That is the question everyone always asks. And yes, it was good. But that is really incomplete.
It was hard. Traveling for three days straight both ways is disorienting and mentally fatiguing (and would try the patience of a saint, which I am not ;0). Seeing needs all around you that cannot be met by you, those around you, or truthfully by any human weighs on the heart and soul. And now in this airport in the land of plenty the questions demand answers; Father what role would You have me play in meeting those needs?
It was fun. We went swimming at the compound and I went swimming in the ocean. Josiah helped rescue a family of kittens. The night before we left we played ultimate frisbee, in the dark. At least there were doctors near by :0). Josiah also got to see the safari animal park -- Bengali tigers still live here (especially in the "hill tracts". But I have to some of the best fun was meeting and hanging out with the families there (and eating yummy homemade donuts).
It was intense. Being deposited into largely a non English speaking culture (especially with no sleep) was a bit challenging. This was accentuated in the clinic when I didn't know the trade names of medications (paracetamol is tylenol for example), the doses (a baby aspirin is 75 mg instead of 81 mg which is a forgone conclusion in the US), or how to treat the everyday conditions in the region like typhoid (which isn't covered by the vaccine the states we were told...so we will see if we contact it in the next 7-10 days...fun), thalassemia, club feet or and rickets...which I can now treat nearly in my sleep. Of course, the driving was a heart attack in and of itself. (I was thinking about this and Kenya was crazy but it had a couple of buffers: the roads were dirt, they had comparatively fewer types of conveyance, and, in the city at least, it was so impacted you couldn't get going that fast. The main roads in Bangladesh are paved. There are fewer large vehicles and a larger number of people on foot, in rickshaws, CNGs, tom-toms, and motorcycles, and to top that people weave and squeeze between the slower vehicles. Btw, they have buses, mini-buses, double stacked buses, vans, micro-vans, and any other Toyota manufactured vehicle. And all of them hit people.
It was exciting. We got to see several surgeries which would have done at tertiary hospitals here in the states. On the flip side it was amazing see all that is being accomplished among the various arms of the body! The new hospital, the Heart House for the widows so women can make a living for themselves and their families, multiple different schools (from elementary to nursing) and so on. He is truly at work! And that is encouraging and invigorating!
It was a growing experience. Not only can I now say a few Bangla words (Josiah can say more) and give you a quick history of the country, but I have been a part of "the culture". We ate at their houses, fellowshipped with them, wore their clothes, worked along side them and got to see some of their lives not only of the Bangladeshis but also the Badeshis (the docs, nurses, teachers and their families). For the latter group it was very challenging to me to see all that has been sacrificed in pursuit of the call. Careers have been laid down. Comforts have been forgotten. Marriages have been set aside. Retirements and financial security have been exchanged for trust. Friends have been left behind. All counted as loss to pursue. What have I given in this pursuit?
Oh, and I only got a dozen...okay, two dozen or so bug bites, I first I thought they were mosquito bites but now I think they are likely also ant, spider and other bites as well. And they are healing well.
But yes, our trip was good. Thank you for asking 
