Orientation Week in Dhaka!!

Hey everyone!!!
Our days in Dhaka for orientation are coming to an end! We landed in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Sunday night and were taken right to our hosts house in the city. The last couple days have been full-on but simply amazing!! On Monday we had orientation, where we learned about the Bangladesh culture and language, then some of our contacts took us to a delicious restaurant, where we had some authentic Bangladesh food. The rest of Monday was spent shopping for our Saris and just walking around the city, taking it in. The rest of the week we continued to get to know the city, and some of our contacts in it. One specific moment that was life changing for our team was on Monday when we went to cross a bridge over a road. On that bridge were beggars of all ages, ranging from a very elderly woman wrapped up in a blanket being looked after by a younger woman to a group of little kids, all holding out their hands and staring up at us. Most of us weren't prepared for that, and our sheltered worlds came down pretty quick. Since Monday, we have gone back to that bridge with homemade bracelets and candy to give out while saying in Bangali, "You're beautiful". The look on the women's faces when we handed them a bracelet makes everything so worth it. At one point when we were going down the stairs, we could look back and one woman was sitting there, staring at the bracelet we gave her like it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Another day we got to meet a group of 3 boys and 1 girl, all under the age of 8ish. The boys were looking after the little girl, who was blind, and looking for some money from the people crossing the bridge. We gave them all bracelets and Cesar gave them some candy, and then he got to teach them how to high five. It was awesome being able to give them just a tiny bit of their childhood back, if only for 5 minutes. Another cool thing that came out of paying attention to the beggars was that when we would stop and speak to them, the other Bangladesh people would also stop and watch us and what we are doing. Hopefully we are showing not only the beggars but also the the general people of Bangladesh what the love of Jesus looks like.
Tomorrow morning (Friday), we are leaving on a bus to travel up North to Rangpur to stay there for about a month in one of the villages. After that we hope to be traveling to Chittagong and eventually get back to Dhaka before outreach is over. Unfortunately where we will be going there will most likely not be internet or even electricity in some cases. So I will not be able to update this blog for a while. But don't worry everyone, because we will still be keeping track of our travels and all the amazing things that God does in our lives and the lives around us. I'll make sure to upload everything once we have internet again!!
We want to thank everyone for all the support and prayers that we have felt even this first week here in Dhaka. It is so amazing to see God move in even the simplest ways. He has given us divine appointments where we have been able to pray over people or even just see a smile light up their face. The pure joy and happiness that people have here is such a clear blessing from God.
Please continue praying for open hearts in the people we meet and that God would give us exactly the words and actions that we need. He is guiding us everyday and it is so amazing to follow and glorify Him in everything we do.

p.s. Pictures will also be on the way!!