Hi everyone! 
   I will start up again soon.  First, I need to get used to living in America and at home.  I also need to get used to the fact that I don't have my team around.  We were all very close.
    The mission trip was amazing and I would love to go back to Bangladesh.  The people are very nice.  The culture is different.  The food is spicy, spice-ful, and really good.

   Dear readers,
There has been an unhappy update from the missionaries that talk to TMI.  We cannot use the backpack, shirt, or duffel TMI gives us because it says Teen Missions International.  Please do not write anything christian in any letters or on the envelope if you want to send any letters to the field.  Please write TMI Ashly on the letter envelope.
 Also, there has been a change in the clothes we have to wear.  The girls now have to wear the traditional "shirt."  The "shirt" is called a shalwar.  It is a very pretty, long "shirt."  It goes down to above the knees and there are two slits on the side that go up to the hips.  I found one at Christian Women Center and bought it a few hours before I found out that I have to wear it in Bangladesh.
  Thank you for reading!  Please don't let this news make you nervous for my team and I for we are in God's hands and I feel at peace after hearing this news.  I prayed I would go on an adventurous mission trip, and God is giving me one!

 

Thank You!

   I just wanted to blog quickly to say thank you to my best friend Drew who knows me so well!!  He's been wanting to throw me a good bye party for so long and he asked if my pool party could be the good bye party.  He decorated, with the help of his parents and mine, the whole deck 4th of July themed because he knew I would be missing the 4th of July celebrations here in the USA. Not only did he decorate, but he brought fireworks to celebrate!
   He also made a sign in Bengali that read, "Safe travels! Have a good time!"
   I love my friends and family and will miss them like crazy!

Stressed and Nervous

   Lately, I've been stressing about my upcoming mission trip.  I had dreams that I forgot EVERYTHING when I arrived at boot camp and couldn't leave.  I lost my appetite and sleep.  I wanted to share a journal entry I wrote last night.

   I am afraid, in fear, "of the unknown."  I am stressed about earthly things.  I am crying from lack of sleep and food and from being of afraid of leaving the ones I love dearly and who love me.

   Mum gave me an article about a mission trip.  The thing that caught my attention was this little ad underneath for Heritage Funeral Home.  It read, "Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Matthew 11:28"

  I decided what to do to calm myself down.  I went to the back of my Bible and looked for verses on fear.  The one that caught my eye was Psalms 34:4, "I sought the Lord, and He answered me; He delivered me from all my fears."  Also verse 8, "Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

  My Bible notes for verse 8 read, "When we take that first step of obedience in following God, we will discover that He is good and kind. ...As we trust Him daily, we experience how good He is."

   I hope this helps all of my blog readers who are nervous or in fear.

 

12 Days!!!

   I'm so nervous! Only twelve days until I leave with my mum and brother to go to Merit Island, Florida.  We will stay in a hotel for two nights then go to The Lord's Boot Camp.  

   Since there's twelve days left before I leave, I am going to do a "12 Weird Facts" about Bangladesh.

   1.  The President is chosen through election like the US but serves a term for five years.  Also like the US, the maximum terms a president can serve is two.

   2.  Like I have blogged before, Bangladesh is very populated.  Bangladesh is the eighth most populated country in this world!

   3.  95% of the population is farmers.

   4.  It is rude and unclean to use your left hand in Bangladesh.  Since it is not uncommon for people not to wash their hands after using the restroom,   people wipe using their least used hand; their left hand.

   5. Even though Bangladesh is highly populated with farmers, the main revenue comes from the export of garments.  My favorite dark green jacket was made in Bangladesh!

   6.  It is considered immature to smile a lot.  This might be the reason Bangladeshis don't smile a lot.(This could also be a myth.)

   7.  The lily is the national flower of Bangladesh.

   8.  Bangladesh is constantly flooded by the melting snow of the Himalayas and the monsoons from the Bay of Bengal.

   9.  The national animal is the Bengal tiger.  Its roar can be heard as far as 3 kilometers, which is 0.62 miles.

 10.  The 1998 flood of Bangladesh destroyed two-thirds of the country.

 11.  About 80 films are produced in Bangladesh(One of my favorite movies, Avengers Age of Ultron, was filmed in Bangladesh!)

 12.  Over 98% of the population speak the official language of Bengali.  Like many countries, English is spoken as a second language.

   I hope you enjoyed the twelve weird and interesting facts about Bangladesh!

ROAR!!

Spring Package

   I just got my spring packet from Teen Missions International!  There are the pictures of everyone(They left one person out!) that is going on the mission trip and their names with what tool they are assigned to get.  There is the monthly update for April which tells which teams are still open, how to sign up, a word from the director, Mr. Robert, finance tips, what to do with the money, what you will need to bring(Besides clothing), and transportation to the boot camp.  A little booklet also came in the mail called the "Individual Team Fact Sheet, Bangladesh Orphanage."  This tells the prater requests for Bangladesh, purpose of this trip, transportation to boot camp, team schedule, and mailing address.  It also tells how much the postage home will be from Bangladesh(About $1.00), what not to send, like care packages, passport and visa needs, special travel clothing, housing, weather, spending money, flight information, and interesting "tidbits."

   The housing will be in a building and we will need to bring an air mattress or a sleeping pad with a sleeping bag or a sheet and blanket.  I will not be bringing a air mattress for two main reasons, they pop easily and are loud.  The weather will be in the low 90's for the high and upper 70's for the low.  There are medical clinics in the areas where the team will travel. So now you shouldn't worry about us getting hurt and not having plenty of help!  Spending money has to be new and clean $20 bills.  There is flight dates and times but I can't put them in my public blog for a few reasons.  We will get to barter at local markets for cool souvenirs.  We will also get to spend the night at a hotel in Hong Kong(which will feel amazing after not having a real room in a month!) and shop for souvenirs at one of the world's "best Chinese night markets" and take a ride on the Star Ferry across the Hong Kong Harbor.

Rivers of Bangladesh

   There are over 300 hundred rivers in Bangladesh. Having so many rivers helps all the flooding, monsoons, and cyclones that take effect there.  It is averaged that at least two big floods happen in Bangladesh every year.  The flood season is July to September(The Bangladeshi months of Borsha, Ashar, and Shrabon to Sharad, Bhadro, and Ashshin).

   Kaptai Lake is one of the world's largest man-made lakes.  It is about 300 square miles, but can reach to 400 square miles in the flood season.  The river was made when the construction of the Karnaphuli hydroelectric(electricity made from energy made from falling water) plant took place during the late 1950s and early 1960s.  The largest man-made lake is lake Kariba.

Cyclones- "a large-scale, atmospheric wind-and-pressure system characterized by low pressure at its center and by circular wind motion, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere"

Monsoons-  "the seasonal wind of the Indian Ocean and southern Asia, blowing from the southwest in summer and from the northeast in winter.

"2. (in India and nearby lands) the season during which the southwest monsoon blows, commonly marked by heavy rains; rainy season."

 

  

Fruit Grown in Bangladesh

   There are many fruits grown in Bangladesh, but I'm only going to talk about a few of the main ones.  I will also list the Bangla name for each fruit.

    Bananas, also known as Kola, are a fruit that is grown year round in Bangladesh.  Bananas are the most important fruit in this country.  They grow best in Noakhali, Dhaka, Kustia, Jessore, Barishal, and Rajshahi.  Bananas are eaten as a dessert fruit when they are ripe and eaten as starch food when they are still green.  Bananas are also juiced.  They are rich in vitamins and minerals.

   Jackfruit, also known as Kathal, is a fruit I've never heard of, but it is the country's national fruit.  Even though bananas are the most important fruit, the jackfruit is the number one fruit in the ranks of production.  A jackfruit is ripe when it is more tan than yellow and when it is softer.  It has lots of "stubs" sticking out of it.  It smells of onions on the outside but it smells of pineapple and banana in the inside.  The jackfruit is the largest tree born fruit.

  Mango, also known as Am, is a sweet fruit that is a wee bit stringy.  The outside of the mango ranges from green to orange, to red to yellow and all four colors together.   Inside, the mango is yellow.  The skin is tough and is not eaten.  There are many different kinds of mango found in Bangladesh like Opalbhog, Himsagar, Langra, Fazli, Ashwina, Mohanbhog, and Daser.  Mango has the highest amount of vitamin A in all fruits.

   Litchi, also known as Litchu, are a very juicy and popular fruit for all classes of people.  They are shaped like berries and are a darker pink color.  They have short thorns covering the skin and have a big seed in the middle with a slimy, white, and edible covering.  The fruit can be toxic if not eaten when ripe.

   Guava, also known as Payera, is called the "apple of the tropics" and is found growing everywhere in Bangladesh.  It is rich in vitamin C and protein.  It is eaten as a dessert, jellied, or juiced.  You can eat it cut or just like an apple.  The seeds are edible and there is no pit.  It almost has the texture of an apple and is juicy and sweet.

   Papaya, also known as Paypa, is grown year round.  It grows quickly and the plant dies quickly.  They are ripe when they are orangish yellow with some green spots.  The papaya is eaten like a mango and has about the same texture as a mango.  It is juicy, and second fruit with the highest vitamin A among all fruits.  There are many types of papaya like strawberry, Washington, Solo, Honey Dew, and Pousa Majesty.

  Pineapple, also known as Anaras, are a very juicy and tart fruit with a tough and thorny skin with a funny looking top.  Pineapple is eaten when the smell of it is strong and it is soft.  The core is hard and inedible, just like the seeds. 

    Ber, also known as Ber, is a winter fruit.  Some fruits are sweet and others are sour.  They have the texture of a pear.  The skin ranges in many colors, but is mostly green when unripe.

BC/AD Or BCE/CE

   I wanted to share what I wrote about these date markers.  Even though this has nothing to do with Bangladesh or my mission trip, this is an important topic many people don't know much about.

  Today, I was reading a children's book, and I found BCE and CE in it with numbers before it.  I had no clue what it meant.  I went on google and looked up what it meant.  I was disgusted, and that is why I am writing this post.
 Google said, "The meaning of AD is Anno Domini or Year of our Lord referring to the year of Christ's birth. The meaning of BC is Before Christ. CE is a recent term. It refers to Common Era and is used in place of A.D. the dates are the same ie 2009 AD is 2009 CE. BCE means Before Common Era."
  Did you catch it; "recent term."  The people in this century are getting rid of anything that has God, Jesus, or the Holy Spirit attached to it.  This century is teaching the children to ignore God.  To totally wipe out Him.  They don't want these years to be God's.  This is why I want to be a missionary!  To show all these people that God is real and not just some ancient myth like Apollo, Zeus, or Diana.
  I hope this post encourages you and show you how much this world need some Jesus!  Always remember Matthew 5:13, 14: 13"You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt has become tasteless, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled under foot by men. 14"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.

Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser

   Today, March 14, 2015, my homeschool friends and their moms, my church friends and their moms, my mom, and I all helped.  There were an estimated 27 helpers who were constantly on their feet.  The helpers served the main foods(pancakes, bacon, and grits), drinks(assorted juices, water, and coffee), and sides(red velvet and salted caramel Tastykake mini donuts and fruit cocktail).  Other people helped out with cooking all the food, entertaining the kids and making sure they don't go crazy, wash dishes, collecting the donations, greeting, door openers, supervisor, and putting people in certain spots.  Along with myself, there were many people who didn't have a specific job.  I made sure those people checked in with the other people helping to ask if they need a break or want to eat.

    There were many behind the scenes helpers.  People who were not seen but were definitely a big part of the fundraiser.  I will not use names, but will describe what they did.  The person who hunted for the best price and bought all the bacon.  The persons who picked all of the 82 flowers we used in the vases.  The person who was up really late last night cooking grits for the morning and making the vases look pretty.  She also woke up really early to deliver everything and stayed the whole time to help cook and make sure everything was going smooth in the kitchen.  The person who put this fundraiser in the church bulletin and wrote a really nice, descriptive paragraph about it.  The person who helped decorate the whole fellowship hall.  The person who put the fundraiser all over the Facebook and planned most of it.  And lastly, the person who bought all the supplies like the drinks, cups, silverware, plates, donuts, coffee, and pancake batter.

   The turn out was amazing!!  We had an estimate of 120 people show up, donate, and eat.  Some didn't even eat or stay!  I was amazed how people are so generous.  Most of my homeschool friends' families either helped or just ate, but they all donated.  People who I hadn't seen in years came and I was able to talk to them about my trip.  Most of my church came and supported.  My grandparents came and talked to some older friends they hadn't seen in a while.  It was an incredible turnout and to see how many people who care for me!

   Since it is pie day, my mom came up with a great idea to bake eight pies to use to raffle.  When people donated, they got one ticket per a family.  We called out two tickets per a half hour and who's ever ticket was called out they either got a pumpkin pie or a vanilla oreo cream pie.  Our announcer also said they could through their pie in my face for an extra $20.  Luckily, no one did it, but all my friends wanted to.  It just made everyone laugh.

   Another fun thing we did was to sell the yarn flowers I made for $3 as prayer reminders.  Many people bought those and that helped with getting more money for my trip.  Plus, now I don't have to figure out what to do with so many flowers!

Baptism: What It Means

  Sunday, I was baptized by my youth pastor, Mr. Clint, as a public commitment to God and a statement of your faith in Him.

  Many people think batism is a thing to do when you are young, and/or when their friends are doing it, but that is not what baptism is.  I always thought baptism was just a fun thing to do.  My sister and I would pretend to be mean, nice, old, young, or snotty people then we would baptize each other, in the pool, playing those roles.  Now when I look back at that, it makes me laugh.  I now realize the true meaning and the symbolism of baptism.

  The meaning of baptism is that you are publicly stating the commitment of your faith.  In order to be correctly baptized, your heart has to be there.  You have to feel the urge and need to do it.  That's why I was baptized at an older age.  I realized that my heart was not ready to be baptized when I was younger.  It was sometime during the Move Conference in Athens, Georgia, that I realized I hadn't been baptized and my heart was ready.

  Baptism is very symbolic.  When you are dipped into the water it means you are dying of your old self and your sins.  This means you are dead because of your very nature and all of the sins you have.  When you are in the water, it symbolizes that you are being washed from your sins.  Being raised out of the water means to be raised from death through Christ and now are Holy and have eternal life.

  Another reason I wanted to be baptized is that I wanted to show God and all the church people my willingness to follow God.  I didn't want the church to think that I am going on my mission trip for fun or that I was bored.  I wanted them to know that I am going on this mission trip to train to be a missionary, to fallow God's will, and to spread God's message to the lost people of Bangladesh.

 Hong Kong

  Before we arrive in Bangladesh, we have to fly into the Hong Kong, China airport, then fly into the Dhaka(Dah-kah), Bangladesh Airport.

  Hong Kong is a very busy city.  Its population is around 7.188 million people in 31.04 sq. miles!  Hong Kong has roughly about 863,762 businesses still running.  About 1,035 of the businesses are food manufacturers.

  There are about 11,274 restaurants running in Hong Kong.  You might say, "That's a lot of restaurants!  Is there enough for all those people?"  Well, there is!  The food waste is estimated at 3,200 metric tons, which is 7,054,792 pounds of food wasted.  The average amount of food eaten in Hon Kong is 35.94 million pounds a day, saying each person eats 5 pounds of food each day.

1,035

1,035

1,035

All Leather Work Boots

  On the mission trip, all team leaders and team members must wear 6-8 inch all leather work boots.  The collar can be made of something other than leather, and often are.  These boots will be worn at all times and will only not be worn when we must wear close-toed water shoes.

  If you are like me, you will enjoy this video.  I love learning how things are made.  This is from How It's Made, but narrated by a different guy.

  I'm not getting these exact boots, but I will show you guys the pair my parents buy for me.  I've been trying on boots all day and I think I've found the perfect pair at Academy Sports And Outdoors.  My mum hasn't bought them yet because it is a big investment for boots!

  Animals

Jackals, monkeys, and mongooses are a few of the common animals in Bangladesh.  The Bengal tiger is Bangladesh's national symbol.  There are also rats, primates, mice, elephants, deer, and many kinds of birds.  Some of the birds are: Doels, Shaliks, Kingfishers, and Woodpeckers.  There are over 22 species of the woodpecker.  The most endangered specie is the red cockaded woodpecker.
  Animals eaten there are fish(like Ilish, Hilsa, Rui, Katol, Koi, Papda, Boal, Cital, Magur, Sing, Mola, Dhlea, etc.), chickens, beef(rarely), mutton, and birds(like group duck & pigeons).
  People in Bangladesh also have pet animals.  Some of the common ones are parrots,  monkeys, turtles, snakes, fish, cats, dogs, and lizards.

 Curry

 Curry is a traditional Indian spice or sauce.  It is spicy, but not hot like hot sauce because it contains lots of herbs and spices.  Curry can contain many different combinations of spices.  Sometimes it contains coriander, turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, and chili peppers.  It is used in cooking a dish of meat, vegetables, etc.; typically served with rice.
   I have a feeling I will be eating a lot of curry while in Bangladesh.
  A recipe for curried: http://www.onceuponachef.com/2012/02/chicken-curry.html
 I haven't tried this recipe yet.  i am hoping to get the chance though!

   Buy a Day

A friend of my sister's went to Bangladesh.  How she raised her funds was to get people to "buy a day".
   I am going to start asking people to "buy a day" of my mission trip.  We will have about 50 days on the mission trip.  When people "buy a day" they can pick a specific day; a day at boot camp or a day in Bangladesh.
   I will be keeping a journal and will take plenty of pictures.  I will sent copies of the pictures and my days journal to that person that "bought" that day.
   If you are interested in "buying a day", please email me at hellowancedean@gmail.com.  This isn't my real email, but it will make it so much easier for me to find your email then trying to sort it through all of mine.
   If you email, please tell me the day you want to "buy".  Each day will cost $100.  I know this is a lot, but it helps so much!

   The Lord's Boot Camp

Before any one goes on a Teen Missions International mission trip, everyone has to go to The Lord's Boot Camp to train for the mission trips.  They do this for two main reasons.  For one thing, we have to be prepared to do the work we are going to do.  Secondly, they don't want us to be shocked into the culture.  We will sleep in tents, take bucket baths, and wash our cloths in buckets.  We will have to go on an obstacle course.  A few of the things on the course is the slough, this 9' wall, and a big tire yard.
   If you would like to see what the boot camp will be like, visit  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3JjpzFbMBc .  Or you can look up The Lord's Boot Camp on Youtube.

  Bangladesh

 Bangladesh is a very populated country.  My missionary friend, who works in Bangladesh, said it is like the whole population of the US crammed into Georgia.  Bangladesh has about 156.6 million people on its 56,977 square miles of land.  A third of the population is below the poverty line.
  Now that I have put a picture in your mind of all the people, here comes what I wanted to talk about.  90.4% of Bangladesh's population is Islamic.  Only about 1% of Bangladesh's population is Christian.  That's about 570 Christians.
   This summer, I am praying that our mission team will leave a big dent in those numbers.  We also must pray for the people who are already Christians and are being persecuted.  Not only should we pray for the Christians, we should pray for everyone, including the persecutors.

   Blog

I am starting a blog on for my mission trip.  I am going to Bangladesh this summer for a teen mission trip via Teen Missions International.  
   Since I've signed up for this trip, God has put so many people in my life.  My missionary friend(I can't tell you any of my missionary friends' names because I would be putting them in danger), who is a missionary in China, knows a missionary that does mission work in Bangladesh(pronounced bong-glah-desh).  My neighbor also knows someone that was a short term missionary in Bangladesh.
   I will blog about devotions, passages, quotes, Bangladesh, and of course the time leading up to my mission trip and about my mission trip