Some of the older girls from the HOL went to a camp. There they meet up with girls from other southern parts of Bangladesh.
posted by Thomas at 11:16 AM
Thursday, November 29, 2007
HOL girls went to camp
Some of the older girls from the HOL went to a camp. There they meet up with girls from other southern parts of Bangladesh.
posted by Thomas at 11:16 AM
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Some of the older girls from the HOL went to a camp. There they meet up with girls from other southern parts of Bangladesh.
posted by Thomas at 11:16 AM
Haggai 1 : 5
Monday, November 26, 2007
Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: "Give careful thought to your ways."
Lets evaluate our life and see if we need to reset some priorities. Do we need to make some changes in the direction that we're heading?
posted by Thomas at 11:30 AM
Lets evaluate our life and see if we need to reset some priorities. Do we need to make some changes in the direction that we're heading?
posted by Thomas at 11:30 AM
Asha and Liton
Asha is good at taking care of Liton, no matter if he likes it or not, she carries him around like her doll.
posted by Thomas at 10:57 AM
Saturday, November 24, 2007
Asha is good at taking care of Liton, no matter if he likes it or not, she carries him around like her doll.
posted by Thomas at 10:57 AM
Computer Class
Here are the children from Bora school on the way into the orphanage for Computer class. They come once a week for their class. They learn the basics in typing and computer control. Matthew, who grew up at the orphanage, is the computer teacher.
posted by Thomas at 2:02 PM
Friday, November 23, 2007
Here are the children from Bora school on the way into the orphanage for Computer class. They come once a week for their class. They learn the basics in typing and computer control. Matthew, who grew up at the orphanage, is the computer teacher.
posted by Thomas at 2:02 PM
School is in session again!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Not too long ago the long Eid (Muslim) and Puja (Hindu) holidays finished and normal school life returned! The kids have had 5 weeks school vacation due to the two holidays falling so close together his year. That is not normal. Eid is always 11 days earlier each year. The children have now less than a month until their final exams and then the school year is over in December.
posted by Thomas at 10:58 AM
posted by Thomas at 10:58 AM
Basketball fever
Recently, Paul Beliasov, the WCA basketball coach, visited and gave our boys and girls some much needed ball handling and dribbling tips. According to him, we do have some good potential and talent in our athletes. We hope they can keep learning good life skills from sports and teams.
posted by Thomas at 9:38 AM
Monday, November 19, 2007
Recently, Paul Beliasov, the WCA basketball coach, visited and gave our boys and girls some much needed ball handling and dribbling tips. According to him, we do have some good potential and talent in our athletes. We hope they can keep learning good life skills from sports and teams.
posted by Thomas at 9:38 AM
cyclone Sidr
Saturday, November 17, 2007
There was no damage through the cyclone Sidr at the "Home of Love". Only one fence fell over. In one area of Bangladesh the devastation is substantial. The government and the NGO's working there.
posted by Thomas at 9:28 AM
posted by Thomas at 9:28 AM
More bad news
Bangladesh dated with a nightmare as cyclone Sidr ripped through the southwestern coast late Thursday, killing over 700 people and demolishing houses, crops, vegetables and trees alike along its trail of devastation over an area of thousands of square kilometers. The Eye of the cyclone crossed the Boleshar river near Sundarbans and then razed across southern districts before approaching towards Dhaka through Faridpur. Gradually weakening, the cyclone then headed towards the Sylhet border at 10 on Friday morning. Video footage shot from a helicopter Friday showed villages flattened and large numbers of people without shelter. Areas along the coast received the brunt of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. In same areas sixty percent to 70 percent of homes in those areas were destroyed, according to local officials.
posted by Thomas at 8:09 AM
Friday, November 16, 2007
Bangladesh dated with a nightmare as cyclone Sidr ripped through the southwestern coast late Thursday, killing over 700 people and demolishing houses, crops, vegetables and trees alike along its trail of devastation over an area of thousands of square kilometers. The Eye of the cyclone crossed the Boleshar river near Sundarbans and then razed across southern districts before approaching towards Dhaka through Faridpur. Gradually weakening, the cyclone then headed towards the Sylhet border at 10 on Friday morning. Video footage shot from a helicopter Friday showed villages flattened and large numbers of people without shelter. Areas along the coast received the brunt of the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane. In same areas sixty percent to 70 percent of homes in those areas were destroyed, according to local officials.
posted by Thomas at 8:09 AM
Tropical Cyclone Batters Bangladesh
Satellite photo of the approaching cyclone
At least 280 people have been killed and thousands made homeless after a powerful tropical cyclone slammed into the southern coastal region of Bangladesh yesterday. Cyclone Sidr's powerful winds, gusting to at least 131 mph (210 km/h), uprooted trees, leveled homes and even damaged buildings where residents sought shelter from the storm. Video from the height of the storm showed high, rolling waves along the coastal areas and winds lashing palms trees. Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation, is prone to seasonal cyclones and floods that cause huge losses of life and property. Here at the "Home of Love" in Chittagong we were protected.
posted by Thomas at 2:04 PM
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Satellite photo of the approaching cyclone
At least 280 people have been killed and thousands made homeless after a powerful tropical cyclone slammed into the southern coastal region of Bangladesh yesterday. Cyclone Sidr's powerful winds, gusting to at least 131 mph (210 km/h), uprooted trees, leveled homes and even damaged buildings where residents sought shelter from the storm. Video from the height of the storm showed high, rolling waves along the coastal areas and winds lashing palms trees. Bangladesh, a low-lying delta nation, is prone to seasonal cyclones and floods that cause huge losses of life and property. Here at the "Home of Love" in Chittagong we were protected.
posted by Thomas at 2:04 PM
What is coming?
The Met office asked Mongla seaport to raise highest danger signal No. 10 while Chittagong and Cox's Bazar No nine yesterday evening as they feared a hurricane approaching Khulna-Barisal coast might hit the land this noon unless it changes course. I know for a fact that God can change things.
posted by Thomas at 1:56 PM
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
The Met office asked Mongla seaport to raise highest danger signal No. 10 while Chittagong and Cox's Bazar No nine yesterday evening as they feared a hurricane approaching Khulna-Barisal coast might hit the land this noon unless it changes course. I know for a fact that God can change things.
posted by Thomas at 1:56 PM
Sunset
Now that it is winter the day is a bit shorter, nothing like the short winter days in Europe and North America but there is a definite difference. Now it is dark at 5:45pm compared to 7pm during summer. The interesting thing about here is that in winter it gets dark instantly. There is no real dusk; it just suddenly feels like God switches off the lights. Global warming (?) means that our winter has begun earlier than before and we got the winter clothes out a few weeks earlier this year than normal. We would like to hope that this means our winter will be longer but we are afraid that this only means that summer will begin already in Febuary.
posted by Thomas at 5:13 PM
Monday, November 12, 2007
Now that it is winter the day is a bit shorter, nothing like the short winter days in Europe and North America but there is a definite difference. Now it is dark at 5:45pm compared to 7pm during summer. The interesting thing about here is that in winter it gets dark instantly. There is no real dusk; it just suddenly feels like God switches off the lights. Global warming (?) means that our winter has begun earlier than before and we got the winter clothes out a few weeks earlier this year than normal. We would like to hope that this means our winter will be longer but we are afraid that this only means that summer will begin already in Febuary.
posted by Thomas at 5:13 PM
Uttom is in the hospital!
Sunday, November 11, 2007
The day after Jeue was released from the hospital, Uttom was admitted. He also has jaundice. Please pray for him that he will quickly feel better, get stronger and be able to come home. Presently, we are doing everything we can to eradicate the jaundice. We have strictly warned our staff about the dangers of not washing their hands after using the bathroom and given them extra soap. We are feeding the babies extra fruit and vegetables every day to boost their vitamin B and C intake, along with giving them a vitamin supplement in juice once a day and making sure they have enough rest. Legumes are a good source of Vitamin B so we are giving the babies also lentil soup every day with their meals. Thank you for praying and waiting this out with us!
posted by Thomas at 11:48 AM
posted by Thomas at 11:48 AM
Hannah's Birthday
In October we celebrated Hannah's 13th Birthday. We are proud of her, she is a big help in the orphanage. We are also happy that she doesn't belong to the group of teenagers that think they need to sleep until 10am or longer. On her free days she helps out at a shelter for beggar girls or helps with the babies in the orphanage.
Ruben also had his Birthday in October. He is now 6 years old. Ruben is very happy with his life here at the orphanage and doesn't appreciate leaving the premises if not necessary. He enjoys some activities outside of the orphanage but only if they leave him time to play outside, if they do not, he is not interested. I am home schooling him this year, God-willing we will put him in school next fall.
posted by Thomas at 11:11 AM
Saturday, November 10, 2007
In October we celebrated Hannah's 13th Birthday. We are proud of her, she is a big help in the orphanage. We are also happy that she doesn't belong to the group of teenagers that think they need to sleep until 10am or longer. On her free days she helps out at a shelter for beggar girls or helps with the babies in the orphanage.
Ruben also had his Birthday in October. He is now 6 years old. Ruben is very happy with his life here at the orphanage and doesn't appreciate leaving the premises if not necessary. He enjoys some activities outside of the orphanage but only if they leave him time to play outside, if they do not, he is not interested. I am home schooling him this year, God-willing we will put him in school next fall.
posted by Thomas at 11:11 AM
Bike Crazy
In the last weeks a real culture taboo has been broken and the older girls have learned to ride a bicycle! In the last 10 years that we have lived in Bangladesh we can't remember ever seeing a local woman riding a bicycle. Occasionally you do see foreigners doing it but that is also very minimal as there are few foreigners in this city of over 3 million.
Many of our boys also had to learn how to ride a bike, of course they didn't like to admit it at first!
At the moment, it is a bit dangerous to drive into the orphanage when the kids are playing, because the bikes are going all around in many directions,add to this that a few still haven't found out how to use the brakes and we have a bit of havoc! There have been accidents but nothing major, thankfully.
posted by Thomas at 10:47 AM
Friday, November 09, 2007
In the last weeks a real culture taboo has been broken and the older girls have learned to ride a bicycle! In the last 10 years that we have lived in Bangladesh we can't remember ever seeing a local woman riding a bicycle. Occasionally you do see foreigners doing it but that is also very minimal as there are few foreigners in this city of over 3 million.
Many of our boys also had to learn how to ride a bike, of course they didn't like to admit it at first!
At the moment, it is a bit dangerous to drive into the orphanage when the kids are playing, because the bikes are going all around in many directions,add to this that a few still haven't found out how to use the brakes and we have a bit of havoc! There have been accidents but nothing major, thankfully.
posted by Thomas at 10:47 AM
Playground Clean-up
Recently, we had a big rain that lasted many hours so Thomas used the chance to clean the playground. It had become so dirty with mud from the monsoon season. They scrubbed it on all sides with a brush until it looked like new again! Ruben proudly helped and loved getting soaked.
posted by Thomas at 10:33 AM
Thursday, November 08, 2007
Recently, we had a big rain that lasted many hours so Thomas used the chance to clean the playground. It had become so dirty with mud from the monsoon season. They scrubbed it on all sides with a brush until it looked like new again! Ruben proudly helped and loved getting soaked.
posted by Thomas at 10:33 AM
Earthquake in Chittagong
Yesterday we all had one subject at the dinner table: where were you when the earthquake hit?
It was right around lunch time that the tables and walls began to shake all around the south of Bangladesh. The epicenter was near from Ruma which is close to the Indian Bangladesh border (that is the yellow part on the map- down on the right).
Luckily not many people live in that area and there are no high buildings therefore there were no deaths. The daily newspaper wrote up a big article today here is an excerpt:
"Traffic on Chittagong streets came to a halt and panicked people rushed out of buildings and onto the streets. Sensing the "imminent" danger many Muslim people started offering prayers and Hindu women started making the "Ulu Dhoni".
Colleen was buying Christmas cloth to make new clothes for the Home of Love kids, when it happened. I and Larisa were having lunch and also ran outside but it was over by the time they actually got out. Ruben was eating lunch with the kids at the HOL and he told us that all of the sudden that, Didi (housemother) came in and yelled something and everyone ran out! Ruben speaks good Bengali but has never heard the word for "earthquake"! So, he sat alone eating his rice while everyone was outside...
posted by Thomas at 3:01 PM
It was right around lunch time that the tables and walls began to shake all around the south of Bangladesh. The epicenter was near from Ruma which is close to the Indian Bangladesh border (that is the yellow part on the map- down on the right).
Luckily not many people live in that area and there are no high buildings therefore there were no deaths. The daily newspaper wrote up a big article today here is an excerpt:
"Traffic on Chittagong streets came to a halt and panicked people rushed out of buildings and onto the streets. Sensing the "imminent" danger many Muslim people started offering prayers and Hindu women started making the "Ulu Dhoni".
Colleen was buying Christmas cloth to make new clothes for the Home of Love kids, when it happened. I and Larisa were having lunch and also ran outside but it was over by the time they actually got out. Ruben was eating lunch with the kids at the HOL and he told us that all of the sudden that, Didi (housemother) came in and yelled something and everyone ran out! Ruben speaks good Bengali but has never heard the word for "earthquake"! So, he sat alone eating his rice while everyone was outside...
posted by Thomas at 3:01 PM
Jeue is very sick
Jeue has jaundice and Hepatitis and is right now in the children's hospital. Please pray for her. We noticed that she was not eating and had a fever for 1 week, but thought it was just the flu. After she stopped eating and turned yellow we knew something was amiss, only what? We had her blood tested and it came back that she has jaundice and her liver was very swollen, we were requested to admit her to the hospital the very next day. Jeue has now been in the hospital for 4 days, we hope that she will be released today.
While Jeue gets better, Uttom (3 yrs) now has turned yellow and weak. Jaundice makes you have a bitter taste in your mouth and completely takes away the appetite. As I type, Uttom is at the hospital getting tests done to see how progressed his jaundice is. There is no real medicine for jaundice as I understand it, except eating well (vitamin B) and resting. We have been trying to pump the babies full of legumes and give the fruit in hopes that they all won't get it. Now Abraham is weak and he might also have it. Please pray.
posted by Thomas at 9:31 AM
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Jeue has jaundice and Hepatitis and is right now in the children's hospital. Please pray for her. We noticed that she was not eating and had a fever for 1 week, but thought it was just the flu. After she stopped eating and turned yellow we knew something was amiss, only what? We had her blood tested and it came back that she has jaundice and her liver was very swollen, we were requested to admit her to the hospital the very next day. Jeue has now been in the hospital for 4 days, we hope that she will be released today.
While Jeue gets better, Uttom (3 yrs) now has turned yellow and weak. Jaundice makes you have a bitter taste in your mouth and completely takes away the appetite. As I type, Uttom is at the hospital getting tests done to see how progressed his jaundice is. There is no real medicine for jaundice as I understand it, except eating well (vitamin B) and resting. We have been trying to pump the babies full of legumes and give the fruit in hopes that they all won't get it. Now Abraham is weak and he might also have it. Please pray.
posted by Thomas at 9:31 AM
Cricket
This is the sport that is played on lazy Friday afternoons and watched passionately on tv. Here in this picture is a match the "Home of Love" boys played against the Boy's hostel kids.
posted by Thomas at 9:56 AM
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
This is the sport that is played on lazy Friday afternoons and watched passionately on tv. Here in this picture is a match the "Home of Love" boys played against the Boy's hostel kids.
posted by Thomas at 9:56 AM
Boats
The boats that we see here could be used in a pirate film without much work done to them. They remind me of the pirate boats in the movie, Waterworld.
posted by Thomas at 9:49 AM
Monday, November 05, 2007
The boats that we see here could be used in a pirate film without much work done to them. They remind me of the pirate boats in the movie, Waterworld.
posted by Thomas at 9:49 AM
Sugoto
Sugoto (left) has returned from his visit to his village, last week. He needed to go and get his registration papers in order. On this trip, he took his guitar and enthralled the villagers with songs. Many of the people said they had never seen a guitar before and they wanted him to play all day and night! He played every song he could think of, also ones in Korean and English language! We are so proud of Sugoto and the responsible young man he is becoming.
posted by Thomas at 11:12 AM
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Thursday, November 01, 2007
Sugoto (left) has returned from his visit to his village, last week. He needed to go and get his registration papers in order. On this trip, he took his guitar and enthralled the villagers with songs. Many of the people said they had never seen a guitar before and they wanted him to play all day and night! He played every song he could think of, also ones in Korean and English language! We are so proud of Sugoto and the responsible young man he is becoming.
posted by Thomas at 11:12 AM
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