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.