I just realized today that it's been almost 2 weeks since my last update. Things are going pretty well. My job continues to be enjoyable. Last week at the middle school group we started doing worship songs. I would've started with worship music from week one, but I felt that the kids needed to get more comfortable with me and with each other first. To say the least, the music went well and it will now be incorporated into every weekly meeting. I am finally now able to put to use a few guitar books that were left by the last youth pastor.

This is going to be the last week of normalcy for the month. Next week we will not be having the youth groups meet due to fall break. I am pretty excited about fall break since I'll be going on my trip to the Sunderbans in southern Bangladesh. The youth groups will start again on November 2nd.

That reminds me, my goal is to be able to get to Hong Kong in early November to see my brother. I am praying that my visa will get filed in time for me to go. I don't need a visa for Hong Kong, I need my visa for Bangladesh. The papers have already been submitted and so now all that I can do is wait. It would really be nice to see my brother and see Hong Kong.

The last two weeks have brought more young adults to DICC. In one service we increased by 6 people! Of the 6, 5 are from the US and one is from Canada. It's been fun getting to know these new people. The more time that I spend with them, the more I realize how much I've grown in the last 3 months.

Last night I made my first trip into new territory in almost a month. I was with a friend going to Pizza Hut and we decided to take a different and quicker route. I live in an area called Banani and the East and South side have Lake Banani at their borders. I usually take the bridge over the East side, but last night I decided to go south of Banani and I am so glad that I did. It's interesting how even the slightest change can be so powerful. The route that I took made me forget where I was. As we went through parts of a slum and into an older area of Dhaka, made more for rickshaws than cars, I realized how much I've become attached to the little area of the city that I know. I think it is always good to know your neighborhood, but I think that the biggest trap I can find myself in is forgetting that there is more.

Speaking of getting to know my neighborhood though, I do feel like the faces that I see are becoming more familiar. Rickshaw drivers are also beginning to recognize me as are the employees of Coffee World. I like that the Coffee World workers are getting to know me. It is fun to talk to them and hear their questions. I cannot say the same thing about the rickshaw drivers. I have noticed that they recognize me and begin to guess which of my popular destinations I am going to. They look at me and say "Banani?" or "American Club". It gets to be interesting.

There are four grocery stores I go to and the people working recognize me now. Why do I go to 4 different grocery stores? There are three grocery stores by my apartment, yet both of them are pretty small. One of them sells the best bread for cheapest price and also sells Pringles a little bit cheaper as well. That is all I buy from there however. If I want to find the most western products, I go to the Australian Shop. The Australian Shop doesn't carry that much, but they do have a few products that I cannot find anywhere else. The other grocery store is a Korean owned store that is the closest. All of these stores are pretty small and are limited in their supply. When I want to buy meat, I go to Nandan. Nandan is a larger grocery store that sells the safest meat in Dhaka and they have the largest selection of everything else as well. Nandan is farther than the other 3, but is still only a 10 minute walk.

I will soon be adding more pictures. Until then, take care...