So this past week I had the pleasure of taking my first class field trip out to the Khulna area.   It was a beautiful trip out into the country and I really enjoyed getting to know the kids better.  I really appreciate that we have such wonderful kids at Grace School.  I appreciate each of them and it is a pleasure to be able to give a year of my life to serving with them.




During our trip we managed to visit a few places.


1)  Rishilpi - a local village project that has been established for nearly 35 years now by an Italian missionary family.  Rishilpi has developed into a place that provides education, handicrafts, work and medical care for entire villages around them.  It was amazing to see that they were not a charity, but have provided work and hope for many thousands of Bangladeshi's around them.


2)  The Father of the Nation ( Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) Nation monument.  Sheikh was named the Father of the Nation in the Bangladesh constitution in 1972.  Here was his grave and a small museum about his life and how he gave his life and sacrificed his family to free Bangladesh.


3) Michal Madhusudan Datta - National Poet of Bangladesh;  He is renowned for his literary contribution to Bangladesh, as he turned Christian from his former life as a Hindu and is responsible for translating the Bible, and other literary works such as the Illiad.  We were able to visit his house and monumental museum to learn more about his life.


4) The SUNDARBANS!!!  Clearly the highlight of the trip.  The Sundarbans are a national park and are one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World.  It was beautiful and we had a great deal of fun wandering through the forest!


I have attached some photos of the trip if you would like to see them.  Highlights?  Other than the sight seeing, there were some pillow fights, crazy hair styles, and fun evenings with the girls.... Sociological difficulties?  I saw a man being beaten in the streets while his wife and child tried to pull the police officer off of him....


It was an interesting trip and I am happy to say that I have a bit more of an understanding of life in Bangladesh now that I have seen villages and other cities... It was wonderful to stay with and see the CSS center and how they are doing their best to share Christ with so many lost souls...


I will keep my deeper thoughts to myself for now and invite you to see some photos.


Thank you for your prayers, they are needed during some rough times here.


In Christ's love,


Cori

So I was talking with my Dad today and he passed on three bits of wisdom...

1)  Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump...

2)  Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour (who would do this for an HOUR!!??)

and the best of all:

3)  A cockroach can live for NINE DAYS without it's head before it starves to death......  creepy.


Ok that's all for today :)  I am heading off to Khulna on a Year 7 and 8 field trip for a week, and will share some pictures when I am back.

Thank you for each of your prayers, they are needed and appreciated.

In Christ,

Corinne

Just recently I completed my first assembly of this year.  We were asked who our favorite Bible Story was, and then were given a chance to share that with the school.  Mine is found in John 8: 1-11:



 ¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
   But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
 ⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
 ¹¹"No one, sir," she said.
      "Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."


This passage has always been one of my favorites...


Here, Jesus is the ONLY person who could have thrown stones...  the only one without sin... yet He doesn't.   He rather uses this as an opportunity to show everyone there that they are NOT to point fingers at others when we are no better ourselves. 


This is something that is very difficult for me.

To be honest, I have had to deal with some very difficult relationships with those that I interact with here in Bangladesh.  This term I tried to enter with a renewed heart, simply not jumping on someone when they have done something wrong, but rather, humbly approaching them realizing that I too make mistakes.


How often in our lives are we SO quick to tell someone else they are wrong but lethargic in our own admission of guilt?  


Do you ever wonder if being egotistical leads to false assumptions of what a situation may entail?  Does it not cause us to judge the situation at the outset rather than allowing it to unfold?  


Labeling ourselves as all knowing, pointing fingers or throwing stones will only cause pain in our own hearts, whether we are right... or whether we are wrong.  


Perhaps our lives could benefit from a little bit more humility... I claim to have very little of this... however, I can say that I have never known a human, humble or high, that when life's end neared, regretted holding their stones...yet I have known more than one, myself included, who has regretted throwing them.


Why not try to hold onto your stones this week?  


Serving Him in Bangladesh,


Corinne

So this past Thursday I ran my first Physics Lab and the topic was Electrical Circuits!  It was a lot of fun and I actually really enjoyed giving the students a hands on experience.  I just thought I would
share a few pictures...

I have been having a hard time lately, and I appreciate all those who have been in prayer.  My next post will include a bit of reflection on that, but for now, these are the "current" events.  (yes... pun intended).

In Christ,

Cori

This past Thursday we had the pleasure of celebrating "Sports Day" at the French School  This is the equivalent of a Canadian "Track and Field" day as there were several events running, including discus, high jump, standing long jump, and 100 m relays.  I was assigned the task of "Photographer."  It was a fantastic experience!
Here at Grace, the entire school is divided up into "Merit Teams" of four different colors; red, yellow, green, and blue.  During the school year, each student has a chance to earn "Merits" for good behavior, good classroom performance, and other related things.   Sports day is just another way for the teams to earn points!  It was so wonderful to see everyone involved, there wasn't one child without the right color t-shirt or face paint on, and everyone was so supportive of one another that it really was a great experience.  I have attached a slideshow of some of the best pictures from the day.  I hope you enjoy!


Oh and of course, my team, the YELLOW team were the Champions! Yippee!!!