January 2017 was a time of celebration and recognition for all that Symbiosis had accomplished in the prior year. I was honored to be invited to participate in that celebration, after making my first visit to Bangladesh with colleagues, Walt and Jeannine White, in the spring of 2016. It was during the time of celebration that I learned more about how Symbiosis Bangladesh works with partners and the local community to encourage development, sustainable practices, health, education and collaboration. They do all of this with gentleness, love and the understanding of Jesus’ mission to reach some of the most marginalized and ignored people in their world. The celebration was also a time of music, dance, song and reuniting with friends I had made on my first visit. I even joined in a tug-of-war with fellow visitors from Australia as we learned that the Bengali women know how to make it more difficult…you sit down and stay put! All of the meals and conversations were lively and although it was a quick trip, there was a lot of conversation about return visits and future health care projects. I hope to continue nurturing this relationship and would ask for your prayers for those who work so hard against such daunting odds in Bangladesh. You can learn more about Symbiosis Bangladesh by clicking the link below:

Symbiosis Bangladesh

The month of March marked my second visit to Cuba, as well. This visit was to a new part of the island for me, Santiago. All of the Global Consultants that work with International Ministries were invited to teach in their particular specialty areas and hear from the church leaders and pastors of the Eastern Baptist Convention. We met at the Baptist seminary just outside of Santiago each day and were able to learn from the church leaders about the many struggles they face in ministering to the needs of their congregations and what their desires were for greater partnership. We also had the opportunity to visit some of their projects, churches and historical sites to better understand the culture with which we would partner. The areas of teaching included, anti-human trafficking, domestic violence, Positive Deviance, a Bible study, peace and reconciliation, economic development at the grassroots level and understanding the Muslim world. One of the things that we learned while in Cuba is that there is a growing Islamic community. The church leaders wanted to understand the Muslim culture and how to reach out to this community so it was a very timely conference for all of us. They were also looking for “out of the box” ways to meet the needs that their communities present them so Positive Deviance was something many people could see application for in their churches. Once again, growing relationships, especially over a cup of coffee or under a mango tree (in full bloom right now!), made this visit so enjoyable. This convention is doing wonderful things and have invited us back to teach more in depth to specific communities in need. We are currently looking at dates for a return visit. To learn more about Cuba and the work of International Ministries in this country, click the following links to watch a great video or read more:

Link to Cuba Video