Maybe not so much Bangladesh?

Hello again,

It has been a while since we've updated. Something that happened a few weeks ago that was a big decision for our team is the fact that, well, we aren't actually going to Bangladesh this summer.

We're officially Team Nepal.

Though there had been talk about possibly serving both locations. We made the official switch a few weeks ago after finding out one of our major contacts for Tiny Hands in Bangladesh was going to be staying in Nepal.

We are so excited for this switch and know that we are learning flexibility, patience and trusting that God will have us where God wants us.



For me, this is a second time back and it will be great to have so much time focused there. I hope to see some familiar faces with the children and people I get to see again. It will be exciting to go somewhere familiar and be able to observe so much more than I did before.

We can definitely use your prayer as we ready ourselves for six weeks in a dominantly Hindu practicing country that has a lot of poverty that we will be faced with.

Look forward to more exciting posts.

Hope all is well,
Stephen

Chris Chandler

Hello and welcome to Team Bangladesh 2010's Blog! My name is Chris Chandler and I am one of the ten members of Team Bangladesh. I'm so pumped to see how God is going to use our words and actions to speak to the people of Bangladesh/Nepal!

A little information about myself...

I'm a sophomore Business Administration major, Biblical Studies minor.
I'm from a suburb outside of Chicago called Hoffman Estates.

I have an older sister, Emily, and two wonderful parents, Ron and Connie.

I am on the APU Men's Club Volleyball team.

I'm going to be a Resident Advisor next year for the freshmen men in Engstrom Hall!

These past couple of months have been quite the adventure. I'm amazed at how things have panned out and how blessed I am to be serving with this team. Our two leaders, Corinne and Justin, have been nothing short of amazing and I can honestly say that I love getting to know every member on this team.

Something I have been learning since being on Team Bangladesh is how often we put God in a box. Who are we to say what God can and cannot do? He created the universe and yet we still question him. It is this "philosophy" that I now have of God. God is not limited to our own human constrictions. God is God and we are not and with this understanding, anything is possible.

With that being said, I believe that we are going to be blown away by what God is going to do with us. I believe that people will be healed, miracles will happen, and people will come to know Jesus. By the time we leave Bangladesh/Nepal, we will have seen God move in ways that seem absolutely illogical to the human mind. BUT, we are still in need of your prayers!

Prayer Requests

• That God would use us to speak to the people of Bangladesh/Nepal
  
• That we would focus and rely on God for strength


• That the people of Bangladesh/Nepal would be receptive of our message


• That we would unite as a team under one purpose-to bring the Kingdom of God to the ends of the earth
  

Thanks so much for following our trip and I cannot wait to tell everyone what God is doing!

-Chris

Lizzee Leslie

Hi my name is Elizabeth (Lizzee) Leslie and I am extremely fortunate to be a member of Team Bangladesh. I am both thrilled and terrified as to what is going to come, but I know that God is calling my team and we are here to answer.

Let me tell you a little about myself:

I am a freshman Political Science/Pre-Law major at Azusa Pacific University and I am loving it!

I grew up in the wonderful rainy state of Washington

My family consists of the two most amazing parents Christie and Laurence, two older sisters Candice and Anna, and a younger brother Spencer ( and four dogs.)

Doing a mission trip has always been in the back of my mind, something that I have often "thought" of doing but never really something I would act upon. But something changed in me, I don't feel as if I was "called" to join a team and I certainly didn't just wake up one morning and say "I am signing up for a team today!". So what was the reason for my decision to go? A broken heart, my heart was broken for victims of sex trafficking, my heart was broken for a country and its people that I knew very little about. For my heart to be broken like that was completely new to me and I couldn't just ignore it. Unlike others God didn't call me to go, He broken my heart so badly that I didn't have a choice but to go.

But this trip isn't about going and "helping" these people, it is about working along side them in hope of creating a better life for them, simply we are there to serve them in anyway we can. This trip is one that will change my life, I don't know how but I know that it will. This is going to be a long, sometimes hard and sad journey and I want to share it with you.

Smile Big,

Lizzee

Justin Blomgren

Jus·tin (jus′tin)

noun

a masculine name

It is of Latin origin, and its meaning is "just,upright, righteous".

I am a leader for Team Bangladesh. With a mixture of great success and great failure, I am one who has tried to live a life that has lived up to the meaning of my name. Human trafficking is an issue that has captivated my heart for the past six years, and I have made it my life goal to make some sort of dent in this global crisis. Leading this team is an attempt to continue my aspiration to move past comfort and challenge myself to think beyond an egocentric lifestyle.

In the words of my hero Dietrich Bonhoeffer, "Action springs not from thought, but from a readiness for responsibility"

I currently work as a Residence Director for Smith Hall, an all male freshman dormitory at Azusa Pacific University. I am a man of simple pleasures: Reading, discussing, running, painting, cycling, and kayaking.

Angela

Hello Everyone!
My name is Angela Lucero and I have been blessed by being placed on team Bangladesh with these nine other amazing people. I'm a freshman global studies major here at APU, and I am absolutely loving it. This has been a year of transition, to say the least, but the Lord has truly blessed me through it. I have an amazing family who is behind me 1000% and lives in the bay area. It has been hard being away from them, but they are so excited for me and this trip.

This missions trip to Bangladesh will be my first intensive missions trip as well as my first time out of the country. I'm beyond excited to dive into a new culture and to see and be a part of what God is doing over there. My prayer is that through this trip the Lord will change me and break my heart for what breaks his. I cannot wait for this trip. I have already been so blessed and learned so much from my team and the Lord, and we haven't even left the United States yet! Thank you so much for your prayers and support. I really appreciate it.

Prayer requests:
-that the Lord will coninue uniting us as a team
- for the people of Bangladesh
-for His presence in our lives as well as Bangladesh

God Bless,
Angela

Eddy

HELLO I am a part of Team Bangladesh! I love this team and I am excited that my life is parallel with these amazing people at this moment and that we will go together to serve the people of Bangladesh.First let me introduce myself my name is Eddy Martinez and I am a Psychology major i have one more year left at Apu. After this i plan on doing something more globally minded or stay back and work towards my counseling degree. I have grown up in the church and this will be my first intensive mission. I am an Resident Advisor here at Apu and I am having a blast with it. I currently am just getting ready for this trip and finishing the semester off.

I am really excited for this trip and i pray that God will just use me to the fullest and that i will gain a globally minded perspective. On our trip we are working from poor people with a Mother Theresa organization to children who have been subjected to trafficking or are at risk. This definitely will be hard to see and experience on the trip. For me, to look into there eyes and see a reflection of pain and hurt that people have caused them will open my eyes to these things but it will also renew my perspectives. I want to gain a more self-less attitude and be able to speak for these people who cant. I also cant do anything other than be excited that i will spend this time with a wonderful team that is awesome and amazing in every way.

Prayer requests

• God will use us and be the center of our work in Bangladesh.
• We will be vulnerable and bond with each other as a team, so that no outside obstacles will hinder us from our work.
• We will come back changed and Globally minded.
• The people of Bangladesh that we come in contact with will be engulfed with Gods love and compassion when we are done with our work there.

With love,

Eddy

CALLEE!

Hello Hello!

My name is Callee Maria Jaques and I'm so blessed to be on this team! But before I brag about how great they are, a bit about me. I'm from Chino, CA where my wonderful family has a dairy farm. I have an older sister, brother-in-law, and two older brother that I adore... most of the time :) My parents are pretty awesome too. Love you all! I've grown up in a Catholic home that has shaped my beliefs and outlook on life. I'm finishing up my junior year/second year in the nursing program. I keep myself busy with hospital rotations, studying like crazy, soccer intramural, position as a Campus Life Intern, and now preparing for this amazing mission.

This is my first mission and second time being out of the country. I'm excited to experience a new culture and see the work God is doing there. The amazing organizations we are assisting is what pulled me into this trip. Mother Teresa led a selfless, Christ-centered life and seeing the mark she left in Bangladesh will be unforgettable. The terrible world of sex-trafficking has become more apparent to me these last few years. It breaks my heart that women and children are subjected to this life all over the world. It will be an honor to work alongside the men and women that dedicate their lives to rescuing them.

And I couldn't see myself sharing this experience with any other group of people. I LOVE MY TEAM! God has given us a strong foundation of unique gifts and selfless passion. I am confident in our team, confident in this mission, and confident in the plans He has for us!

Prayer Requests:
-Keep Christ the focus in this trip
-Learn how to communicate His love to the people of Bangladesh and Nepal
-Financial support (THANKS TO ALL THE SPONSORS)
-Being culturally competent, in other words, not making an idiot of myself in another country


With love,

Callee