piles of stones just outside the door mark the graves of Richard’s parents. It disturbs me that he must walk past them every day. He and his brothers must have watched first their father and then their mother die slow and horrible deaths. I wondered if the boys were the ones who fed them and bathed them in their last days. Whatever the case, Richard, a child himself, is now the head of household.

Child-headed household, words never meant to be strung together. I tried to wrap my mind around this new phrase, one that describes not only Richard’s plight but that of tens of thousands, even millions more. I’m told that there are sixty thousand orphans just in Rakai, twelve million orphans due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa. How can this be true? Awkwardly I asked Richard what he hopes to be when he grows up, a ridiculous question to ask a child who has lost his childhood. “A doctor,” he said, “so I can help people who have the disease.”

“Do you have a Bible?” I asked. He ran to the other room and returned with his treasured book with gold-gilt pages. “Can you read it?”

“I love to read the book of John, because it says that Jesus loves the children.”

This overwhelmed me, and my tears started to flow. Forgive me, Lord, forgive me. I didn’t know. But I did know. I knew about poverty and suffering in the world. I was aware that children die daily from starvation and lack of clean water. I also knew about AIDS and the orphans it leaves behind, but I kept these things outside of my insulating bubble and looked the other way.

Yet this was to be the moment that would ever after define me. Rakai was what God wanted me to see. My sadness that day was replaced by repentance.
Despite what the Bible had told me so clearly, I had turned a blind eye to the poor. Now my heart was filled with anger, first at myself, and then toward the world. Why wasn’t Richard’s story being told? The media overflowed with celebrity dramas, stock market updates, and Bill Clinton’s impending impeachment hearings. But where were the headlines and magazine covers about Africa? Twelve million orphans, and no one noticed? But what sickened me most was this question: where was the Church? Indeed, where were the followers of Jesus Christ in the midst of perhaps the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time? Surely the Church should have been caring for these “orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). Shouldn’t the pulpits across America have flamed with exhortations to rush to the front lines of compassion? Shouldn’t they be flaming today? Shouldn’t churches be reaching out to care for children in such desperate need? How could the great tragedy of these orphans get drowned out by choruses of praise music in hundreds of thousands of churches across our country? Sitting in a hut in Rakai, I remember thinking, How have we missed it so tragically, when even rock stars and Hollywood actors seem to understand?

Ten years later I know. Something fundamental has been missing in our understanding of the gospel.

The word gospel literally means “good news.” Jesus declared that He had come to “preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18). But what good news, what gospel, did the Church have for Richard and his brothers in Rakai? What “good news” have God’s people brought to the world’s three billion poor? What “gospel” have millions of Africa’s AIDS orphans seen? What gospel have most of us embraced in the twenty-first century?

The answer is found in the title of this book: a gospel with a hole in it.

Prologue to Richard Stearns’ recent book “The Hole In Our Gospel”

2009. Thomas Nelson Publishers. Nashville, Tennessee

Tragic Story from Cyclone

2009-05-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

Shathi (6 years) and Shubho (4 years) lost their mother immediately after the cyclone Aila. Their house was broken down and she committed suicide out of her frustrations.

It should be noted here that she lost her husband last year during another cyclone SIDR. She faced many challenges last one year and finally gave-up. Shathi and Shubho are now orphans and vulnerable. They lost their father and mother in two consecutive cyclones. Please join us in prayer for these children. Thanks.

Cyclone hits Bangladesh Coast; Child Dies with Sister

2009-05-26T23:34:00.000-07:00

Nody (5 years) and Beauti (3 years) are two sisters and have been living in a mud house with their parents. Nody was registered in a Compassion projects last year. There was a heavy rain in these areas due to cyclone AILA. The mud house was completely collapsed at around 5 am today. Nody and Beauty was sleeping inside the house. The rescue team found both of them dead. This family does not have any other children. Their father has been admitted in hospital due to Hepatitis.

Please pray for the family.

Five of our projects seriously affected due to cyclone Aila. We are providing dry food, Water purifying tablets, and ORS. One project has affected severely. The kitchen and toilet are completely smashed in BD 327. Many children lost their house. Three separate teams have been formed to visit the affected areas. This team will do an initial assessment and will give us a report.

Business and Personnel Manager Opening at Grace

2008-12-02T20:08:00.000-08:00

Business and Personnel Manager

Grace International School serves the ex-patriot community in a civilized and leafy part of Dhaka, Bangladesh. This is an exciting opportunity for a manager to join the leadership team of the school at a key point for its future. We are seeking someone with skills in human relations and financial management. However, we also want a person who enjoys and cares about children, and who would relish the challenge of working in a stimulating city in the developing world. Educational experience is not essential for this position.

We offer a package which enables a comfortable life-style in Bangladesh including pleasant accommodation, health insurance, free annual air-fares home and a supportive community.

Applicants should be committed to the Christian faith basis of the school.

For further details, please e-mail the school principal: principal@graceinternationalschool.org

SETTING: Located on three sites in a northern suburb of Dhaka, close to many embassies, etc.

ENROLLMENT: 180 students from Kindergarten through to UK Yr 11 (for IGCSEs)
Approximately 40% of our students are children of Christian mission workers. The remaining 60% are from many and diverse ethnic, religious and cultural backgrounds.

SCHOOL CALENDAR – 1st sem: August to December 2nd sem: January to June

CURRICULUM: UK National Curriculum (adapted) ; knowing this curriculum is not needed plus all nationalities may apply. Open to USA citizens, also !

FACULTY & STAFF: 19 expatriate and about 65 Bengali staff supports the school in various capacities.

FACILITIES:
The school leases its three sites – Preschool, Primary (Elementary) and Secondary (Middle/High) – which are adapted large houses. They have classrooms which accommodate class sizes of 16/18 students and additional specialist rooms – science, art, music, technology – are provided. The sites have good-sized play space but the school hires playing field or swimming pool use (depending on season) to facilitate the physical education aspects of the curriculum.

Financial Breakdown of Raising a Child

2008-12-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

The government recently calculated the cost of raising a child from birth to 18 and came up with $160,140.00 for a middle income family. Talk about price shock! That doesn't even touch college tuition.

But $160,140.00 isn't so bad if you break it down. It translates into:

* $8,896.66 a year,
* $741.38 a month,
* $171.08 a week.
* A mere $24.24 a day!
* Just over a dollar an hour.

Still, you might think the best financial advice is; don't have children if you want to be 'rich.' Actually, it is just the opposite.

What do you get for your $160,140.00?

* Naming rights. First, middle, and last!
* Glimpses of God every day.
* Giggles under the covers every night.
* More love than your heart can hold.
* Butterfly kisses and Velcro hugs.
* Endless wonder over rocks, ants, clouds, and warm cookies.
* A hand to hold usually covered with jelly or chocolate.
* A partner for blowing bubbles and flying kites.
* Someone to laugh yourself silly with, no matter what the boss said or how your stocks performed that day.

For $160,140.00, you never have to grow up. You get to:

* finger-paint,
* carve pumpkins,
* play hide-and-seek,
* catch lightning bugs,
* never stop believing in Santa Claus.

You have an excuse to:

* keep reading the Adventures of Piglet and Pooh,
* watch Saturday morning cartoons,
* go to Disney movies, and
* wish on stars.

You get to frame rainbows, hearts, and flowers under refrigerator magnets and collect spray painted noodle wreaths for Christmas, hand prints set in clay for Mother's Day, and cards with backward letters for Father's Day.

For a mere $24.24 a day, there is no greater bang for your buck. You get to be a hero just for:

* retrieving a Frisbee off the garage roof,
* taking the training wheels off a bike,
* removing a splinter,
* filling a wading pool,
* coaxing a wad of gum out of bangs, and
* coaching a baseball team that never wins but always gets treated to ice cream regardless.

You get a front row seat in history to witness the:

* First step,
* First word,
* First bra,
* First date,
* First time behind the wheel.

You get to be immortal. You get another branch added to your family tree, and if you're lucky, a long list of limbs in your obituary called grandchildren and great grandchildren. You get an education in psychology, nursing, criminal justice, communications, and human sexuality that no college can match.

In the eyes of a child, you rank right up there under God. You have all the power to heal a boo-boo, scare away the monsters under the bed, patch a broken heart, police a slumber party, ground them forever, and love them without limits, so one day they will, like you, love without counting the cost. That is quite a deal for the price!!!!!!!

Love & enjoy your children & grandchildren & great-grandchildren!!!!!!! It's the best investment you'll ever make!!!!!!!!!

Letter to President-elect Obama

2008-11-10T20:10:00.000-08:00

I encourage all of you to send President-elect Obama a letter to state that you will pray for him. I have prayed for President Bush the last 8 years. I do not approve of Mr. Bush's policies but it is my duty as a Christian to pray for my leaders, whether I like them or not. Please Pray for Mr. Obama as he takes over a very important office in the world!

Dear Mr. President-elect Obama:

I want personally to offer you my prayers as you embark on the enormous challenge of leading our country in a time of great crisis and crossroads. While our ultimate hope is our faith in God, we also have high hopes for your administration.

I am one member of a growing movement of Christians and people of faith who support a broad moral agenda that includes a deep concern for poverty, peacemaking, a consistent ethic of life, and care for creation. During the campaign, you said that, if elected, you would face powerful special interests trying to block change. You said you would need a citizen movement to support and push you.

Today, I am pledging to be part of that movement. It will be a movement that will both pray for you and hold you accountable to the things you promised. So I urge you to give high priority to:

* Overcome poverty, both here in our rich nation and globally. Your efforts to resolve the economic crisis must include those at the bottom, the poorest among us. You pledged during the campaign to mobilize the nation to cut domestic poverty in half in ten years and to implement the Millennium Development Goals to cut extreme global poverty in half.

* Find better ways than war to resolve the inevitable conflicts in the world. It is time to end the war in Iraq and emphasize diplomacy over military action in resolving problems in Iran and Afghanistan. We need better and smarter foreign policy that is more consistent with our best national values.

* I urge you to pursue common ground policies which can dramatically reduce abortions in America, and help bring us together on this divisive issue. Promote a consistent ethic of life that addresses all threats to life and dignity. We must end genocide in Darfur, the use of torture, and the death penalty.

* Reverse the effects of climate change on God’s creation. We must learn a new way of living in America to end our dangerous dependence on Middle East oil. We need a spiritual commitment to stewardship and national policies that promote safe, clean, and renewable energy. You spoke of job creation and economic renewal with a new “green economy.”

We need your presidential leadership for this type of societal transformation, but I promise also to do my part.

I will pray for you as you assume the awesome responsibility of leading our nation. To be the best president you can be, you will need both the support and the push of the faith community. I pledge to help build the movement that will keep your administration accountable and faithful.

Jesus' Peace, Kevin

Kevin C. Stout

Kevin’s Top Ten Reading List

2008-10-29T02:54:00.000-07:00

Over the years I have promised a number of people (very limited) to give them a top ten list of the books that have made the most impact on my life. Below is the list, don’t get real excited I didn’t start reading until I was 24 years old and I’m not a ferocious reader. However, I am veracious witness for these books; they will change your life if you read them. In addition, I am not a speed reader but when I’m done with a book I have it all over my face. It’s all about the impact…..

#1. The Bible: New International Reader’s Version
By the International Bible Society with WTL Publications, IBS06-30000. Book introductions, margin notes, and reference material by Keith J. White (I had him as a professor during Grad school); Illustrations by Andy Bisgrove; and Maps by Tony Cantale. This Bible presents the whole Bible in the usual way but makes it clear what is story in full page paragraphs, and what is a different kind of writing (details, poetry, proverbs, laws, family trees and letters) in double columns.

#2. Rich Christians in an age of Hunger, Moving from Affluence to Generosity
By Ronald J. Sider, W Publishing Group, 1997. Everyday 30,000 children still die of starvation and preventable diseases… “Ron Sider has given us a Kingdom challenge to live and love sacrificially and to give and serve generously amidst cultural voices of materialism and personal wealth. This book is strength to anyone who finds themselves wrestling with the how and why of being a good steward of earthly treasures.” Dan Haseltine, Jars of Clay.

#3. Small is Beautiful, Economics as if People Mattered
By E.F. Schumacher, written in 1973, before such ideas started gaining popularity, Schumacher makes a clear and profound case for small-scale, local production, applicable to places like a third world country as well as the U.S. It blows your mind in this day and age of Globalization!

#4. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, A Fruitful Branch on the Vine, JESUS
By St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2000, ISBN 0-86716-424-7. Mother Teresa personified Jesus Christ by showing God’s love and compassion among the poorest of the poor. She saw Jesus’ face in every person she every met, including the dying on Calcutta streets.

#5. What’s so Amazing about Grace?
By Philip Yancey, 1997, Zondervan Publishing House, ISBN 971-511-519-5. In this 1996 Gold Medallion Book of the Year, Mr. Yancey gives us a probing look at grace: what it looks like…what it doesn’t look like…and why only Christians can and must reveal the grace the world is searching for. Do you have Grace- received it and given it?

#6. Pedagogy of the Oppressed
By Paulo Freire. “This is the “bible” of popular education. It describes a new kind of literacy that can liberate the oppressed. It was revolutionary enough to win Freire many years in exile from his native Brazil and has influenced educational practice all over the world.” David Diggs.

#7. Our Iceberg is Melting, Changing and succeeding under any conditions
By John Kotter, 2005, St. Martin’s Press. What I like about this book is it is for life whether you are in business, non-profit, education or family matters. This book is a fable about change and the need for change when nobody else sees it.

#8. In Search of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best Run Companies
By Tom Peters, 1992. Ranked as the "greatest business book of all time" in 2002. What I like about this book is every business book written since is nothing more than expanding on Peters’ book. Read this one and you don’t have to read all the other business “experts” books.

#9. Discipling Nations, the Power of Truth to Transform Cultures
By Darrow L. Miller, 1998, YWAM Publishing. I have worked in Development for more than 21 years now. If the truth be told and the truth is the Gospel- the power of the gospel has what it takes to transform individual lives from the darkness of poverty to the light of the Son. Christians and Christian Development agencies have underestimated the power of God’s truth to transform entire societies.

#10. People’s History of the United States
By Howard Zinn. The winners get to write history, whether it is the truth or not. This book offers an alternate history of the U.S. from the point of view of fellow human beings who have lost the political, military, and economic conflicts. You won’t find these stories in our history books. Good read.

Pray for Compassion and the World's Financial Crisis

2008-10-18T02:42:00.000-07:00

From Compassion's Global Ministry Center in Colorado Springs, CO.

If you’ve been reading your local newspaper or listening to the latest news reports, it comes to no surprise that the world’s economic situation looks grim. Bankruptcies, emergency government interventions and sharp cuts in interest rates dominate the world’s headlines.

While most indicators show that this is a difficult time – we must not lose hope, faith and confidence in God who has brought our ministry so far, proving over and over again that His grace is sufficient.

That’s why I’m requesting you to ask your churches, partner churches and all Compassion-assisted children to pray for a season of growth in spite of the obstacles that appear to threaten us. Ask and have them ask God what direction and action He wants our ministry to take in the midst of this circumstance. Ask the children and Leadership Development Program students to pray for their sponsors/donors, Compassion leadership and staff – that all may experience God’s peace, provision, security and wisdom during this period of uncertainty.

This is a time to demonstrate courageous leadership. In fact, I have no doubt that God has been actually preparing us for a time such as this. Last week, Compassion International’s Executive Vice President, David Dahlin encouraged all U.S. Compassion staff to be light in a world that seems dark right now. David reminded staff to stay focused on Compassion’s mission and purpose, saying, “God has called us to be an advocate for children in poverty and they need our voice to ring strong and clear when speaking out on their behalf. We know that when the rich of the world catch a cold, the poor get pneumonia. When the well-off suffer, the poor die.”

The last line is so true, "when the rich of the world catch a cold, the poor get pheumonia. When the well-off suffer, the poor die." I have been working with the poor for the last 21 years and this sentence sums it up best. I just wish the well off in the West could understand this.

Thanks for praying!

Global Economic Uncertainty

2008-10-12T00:54:00.000-07:00

Dear friends (from my friend Jonathan in Philippines),

At this time of global economic uncertainty and need, I would like to share a passage which I find very meaningful, from the website of the Irish Jesuits (www.sacredspace.ie):

Lord, all this financial turmoil seems to touch my prayer in two ways.

Sometimes I feel moral indignation at the greed of the fat cats whose desire for ever-greater profits has exploited the weak. I hope that they may move from blindness to a sense of the real world of people, and realize the futility of their greed that wants more and more money. "What does it profit to gain the whole world and suffer the loss of your soul?" (Mark 8:36) But I know that such indignation is not always from the good spirit; it may be mixed with “Schadenfreude” (enjoyment taken from the misfortune of someone else) in which there is little charity. I need to watch it.

At other times I feel fear and insecurity for myself and my loved ones. This pushes me to look at myself. Does insecurity make me more self-seeking and less caring about the needs of others, lessening my humanity, clouding my sense that people matter more than money? Or does this worldwide turmoil strengthen my compassion? Poverty is not good in itself, but where it leads to a deeper dependence on God and coexists with generosity it can be a rare grace - remember Jesus marveling at the widow's mite (Mark 12:41-43).

‘Trop est avare à qui Dieu ne suffit.'

You're too greedy if God is not enough for you.

Keep praying and trusting the Lord!

(Mamaw) Louise Shipman 1914-2008

2008-10-01T03:35:00.000-07:00

The Wife of Noble Character (Excerpts from Proverbs 31)
4 February 1914 to 29 September 2008; 94 years old

A wife of noble character who can find? She worth far more that rubies.
Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm all the days of her life. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.
She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children (and grandchildren) arise and call her blessed.
Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

Let’s praise the Lord for our grandmother, Mamaw! She was a grandmother of noble character!

As a boy our family went to Mamaw and Poppy’s farm near Williamsport at least once a month or more for the weekend. It was a two and half hour drive north from Harrisburg.

What do I remember about going to the farm all those years, now? That includes Mamaw- The smell of homemade bread being made by Mamaw. Is there anything better than fresh homemade bread coming out of the oven and then putting butter on it? When I was very young Mamaw use to cook me French toast from homemade bread, putting white Karo corn syrup on it, and then cutting it into lots of pieces. Do you know how many middle pieces of French toast you can get from homemade bread? Lots! Boughten bread give you two pieces of middle, that’s not really bread. Mamaw always had white Karo corn syrup, never Maple syrup and she only used Peter Pan peanut butter- funny what you remember when you think back.

I remember one Thanksgiving Holiday at the farm when I was around 8 or 9 years old. Poppy got up early and went to another farm to butcher pigs. When I woke up, Mamaw got me fed and took me to the other farm to help Poppy. In no way did she have to do that but she knew I wanted to be with Poppy.

Remember, Mamaw and Poppy went to the western US and I asked her to get me a cowboy shirt. I come to find out she had to search high and low to find one but she did and I loved it. She always brought us grandchildren something back from her travels. She went on a number of trips to Europe with other ladies after they sold the cows. And on each trip we would get something i.e. cowbell from Switzerland.

Her pantry room was a collection of all sorts of wonderful things from old and new. It was great to roam around in there or better yet use it as a place to hide when we played hide and seek. But you had better not knock anything over.

‘Real Thanksgiving’ was at Mamaw’s. It started with her yelling, “Suuuupeeeer!” out the door to us playing out in the barn or yard. Real meaning they lived on a dairy farm, lets be truthful you can only have a real Thanksgiving on a farm. The adults set in the dinning room and us children where around the kitchen table- remember the kitchen had a wood stove in it- again a real farm kitchen. I created my favorite Thanksgiving meal right in that kitchen: you start with a thick piece of homemade bread, put on a big pile of mashed potatoes, followed by turkey pieces (mostly dark meat), add some stuffing to the top and then cover it with a lot of homemade turkey gravy! YES, that was a meal! Sean appreciated that type of meal. Mamaw’s cooking filled the whole house with a wonderful smell.

Let’s not forget about the chocolate marshmallow ice cream she would always have in the freezer for a night snack. Her refrigerator was unique also; it had the freezer on the bottom- I never understood that since I came from a freezer on the top type of family. I think the refrigerator was always a green one. I’m 45 know so my memory is going- kinda like Mamaw’s, bless her soul.

Close your eyes and think; picture walking from the barn (Poppy’s domain) to the house on the little stone path. You open the big closed-in porch, check the boot taker offer (an iron, naked women with her legs spread so you could put your boot between them- not sure why we never questioned that artifact- I think Sean has it now, figures), maybe only us young boys checked it out but you had to give it a glance. Keep your eyes closed as you pass the chest freezer on the pouch (again a real farm), you open the wooden door and walk into the warm friendly kitchen- there was Mamaw cooking or kneading bread. She would give you a hug. And I would ask her to cut me a piece of homemade bread, might as well start the weekend off right.

It’s a nice feeling you get when you close your eyes and think back to being with Mamaw in that kitchen.

Mamaw was all about family.

Wanted: Kingdom Families

2008-09-25T07:22:00.001-07:00

By the Cline Family

About eight years ago, a young man handed me (father) an article in a Christian magazine dedicated to world evangelization. One paragraph in particular caught my eye. The author suggested that any family choosing to take their children to "dangerous" out of the way places for the sake of Kingdom witness might be guilty of sacrificing their children to Molech. After all, why take children to difficult locations when we can reach internationals in major Western cities?

And this was in a magazine dedicated to reaching the nations for Christ!

At the time I was living in such a "dangerous" place. Apparently, I was also offering my four children to Molech. (Currently, Kevin and Nita and the Stout Boys are living in a so called dangerous place.)

The funny thing is, during a decade of living in such a place, three of those children made credible professions of faith in Jesus Christ. To this day they are growing spiritually and embracing Kingdom values. Our family made sacrifices of a sort, but not to Molech! Our Heavenly Father has taken good care of those children (and still does not matter where we locate as a family).

For various reasons, few families today choose to go overseas, and the leaders of these families (the fathers) will often say that "the family" is what keeps them from doing so. They regard their families as burdens in missions work rather than as valuable assets, so they hesitate to commit to full-time cross-cultural disciple-making. Meanwhile, the single man or woman is treated as the prime candidates because he or she is unhampered and available.

Singlehood is indeed a good time to pursue missions without the added cares of family. But having a family should not prevent overseas work. When it does, the family may have become an idol.

FAMILIES CAN GO, TOO

In Matthew 28, Jesus commands all of his followersto make disciples of all nations. This command applies to whole families as well as to unattached singles. Families professing to follow Christ should be Kingdom families—families focused on the spread of the gospel to all nations. Different families will play different roles in the kingdom, but almost no family should shrink from the possibility of overseas ministry.

Disciple-making is not limited to single men or women. Families are extremely important in missions. Each member of the family has a responsibility in his or her role: women disciple women, men disciple men, parents train their children, children honor the Lord through obedience to their parents (Eph. 5, 6; Titus 2).

When a whole family goes overseas, it offers a team of witnesses that can have a wide impact and that can present an incomplete but effective example (or analogy) of what it means to be the body of Christ. A single family is usually not the local church, but the Puritans were right to say a family can be "a kind of little church" in the home. In pioneer settings, this little church of the household can initially be a helpful model for first-generation followers of Jesus.

KINGDOM FAMILIES ARE CHURCH FAMILIES

In a sense, Christian families that go overseas take with them the DNA of a disciple-making, reproducible church. In restricted access countries, Christian families make disciples of local husbands and wives and their extended families. These new disciples become a "starter" church within the Christian family's household, and this household starter church is the family's center for worship, prayer, and teaching of the Word. Throughout the process, the kingdom family acts as an example for new believers.

Whole families overseas also assimilate single workers, enabling younger, single Christians to be more acceptable and effective witnesses. This is particularly important in Muslim cultures that value families highly and do not understand singleness. Further, it's typically heads of households that can reach other heads of households in most foreign contexts.

The Bible offers examples of families who labor together to seek first God's kingdom. Abraham left his country and his people, moving with his entire family to an unknown land. He went in faith, trusting God with whatever lay ahead. God had promised that all peoples on earth would be blessed through Abraham: "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Gen. 12:3). It was this kind of eternal perspective that compelled Abraham to leave everything familiar and embark on a journey to a foreign land.

Abraham's journey demonstrated faith. He trusted God enough to go wherever God called, whatever the cost. Of course, God was faithful to Abraham, making his descendants into a great nation through whom all peoples were eventually blessed by the Savior, Jesus Christ.

WHY DON'T FAMILIES GO?

Sometimes, Christian families can be hesitant to go overseas. Biblically, parents should take the training of their children very seriously. But couples often idolize their children, focusing on worldly success and accomplishments for their children, rather than on disciple-making.

Abraham's story demonstrates what a Kingdom attitude should be toward the blessing of children. In Genesis 12:3, God blesses Abraham so that he might be a blessing; prospering him with children and a good name—not for Abraham's personal benefit or his children's worldly success, but so that Abraham and his offspring could bless all peoples on earth.

Overseas work may seem like too much of a risk to take with children, but God's blessing of us with families should motivate us to look for ways to make those families a blessing to others. This is true in well developed nations as well; even Christian families in countries like the United States should strive to build families and raise children that will be a blessing to the nations.

Children are not the only reason families hesitate to become cross cultural witnesses overseas. Couples may be unwilling to give up careers, their beloved church family, or the ease and comfort of life in the West. These blessings become distractions, keeping families from having Kingdom perspectives and faith in God.
Overseas work can also seem frightening. Families may be paralyzed by the idea of moving away from extended family, retirement plans, and medical care. They might be afraid of new languages, new cultures, cooking from scratch, learning to use public transportation with a stroller in tote, and trans-ocean flights. These are understandable concerns, and some fears may remain long-term battles. In a fallen world, families will always have to deal with some fears no matter where they live. Nonetheless, these fears should not keep families from kingdom work, lest we be like Jonah. Like Abraham, instead, families can trust God's protection and faithfulness with the unknowns.

WHAT YOU MIGHT WANT TO LOSE

The West and America in particular is a comfortable and familiar place to live. It's easy to think about what we might lose by moving to an out-of-the-way place.
But we should also consider what might be worth losing for the sake of advancing the Kingdom among previously unreached people groups. Western preoccupations with stuff, techno-possessions, and the latest fashions can be just as dangerous—if not more—than the unknowns or lack of creature comforts of a foreign culture. Many Christian families would benefit greatly from giving up cable TV, ubiquitous entertainment, a preoccupation with comfort and convenience, the dizzying (spiritually numbing?) pace of life, and a centeredness on just one culture and language. Children could easily do without power toys, video games, year round extra-curricular sports, junk food, and the teen Hollywood or Nashville (Contemporary Christian Music) obsession.

In fact, those of us with Christian families might grow closer together and stronger in character by distancing ourselves from the corrosive influences of American culture, preparing our families to be an even greater blessing to the nations. All Christian families should commit to be a blessing to the nations.

Now, we're not saying that all Christian families should leave the West for the overseas mission field. Disciple-making needs to happen all over the world, at home as well as abroad. Families that go need support from strong churches at home.
For that reason, even before asking whether your family should stay or go, it may be worth asking whether or not you have a Kingdom perspective at all. Do you?

HOW SHOULD YOU MAKE YOUR DECISION?

Jesus' charge in Matthew 28 calls all followers—even families—to make disciples. Nonparticipation is not an option. It is impossible to be followers of Jesus and understand the Bible but not participate in the spread of the gospel. The Bible is about God's plan for the nations! Families should work to push aside their worries and go. As they become willing to go, churches should be willing to send out their best families for the sake of the Kingdom. They can also send out singles in tandem with families for working together on teams overseas.

God never guarantees that all things will work out well in the world. The history of missions has some tragic stories of families overseas. However, God does promise that his Kingdom is worth giving whatever he asks and going wherever he calls, whatever the cost. Following Jesus means surrendering to his greater plans and purposes, giving our lives to further his kingdom on earth. Consider Jesus' words:
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it(Matt. 13:44-46).

"Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
Another disciple said to him, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead" (Matt. 8:20-22).

Finally, here are some practical steps that you can take:
• Pray, plan, and train your family/children to be a blessing to the nations. Make this one of your family goals/missions!
• Use Operation World with your children; there is even a children's version.
• Consider taking a short term trip as a family!
• Embrace the major story line of the gospel—God's plan to bring glory to himself by redeeming a people from all the peoples of the world for himself.
• As a family, schedule weekly or monthly ministry opportunities to internationals in your metro area.
• Pray about whether God might be calling you to move your family to a different place so that you can be a blessing to peoples who have no access to the gospel. You might consider going for a year or two, or for five years, or for ten to fifteen years!
• Ask God to strengthen your Kingdom perspective and to show you how your family might increasingly be more fruitful in blessing others among the nations. Ask him to make you willing to do whatever he asks your family, wherever he asks you to do it, whatever the cost.

Olympics 2008

2008-08-12T22:29:00.000-07:00

The Olympics and the athletes are amazing. But as I look out my window here in Bangladesh and see poverty grinding into little kids playing in the dirt- I wonder if the athletes wonder/know how good they have it? They should Praise the Lord for the opportunity they have. They are an elite few but worked very hard to get there.

Prayers Needed for Jonathan's Health Situation

2008-05-26T08:47:00.000-07:00

May 12, 2008 I received the following letter from a good friend of Nita and mine. We went to Graduate School back with him in 1991 and have stayed good friends with him and his wife , Thelma over the years. In fact we visited them as a family in the Philippines where they live in 2003 and I visited again just last December when I was in the Philippines for work. They are a great couple who have gave their life to helping prostitutes get off the streets and out of the bars of Manila; and come to the Lord. Please Pray for the healing of Jonathan's body.

Dearly loved family and friends,

The events of the past 3 weeks have all exploded so quickly for us that we haven’t had the time or energy to deeply absorb them ourselves, let alone sit down and write a letter to share these things with each of you. But now as we know and understand more of what is happening, I want to try to summarize for you what has happened and where we are right now.

Late last month, after about 2 weeks of what felt like annoying muscle pains in my left arm, I went in to the doctor for a checkup after my left shoulder and chest began to feel swollen and sore. During that examination, the doctor and I discovered for the first time a lump under my left arm. A subsequent CT scan revealed a 5cm x 7cm mass under my left arm. A biopsy a few days later showed that this mass is malignant. Further lab tests confirm that this is an aggressive form of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. We are now working with both a medical oncologist, as well as a nutritional oncologist, and they are coordinating together an integrated treatment plan. Last week I already started on some comprehensive natural supplements and therapies to boost my body’s immune system. Probably some time this week I will have my first cycle of chemotherapy.

This has been an emotional roller coaster ride for Thelma and me, going from dark moments to rays of hope back to discouraging reports. Thelma has also had to juggle some new aspects of caring for me at home, alongside of some Samaritana activities and responsibilities, as well as taking care of Katrinka and household. It has been a tremendous challenge, and there have been moments of exhaustion. Both of us cry from a deep place in our souls for Life, that God grant me longer life, and that we enjoy each present moment and each other in every moment of life.

The Lord has been gracious to see us through the initial days of our shock through the love and concern of those of you who have begun to pray, and through friends and family who have come to provide practical help and encouragement to us. The next months will be full of new diets, new routines and rituals, new vulnerabilities, new ways of letting go and depending on others and receiving (even things we don’t like or want). We realize so much more how we NEED people who will pray for us and accompany us through this journey.

Thank you so very much for your friendship, love, prayers and support!

Jonathan, with Thelma

PS. I go later this morning to the hospital for additional tests, and eventually for the first cycle of chemotherapy. Thanks again so much for your prayers.

Response from a friend- India

2008-05-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends

It is very sad indeed to hear of such tragedy. It is common in my part of India where poor farmers ending their lives to escape poverty, debt and humiliation. Same situation exists with the people at the lower end of poverty.

Our country that boasts of best IT investments, super defense capability etc. cannot contain poverty. It is not shortage of resources, but lack of political will & good governance.

Hence it is a call for the church to be on the side of the poor and mobilize all efforts & resources to address their immediate & long term needs of the poor at micro level.

Sometimes we are guilty of spending too much time in formulating systems and procedures that looks good to us and fail to be there where it is hurting the poorest of the poor.

It is a continuous challenge to do right things rather than doing things right.

May God grant us wisdom, understanding and empowerment to change.

Blessing
Thomas

The Devil Smiles, the world knows nothing and I cry

2008-05-21T02:49:00.000-07:00

I received this sad news just now. It is from one of Compassion Project in Bangladesh. A partnership facilitator sent it to me.

There is a sad news from Gilatola program that one of our child BD 310 0058 Antora Pal’s father has committed suicide by hanging himself with a rope because of his big debt in the dead night of 20, May, 2008. The family is consists of 3 members. Antora, her mother Tripti Rani Pal and the father Sushanto Pal. Sushanto took loans for his family but could not repay it for his small income. Creditors used to come to him for money continually but as he was not able to repay it, he hid himself for the time being. In this situation he fled away from his village in other place for work. He used to work there but in mind he could not cope with this situation. At last he committed suicide last night. Now the family is in critical situation. Child mother can not afford herself in this situation and breaking down herself thinking however she continues her life.

Please pray for this family as they can cope with this situation.

Thank you

Diamond

The precious little girl is Antora, the mother is Tripti Rani, and the project is Gilatola.

The devil is happy as a human takes his own life because of despair and now the family, mother and precious daughter are losing hope. The world knows nothing about it. Food prices are so high in Bangladesh that people are starting to borrow money just to eat once a day. The average family of four in the USA spends $350 a week on food which includes: eating out, soda, junk food, processed food, plus their children are over weight. In Bangladesh, the average family of four spend $6 to have rice, lentil, some vegetables and if they are very lucky one or two fruits. But you say they can grow fruits, yes they can but they need to sell them to make money to eat enough rice.

JUSTICE

- Where have you gone?

- Have you ever been here?

But the Bible is also an invitation to repentance and change. The one who is disclosed as boundless love also is revealed as truth, holiness, and justice. Therefore God calls those to whom he freely offers his grace to repent, forsake their self-centered ways, and begin to love their neighbors as themselves. Love for God is inseparable from love for neighbor. By Ronald J. Sider

That is why they are fat:

Jeremiah 5:26 For scoundrels are found among my people;
they take over the goods of others.
Like fowlers they set a trap; they catch human beings.

Jer 5:27 Like a cage full of birds, their houses are full of treachery;
therefore they have become great and rich,

Jer 5:28 they have grown fat and sleek.They know no limits in deeds of wickedness;
they do not judge with justice the cause of the orphan, to make it prosper,
and they do not defend the rights of the needy.

Do you consider your self poor? What about the people in Bangladesh or other third world countries are they poor?

Do you want the cheapest price no matter what injustice it is doing in the country where the goods are being made to the workers?

Do you want the cheapest price for food no matter what it does to farmers in poor countries?

How do you love your neighbor?

How do I love my neighbor?

What are we doing to show God’s love in this world?

Our first broken Bones- CJ’s arm

2008-05-10T08:20:00.001-07:00

On Thursday, 8 May CJ broke his arm during school attempting to clear the high jump, all of 6 inches. Somehow he fell just perfect to break both bones in his forearm. One was a crack and the other a serious breakage with a big gap and the bone pressing out on the skin.

The teacher called and I was off to the preschool to take CJ to Apollo Hospital. They needed to put CJ under general anesthesia to set the bone- pulling the arm then shoving it back together. He came out of surgery with smiles. We had to stay in the hospital all night because of the use of the anesthesia. CJ’s teacher came and visited us plus Aunt Prova, Cousin Ringu, Danielsons, and Larsons with Gracia. I stayed at the hospital while Nita was with the other three. We were ready to go home by 9 a.m. but had to wait until 2 p.m. for the doctor to visit and discharge CJ. CJ is still on pain and inflammation medicine.

It is amazing that none of the Stout boys have had a broken bone before this with all the rough housing we do plus the heights I throw the boys in the air. All it took was a simple fall at the right angle and pressure point, I guess.

Please pray for CJ’s bones that they will heal correctly. Thank you.

Today, Saturday he is feeling fine- he even set the supper table. He has a cast on (see picture) from his bicep down to his hand. It was his right arm.

James C. Dobson, Ph.D Taxes vs Donations

2008-05-07T19:20:00.000-07:00

In Dr. Dobson latest Family News letter he complains bout the US Government and taxes. I like everybody else would like less government and less taxes. BUT, I have lived overseas for 10 years and have visited or worked in more than 30 countries and let me tell you I will take the US Government and taxes any day, yes- any day.

Maybe Dr. Dobson doesn’t know what it is like overseas but the USA has a lot going for it- from roads and traffic that work, to electricity, to food being available, the list just goes on. Americans and Dr. Dobson should feel blessed not abused. Live one day in Bangladesh and you would know what I’m talking about.

On the point of taxes, let us remember we pay the lowest taxes among the industrialized nations. Even, Dr. Dobson who doesn’t like to pay taxes to the government ends his newsletter by asking people to give more donations to his organization. Sounds a lot like the government- Please give us more money. Whether you are government wanting more taxes or a charitable organization wanting more donations- in the end it is the same thing- give us the money!!!

PS: Dr. Dobson, 100% supports the war in Iraq. That war is one of the reason the deficient is so high- because of the billions of dollars we are spending on the war in Iraq. You need to have taxes to pay for the war that Dr. Dobson wanted and supports. You can’t have it both ways- if you want an expensive war you are going to have to pay taxes to support it.

Food Crisis in Bangladesh- Please Pray

2008-05-05T09:32:00.000-07:00

Two floods and a devastating cyclone last year, combined with a sharp rise in global rice prices, have left some 60 million of Bangladesh’s poor, who spend about 40% of their skimpy income on rice, struggling to feed themselves. Compassion’s registered children and the projects they go to our feeling the affect of the Food Crisis first hand.

The price of rice the main food in Bangladesh has risen by 90% in the last 6 months. Each project in Bangladesh has a 5 to 6 day a week Supplemental Feeding program for the noon meal for each registered child. The current food crisis (price increases) has caused projects to reduced the amount of rice, lentil, fish, meat and vegetables they feed at lunch time to the children; and many children’s’ only meal comes from the projects as families are hard press to buy food at the current price.

Brief Description:

Bangladesh office is working on a BD-DRF-Food Crisis in Bangladesh intervention. The funding is to maintain the current level of Supplemental Feeding in all of BD’s 82 projects for the next 6 months. The proposal is for $ 138,213. The current food crisis (price increases) has caused projects to reduced the amount of rice, lentil, fish, meat and vegetables they feed at lunch time to the children; and many children’s’ only meal comes from the projects as families are hard press to buy food at the current price. For example a family of 6 need 3kg of rice a day, what was 31 cents a kg (3 months ago) is know 56 cents a kg- the father is a day labor and makes just above $1 a day- the family no longer has enough money to buy all the rice it needs- let alone other food stuff.

Two stories of many:

Ashu Das (BD-5040123) was asked about the meal at their own house, the 9 year old boy couldn’t control his tears. He said, “My parents and my brothers and sisters don’t have anything to eat at lunch or dinner. We don’t have food every day. They starve the whole day, I have a meal in the project, but when I am having meal then it reminds me of my parents and brothers and sisters who are starving. I can not share my meal with my family; my family is in great misery. ”

Two orphan girls Sonia Akhtar (BD-5081034) and Jakia Sultana (BD-5081020) at project BD-508 are facing the cruelest reality as the families that took care of them are trying to get rid of them due to price hiking of food and others.

Thank you for your prayers for the children of Bangladesh.

Objectives:

To maintain the quality and quantity of the Supplemental Feeding program in all projects for the next six months to ensure at least one proper meal (5 to 6 days a week) to all registered children during this time of high food prices. Including:

Helping the projects maintain their Supplemental Feeding program to all registered children following proper nutritional guidelines.
Helping registered children’s families by providing one proper meal five to six days a week at the project for their registered child.
Helping the projects maintain all other activities as per their annual plan instead of diverting activity funding to the supplemental feeding program.

Beneficiaries:

All 82 projects children both sponsored and unsponsored for a total of 11,882 precious children.

Activity Dates:

1 June 2008 thru 30 November 2008.

Total Cost: $ 138,213 The minimum amount of funding is $46,071. That is the amount needed to assure a balanced meal 5 to 6 days a week for all Compassion Bangladesh registered children for two months during this food crisis!

This is to keep you informed and praying for the precious children of Bangladesh.

However, if you would want to donate money to the Food Crisis in Bangladesh please go to https://www.compassion.com and donate to Disaster Relief or call Compassion at 1-800-336-7676 and ask to donate to Food Crisis in Bangladesh.

More Pictures of Nepal Adventure

2008-05-05T09:19:00.000-07:00

We Made It- Annapurna Base Camp at 13,800 ft

2008-05-05T08:48:00.000-07:00

From 18 March to 4 April we where in Nepal on a trekking expedition to Annapurna Base Camp. Involved 11 days of hiking, up and down from 3,900 feet in Pohkara to 13,800 feet at Annapurna Base Camp (ABC). It took us 7 days to get up to ABC and 4 days back to down. Nita did a great job but says she will not go trekking again- too much walking up and down. Or as they say in Nepal, “

Nepal

flat is a little bit up and little bit down.”

We had a big party with us. My cousin Tricia came from PA to join us plus our friends here in Bangladesh, a family of 6. So that was 5 adults, Tricia, Nita, Gary, Ruth, and me, plus the children 2 @ 13 yrs old, 2 @ 11 yrs old, 2 @ 8 yrs old; and 2 @ 4 years old. Actually CJ celebrated his 5^th birthday at our goal ABC! The kids were Charles, Jonah, Chase, Hannah, Chad, Marta, CJ and Gracia. That is 13 people plus 3 porter for a total trekking party of 16 people!

Day 1: We took a van from Pokhara to Nayapul at 3,000 feet. From Nayapul we trekked to Birethanti where we had to stop and register with the Annapurna Conservation Area. From there we went to Tikhedhungga at 4,900 feet. Everybody walked well even C.J. but it was a lot of up and down. We spent the night at a nice guest house and had Lentil and rice for supper. We were on the trail from 10:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. You don’t go by distance but time when its so much up and down.

Day 2: We put in a long day today from 8 a.m. to 4:30 but made it to Ghorepani at 9,600 feet with beautiful views of the Mountains. We started with very steep stone staircase. We went through unbelievable forests of oak and rhododendron. The rhododendrons are as big as the oak trees just filled with blossoming flowers. The flowers were bright reds and pinks. We hit the perfect season for rhododendrons. I just couldn’t believe how big they were, considering ours in Pennsylvania are more like big bushes. We passed long caravans of pack horses carry goods up the trail. In the morning we had a spectacular view of the Himalayans Mountains. We had views of the back side of Annapurna South and Machhapuchhare both near 24,000 feet.

Day 3: We went over Deurali Pass at 10,400 feet we ended up at Chuile at 7,200 feet. Remember 8 children are doing all this hiking and not complaining. We trekked from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. we had steep trail both up and down plus thru landslide slate area. The normal day consited of getting up at 6 to 6:30 packing up, eating breakfast of fried bread with honey and getting on the trail by 8:30. We would then hike to 10 a.m. take a tea break from there walk to 1 for a good 1 to 1.5 hour lunch and then finish up hiking around 4:30 p.m.

Day 4: 9 a.m to 4 p.m. on the trial up to Sinuwa lots of ups/downs and ended at 7,400 feet. We passed Chhomrong the last permanent village on the way to ABC. That means in the winter time people don’t live past Chhomrong. We went over a suspension bridge and thru more Rhododendron Forest. It was getting cold but no snow yet. At the end of hiking everyday the kids would play some sort of sports game with a ball while the parents had tea or coffee and relaxed- say sore muscles.

Day 5: Walked thru a thick bamboo forest today. Made it to Dovan at 8,400 feet. We hiked from 8:30 to 2 p.m. Rest was needed.

Day 6: (getting close to the goal) We hike to Deurali at 10,200 feet, it is now cold and the kids made their first snowman in four years. Tricia’s knee was really hurting so this is where she stayed for day 7 and 8 as we made the push to ABC. At night we all stayed in the common room. The kids played card games as we talked to other hikers. There was one big table with a blanket around the outside and a gas heater underneath. You would put your legs under the blanket to stay warm. The sleeping bags where zipped up when you slept but everybody stayed warm. The rooms had two small wooden beds with thin mattresses. We pushed them together to fit more people on them. Nita, Chad, CJ and I slept in one room with Tricia and the other two in another room. COLD water and an Asian toilet was available outside. Hiked 8:30 to 12:30.

Day 7: (the big day) Now we are in the altitude sickness area. We left at 6 a.m. one of the porters fell with CJ while they were crossing a stream of rocks and cold water. This was about 8 a.m. I carried CJ the rest of the way. He was not a happy camper- cold, wet and a little scared. The Porter passed out because of the pain in his knee but came around and made it to ABC. Once we decided to keep going I walked fast- 50 lb plus pack and CJ on my shoulders but wanted to get to Machhapuchhare Base Camp the only place to have breakfast and hopefully dry CJ out was. I made it to MBC by 10 a.m. and the sun was out in full strength so I dried his cloths, warmed him up with sunshine and hot chocolate. The rest of the gang made it and we had a nice breakfast of homemade bread and jelly. It took us 2 hours of up hill hiking to make it to Annapurna Base Camp (ABC) at 13,800 feet!!!!! We made it!! Even Nita made it but she wouldn’t talk to me. We made it to ABC by 12 noon.

We were now in the bowl of many high mountain, close enough to reach out and touch the bases of them all- BEAUTIFUL! From the ABC we where at the base of Hun Chuli- 21,232ft; Annapurna South- 23,822; Annapurna 1- 26,700ft; Annapurna 3-24,931; Machhapuchhre- 23,090ft; and right beside the South Annpurna Glacier and glacial moraine.

The kids used plastic sheets and Charles’ snow-skate (like a skate board but made for snow- he carried it the whole way up and down lashed onto his backpack) to sled the entire afternoon- they came into the lodge room soaking wet and ice cold but what do you want after waiting 4 years to get back on snow. If the truth be told that is what kept the trekking- the thought of seeing snow- they all miss it. At night we celebrated CJ’s fifth birthday- no cake so we put his candles on a coke can- he was happy, loves soda. Everybody in the lodge sang Happy birthday to him. It was cold and we all used heavy blankets on-top of our sleeping bags. We didn’t have altitude sickness but we all had headaches from being so high.

Day 8: Time to turn around and head down. We had clear skies for spectacular views of the nearby mts. We took lots of pictures and started back to pick up Tricia by 9:15 a.m. arrived for Tricia in time for an early lunch and then walked to Bamboo at 7,600 feet in the rain/overcast. Going down was rough on peoples’ knees and Gary ended up loosing both big toenails by the time we returned to Bangladesh. In fact, on the last day on the trail he had to wear my good sandals (teva-wraptors) because his feet hurt so bad. Both of Ruth’s toes turned dark purple. So it was tough going down, down, down. Thanks the Lord I had good boots that saved my feet 100%. If any body remembers back in 1988 I trekked 150 miles around the Annapurna Circuit with more than 20 blisters. I learned my lesson back then- always have proper foot wear. The circuit went around the outside of the big peaks. This time we went up into the middle of the peaks. We stopped trekking at 4:30 a.m.

Day 9: 8:30 to 4:30 but with a bonus we spent the night at Jhinu that has hot springs. Oh! Did the hot springs near a roaring freezing mountain stream feel good after walking hard for 9 days. Jhinu is at 5,800 feet. We met two very nice men from Israel on the hike and spent a good time with them at the hot springs. Most, no all trekkers couldn’t believe we brought our children with us- 8 at that! But to tell you the truth they all did great.

Day 10: Made it down to Syauli Bajar at 4,200 feet as I said Nepali flat means lots of ups and downs. Carried CJ a lot he was running out of steam. Had some steep ravines, steep stairs (didn’t make Tricia happy- sore knee) and went thru some nice orchids and ferns areas.

Day 11: Final day on the trail. Trekked from 8:30 to 11 a.m. to Nayapul where we caught a jeep back to Pokhara. CJ said, “I’m done hiking!”

We spent a day in Pokara and then took the 8 hour bus ride back to Katmandu. We spent two days wondering around Katmandu. We walked to Durbar Square which is the heart of the ancient city of Katmandu. It has old temples both Hindu and Buddhist built between the 12^th and 18^th centuries. We also spent time walking around the shopping district for tourist- all sorts of hand made stuff. I bought a very nice hemp shirt that is suppose to last a life time and get better after every washing.

I probably had the best time of all 13 people- I love to be in the mountains trekking but it was a colossal adventure for everybody and we made our goal of ABC at 13,400 feet!!!!!!!

Beggars in Dhaka

2008-02-23T23:50:00.001-08:00

I have received some money from a cousin church’s youth to help beggars. We have given tons or at least over 350 packs of high energy or milk biscuits to beggar/street children and older beggars. Our car gets mob on certain nights if we are out because the children know we have biscuits for them. The problem is we don’t usually have our camera with us and when we do the children are not out that night. There is no rhythm or reason for when beggars and street children are on the roads. I have attached two pictures of beggars but they do not capture the many children we see on the streets. They are of a mother with a sick boy and a mentally retarded teenager. I will continue to try to get you the picture of the children.

One of the interesting things we have found out since giving biscuits is that older women and mother that beg prefer biscuits to money. Before we always gave money. I have different theories on beggars:

poor people that can not get jobs, usually mother with babies (I feel they are real beggars)
very poor sick or scarred people that are syndicated by some thugs to collect money (the beggar gets only a little of the money or none, but most goes to the thugs) This is horrible but happens a lot
Street children who do not have parents or who have run away from bad parents.

Anyhow, Nita and I are finding out that (after 20 years here) that many of the poor women who can’t get jobs and beg must have to pay some money to the police or thugs to stand at the corners so they prefer to have biscuits. They can eat the biscuits and destroy all proof that they received anything. We give out many biscuits now. I still give money for some of the beggar women or retarded men I have known for the last four years. Most of the women are from broken marriages from rickshaw whalla’s (pullers). In Muslim society a man can divorce his wife by says, “Divorce, Divorce, Divorce” in front of a witness. You just need to say divorce three times and your divorce. I have seen rickshaw pullers divorce one wife (a beggar) for another wife (beggar) because he thought the other women beggar had more money. These are very poor people. They make less than one dollar a day- that is poor and that is poverty you have not witnessed in USA.

The children are so happy when they receive the biscuits and there is a group of boys we would like to give school bags (backpacks) too but have not done it yet.

Here are two messages from the words of Jesus for your youth at church to discuss: (there is no simple answers)

Luke 6:30 “Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.” Jesus’ commands us to give to everyone who asks you for something, that is his words there is no way to get around it. If a beggar comes up to you and ask for money, Jesus tells us we should give to that person. He doesn’t say what to give but to give.
Mathew 26:10 & 11, Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. 11 The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

I hope this helps a little.

The chance to see in Bangladesh

2008-02-23T23:47:00.000-08:00

I have heard of this floating hospital in Bangladesh and all the good work they do but have never seen it. Here is a story about the floating Hospital from BBC:

Four million people live on the banks and islands of the Brahmaputra river in Bangladesh. The only substantial medical facility is a floating hospital providing healthcare for local people.

A line of elderly people with pieces of masking tape stuck on one eyebrow queued up in the narrow corridor on board the old French barge. They were here for cataract surgery to restore their sight and the masking tape marked the eye needing attention. "In the excitement people forget which eye it is," the surgeon told me.

There was not exactly time for tender loving care here. It was more of a production line. After queuing in the corridor each patient was quickly taken into a side room and without a word given an injection in the eye.

Then, as soon as the anaesthetic had time to work, they were led into the operating cabin. Seven minutes later the surgery was done. It was so fast that while I was interviewing the surgeon, I glanced down at the bed and already a different patient was lying there.

Not a moment was lost, allowing the surgeon to do more than 100 a day.

Floating healthcare

The red, white, and blue barge was sailed all the way from France by a charity called Friendship.

In this part of Bangladesh it is not possible to build a permanent hospital because every time the river floods the sandy islands crumble and disappear, often reappearing somewhere else. So most of the people are nomadic, moving to new land each time their island sinks.

They live in small thatched huts without electricity and in some islands there is not a single boat, but however remote the island, word gets round when the floating hospital is in town. After spending the night on a nearby houseboat, we wake to find that fishing trawlers are already dropping off hundreds of people from nearby islands. They sit in lines on the brown, sandy shore in the shade of black umbrellas, each person holding a referral form from the mobile paramedic team.

Then comes the tricky bit. Getting onto the hospital ship. This means negotiating 20ft (6m) of narrow gangplank, supported high above the water by rickety bamboo scaffolding. The crowd are entertained by my attempts to balance with my recording equipment and trailing wires. It reminds me of the high beam at school. But somehow relatives manage to carry elderly, disabled people along this precarious gangway. Inside it does feel more like a boat than a hospital. It is very cramped and certainly not hi-tech.

But the European doctors told me the biggest shock for them was the lack of privacy. They have to get used to consultations accompanied by a couple of faces looking through the window and three or four more people watching from the doorway. I found myself squeezing past a young man in the corridor and he was keen to show me his hand. He had been burnt so badly by boiling rice water as a baby that with no treatment available his hand had curled into a permanent fist. More than 20 years later, he had finally just had surgery to open it up again, and this he told me would change his whole life.

It was not just that he could not use his hand before. Because of cultural strictures against eating with his left hand he had never before shared a meal in another person's home. After this one operation he could socialise publicly and even get married.

In a tent on the bank the previous day's cataract patients waited to have their bandages removed, after spending the night in a temporary hospital ward in a tent on the shore.

Thirty wooden beds were lined up with no space between them. In the past so many family members would accompany patients and share the bed at night that the wooden bed frames often snapped - so now it is strictly patients only after nightfall.

Update on Soccer:

2008-02-23T23:36:00.000-08:00

At the Sir John Wilson School Tournament Grace under 15 boys went 0-1-2. Charles and Chase were both depressed and thought Grace would never win a game. I had to give them a fatherly pep talk and give them some gum (was it gum or a life saver in the old ads?). Anyhow, what a difference a week makes. On Friday, 15 Feb Grace Under 14 boys were invited to the American School tournament. Grace went 4-0-0 and won the tournament. They won their first game 2-0 with Chase scoring both goals, their second game was 2-1, and their third 1-0. That put them in the championship from their pool, which they won 1-0 with Charles doing extra work on defense for a boy on the American’s school who is from Scotland- Scotty is his name. Ggo figure- Scotty from Scotland. Of course as the proud father-, I could tell Charles and Chase I told you so!

Big week of Soccer for the Stout Boys

2008-02-09T03:37:00.000-08:00

We usually don’t get to play this much soccer.

Wednesday: Warm up for up coming tournaments. Grace’s team with Charles and Chase played three warm up games against American International School. We had three disappointing loses. The score for each game was one-nil. So that was three loses. However, that was against the American’s A, B and C team. Charles plays defensive and Chase is a striker. He also, played goalie in the last game. The only score was a beautiful bicycle kick by one of the American boys against Chase in goal.

Friday: French Tournament at the French School. Chad was on the under 9 team. They played four games. They lost the first two and won the second two. They kept getting better each time. The coaches had never worked with the team so they didn’t know who to put in goal at first. After they figured that out, by the third game, they started to win.

There is no doubt that Chad is the striker. He scored 7 goals in four games, in fact he was the only scorer for his team. However, he did make nice passes and good corner kicks. He’s funny, he looks the part of a striker (European) with his long hair.

Chase played for an International team called “Most Wanted” in the under 15. He was goalie for one game and defense for another. Most Wanted played four games and lost out in the semi-finals.

Big new from the French Tournament: Graces’ under 6 year olds won their division. It was funny to see them running around. C.J. played on this team even though he is only four years old. They needed 5 players and only had four so they asked C.J. to play. After they received a very big Championship trophy, I told C.J. that they won the tournament. He replied, “Yes, we won but we did not pass the ball!” They were a mob around the ball.

Saturday: Sir John Wilson School had an invitation tournament for under 15 boys and girls. Charles and Chase played with Grace. Grace had three games and did not make it out of their group. Charles was defense in two of them and striker for one. Chase was striker in all three. They went 0-1-2. To say the least Charles and Chase were not happy but Grace is not a powerhouse in the older boys’ soccer. They don’t have a regular coach, a field to practice on or practices. Sidenote: it was overcast and rainy today at the games, unusual for Bangladesh in February- it is usually mild and sunny.

Teachers Needed for Grace International School

2008-02-09T02:35:00.000-08:00

Currently available positions (for August 2008)

Grace International School- this is where Charles, Chase, Chad and CJ go to school with around 180 other students from around the world.

Teachers are drawn from a variety of countries and are encouraged to use the skills developed in their own educational systems to adapt the material available (primarily from the UK) to our needs. Being a small school we ask our teachers to be flexible in the areas they teach as we seek to cover all areas. Many of our teachers will be either continuing with their existing contracts or renewing for next year but some are moving on. We are currently looking to recruit in the following areas:

Curriculum Coordinators

We need experienced teachers, preferably with a working knowledge of the English National Curriculum, to assist the management in coordinating the curriculum throughout the school. Two positions are becoming vacant – one at Primary (Key Stage 1/2) and the other at secondary (Key Stage 3/4). The coordinators would also need to take a substantial teaching role but there will be ‘management time’ available.

Primary Class Teacher

We are looking for one (possibly two) Primary teachers to take classes at Key Stage 2 level. The class teacher would be expected to teach a full range of subjects at this level although there may be some support available in specialist areas such as Music or ICT.

Science/Maths/ICT

We would like to recruit at least one teacher able to teach one or more of these subjects to work alongside two other teachers in this area at Key Stage 3/4. A Biology specialist with some Maths would be our preferred choice. ICT and Maths is taught throughout KS3 and 4. Currently students at KS4 study three separate sciences while at KS3 Science is taught in an integrated way.

History Teacher

We would like to recruit a teacher to deliver the IGCSE History curriculum and take some classes in lower down the secondary section.

PE/Sports

While this would not constitute a full-time position in itself, an ability to teach lessons in this area would be helpful in any of the above. Equally a Sports specialist who has the ability to help out teaching in other areas would be considered. Plus, we need coaches!

GIS is a growing Christian School teaching a British-based curriculum to expatriate children (3 to 16 years) from 30 countries. We have recently expanded to offer IGCSE courses.

We invite applications from qualified and enthusiastic teachers looking for opportunities in Christian service.

The school offers:

· Well-motivated children

· Living allowance and accommodation

· Annual return flight

· Free schooling for children

Further details from the Principal.

e-mail: principal@graceinternationalschool.org

Grace International School’s History

In 1975, several of the missionary organisations in Dhaka pooled resources and opened the “Christian Primary Education Centre” (CPEC). The school provided an alternative to the other options in Dhaka which were either considered too expensive or not appropriate to the needs of the expatriate community.

Over the years, the face of missions has changed and some of the founding organisations no longer operate in Bangladesh. In July 1995 in the face of Government restrictions on visas, the school took out it’s own registration with the Government of Bangladesh as a division of a company. This allows the school to operate independently and also to obtain work permission and legal visas for its employees. At this time the name “Grace” was chosen for the school.

The school is principally for the children of Christian families, but also accepts other children providing the parents are happy for the children to be exposed to the Christian teaching of the school.

During the summer of 1997, Grace International School moved to the “diplomatic zone” of the city. This move made the school more easily accessible to many sectors of the expatriate community. Increasing numbers required that the school become a “split site” from August 2000 and a second building was rented to accommodate a First School – children aged 3 to 7 years. During the last year (2006-7) we have moved the 3 and 4 year-olds to a separate, third site and moved 8 and 9 year-olds to the First School. This has created more space in the Upper School site where we are expanding to deliver a full IGCSE curriculum to Years 10 and 11.

Who are the Children we Teach?

As per the approval granted for the school by the Government of Bangladesh, to be considered for entry into the school the child must hold or be included in a foreign passport and also have a parent with a foreign passport. The school is particularly for children of expatriate employees of companies in Bangladesh under the Government of Bangladesh Foreign Investment Programme and for the children of expatriate Christians, that is those who subscribe to the Grace statement of faith. All parents must agree to their children taking part in the full curriculum of the school, including assemblies and Christian teaching.

In order to promote a Christian environment Grace International School is committed to ensure that Board members, Principal and teachers accept and uphold the Grace “statement of faith”. Teaching will incorporate Christian values and Biblical teaching. The school will expect a high standard of behaviour based on a love of God and concern for others. The school will seek to provide an education at a fee that the target group can afford.

Grace International School offers a quality education to meet the individual child’s needs, provided by appropriately qualified, experienced and committed teachers. Quality education is facilitated through an activity-based curriculum in small classes. The opportunity exists for children to attend a pre-school. There is also provision, where appropriate, for English language support.

Currently, all of our teachers are expatriates from a variety of countries. We have had teachers from the UK, New Zealand, Australia, Norway, Fiji, Finland, Malaysia, Zimbabwe, Canada and the US. This diversity is a great asset to our school.

Too Much Travel

2008-02-09T02:21:00.000-08:00

If your counting my travel: August 07- return from USA; Sept 07- work shop in Colorado and Hong Kong; Oct 07- India for offices visits and Pennsylvania for Elliot’s (nephew) wedding; Nov 07- China for spiritual retreat and Thailand for conference on Children at Risk; Dec- Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand working with my counterparts in the field offices; Jan 08- Colorado for training and then Hong Kong to give the training. Now to the future, please pray for: Feb 08 two field offices in India- Kolkata and Chennia; March 08- family holidays in Nepal to hike/climb to 13,600 feet in the Annapurna Sanctuary outside of Pokarra; April 08- give grantsmanship training in Indonesia; May 08 to Africa for a CIV workshop; June 08 to Malaysia for my courses in Holistic Child Development (I’m still working on my master’s degree in HCD); July 08 back to the USA to see Mom and family.

Please keep Nita, the boys and me in your prayers. I travel too much!

Global Interchange System

2008-02-09T02:15:00.000-08:00

My new role with Compassion is working with funding outside the sponsorship money. We call this ministry Complementary Intervention (CIV) because it complements our sponsorship ministry. Compassion receives money from Donors and Foundation from around the world to do creative development projects among the communities, families, and children we work with. This is funding outside of sponsorship. Sponsorship money is tied into the child being sponsored. Where this money can be used for many different things.

In early January, I traveled to Compassion’s Global Ministry Center to receive training on using a new system to attract donors and keep information stored for all the proposals and final reports we have- now days. The new system is called “Global Interchange System (GIS).” It is a great improvement to the CIV ministry. CIV money now is about 40% of Compassion’s total budget so you can see it is growing and involves a lot of money, which means lots of donors and foundations out there. Anyhow, I received training on how to use the system.

Then at the end of January, I traveled to Hong Kong to give the training to the seven field offices in Asia that I’m responsible for. It was a great week that went very quick. Myself, and two staff from GMC gave the training. I was afraid it would drag out with nothing to train on or blank stares of the participants. But it was a good training on the new GIS system and we had fun together. However, it was cold and rainy in Hong Kong- overcast everyday.

More information on Complementary Interventions. CIV are additional benefits offered to Compassion-assisted children, families, or communities outside of the core programs that are funded by individual sponsorship. The activities could be but are not limited to: Bibles, Curriculum Development, Extra Educational funds, non-formal education, health, major medical, Partner Development, Parental education, advocacy for children, AIDS Initiative, Water Projects, Microenterprise/Income Generation, and Large Scale Disasters to name a few.

Christmas 07 in Noakhali, BD

2008-02-09T01:44:00.000-08:00

Once again, we traveled to Nita’s bari (homestead) for the Christmas holidays. Its always nice to be out of Dhaka and the 15 million people. We drove down on 23 Dec with Prova (Nita’s younger Sister); Obima and Obi (cousin’s wife and son) and our family. The drive is normal for Bangladesh 6 hours for about 120 miles with plenty of animals (cows and chickens), buses, and trucks all over the road. My favorite is when a slow bus overtakes a slower bus as you come hurling at them on a single lane road. Even though the buses are coming at you and are in your lane they never think of getting over- they expect you to get off the road and let them pass.

It is always cooler in Noakhali, about 45 to 75 *F but damp. We even made a small fire this year so CJ could roast his marshmallows. You know you live in a third world country when your child receives marshmallows as a Christmas gift and he is very happy. In fact, all the boys and all of their cousins were happy to roast and eat marshmallows. Chase likes them burnt so that helps since the cousins’ had never roasted marshmallows before- they burnt a lot of them.

We took the parish Father and 3 Roman Catholic Sisters to a rural catholic church for Christmas Eve service. We have done this for the last four years- it has become a special family tradition to help the father and sisters plus visit relatives at their small church, maybe 20 feet by 30 feet- packed on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning the boys open their few presents then we go to church- you can see we all wore red this Christmas to church, Prova is the lady at the end.

A special highlight of this break was our good friends the Larson’s (Lutheran Pastors) serving here in Bangladesh with their four kids came and spent 3 days at Nita’s bari. It was great showing them her homestead, school, where I worked and going on long walks thru the rice fields. We even had a big adventure- we drove down to the Bay of Bengal. This was no easy task. They learn a key vice of mine- never say you can’t do something. The road kept getting smaller and smaller but I wouldn’t stop. The Bangladesh government had just recently finished a bridge that took us farther down the coast which I had never been to. The road became a rickshaw path then an old trail but we made it close enough to walk the final kilometers. The Bay of Bengal is more like a river at this point and it was low tide. So the kids (eight of them) had to walk in the mud and splash in the water (see pictures).

One of the pictures is of CJ and Gracia eating supper in typical Bengali fashion- sitting on stools with two aunts pushing the food in. Aunt Prova is feeding CJ and Aunt Pana (Nita’s brother’s wife) feeding Gracia. Gracia has always like CJ since she came here three years ago- she was only one then. The funny part is CJ has always known Gracia likes him so he isn’t always nice to her- We have our work cut out with him.

Christmas Letter 2007

2007-12-22T10:24:00.000-08:00

This Years Christmas Letter is Brought to you by Charles and Chase

Stout’s 2007 in Review

January-We spent 15 days traveling in Rajasthan, India, 30 Dec thru 14 Jan. The state of Rajasthan is in the desert region of India and is still like something out of “Tales of the Arabian Nights.”

We along with 1,000s of other India tourist were visiting the Taj Mahal on New Year day. The marble changes colors from bright white to a rich golden sheen, then slowly turns pink, red and finally blue with the changing light as the sun sets. It was cool because it was made out of marble and gems.

Our favorite part of the trip was our 3-day Camel Safari. We absolutely loved it! It was cool how you just sit on a camel and having it stand up- you have to hold on for dear life or you will first fall off frontward then fall off backwards. Sleeping under the stars on the sand dunes was excellent because you can’t see the stars in Dhaka. The Sunset was beautiful over the desert!

March-CJ’s Birthday 26^th (AKA Bangladesh Independence Day). CJ had 5 friends over and turn 4 years old.

April-We went to St. Martin’s Island, farthest point of Bangladesh. The boat ride took 2 hours.CJ threw up on the boat ride (disgusting) while the boat rocked from side to side. At the island, there was no electricity so the hotels used generators. The island was cool because of all the coral.

Chase’s and Chad’s Birthday party were together at our house for Friday and the kids stayed over for a sleepover if they could then on Saturday we went to ‘Fantasy Kingdom water park’ for our second part of the party. Chase and Chad had a great birthday- 11 and 8 years old respectively.

May- Charles played at church. He played My Redeemer Lives on the piano and sang- he was (really) good.

June-It was the last month of school and it finished on 14^th of June 12:00 o’clock.

Then we went to USA for summer break in Pennsylvania at our grandmother’s house for around 2 months and it was AWSOME because we got to see our relatives and eat good food. YUM YUM!!

July- A Bangladeshi, Kajal replaced our dad in his job for country director of Compassion Bangladesh. Now Dad is in the region of Asia and supports 7 countries. We also went to Cap Cod for a wedding but the kids weren’t aloud so we had a babysitter (first time ever). There we went to the beach. The sand was very gritty- OW! We also went to New York city with our cousin’s the Hasties and saw all the sites there. We liked going there because

· We went up to the top of the Empire State Building

· The subway was cool

· The Staten Island ferry ride. (We saw the Statue of Liberty)

The last trip we took was going to North Carolina to meet our friends the Morrison’s that used to live in Bangladesh; they are from America. We liked going there because they are our good friends.

August-We went back to Bangladesh and started school. Charles’ Homeroom teacher is Mr. Robinson. He is from Australia. Chase’s homeroom teacher is Mr. Ferdinando. He’s from England. Chad’s homeroom teacher is Mrs. Snowden who is from England and CJ’s is Mrs. Doorey from New Zealand.

September-Charles, and Chase had dengue. Chad had something like it but his blood test confirmed that he didn’t have dengue. We skipped a week of school. Dad had hepatitis A for about 3 months Sept-Nov.

October-Charles’ birthday party was at our house. He had 5 friends over. We went bowling and the party was a sleep over.

We went to America, just Charles and Chase with Dad for Elliot Moore’s wedding for a week. We also got to see Evan Moore’s college, Grove City and spent a Night a cousin Nick’s apartment in the Philly area.

November-Our aunt Prova’s friend, Dipty was getting married and we all went. Chad was the ring bearer. Charles played and sang a song at the start of the wedding (solo). The song was called ‘Testify to Love’. The food was good (as always).

December-Chad was in a choir and had a concert on the 8^th. For our Christmas Productions at school we did plays. Charles’s wrote the play for his class called “Santa meets Jesus.” Charles was Santa. In Chase’s play he was Zachariah and in Chad’s play he was a sheep named Shaun.

Back to Dad and Mom:

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

From Kevin, Nita, Charles, Chase, Chad and CJ

Thought for Christmas:

“Jesus provides an oasis of grace in the desert of grief.”

During the Christmas season, we often read Isaiah’s prophecies of the coming Messiah who would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14) and called “wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (9:6). But perhaps we should also include the words of Isaiah 53: “He is … a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief … Surely He has borne our grief and carried our sorrows … And by His stripes we are healed” (vv.3-5). The psalmist reminds us “The Lord heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” Ps. 147:3

Have a wonderful Christmas Holiday- Jesus is here for you!!!!

Visit the Stout’s Adventures (blog) at: http://stoutboys.blogspot.com/

kstout@bd.ci.org

12290 Voyager Parkway, Colorado Springs, CO 80921-3668

Children at Risk Networking Agency

2007-12-21T23:01:00.000-08:00

Shifting Paradigms for Invisible Children

THAILAND, BANGKOK, Dec 5, 2007: Viva’s latest conference brought together 340 Christian leaders from across Asia to seriously consider the idea of “invisible children.” From street children to child soldiers, conference speakers brought light to the issues facing these oft-forgotten children, forcing participants to reevaluate their current thinking and ways of working.

Asia Cutting Edge is a tri-annual regional conference that helps practitioners to engage in cross-cutting issues pertaining to their work with children. Participants explored the theme of Invisible Children through plenary sessions, workshops and working groups. On the opening night, Stairway Foundation presented a touching theatre performance about child sexual abuse, as seen through the eyes of the abused. “Cracked Mirrors” brought the theme to life and kicked off the challenging 5-day conference on a strong note.

According to Dr Nomer Bernardino of the Philippines, when invisible children are seen, valued and nurtured, they can become honourable and effective leaders.Throughout the conference, participants were challenged to reconsider their ways of seeing children who are typically invisible. The invisibility of these children was explored deeper through 5 lenses: disability, AIDS, ethnic minority, prison and child protection.

Aside from meeting in large groups, participants also met together in country groups and working groups. Whilst individuals spoke of their own paradigm changes, country groups worked on plans to address invisible children issues. Four working groups held post-conference also gave participants the chance to strategize and plan for future action. Some outcomes expected are the development of further animations to raise awareness about child sexual abuse and further seminary involvement in Holistic Child Development trainings.

Key aspects found in every Cutting Edge are the spiritual nurturing and networking aspects. The morning devotions and shared breaking of bread in the closing plenary were particularly powerful and spiritually encouraging. In their evaluations, participants reported that they had agreed on future cooperative activities with others and many left feeling nurtured, encouraged and changed.

A shining moment for a small organization came during the last night of the conference. Sahabat Peduli Foundation (‘Friends who care’) from Jakarta, Indonesia was awarded with the first-ever Asha Award, for innovative and quality work with children who have been sexually abused. Established after the riots and rapes of 1998, Sahabat Peduli boasts a high quality counselling programme designed to help abused children in their healing and to regain their dignity in society.

Bunga Kamase Kobong, a counsellor who has led the organization since its inception pointed out that abused children remain invisible, unhealed and unaided because of the stigma. It is hoped that the recognition received from the Asha award will help Sahabat Peduli in its efforts to break the silence in the Indonesian church and society.

Viva also launched a new book, Understanding God’s Heart for Children: Toward a Biblical Framework which participants eagerly purchased along with other resources such as Viva Equip’s Restore magazines. Each participant also received a CD with almost 200 resources enclosed; each annotated and linked to one of the conference topics.

Ian de Villiers, Viva Asia’s coordinator says, “We’re delighted to have been able to facilitate such a collaborative venture, with many significant contributions in thought, networking and resource-building, given generously for the Viva community by the various International Associates and national networks.” Viva’s next international gathering will be held in July 2008 in the United States.

ABOUT VIVA

Viva creates networks among Christians caring for children because of the belief that collaboration brings greater effectiveness. Based in the UK, Viva represents a group of organisations, church bodies and individuals who are committed to every child having the opportunity to become all that God intends. Viva’s work provides vulnerable children with more services of better quality, plus a bigger voice to speak up for their interests. Website: www.viva.org

Day of Eid Korbani

2007-12-21T21:33:00.000-08:00

A Teaching Opportunity for MBB’s – The Day of Eid Korbani

Friday, December 21, 2007

Today is the morning of Eid Korbani in Dhaka, Bangladesh. As I crank out this document, I am hearing the bleating of goats about to be slaughtered. As we drove into our parking garage last night after a fellowship event with some friends, we counted five cows unknowingly awaiting slaughter on the next day. Yesterday, our teenage daughter was invited by one of her wealthy Bangladeshi friends to go cow shopping! We agreed to let her go provided she would agree to fifteen minutes of Bible study. This family bought two large cows for 100,000 taka! Our agreement with our daughter is the reason for our cranking out this document. I felt this might be of some value to Muslims and so I am offering it to you to share with your network of Muslims.

In fairness to our Muslim friends, in their minds when they reflect on the religious significance of the event, it has more to do with the obedience of Ibrahim (Abraham) than as an atonement for sin. Yesterday’s (20 December 2007) Daily Star (the leading English newspaper in Dhaka) renders a popular understanding of the event by an educated Bangladeshi Muslim:

“To commemorate Hazrat Ibrahim’s devotion to almighty Allah proven by his readiness to give up His dearest son Hazrat Ismail, well-to-do Muslims will sacrifice animals and share the sacrificial Meat with their relatives, neighbours, and poor people. Hazrat Ibrahim, who had been asked by Almighty Allah to sacrifice his dearest son, arranged everything to implement Allah’s order at Mina near Makkah. Satisfied by his sincere intent, Allah ordered Ibrahim to sacrifice an animal in Place of his son. Marking the event, which symbolizes highest loyalty and submission to the

Almighty, Muslims at Mina and around the world sacrifice animals on the 10^th day of the month Of Zilhaji.”

So the event commemorates Ibrahim’s obedience more than atonement ascribed to the act of sacrificing. It is well-known that a gospel conversation can be launched by comparing Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son with Allah’s (God’s) not only willingness but actually offering his Son Isa (Jesus). In fact, Galatians 3:29 clearly links Ibrahim and Isa:

“And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendents, heirs according to promise.” (NASB)

However, this humble document will not go that direction. While we can point to Genesis 22 in the Torat to substantiate that it was Isahok (Isaac) that Ibrahim was willing to sacrifice, if we ask the Muslim to point out where in the Quran it states that Ismail was sacrificed, he will not be able to do so. However, neither is it the purpose of this document to go that direction.

The purpose of this document is to state that sacrificing animals is no longer necessary in light of the once for all sacrifice of Isa-Al-Masih (Messiah). One of the best places in the Injil (New Testament) to go to see this is the book of Hebrews. According to 9:11-12, 10:4, 10:10, 10:12, 10:14, 10:18:

“But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle….not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

“For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

“we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

“but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the throne of God.”

“for by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.”

“Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer any offering for sin.”

This should suffice, and may God bless your work with Muslims.

Four Country Offices in Two Weeks

2007-12-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

I just finished visiting four Compassion Country offices in two weeks as part of my new job with Compassion. I visited Indonesia, Philippines, and Thailand. Indonesia has two country offices one in the East part of the islands that make up Indonesia and the other in the west. These four offices make up East Asia Area for Compassion. The Asian Region has two areas, East Asia and South Asia. South Asia is made up of two offices in India and one in

Bangladesh

. However, this trip was about East Asia area. I flew Singapore Airlines so while I was at the Singapore Airport I had the opportunity to see the new Air Bus 380 (Double Decker) picture above. However, I didn't get to fly in it- it only goes between Australia and Singapore.

Compassion East Indonesia, Manado: This office is only three years old but inherited some projects from the original Indonesia office. The Manado office currently works with 67 projects with more than 12,400 precious children. I left Dhaka at 10 p.m. on Saturday, 1 Dec 07. I flew Singapore Airlines from Dhaka to Singapore; then from Singapore to Jakarta, Indonesia. I had an eight hour lay over at the Jakarta Airport before flying on a local airline to Manado, Indonesia. The flight from Singapore to Dhaka was four hours, Singapore to Jakarta two hours, and Jakarta to Manado two and half hours.

Manado is a Christian Island in Indonesia. Indonesia has one of the largest Muslim populations in the world. I’m the CIV Specialist for the Asian Region. CIV stands for Complementary Intervention. Compassion only has three programs: 1) Children Survival Program (CSP); 2) Children Development Through Sponsorship (CDSP); and 3) Leadership Development Program (LDP). CSP is a program that is pre and post natal plus maternity care for babies up to 3 years old. CDSP is our sponsorship program for children 3 years old up to 18 years old. LDP is a scholarship award for 18-22 years old for emerging leaders coming from the CDSP program. These three programs are all funded thru sponsorship.

CIV is funding from partners and donors of Compassion that is not tied into child sponsorship i.e. Compassion can use this funds to help the church, child, family or community in a developmental way. Sponsorship funding needs to go to an individual child but CIV funds can be used in many ways to help the broader community that the child lives in.

I was with the Learning and Support Team, 3 other people that work at the Regional level. We were at this office on Monday and Tuesday, 3 and 4 Dec 2007.

Compassion Indonesia, Bandung, Indonesia: This office is many years old and works with 240 projects with more than 45,000 children. This is one of the big office among Compassion’s 26 Country offices around the world. I met with the CIV Administrator and the program team about new processes in CIV plus strategic planning. We traveled on Wednesday from Manado to Bandung. We flew from Manado to Jakarta then drove three hours to Bandung from Jakarta.

Compassion Philippines, Manila, Philippines: This office currently works with 196 projects with more than 40,000 children. We worked at this office on Monday and Tuesday, 10 and 11 Dec 2007. We traveled from Bandung to Jakarta by vehicle than flew from Jakarta to Singapore and then from Singapore to Manila. We arrived Saturday night. I went to Nita and my friends house for Saturday and Sunday, Jonathan and Thelma. They work with prostitutes around greater Manila Metro with Samaritana, a non-profit organization.

From Manila we flew back to Singapore then Bangkok, Thailand and on to Chang Mai, Thailand.

Compassion Thailand, Chang Mai, Thailand: This office currently works with 174 projects with more than 28,500 precious children. We worked with office personnel on Thursday and Friday, 13 and 14 Dec. My favorite food in Thailand is Phat Thai Sai Khai (fried noodles, egg, vegetables, lots of dried chili pepper- HOT, little sugar and grounded peanuts). Friday night our friends the Coats came down from Chang Rai to take me out to supper, it was great to catch up with them.

RED LETTER DAY, 15 Dec- I get to go home! Since Singapore Airlines was my base, I needed to fly Chang Mai to Bangkok to Singapore to Dhaka. I left Chang Mai at 9:45 a.m and ended up in Dhaka at 9:30 p.m. But it is all worth while when four boys run and jump into Daddy’s arms, with CJ and Chad screaming Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!!

China Visit:

2007-12-07T00:39:00.000-08:00

I spent 4 days in Zhong Dian, Yunnan Province. The airport is called Shan-gra-la. The three pictures are a good description of my time near Tibet. The hardware store had Chinese’s tools, 100%! Not one tool was from another country. I was in China and everything was Chinese made- how many countries can claim that. All hardware stores around the world have goods made in other countries- but not good old China- everything 100% Chinese Made- Proud.

The other picture is from a Yak butcher. Yes, they eat all parts of the Yak in Yunnan. The final picture is from National park we walked thru, I’m pictured with Rick who works with Compassion as a Communication Specialist- a great guy!

One of the moving moments of the retreat was when we heard about and reflected on decanting. It is from a message at the spiritual retreat in China from a missionary in Singapore teaching at a seminary for the last 17 years. He is a deep thinker, spiritually. I hope it may help you (whoever) when you are going through a tough time in life or feel empty.

I believe God has sent a decanter, men who pour from jars, tilters, those who tip vessels, them that pour off, troublemakers, or wanderers into your life to empty your vessels. This comes from Jeremiah 48:11 & 12.

Jer 48:11 Moab has been at ease from his youth, settled like wine on its dregs;

he has not been emptied from vessel to vessel, nor has he gone into exile;

therefore his flavor has remained and his aroma is unspoiled.

Jer 48:12 Therefore, the time is surely coming, says the LORD, when I shall send to him decanters to decant him, and empty his vessels, and break his jars in pieces. 13 Then Moab shall be ashamed of Chemosh, as the house of Israel was ashamed of Bethel, their confidence.

Moab was complacent. As Christian, we are constantly to put off the old self and renew ourselves in Jesus Christ. The flavor/aroma of JC is not a counterfeit. When we are complacent in some aspect of our life God sends a decanter or troublemaker to empty ourselves so God can fill us up. Even good in our life can become useless over time and we need to continually take off the old and put on the new in JC. This process of decanting brings us closer to God.

Kingdom life is being poured out continually and filled with the Holy Spirit continually.

When we are being decanted don't cling (hold on) to the old jar; don't bring the settlement (dregs) into the new jar, very important; and don't look back, let God change you to become or smell like Jesus, not like the old self (old man).

However, this is not the end, the story of Moab is completed in Jeremiah 48:47 "Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab in the latter days, says the LORD." You will be restored; no question! And when it is over, you will have the aroma, strongly of our Lord Jesus Christ!

Remember: Salvation (justification) is free but discipleship (sanctification) cost you everything!

Project Destruction Report of Cyclone Sidr

2007-11-20T23:39:00.000-08:00

Greetings from

Bangladesh

. Thank you for your continuous prayer for

Bangladesh

. After the cyclone everyday we are getting confirm news from our PF, Project manager and media. As per today’s report 3,153 people died and 40, 00,000 people lost their houses fully or partially. Last night we came to know that one of our child’s (SATHI BISWAS, BD 316-0046) father is missing after the Cyclone. Professionally he was a fisherman and he went out for fishing before the Cyclone. Now peoples are suspecting that Cyclone took his life in sea. Sathi lives with her mother and a younger brother of three and half years old. I am enclosing some picture what I received from one of our project. I will update with new information in afternoon.

Thank you again for your continuous prayer support.

Date of Cyclone SIDR strike: 16^th November, 2007 at 9 pm night it started and lasted at 2 am of 17^th November, 2007.

Description of Cyclone attack: Cyclone SIDR stroke the southern part of Bangladesh at night with heavy wind like 220 km per hour It also blew all over Bangladesh which occurred a lot destruction among the countrywide peoples, their houses, animals, crops, latrine, electricity lines, kitchen, trees & firms. Mostly 23 districts devastated by this cyclone among 103 Upazilas and 710 unions (Information have been taken from the daily Newspaper “The Daily Star” on the date of 18^th November, 2007). After the cyclone 2000 people are found dead and several thousands still missing. Our projects also stroke by this cyclone mostly in southern part projects. Praise God that project did not loss any children but their houses, crops, kitchen, latrine, animals; trees were destroyed by this cyclone. Destructive projects are given billow

Sl. No	Project Name	Project ID	Situation after Cyclone
1	Chalksing	BD- 301	22 children families lost their houses and all children family lost their trees.
2	Bodorpur	BD-302	Cyclone stroke slightly in this area and destroyed fully a children house and destroyed some trees.
3	Talbari	BD- 303	Cyclone destroyed 12 children kitchen and destroyed trees, maximum children but not lost any lives.
4	Bajua	BD- 305	21 children lost their houses due to this cyclone.
5	Dumuria	BD- 306	Cyclone stroke slightly and destroyed trees.
6	Kuadanga	BD- 309	Cyclone destroyed some children houses slightly, kitchen, trees, crops
7	Gilatola	BD- 310	Cyclone affected mostly in this area. Children lost their houses, crops, kitchen, trees, latrine, shop, firm and electricity lines,
8.	Mohondi	BD-312	Cyclone destroyed crops about 80 children families, and destroyed trees maximum children
9	Satalia	BD-313	Cyclone destroyed 10 children houses fully and destroyed 70 children houses a little bit less, 79 children kitchen, 80 children latrine, 16 children trees and electricity line and firm.
10	Roghunandanpur	BD-318	Slightly effected by the Cyclone.
11	Roghunathpur	BD-319	Cyclone stroke heavily and destroyed some children houses, kitchen and crops & trees of maximum children.
12	Suagram	BD- 320	Cyclone destroyed heavily in this area. One person (Christian) died in this village and 300/400 people wounded seriously. Praise the lord that no one died or wounded in our project. It destroyed 45 houses fully and 54 children kitchen, 81 children toilet, 26 children cattle house, 100 children crops and electricity lines. It also destroyed kitchen house of this project falling a tree on this.
13	Unoshia	BD -321	Cyclone stroke this area strongly and destroyed 45 children houses totally, 52 children houses a portion of house, 3 children cattle, 20 children crops, trees and a betel leaf garden. Cyclone destroyed project kitchen, latrine and some part of project house.
14	Boratia	BD- 322	Cyclone stroke slightly and destroyed 4 children houses,

Conclusion : This Cyclone destroyed many things of those project which are not refundable but we think if we can help them it will be better for their loss.

Reported by : Diamond Bishop, Partnership Facilitator

CYCLONE SIDR - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

2007-11-20T04:56:00.000-08:00

By DUANE & LORI DANIELSEN (friends of Kevin and Nita)

How many times have we heard that phrase? Location, Location, Location.

Unfortunately, location played a big part in the tragic events of last week. Bangladesh lies just a few feet above sea level right on the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of rivers to overflow and no higher ground.

Also its remote location makes it difficult to speed aid to the people in need. Lack of equipment, infrastructure and communication make it difficult to even put a handle on the size of the task ahead. In 11 districts 90% of the crops have been lost and an estimated 200,000 livestock have been killed. They are even using elephants as part of the clean up effort.

Location will also play a part as international awareness and interest in the coming days and weeks will diminish. This was not a hurricane that hit a state in the US. This was not a tragedy that effected foreign tourists at the beach that was caught on tape. This was not a sensational tabloid story of the rich and famous having a member of their family die. No, these were just nameless people from a far off place that happens to be in the wrong location. Because of location the cyclone will mostly likely be only a 30 second piece on tonight's evening news if its mentioned at all.

Honestly, it has been hard for me to process it all from even just 80 miles away. The reality of the need can be overwhelming. The idea that location, location, location has affected the people of Bangladesh on a such a large scale has kept me up tonight with tears in my eyes.

Please be praying in the days ahead that God will open opportunities to share His love.

Cyclone in Bangladesh

2007-11-20T04:49:00.001-08:00

Small update: The major part of the storm missed Dhaka, however the electricity was off for three days and still goes off for many hours a day. Nita is thankful that her family and their house in Noakhali, near the coast was not hit by the storm. But she could use some more electricity.

I'm missing it all. I was in China for 5 days on a spiritual retreat and now I'm in Bangkok, Thailand at a Children's Conference until Friday. The name of the conference is "Invisible Children." There are about 350 people from different churches and organizations from different countries throughout Asia. All of us serve children is someway.

The death toll from the cyclone is more than 4,000 to date. However, no child or parents from our projects loss their life- Praise the Lord! About 20 projects where hit by the high winds and floods. Many children lost their houses. Compassion is in the process of responding to the situation with emergency aid and planning to rebuild homes.

COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL RATED IN Top 1%

2007-11-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

Charity Navigator gives it top ranking for sixth consecutive year

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Oct. 8, 2007 -- Compassion International, one of the world’s leading child development ministries, has received Charity Navigator’s coveted four-star rating for sound fiscal management for the sixth consecutive year.

That puts Compassion in the top 1 percent of charities evaluated by Charity Navigator.

“Compassion takes stewardship as sacred trust with our sponsors and donors and that’s why it’s so important to us that we walk the talk in this critical area,” said David Dahlin, Compassion’s Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “We’re honored to receive this ranking for the sixth year in a row because it affirms our dedication to excellence and stewardship.”

Ed Anderson, Compassion’s Chief Financial Officer, said that strict guidelines for spending and on-going accountability have aided Compassion over the years.

“Our audits on financial accountability have been rigorous,” Anderson said. “While we meet the legal requirements all U.S. charities must comply with, we have developed audit procedures and teams to provide fiscal scrutiny in the U.S. and in all 24 countries where Compassion’s child development ministries are implemented by local churches. Americans expect their charitable dollars to be wisely spent and fully accounted for.”

In addition to the prestigious ranking by Charity Navigator, Compassion has been recognized for superior financial integrity by several publications and financial-accountability groups, including The American Institute of Philanthropy. Compassion is also a founding member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.

“As the nonprofit sector continues to grow at an unprecedented pace, savvy donors are demanding more accountability, transparency and quantifiable results from the charities they choose to support with their hard-earned dollars,” said Trent Stamp, president of Charity Navigator.

Compassion is one of the world’s largest Christian child-development organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and nearly 4,000 indigenous church partners in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since its founding in 1952, Compassion has touched the lives of more than 1.6 million children.

For information, visit Compassion online at www.compassion.com or call (800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., MST.

Hard day at School (Teachers Needed)

2007-11-09T17:28:00.001-08:00

This picture is of Charles and Chase after a hard day at school. They just come home and crash on Nita and my bed, Charles still has his backpack on. Charles is in year 8 (grade 7), Chase year 7 (grade 6),

Chad

year 4 (grade 3) and CJ preschool 2.

Grace International School, Dhaka

GIS is a growing Christian School teaching a British-based curriculum to expatriate children (3 to 16 years) from 25 countries. This year we are entering our first students for IGCSE exams.

The school supplies an important service to Christians working in Dhaka and the wider expatriate community. We invite applications from qualified and enthusiastic teachers looking for opportunities in Christian service.

We are in need of a teachers across the age ranges in a variety of subject areas. Starting date could be either January or August 2008. Experience of the English National Curriculum is helpful but not essential.

For further details please contact the Principal.

e-mail: principal@graceinternationalschool.org

If you have questions you can also e-mail me, Kevin at knstout@paonline.com. I’m seriously encouraging you to consider teaching at Grace or passing this on to all the teachers you know!

Stouts’ Homestead

2007-11-09T17:15:00.000-08:00

In Bangladesh, we call the homestead a bari. The bari is the place where your father, grandfather, great grandfather etc was born and lived. Of course, the Stout’s Homestead is not that old. My mom and dad bought the house in 1969. However, it is home. My mom still lives there. My sisters, Maureen lives about 10 minutes and Julie about 45 minutes away. It is located on Nauvoo Road in Lewisberry, PA about 20 minutes outside of Harrisburg in a rural area.

I miss home! Especially during the fall and winter season. It would be great to breathe the crisp fresh air of a Pennsylvania winter. I grew up in this house- first grade thru high school graduation. Maureen and Julie went thru their high-school years at this house and still live very close after 38 years. I have lived in Bangladesh for ten of the last twenty years. However, in the middle of that was 8 years at home where all four boys were born.

I first came to Bangladesh in August 1987 with Mennonite Central Committee to work in Agriculture. I moved on to micro credit with World Concern in the mid nineties and then children with Compassion starting in 2003. I always think it is funny that a forty-four old man with a kids heart is still homesick. There is no question that home is where Nita and the boys are located but still good old Lewisberry calls to me. I’m not sure Nita feels the same way or the boys but we all call it home and we know where home is.

We continue to believe we are doing God’s work in Bangladesh and Asia. The picture of the Stouts' Homestead is from our visit to the states for Elliot's wedding in Oct 2007.

Today was a Wedding Day in Bangladesh

2007-11-09T10:20:00.000-08:00

9 Nov 07

Dipty and James Penner were married today in Old Dhaka, Church of Bangladesh. Dipty is from Bangladesh (actually from the Santel tribal group) and James is from England. We have known Dipty for the last four years and she has spent a lot of time at our house in Bangladesh. She is good friend of Prova, Nita’s younger sister who lives with us. Prova and Dipty went to college together back in the mid nineties. James works in Development for the Church of Bangladesh in Merherpur (western BD). Church of Bangladesh is from the line of Anglican churches. So it was a very traditional wedding in an old cathedral.

Charles played the keyboard and sang during the prelude, ‘Testify to Love’ by Avalon. Prova was the maid-of-honor and Chad was the ring bearer. I’m not sure why but in Bangladesh people love are boys and think Chad is so neat with his long hair. He does look like a rock star with his Panjabi on, in the order of Jim Morrison of the rock group- Doors.

I have included pictures of our family with the newly weds; Stout family in the church; and David & Shannon Snowdon beside Rob Enns. David is the principal of Grace, Shannon is Chad’s teacher and Rob is an old friend from our MCC days. Everybody at this wedding dressed in traditional Bangladesh clothes- sarees for the women and panjabis for the men. Even little girls wore cute sarees. In USA, people make fun of Nita and I when we wear Bengali clothing.

PS: The boys love wedding food over here: plau rice with chicken korma curry!

Nephews’ Visit- Part 3 of 3

2007-11-09T10:12:00.000-08:00

Nick Forry in Media, PA

Nick is the smart, only son of my oldest sister, Maureen. He lives and work down around Philly, PA. Only Charles, Chase and I made this trip. It was great to see where Nick’s live and visit Brooke, his fiancé. It took us two and half hours to get there on Thursday evening because of the traffic. We met Nick at his apartment and went out to dinner with Brooke and him to a local Microbrewery. Media is a cute little town where you can walk to everything. After dinner we watched Rutgers beat South Florida University in a very good college football game.

After breakfast we went to a nearby park to play wiffle ball. It was Nick and Chase vs Charles and Dad. It was a lot of fun on a fall day. On the way back to the apartment we stopped and pick-up Philly Cheese Steak for lunch- say ‘YES!!!!”

Nick is my oldest Nephew and we go back a long way so it is always great to spend time with him. The picture is of Brooke and him from Elliot’s wedding.

Nephews’ Visit- Part 2 of 3

2007-11-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

Evan Moore at Grove City College, Grove City, Pennsylvania.

During our visit to the USA, 13-22 October we went out to visit Evan in his new college. Evan graduated from Biglerville High School in May and started at Grove City this fall.

Evan is a multiple talented, good looking, tall young man. Charles, Chase, Mom and I drove out on Tuesday and came back on Wednesday afternoon. Its about a four and half hour drive from Harrisburg to Grove City, PA. Grove City is above Pittsburgh, PA. It was a beautiful drive with the leaves turning colors.

We made it in time to see Evan’s soccer game. He plays midfield for the college. They had a bad game loosing 4-0 but it was good to see him play. After the game, we took Evan to Hoss’s for supper. The boys and I don’t get salad bars in Bangladesh so it was a treat for us, if not for Evan and Mimi. We then took Evan back to his dorm and we went to a hotel for the night.

On Wednesday morning, we met Evan at the Student Union. Grove City has a beautiful campus. Evan showed us around the campus and his dorm room. Grove City is a Christian College. After the tour, we went to Wendy’s for lunch. We said our goodbyes and headed back to Harrisburg, PA. I have attached pictures of; Evan and Mimi in the dorm room; Evan, Mimi and the boys under an arch; and Evan with his, old looking, Uncle Kevin.

Nephews’ Visit- Part 1 or 3

2007-11-09T09:08:00.000-08:00

Elliot and Lauren Moore Wedding

Elliot is my first nephew or niece to get married and there was no way I was going to miss the wedding. It is a privilege to be an uncle of 6 nephews and 2 nieces! I think it is important to be a good uncle or aunt- we need more uncle and aunts to take-interest, and do things with their nephews and nieces.

Charles, Chase, and I headed to the USA on 13 Oct for Elliot and Lauren’s wedding on 14 Oct. Elliot is my sister, Julie’s oldest son. He graduated from Cedarville University in May. His wife Lauren also graduated from Cedarville. They were married on 14 Oct at 3:30 p.m. in Fredrick, Maryland. It was a beautiful wedding and a gorgeous fall day- if only we could have a fall day in Bangladesh. As you can see by the picture my sister, Julie has a beautiful/handsome family. Only three of us went because we didn’t have enough money for the full family to fly home. It isn’t cheap when you fly 6 people roundtrip from Dhaka, Bangladesh to USA.

We had a great time at the wedding seeing Elliot and Lauren and all our relatives! I have include pictures of Elliot and Lauren; Julie and her daughter, Olivia; and Evan with Charles and Chase. I know I’m bias but Lauren, Olivia and Julie were the prettiest people there. Julie did a great job with Olivia’s and her hair.

The reception was at a very nice country club. We left around 9:30 p.m. Mom had to drive because jet lag was hitting me hard.

Teenager in the House

2007-11-09T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well the first fruit of our marriage is now a teenager. Charles Eugene Stout II turned thirteen on 4 Oct 2007. He had a great birthday party with bowling, homemade pizza, French fries, chocolate cake and a sleep-over. He is definitely getting older but the Lord is with him. His life verse is: Mathew 5:13, 14, 16 “You are the salt of the earth…You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

The picture includes a group photo, and Charles blowing out candles. His friends come from Denmark/Bangladesh, Korea, USA, and Bangladesh.

In addition, I added two pictures of his performances on the keyboard (playing and singing). One is from the church worship team- he lead them in ‘My Jesus, My Savior’ in September 07. The other one is from a wedding he sang in today, 9 Nov 07. He soloed on, ‘Testify to Love’ by Avalon.

Praise and Prayers

2007-11-09T07:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for the prayers. The boys are healthy, Nita is healthy, and I’m about 90% back to normal. I still should have a Liver Function Test to see what my blood condition is in, hopefully have that in the near future. I talked last week at a youth workers conference here in Bangladesh. It was a three-day conference with 650 youth workers from all around the country- that is a great turn out. I talked about how Jesus followed God’s example, then Paul followed Jesus’ example, then Timothy followed Paul’s example, and then Paul encourages all of us to; “In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.” in Titus 2:7-8.

Praise:

Health of Stout family

Youth Workers Conference

Prayer:

Kevin’s Travels; 12-18 China and 19-23 Thailand

Special Prayers for Grace International School (boys’ school)

Sharon-teacher’s husband, Jim (heart problem)
Jan Robinson’s health- teacher
Shannon Snowdon’s health- teacher
Claire-teacher’s husband, Julian (health)
Dianne-teacher’s health
Security Clearance for teachers so they can get visas
Sabbir (employment needed)
Dex Serve Business Manager needed
Grace Accountant needed
Recruitment for new principal (God guidance and will)
Recruitment for new teachers (08/09)
Board of Investment (visas)

Let us not give up meeting together…but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

Thank you for the Prayers please continue

2007-10-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

CJ is over his cold. Charles and Chase were diagnosed with Dengue. The doctor was concern about a low platelet count in both of them but after a week, they are all fine. We are not sure what Chad had but it was like Dengue but the blood work did not show anything. Charles, Chase, and

Chad

missed a whole week of school. However, they are now got-up with all their homework.

I’m still struggling with Hepatitis-A. I tried to lay low in Colorado and Hong Kong but I still had to work during the days but went to bed at 5:30 every evening and stayed there until 6 in the morning. I’ve been trying to stay low here in Bangladesh the last 5 days. I’ve been working from my home and rest frequently. It was a bummer to be in USA without being able to eat fast greasy food. I’m staying strict with my diet, no fats or caffeine or meats. I’m still a little yellow but not as bad as I was.

I’ve attached three pictures for you entertainment. The first one is of CJ- he is still are baby. Charles, our first one is joining the ranks of teenagers on 4 Oct, tomorrow. I’m not sure Nita and I are ready for that but he is a good kid so we should be okay. Of course, when Chase, Chad, and CJ become teenagers everybody better watch out (Lord willing). The second picture is of Lennon and McCartney at the guitars, actually its Charles and Chase playing a song together- ‘All star’ by Smash Mouth.

The final picture is of an apartment building being constructed. However, the picture is of the workers sleeping under mosquito nets. I took the picture at 5:30 a.m. they are still sleeping. They live at the construction site until the job is finished. They are paid about $2/day, which is a good day laborer wage. However, it’s not enough money to visit their family, whether they live in Dhaka or outside. In addition, if they leave the site somebody else will get the job so they have to stay to the end. The building is only 10 ft from our windows, just behind our building. Not only does the workers sleep there but they relieve themselves in a corner, no jiffy johns in BD.

Sick-o-Ville

2007-09-15T09:31:00.000-07:00

First, let me say, there is much worst then being sick. However, the Stout Family has been hit hard this week.

As Uncle Jim would say its Sick-o-ville at the Stout household.

CJ- bad cold that turned into a bad cough with whizzing.

Chad- High temperature for three days seems normal now but worrying about Dengue. He seems extra tired these days. Chad’s teacher is suffering from Dengue.

Chase- Came home from playing today with a splitting headache, not sure what is up there.

Charles- Three days of high fever, reaching 104.3. Looking a lot like Dengue. Dengue is a lot like Malaria but not as bad. It is caused by a virus that is spread by mosquitoes. No medicine cures it, but the illness goes away by itself in a few weeks. After three days of fever, a rash spreads to arms, legs, and finally the body.

Kevin (Daddy)- It has been a rough week for me. I have been diagnose with Hepatitis-A. I been very weak, vomiting, yellow eyes, Coca-Cola urine, headaches, and stomach pain. Hepatitis is a virus infection that harms the liver. A person is often very sick for 2 weeks (one week so far for me) and weak for 1 to 3 months. No medicine cures it- just rest and lots of liquids. You can eat nothing fatty. Which is everything except fruits and plain rice.

Nita (Mommy)- Let be real, with all of us sick above she can not afford to be sick. She is keeping us all well nursed.

With the floods in Bangladesh lots of people are sick around the country. We are not complaining but would appreciate your prayers. Thank you!

However, work goes on. I’m leaving Saturday night (tonight) for Colorado. I’m going to an orientation for my new position. I fly Dragon Air from Dhaka to Hong Kong they United Airlines to San Fran to Denver and rent a car to drive down to Colorado Springs. I will be in Colorado a week, then I fly back to Hong Kong for regional meetings. I return to Dhaka on 27 September.

Bangladesh’s Floods

2007-09-04T02:57:00.000-07:00

We have seven projects affected by the flooding and we are responding with emergency aid- food and most important water purifying tablets and oral rehydration solution for the kids and family members with diarrhea. So far we have spent $20,000 on these projects.

Here is a note from our office to Compassion International:

As you know we are passing through a crucial time. Flood is a serious issue now. In recent years the frequency of abnormal floods in Bangladesh has increased substantially, causing serious damage to lives and property. It is now like an epidemic for Bangladesh as the people do not have the capacity to manage this disaster. Almost every year around August and September the Flood snatches many lives from Bangladesh. Official statistics say the floodwaters affected more than 4.5 million people in 38 districts out of the country's 64 districts. Some 250,000 houses were either completely or partially damaged while crops on over 140,0000 lakh acres of land were damaged. Besides, over 1800 educational institutions and about 12000 kilometers of roads have been damaged too. The projects are affected is as bellow:

Project Name # Children How much affected

Chalksingh Project (BD 301): 176 176 houses are under water

Talbari Project (BD 303): 172 126 houses are under water

Roghunandanpur Project (BD 318): 150 98 Children’s houses are under water

Roghunathpur Project (BD 319): 100 25% houses under water

Kuadanga Project (BD 309): 186 25% houses under water

Gonali Project (BD 307): 198 30 houses- washed away/damaged

Satarkul Project (BD 101): 158 40% houses are under water1140

Some children of the mentioned projects cannot come to the program regularly due to flood. Some houses are completely washed away (mentioned above). Some are staying in the disaster shelter center. The children’s parents cannot go to their regular work due to severe flood, they become jobless. Some children are suffering from the water borne disease like diarrhea. Diarrhea is becoming an epidemic in the flood-affected areas. Most children cannot attend the project regularly. Many children’s parents are now jobless, cannot go to their work due to the severe flood. In this situation they are suffering from lack of food, safe drinking water, especially the children are suffering from Diarrhea.

Family News From Dr. James Dobson

2007-08-24T06:33:00.000-07:00

Family News From Dr. James Dobson August 2007

Once, again I like and support many of the things Dr. James Dobson stands for but if he goes against the Bible- I do not agree with him.

In his, August 2007 Newsletter he has a diary comment from Mr. Stuart Witt on the Iraqi war. R. Witt writes that on 7 February 2007, “1^st Lt. Jared Landaker, United States Marine Corps, hero, from Big Bear California, gave his life in service to his county.” I agree with Mr. Witt that Jared was a hero and sacrificed his life for his country.

But then Mr. Witt goes on to say “His death occurred at the same time as Anna Nicole Smith, a drug-using person with a 7^th-grade education of no pedigree…” She received national attention while Jared received none. I agree that Jared Landaker death was another number to the news, us and the president. However, that gives us no right to say that Anna was worthless and a nobody- she was a child of God.

IS that what JESUS would say about one of his children dying without knowing him? The Bible states:

Roman 3:22 This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, ^{Ro 3:23} for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, ^{Ro 3:24} and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

Mark 2:15 While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. ¹⁶ When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the “sinners” and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?” ^{Mk 2:17} On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mathew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

From the above three books three main themes jump out at all of us that call ourselves ‘Christians’:

We all sin and fall short of God- justified freely by his (Jesus) grace. Grace, is that a word us fundamental Christians understand?
Jesus did not come to call the righteous, but sinners- yes, you read it write Jesus calls sinners not righteous people.
Simple- do not judge others! It sounds like Dr. Dobson like many of us Christians was judging when he writes, “a drug-using person with a 7^th-grade education of no pedigree.” What does he mean by “no pedigree” what pedigree is he, what pedigree am I, what pedigree are you?

I am also, sorry that Mr. Witt and Dr. Dobson uses Jared’s death to state that we need to become a nation committed to winning the fight, and elect leaders with the spine to ask Americans to sacrifice in order to win (the war in Iraq).

I have said before this war and now during this war that this fighting in Iraq has nothing to do with stopping terrorist, in fact it makes more terrorist! I pray we have Christian in the USA they say the killing is enough and bring are American boys home!

My prayer will continues to be that Iraqis can live in peace and that our (USA) military personnel can come home. Like Dr. Dobson I believe that our men and women in uniform deserve our utmost respect but I disagree with him that they are putting their lives on the line in defense of our freedom. They are loosing their lives for President Bush’s war- full stop.

SIDE NOTE: Yes, I’m a pacifist as many of you know but I read an interesting devotional from Ligonier Ministries and Dr. R.C. Sproul:

Old Testament violence seems excessive to us, especially since the Lord does not give the new covenant church the right to conquer with the sword. We fight God’s holy war today with prayer and evangelism to make His enemies obey His rule willingly (2 Cor. 10:4; Eph. 6:10-20).

Our battle is not wholly different from old covenant holy war. Even then, foes like Rahab could be conquered spiritually and join our Father’s army as soldiers (Josh. 2; 6:22-25). Moreover, physical battles will not always be absent from our warfare like they are presently, for the Lord’s forces will cast His enemies forcibly into hell at His return (Matt. 13:36-43). Still, in this era of abounding grace in Christ, God sends us forth with the Gospel, not the sword.

Once, again there is that word grace, “abounding grace in Christ” Grace is what fundamental, conservative, liberal, neo, believing Christians need to understand!

Remember Ligonier Ministries and Dr. Sproul are not pacifist but they do know and study (systematically) the word of God.

Kevin’s Annual Report 06/07 Message

2007-08-24T06:32:00.000-07:00

It has been a good year for Shohanabhuti Bangladesh Trust by God’s grace. We added 3,135 precious children over the last year for a total of 9,168 children in all the projects. In addition, we have 63 projects serving these precious children throughout 20 districts of

Bangladesh

. All the projects and SBT staffs are striving to help:

Bangladeshi Children: Touch Heaven and Change Earth

It continues to be my dream that Bangladeshi Children will be in the forefront of changing their world, nation, community, family and their life for the betterment of humankind.

This is my last Annual Report as I will be moving on to a regional role in Asia with Compassion International. As of 1 July 2007, SBT board hired Kajal Sengupta to lead SBT as the Country Director. I’m very happy that Kajal has joined the SBT family, on the next page is an introduction.

The hardest part about leading SBT over the last three years was when one of our children died. Thirteen children died during this time. Each was a fresh pain to my heart and a reminder that the work of SBT is very important for the children of Bangladesh. In memorial, I would like to list the names here of these precious children that have joined our Father in heaven:

Swapon, Jonny, Linkon, Hasan, Sanjoy, Bablu, Kakoli, Nithun, Bobita, Tonushri, Likshon, Rezumoni and Sumon.

I would like to personally say thank you to all project staff, SBT staff, and Board Members for their contributions over the past year. Without your hard work, support, and prayers it would not be possible to provide services to the precious children of Bangladesh. I would like to extend a special thank you to Sukamal Biswas, Albert Mridha, and Philip Adhikary in helping me in my role with SBT from the very beginning.

The pages of this report with their pictures and stories provide only a glimpse of the hope that SBT and its partners are trying to provide the children and their families that we serve. We invite you to prayerfully consider this report, and then join us in this calling of being an advocate for children throughout Bangladesh and the world!

Kevin C. Stout

Compassion International Representative

Introduction of the New Country Director

2007-08-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

Dear Shohanabhuti (Compassion) Bangladesh Trust Family,

Greetings.

I praise God and am delighted to announce the appointment of Mr. Kajal K. Sengupta as the Country Director of Compassion Ministry in Bangladesh with effect from 01 July 2007. Please join me in welcoming Kajal and his wife – Eva, daughter – Grace and son – Isaac to SBT family. God is at work through Compassion in Bangladesh and I praise and thank God for bringing Kajal to provide leadership for our organization at a crucial juncture in our growth.

Kajal hails from the Chittagong areas of Bangladesh and comes to us in response to a calling on his life. His commitment for the poor, professionalism, and reputation he enjoys within the non-government organization’s community is an added advantage.

Kajal is coming from USAID, US Embassy, Dhaka as its Chief Financial Officer. Kajal has an MBA in Finance from East West University and an M.Com (Master of Commence) from Chittagong University. He has also participated in over a dozen professional trainings during the course of his career. May I covet your support for Kajal and our team of dedicated servants as they continue to serve faithfully in Bangladesh.

I would also want to place on record, our gratitude to Kevin Stout (out-going acting Country Director) for his contributions in building up our work in Bangladesh and ably leading the organization during the past three years.

Mathew George

Area Director, Compassion International South Asia

Grieving Friends

2007-08-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

High-tide grief is not the time to speak solutions. (Women who have had miscarriages say the last thing they want to hear from a friend, “You can have another baby.”) When one is grieving, it is the time for friends to be silent, to hug, and to weep.*Dee Brestin

My Dad, Charles E. Stout always said, “You need to go to support a friend, family member or acquaintance when they are mourning a lost of a loved one. No matter how close that person is to you, you show support just by being there. You don’t need to say a thing but be there. Take your children; also, kids are part of life in birth, living and death.”

*Dee Brestin continues, the friends who comfort the most:

Shows up.
Write notes telling the person about how they liked/loved the person that past away.
Personal note is better than a grocery store (canned) card.
Talk about the person that died, don’t be afraid to talk about them- the person that is mourning hasn’t forgot that person, trust me.
Pray for the person who lost the loved one.

In Bangladesh, the grieving process is always very close to you. People are sick or suffer at home, they die right in their own beds, and all the people of the community come by to pay their last respects. There are no retirement homes, nursing care, or a home for the aged. Grandparents are with their children and their grandchildren when they die.

Jesus is our prayer
And He is also the answer
To all our prayer

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Back in Bangladesh!

2007-08-19T03:49:00.000-07:00

We left the USA via Dulles Airport in Washington D.C. on 4 Aug. Pastor Tim, once again and his trusty Ford Excursion took all 6 of us, plus 10 pieces of luggage, 5 carry-on and my Mom to the Airport. We had no trouble with check in or security and our flight left pretty much on time (7 hours). On the 5th we arrived in London and had a 5 hour lay-over. We had fish and chips for the boys and boarded the 11 hour flight for Dhaka in the afternoon. Once again, no problems- thank you Lord, usually something happens in London, Heathrow Airport. We arrived in Dhaka at 7 a.m. on the 6^th of Aug.

It was hot and humid when we left Pennsylvania but the boys all agreed that it was hotter and more humid in Bangladesh. The boys had a week to get over jet lag until school started. However, I had a meeting at 10 a.m. that first morning. Then on the second morning Kajal, the new Country Director that is replacing me, my boss Mathew George and I left for a 6 hour ride to northeast BD to visit three projects over two days. It is always amazing and rewarding to see the children at the projects. We had an excellent time visiting the children and project staff. One of the projects is in the town of Sylhet and the other two are in the middle of tea gardens. On the drive up to Sylhet we saw lots of water, about 66% of the country is under water right now but the flooding is not bad in Sylhet or in the part of Dhaka where we live.

There is plenty of water throughout BD but the major flooding is in the west and southwest. We have seven Compassion Projects effective. We are providing emergency relief of foodstuff and medicines/water purification tablets to all the children families.

The picture of the boys is from the first day of school, 13 Aug. It was a red-letter summer for Chase (second son), he is now taller than his mother. Charles (#1) is not far behind. However, Chad’s hair is shorter than his mother but not by much! The boys are all to be back at Grace International School. They miss the USA but love the school here. It was especially hard for Chad, Chase and I to come back to Bangladesh after a month in the states. I’m not sure why but it was definitely harder for me. It has to do with my mom, family and the quiet of rural Pennsylvania.

We had a good time on our home leave. We tried to stay close to mom and family in Lewisberry, PA. However, we did take to long trips. One to Cape Cod, Massachusetts and the other to North Carolina. We went to Cape Cod for our friends wedding, Jamin and Bridget. Jamin is the son of my management guru, Jim Alexander. We had never been to the Cape before and it was beautiful. The church they were married in dated from 1719! We even swam at the tip of the cape in cold clear ocean water. On the return we met up with my cousin Wendy’s family to take a two day tour of New York City. It was an adventure to see Empire State building, Time Square, Rockefeller Center, China town, ride on Staten Island Ferry, Ground Zero and walking around lower Manhattan.

In North Carolina, we visited BD friends of our that are on a one-year home leave. It was great to catch up with the Morrison family. They have three boys and two of them are the same ages as Chad and Chase. And by the way they ate Nita’s chicken curry I would say they miss Bangladesh very much!

The other pictures are from my project visits this August, already.

Children Learn What They Live

2007-08-19T03:46:00.000-07:00

by Dorothy Law Neite

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child learns to feel shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement he learns confidence
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
He a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.
If a child lives with acceptance and friendship, he learns to find love in the world.

Sad News-Sumon Saha

2007-06-21T07:57:00.000-07:00

Our precious ten-year-old registered boy child, Sumon Saha who had advance stages of Leukemia passed away today in transit from the hospital in Dhaka to his home in the rolling tea garden of Sylhet, northeast Bangladesh.

When he first went to Apollo hospital in Dhaka, he was admitted directly to ICU on 12 May. After a week, they moved him to a general bed but he continued to need oxygen and AB+ blood transfusions. They where trying to stabilize a number of infections in his body. The doctors had hoped to stabilize him to start Chemotherapy.

However, by the end of May his platelets and Hemoglobin counts became dangerously low. His condition was critical and they returned him to ICU. After ten days in ICU they discharged him from the hospital under his parents care. On the way today, 21 June 2007, from the hospital to his house in the ambulance he passed away. It is about a 6-hour trip from Dhaka to Sylhet.

Please pray for his family. His Dad is a day labor at the tea gardens so he has not received a pay in the last two months. Thank you all who have been praying for him.

Reaction Paper Day Four for Dr. Keith White

2007-06-21T07:55:00.000-07:00

HCD 502 Chilhood in Cultural Context

Thursday, 21 June 2006

Reaction Paper:

1) Thank you so much for both the “The Stockholm Declaration” and your response to the Stockholm Document. I’m torn between both positions. In Compassion Bangladesh we have 63 projects with seven of them being “Orphanages.” I believe that children should be with their parents in the Compassion model but there is no doubt that in the Bangladesh context we need orphanages for very poor families that cannot even feed their children. I’m not happy with how the orphanages we support are managed. However, I must admit that the children seem very happy and exceeding in school and the arts. Your article helps me in accepting the orphanages but adds responsibility to how we (Compassion Bangladesh) help develop the church to take care of the orphanages we support. The key for me is making the orphanages the best place we can on the limited budget we have. Nevertheless, the most important thing for me is that the children (in our projects) are happy and loved!

2) Yesterday in my reaction paper I asked, “So why I agree with you that culture and childhood is very important I’m not sure what we are to do with it?” Well today, you answered my question, thank you! In fact, my wife and I have been doing it all along. My wife and I need to be “mediators” between our sons understanding of our family culture/beliefs/values and the “6 Important Aspects of Contemporary Cultural.” What a relief to know we have been doing this, maybe not the best but still working and praying on it. We need to continually mediate to help then understand, perceive and contemplate our values and the contemporary culture of media, global corporate bodies, consumerism, changes in family life & relations, rights & democracy, and global warming & environment. I have many examples of how we are doing it but not room to write here and you do a better job than we do (you’re a deep thinker).

3) Finally, thank you for letting us express ourselves and childhood through Art, Stories, Celebration, Games, Music and Food. There is so much to learn about children and childhood when you take these six categories and place them against your framework for exploring histories of childhood. Then placing that up against the Contemporary Global Context of Children and Childhood!

Reaction Day Three Dr. White's Class

2007-06-20T07:55:00.000-07:00

HCD 502 Chilhood in Cultural Contexts
Wednesday, 20 June 2006

Reaction Paper:

1) “Children at School” by Mackinnon: The story of Anita sums up Bangladeshi schools i.e., the teacher tells them what they need in the Chennai school but the school in the UK expected the students to find the answers! How do we change the Bangladesh school system from rote to finding their own answers?

2) I had never thought of Manifest and latent functions i.e. Compassion’s Manifest is releasing children from poverty; however, one of the latent functions is a place to get a good hot meal for poor children.

In our group on “WORK and Children” our Manifest was “work is for a better life.” However, some of the latent functions are:

By working I can help my family
By working, I don’t have to listen to anybody (parents, teachers, adults)
Work is forced and slavery
Work is used for education

3) Culture is so important:

Culture makes children different then apes or chimpanzees
Culture prepares a child to go into the world
Greatest Development in a child is culture
It invokes memory, gives a child a past, present and future
Provides a story for the child’s life (street children need a story)
Cultures provides: Language, Symbol & Signs, and artifacts

Okay, I get the point culture is important but how do we influence culture. How do I give the children of Compassion Bangladesh the best culture or my own boys? Yes, I can give them stories but I want a Christ Centered Culture for everyone of them but that is not the culture of Bangladesh or any other country! To tell you the truth, I don’t even know what culture our boys are growing up in: is it Bangladesh culture, USA culture, some International culture from their school that has children in it from 30 different countries/cultures? So why I agree with you that culture and childhood is very important I’m not sure what we are to do with it?

4) Of course, your five fingers (fundamental Needs of children) are important and I continue to marvel at how you put them all together. They all add up to: Security+Significance+Boundaries+Community+Creativity= LOVE

Reaction Day Two of Dr. Keith White's class

2007-06-20T07:53:00.000-07:00

HCD 502 Chilhood in Cultural Contexts

Tuesday, 19 June 2006

Reaction Paper:

Note on “Children, poverty and social inequality’ by Montgomery and Burr:

Poverty is relative even in a poor country like Bangladesh. Yes, absolute poverty helps in third world countries for people from the West to understand how poor a person is but still everything is relative. Hand in hand, with relative poverty is a person’s outlook on life. Poor people who see the glass half full seem happier than a rich person who sees the glass half empty (my observation over 20 years). In addition, one needs to look at spiritual poverty and what it means in a person’s life.

Note on “Children’s changing lives from 1800 to 2000” by Cunningham:

I liked the picture of the Errand boy at a vegetable market, Oslo, Norway from 1843 (p.93). My wife goes to a vegetable market in Bangladesh at least twice a week and she uses an Errand boy (child khuli) to carry her vegetables while shopping and take them to a rickshaw. She pays the boy, age 7 to 12, 10-20 takas or US$0.15- 0.25 for the help. The boy from Norway would be at home in Bangladesh except for the heat. We don’t think about whether the boy should be working or not- we are just happy for the help and the boy is happy with the money.

Note on “Play and the cultures of childhood” by Barnes and Kebily:

This one strikes a cord with me, especially because my wife and I are bringing up four young boys in a city, Dhaka of 15 million people with no green spaces to play. This is very hard for both my wife and me. She grew up in a village of Bangladesh surrounded by rice fields and could go for a walk anytime she wanted. I grew up in rural Pennsylvania with 100 acres of fields and forest behind my house to explore, romp, and play in. As the article highlights, playing has many different forms and is important to childhood. However, the article did not look at the importance of having space to play in. Our boys play many games, in fact, Friday night is our game night but hey are all inside/board games. In addition, the school they go to does a good job of this- it is a playful atmosphere to learn and celebrate each child’s gifts. However, I’m afraid they are missing the wild side of life the outdoors!

Note on “Natural Setting” by you, Dr. Keith White:

Your article would be a nice addition to the above article on “Play and the cultures of childhood” Your thought, “But when a child interacts with the natural world there can only be growth of seedlings and saplings when a child learn to recognize and respect the unique nature of the bean or fruit that s/he is growing. The child must adapt to the plant’s timescale and needs. And in this seemingly modest process of adaptation lies the potential for human growth and relationships.” This is what I’m talking about that our boys and 10 million children in Dhaka are missing! At my home in the US we did put in a big garden each year now that is gone. I don’t have an answer to the boys not having green grass to play on but I do thing they are missing something of childhood!

HCD 502 Chilhood in Cultural Contexts

2007-06-19T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dr. Keith White

Monday, 18 June 2006

Reaction Paper (3 Significant Insights):

1) Maya (about 15 years old, Chittagong, Bangladesh) said this about the definition of a child, “There are more responsibilities as a wife and mother but I don’t feel like an adult. I feel I’m a young girl. I don’t feel like I’m a grown-up.”

This hits you right in the gut! The age can be as young as 12 years old in Bangladesh. It is definitely a stolen childhood. The worst part (from my point of view) is the husband is usually no younger than 35 years old. This situation is slowly changing in Bangladesh but is still not uncommon for Muslim girls to get married that young. Remember that in Bangladesh the legal adult age is 14 years old. The Bangladesh government signed the UN-CRC but changed the age to 14 not the original 18.

2) Video: Ruby Bridges (this is an excellent video- I highly recommend it). What an impact! I never understand how people can be so hateful. I also, visited the Civil Rights museum in Birmingham, Alabama and the displays where so graphic. Why do people hate somebody just for their skin color? As you know, racism is still alive in the USA. However, it is being transferred to Hispanic/Latino race.

It was amazing how Ruby could answer as Jesus did! Her mother had taught her well with the Bible. She used the follow three verses as a 6-year-old girl:

Mt 5:10 and 11: Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.

Ro 12:14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Lk 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Could I do something like that i.e. have the love of Christ for my enemies?

3) The definition of Ideology and how it is used opened my eyes. Once a society accepts an Ideology, it is very hard to change. The Ideology of Kings: Divine Right of the King took hundred of years to change in some society and continues in some lands today.

Simply stated Ideology is idea(s) or belief(s) that the whole of the Society believes in (even it hurts than).

Dr. White, Thank you for a wonderful first day! As always, I am watching your Process because process determines the outcomes: The way we do things are as important as what we do, Amen!

Stouts' Update

2007-06-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

Nita and the boys flew home on British Airways last Thursday, 14 June. School was finished for the boys on the 12th. They arrived safely at my Mom’s house. If you would like to talk with them, the number is 717-766-8066. I will join them on 2 July then we will all come back to Bangladesh at the beginning of August.

I can’t wait to be home to see family and friends, and have hamburgers on the grill in Mom’s back yard!

Right now, I’m at the Malaysia Baptist Theological Seminary in Penang, Malaysia taking courses in Holistic Child Development. These are my courses I take every June for the last three years working towards my Master’s Degree in Holistic Child Development. This year I’m here for two weeks. The First week I’m taking “Childhood in Cultural Contexts” and then next week I take “Child Participation, Protection, and the Children’s Right Convention” both are really good classes!

I will return to BD on 29 June and then work as hard and as fast as I can to finish my year-end work for Compassion (our year-ends 30 June) before I leave on 2 July. Never a dull moment in the Stouts lives.

The Saga of the Nokia (worthless) Phone

2007-05-28T04:46:00.000-07:00

On 20 December 2006, I bought my lovely wife her Christmas gift. $100 Nokia flip phone. Her old cell phone had died and it was time for a new phone. Well when Christmas day arrived, I gave her this beautiful (worthless) phone. It worked for a few hours but when you started touching the bottoms, it would automatically turn off. Sometimes when you would receive calls, it would automatically turn off. Okay, I thought I would take it back to where I bought and get a new one or get it fixed.

However, from our Christmas in Noakhali we went straight to our holidays in Rajasthan, India. After returning from India, it took me a few days to get to the Nokia (worthless) phone store it was around the end of January 2007. At the store, I tried to remain calm but they would do nothing! I said, “I bought the (worthless) Nokia phone here because it is an authorized dealer and had fixed prices!” They said, “Sorry, we can not help you. Take it to the Nokia Care Center.”

Okay, I took in to the Nokia Care Center very close to the store the following week. The Nokia Care Center said we would try to fix it but no guarantees. I said please try, by now it is February. They had it for three long weeks and called me. They said, “Sorry we can not fix it. You need to take it to another Nokia Care Center that handles bigger problems.” I said, “No thank you, I want a new (worthless) Nokia phone now.” “No! We can do nothing.” they said.

So the following week an office staff took it down town, very far away with a lot of traffic. This Nokia Care Center had the phone for over a month and called us one day that it is fixed. So the office staff went down, it is the end of March now, and picked up the phone. It took me all of 2 seconds to see that the phone was not fixed. So the next day I went down town to the Nokia Care Center and told them that they did not fix the phone. They said, “Well, what can we do.” I said, “It is a (worthless) Nokia phone and this is a Nokia Care Center and I paid good money for a (worthless) phone and I want a new one!” I’m trying to stay calm this whole time. Anyhow another customer service representative heard us talking and said, that model should of never been sold it was recalled over a year ago from all stores. I said, “Thank you for that information can I have a new phone!” The poor customer service person said, “Sorry we can not handle that here you need to go to another (farther away) Nokia Care Center.”

So off I went to another Nokia Care Center with my (worthless) Nokia phone. This was a very nice Nokia Care Center; everyone was very professional, they even had matching outfits and a ticket number machines to wait you turn. I explain the situation for the billionth time and they started typing in information on my (worthless) Nokia phone to the computer. After about 20 minutes they said, “Sorry, sir this phone is out of warranty and we can do nothing.” At this point my blood is boiling. I remind them that I only bought the (worthless) Nokia phone in December and it had a year warranty on it. “Oh, sorry sir but the phone was manufactured in January 06 and the year warranty ran out in January 07. So the warranty is no good, sorry (with a smile).” I said, “I’M NOT LEAVING HERE UNTIL YOU GIVE ME A NEW PHONE OR I TALK TO THE TOP PERSON IN NOKIA CARE!”

Oh, by the way: I found out that Nokia has three levels of Care Centers in Bangladesh and that now I was at Care level three the highest and best of the Care Centers- who thought up this system was my question to myself. Okay, there is three level but shouldn’t that be an internal system, not one were the customer needs to be bounced around to all three levels!

The customer care person said he would be right back. Well, it took him 30 minutes to go and talk with his supervisor. When he returned, he was very happy to inform me that they could request Nokia in Japan to honor the warranty but it would take two weeks to get an answer form them. HELLO! This is a phone company it takes seconds to make a phone call and get an answer but they said 2 weeks! I said, “I’m not leaving here until I talk to the manager.” It took another 30 minutes to get the manager out to talk with this crazy foreigner.

The escorted me do a very nice small conference room where I could wait for the Manager. He finally showed up and I had to repeat my story for the billionth and one time. He said, “Listen, it will take two weeks for Nokia to approve the warranty and then another two weeks for us to fix the phone or replace it- that is the best I can do.” What could I do but say, sheepishly, “okay.”

Well on 16 May, I finally get a phone call from Level Three Nokia Care center to come and pick up my phone and take it back to the place I bought it for a new phone! Can you BELIEVE that I’m taking the phone back to the place where I bought it five months ago to get a new (worthless) Nokia phone. I’m stuck so what can I do. On 17 May at 5 p.m. I go to the store. Five sales people in the store and not one of them can help me or knows anything I’m taking about and won’t do anything about it. So I have a card of a person I’m suppose to call if I have trouble. GET this: Cell phones don’t work in the store because of no network!! Why would anybody (me) by a phone from that store?!? Anyhoot, I walk outside and call the man and he doesn’t understand a work of my English or Bangla, but by God’s Grace he finally figures out who I am and says he will be at the store in 5 minutes. Well, it took him 20 minutes to get to the store. He says, “Oh, yes sir I can help you.” Welllllllll, he says he can only give me a $50 dollar (worthless) Nokia phone. Wait, a minute I bought a $100 (worthless) Nokia phone and that is what I want!

Well to make a long story short I had to haggle, argue, bicker, pray, negotiate, raise my voice, and use my best Bangla, etc for over an hour. At the end of the long session, he made a phone call from out side the store and said, “Okay, you can have the $100 phone.”

Praise the Lord, now after five months Nita has a cell phone that works and it has been working for more than a week now!!!

Moral of the story- don’t buy (worthless) Nokia phones anywhere in the world! I hope that Google notices the words- Worthless Nokia Phone -and this story is read by the whole world.

And that completes the Saga of the Nokia (worthless) Phone!

In honor of Mother’s Day-appropriate quotes, Enjoy!

2007-05-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

‘Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.’–US author Elizabeth Stone

‘You don’t really understand human nature unless you know why a child on a merry-go-round will wave at his parents every time around—and why his parents will always wave back.’
–newspaper columnist William Tammeus

‘A young boy said to his mother, “How old were you when I was born?”
His mother replied, “23.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of time we missed spending together.”’
–anonymous

‘The most common fallacy among women is that simply having children makes one a mother—which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician.’
–US writer Sydney Harris

‘A mother is a person who, seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.’
–anonymous

‘A man loves his sweetheart the most, his wife the best, but his mother the longest.’
–Irish proverb

‘I’d like to be the ideal mother, but I’m too busy raising my kids.’
–comedian Phyllis Diller

‘A little girl was asked where her home was. She replied, “Where Mother is.”’
–Christian writer Keith L. Brooks

URGENT REQUEST FOR PRAYER

2007-05-15T03:54:00.000-07:00

A ten-year-old registered boy child, Sumon Saha has been diagnosed with an advance stage of blood cancer.

He is from the Sathnong Khasia Punji Children Development Sponsorship Project in the northeast of Bangladesh in the rolling tea estates area. He is from a poor Hindu family that works at one of the tea estates.

On 7 May 07 during a regular health check-up at the project the doctor said he was sick and needs to go to the local health clinic in Maulavibazar. At Maulvebazar Health Clinic they sent him to a hospital in Sylhet. The hospital in Sylhet said they did not have the resources to help him and sent him to Dhaka. In Dhaka, his parents, Project Manager and Sumon went to the government PE Hospital that is known to be good. They diagnosed the cancer but said they could not do anything for him since it was in the advance stage. From PE Hospital our Partnership Facilitator (PF) took everybody to Apollo Hospital (the best in Bangladesh). By now, the boy cannot walk and needs to be on oxygen, so we hired an ambulance to take him to Apollo. Not the easiest thing to do in Bangladesh. Apollo didn’t want to see the boy because he and his parents looked to poor. However, the PF convinced them that Compassion would look after all expenses. As of today, 15 May the boy is undergoing test at Apollo.

Please Pray for Sumon Saha for God’s comfort, peace, and healing hand to be upon him.

Thank you for praying.

Charlie leads worship song during Church

2007-05-14T04:42:00.001-07:00

Charles was asked to lead a worship song during church in April. They actually asked him to play the drums but when I told them, he could play the keyboard and sing- they agreed. Charles was the worship leader for one song during the offering. He picked, “My Redeemer Lives”. His friend played the drums, same age (12), another teenager played the guitar, and he had four back up singers.

During the week before the service, I asked Chad, “Has Charles been practicing the song?” Chad replied, “No-duh, only about 1,000 million times!” Charles was ready. He played a very contemporary rock electric keyboard version. The drummer, Nathan and had it down and even improvised a little. It was nice to hear his voice- he did a good job with the singing.

Nita and I were nervous but Charles almost looked happy up on stage. The boy never smiles but I could see a little turn-up in the corner of his lips. He said later that he had enjoyed it and would do it again. The congregation gave him and the band a standing ovation. It surprised the Pastor that two twelve year olds could be so good. The Pastor, Asa Kain, called them over after the song, talked about future worship leaders, prayed and blessed them. It was very nice.

Compassion International’s president celebrates 30 years at ministry

2007-05-14T04:25:00.001-07:00

I love Wess Stafford. The man was born to be the leader of Compassion. My first impression of him was in a slum of Dhaka loving the children in 100 degree heat and humidity! The muslim mothers, in purdha (total covering including the head and face) were coming up to him to shake his hand because they could feel the love he had for their poor children. This is a small write up on him. Please buy the book he wrote it is excellent and will bring tears to your eyes and demand you to do something for the children in this world!

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., May 3, 2007 – Compassion International President, Dr. Wess Stafford was honored for his 30-years of service with the international child advocacy organization. Dr. Stafford began work with Compassion on May 1, 1977. He assumed the role as president in 1993. He is also the author of the child advocacy book Too Small to Ignore, released in 2005.

Under Dr. Stafford’s guidance and leadership, the number of children served by Compassion increased from 180,000 to more than 800,000. The organization now operates in 24 developing countries, working with 4,000 church partners. In addition to its Child Sponsorship Program, Compassion implements other programs such as its AIDS Initiative, Child Survival Program and Leadership Development Program.

“Compassion was only 25-years old when I started working with it and it has never stopped being an adventure,” says Dr. Stafford. “I joined this organization because I see the seeds of its greatness. Compassion does exactly what the poor would do if they had the financial resources to take care of their children.”

Dr. Stafford’s life and path to Compassion is not like the paths most CEOs take. As a child of missionary parents, he lived with the poor in Africa, growing up in an impoverished village in the Ivory Coast. It was there that Dr. Stafford first witnessed the sting of poverty, seeing many of his young friends die from preventable diseases and deplorable living conditions. The experience never left him, eventually shaping him as an advocate and leader for children.

“I have never lost one ounce of passion for what I do,” says Dr. Stafford. “I truly believe Compassion is on the edge of amazing events concerning the work we do. There’s a generation that’s emerging that won’t sit by and let the world hurt. Compassion is a part of that effort and it won’t be long before we see the fruits of our labor.”

Compassion International is one of the world’s largest Christian child development organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and thousands of indigenous church partners in Africa, Asia, Central and South America and the Caribbean. Since 1952, Compassion has touched the lives of more than 1 million children and has been recognized for its financial integrity with top ratings and recommendations by several of the nation’s leading not-for-profit “watchdog” organizations. For information about sponsoring a child, contact Compassion online at Compassion.com or by calling (800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., MST.

Update Treatment information of Utpal

2007-05-08T02:41:00.000-07:00

Please continue to pray for Utpal. He is a precious child who's future on earth is in doubt.

As per our instruction the Project Manager talked with Utpal’s Parents for follow-up treatment. First time they did not agree but at last they agree to come for Utpal’s follow-up Treatment at Apollo Hospital. There is a doctor who is working in Apollo Hospital Bangladesh also Apollo Hospital Indian. With Utpal’s previous treatment document Project Manager talk with the Doctor and as per his advice Project Manager went back to Gonali to bring Utpal at Dhaka. So the coming Wednesday 9-May-07 Project Manager, Utpal and his Mother will come to Dhaka for admission at Apollo Hospital,

Please find Utpal’s sponsor quarry answer bellow:

How can Sponsor help Utpal family/Family Permanent income opportunity.

Utpal Family Description:

Father Name: Mr. Sukamer Sarker

Mother Name: Mrs. Amina Sarker

Children: Two Sons

Family Income: 40/50 Tk per day (But 10 days working with in one month) -thats less than one dollar a day.

Land owner: No land, now living another land by grace

House situation: Made by dirt

Family Permanent in come opportunity: Utpal Father is very simple faith man and uneducated, he don’t know 2 and 2 make 4, So, according to our discussion with Project manager finely we decide that if give One Rickshaw Van and Two Cows by those they can bear their family very well.

Update on the Stout Family

2007-04-28T04:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry, it has been a long time since I wrote.

First- Praise the Lord! Compassion Bangladesh now has 8,841 precious children in 60 projects through out Bangladesh.

We had a wonderful family Easter in Noakhali with Nita’s family. We were there 5 days. One of the highlights was seeing a play done by the youth of the Catholic Church Nita’s family attends. By the way the only Church in the Noakhali District. It was excellently performed - my measurement: CJ sat through the whole thing and told his grandmother all about it- spellbound! The other highlight was being part of Nita’s cousin Reunu’s wedding. It was great to be here for it. It was a hot three-day affair with more than 250 eating a dinner at Nita’s bari on Easter Sunday night. The actual wedding at the church was Monday at 6:30 a.m. Only about 20 people showed up including Chad and I.

Nita and I celebrated 16 years of Marriage in April but my sister Maureen and her husband Jim celebrated twice that number at 32 years in April!

I have a lot to write but at least a have a small update on the blog.

Prayer Update

2007-02-24T02:06:00.000-08:00

1) With a heavy heart, I want to inform that our precious child Rezu Moni (BD2030060) has passed away on 22 February 2007 due to Congenital Heart Disease. Please pray for her family specially parents, project staff and her sponsor.

2) My beggar fried Parvin found her 7 year old son Ruben- Praise the Lord. Thank you for your prayers.

Do We Really Want to Follow God?

2007-02-19T01:06:00.000-08:00

Here is a daily devotion for you from a network I’m (Kevin) on, ‘Love justice, do mercy! (Zech. 7:9)’

May the Peace of the Lord Disturb You!

From: PRISM ePistle [epistle@esa-online.org]

1. FOLLOWING GOD TO THE BROTHEL,by Jim Palmer

From Nashville, we covered 8,792 miles to get there, and soon after arriving I was plunged into an evil I had hoped existed only in nightmares. I would have long since conveniently buried this experience beneath a mountain of rationalizations if I hadnt looked deep into the vacant eyes of a 12-year-old sex slave and vowed never to forget. Her expression cannot be purged from memory, and sometimes my mind plays tricks by imposing her face on some little girl I see walking in the mall or playing at the park. Returning to my past world of ignorance would relieve my grief, but its impossible to go back.

There are some details about my rude awakening in South Asia that I cannot tell you, including our specific locations. I traveled with a small band of highly trained professionals from International Justice Mission, which covertly deploys operatives around the globe to rescue victims of horrific human rights crimes, usually involving children. I saw BATMAN BEGINS, but I didnt realize there are actually people who risk their lives under cover of night, swooping in amid the horror to save innocent young lives from the clutches of evil. These people are real heroes, and I met them in the dark alleys of one of the largest red-light districts in the world.
My job was to tag along, do exactly as I was told, and witness this heartbreaking tragedy with my own eyes. Arriving on an oppressively humid night, I taxied down into the red-light district with a guy Ill call Ron. We spent the evening posing as customers looking for action, in order to identify brothels forcing young girls into prostitution.

During the cab ride back, Ron detailed the terrifying trap that captured these girls. Lured to the city by the promise of earning money as domestic household servants, they are taken captive, transported by night to a brothel, and sold to the highest bidder. Locked in a room the size of a closet, they are told they will be providing sex to customers on demand. When the first customer comes, the child resists and fights back. The brothel owner beats her into submission with iron rods and electrical cords. She finally consents and begins providing sex six days a week, with up to ten customers daily. She is rationed one meal a day and not allowed to leave the brothel. When touring their bedrooms (four to six girls crammed together per dingy room) I almost lost it emotionally upon discovering that the same little girls forced to give sex still sleep with stuffed teddy bears and rabbits.

My worldview was turned upside down in the length of time it took to walk past the line of little girls waiting outside a clinic to receive treatment for AIDS and every sexually transmitted disease imaginable. I couldnt get back on the plane to Nashville quick enough.

I had a lot of time to kill on that long international flight, so I sat and I thought and I wondered, Where was God today?

Yes, I know God is omnipresent, but I wondered, specifically, where was God today? Where did he go? What did he see? How did he feel? I began imagining God present at that miraculous moment a precious life was born into the world, the joy and marvel of the newborn bearing Gods image and uniquely fashioned by his hands. Taking in the beauty of a brilliant blazing sun slowly descending behind endless ocean waves, I have felt the company of the Creator amid the splendor of his handiwork. Jogging a woodland trail one autumn morning I passed an aged couple leisurely strolling in conversation hand in hand. God must have been there smiling as these soul mates shared a ripe and tender love, a gift from God, who is himself named Love. These simple but magnificent miracles inspire love and adoration for God deep within and draw me to him.

Somewhere over the Atlantic, 40,000 feet above the earth, these nice thoughts about God gave way to disturbing images I wish I could forget from my trip. Now the question Where was God today? tortured me. Today a 10-year-old girl is being strapped down tight to a bed and brutally and repeatedly raped. God is present. Today an 8-year-old emaciated boy is covered with a cardboard box and left to die. Slowly he slips into unconsciousness. God is present. Today a young mom of three wails in bed as her skeletal body writhes with the unrelenting agony of AIDS. God is present. Still, I grew angry. Why was God pushing these horrors in my face? I was emotionally spent and wanted to go home to my world. God could have THAT world; that was his deal, hes God; I didnt live in THAT world.

Or did I?

Sitting in 13D, I uncovered something unsettling about myself. I dont really want a relationship with God. Heres what I want. I want to share with God all I feel, all I need, all that grieves me, all that makes me happy, the puzzling things, the fun things, and the hard things, but I would prefer that God keep his stuff to himself. I dont want to hear about his pain and share in his grief. I dont mind listening to God as long as Im receiving solutions, answers, and advice. Maybe what I really want is a divine vending machine: pop in my prayer, press the button for my need, and Im good to go. A professional live-in massage therapist and a Starbucks within walking distance would be nice too.

Any relationship involves two people, you and the other. It seems that in a relationship with God, we would desire to listen to the other to learn what the other is really like. But how is this possible without going through the adventure of each day with the other? Can we personally and intimately know someone without sharing experiences, doing things togetherlittle things as well as big things, and taking the risks of love together? Wouldnt we want to learn how to love those whom the other loves, to see them through his eyes? We would want to rest and celebrate together, to share beautiful things, to laugh together. But wouldnt we also want to enter into the pain and grief the other feels when pain, injustice, and cruelty are inflicted upon those he loves? In every abusive home where a child cries in fear and pain, and in every city street where a homeless person shivers under newspapers on the pavement, the living Christ is there. Whether its across town or on the other side of the globe, suffering people surround us. Maybe carrying Jesus cross is our free choice to become compassionately involved with him in the pain of others and be partners with God in bringing healing and transformation.

Just a small glimpse into Gods world was enough for me. Its staggering to consider the intensity of anger and anguish I felt witnessing just a few injustices compared to what God must feel being personally and fully present to countless such heinous horrors 24/7. Youd have to be comatose not to feel Gods hurt and anger ooze from the pages of Scripture over the oppression of the weak and vulnerable. Even after all my sophisticated exegesis of the Old Testament prophets and words of Jesus, I cant seem to get away from the fact that the main message of God to his people about injustice is to get off our rear ends and do something! This goes way deeper than feeling guilty about doing more; Im trying to figure out how I got to the place where the things that break the heart of God are so marginal to mine.

Im starting to wonder if I can even have a relationship with God this way, and Im left with the question of how much I really want to know God. Theres no having it both ways. Whether I like it or not, the God who dances over the breathtaking sunrise weeps over each victim of brutality.

The above story could be from Cambodia, Thailand or Sri Lanka- they are the three biggest Sex Tourism destinations for children- Pray for those countries and especially the children being raped.