I have now learned how to take the bus from here in Mirpur (where my apartment is) to Gulshan/Banani. That is where Impact Worship Center is and it is also where I go to have Bangla class on weekdays. Learning how to ride on a bus and catch the right bus or mode of transportation with clear signage can be challenging. Imagine with me not knowing how to read or speak the language proficiently! This makes for an interesting experience especially when trying to flag one down. All I know, is that the big blue blus with the fancy writing on it (aka. the Konok bus) is the bus that I take. Whenever you try flagging three of these down in a morning trying to get to school on time and every one of them blow right past you with their doors closed like your'e invisible it can be frustrating. (I will have to take a picture of one of these when I am not so pressed for time to catch one)
In the event that you cannot catch the Good bus or Konok bus, you resort to the Grameen bus. which is a cracker box on wheels which they cram as many people as possible in, on, around, and on top of the bus. It may be a few takas cheaper to take the Grameen bus, but I would rather have a seat.
For the last resort, you take a CNG or a baby taxi. These little green caged go-carts are crazy! The price of my trip is more than quadrupled to get to school if I take one of these! Also they all have annoying horns and think that they own the road! Traveling is always quite the adventure in a CNG. 
What the locals call the rainy season has begun here in Bangladesh and it has already been evident in this past week. after dodging the bullet of Cyclone Mahasen, it seems like it has rained almost daily since then. This makes using the public transport all the more interesting with flooded roads and such. In this instance, to get down the road to my apartment I use a rickshaw. Or if I really feel adventurous I trudge through the putrid water in my flip flops and don't think about the consequences.
The roads by my house have been flooded several times the past few days and it is quite the experience walking to church on Sunday when it's pouring down rain through flooded streets. Maybe I should invest in a kayak!
En-route to church this past Saturday, it had just started raining about the time I started to walk to catch a bus. Since drainage systems are practically non-existent here the small holes in the ground connected to the sewage which flows inches under the street suffices as a drain. As I started walking the water started spiraling down these small holes. It was then I began to see hundreds of 3-4 inch cockroaches pouring up out of these drainage holes and race to whatever dry ground they could find right there around my feet. I couldn't think much of it at the time, otherwise I would have hailed a rickshaw and been on my way, but my stubborn self wanted the full experience cockroaches and all!
Amidst all of the craziness of catching busses and wading through flooded sewage-water filled streets, God has still been doing Awesome things here. We have been hearing from Bro. Corbin here on Saturdays and he has really challenged us to strengthen our prayer lives. Last eve I had the wonderfully opportunity to preach the Word to the Mirpur church. It was a youth led service and as the music lead I also led the worship. I say non of that to boast in myself but just hang with me a minute. Last night it was quite the service, even though the music and singing and all didn't go perfectly and despite frustrations, God still had his way. I found out after the service that there was a young man passing by the church during our worship service. Upon hearing this music, he felt something drawing him to what was in the music. That was the Spirit!!! He proceeded to join us in the service and really enjoyed what he had felt and experience by opening up to God. I didn't find this out until after service mind you! The music which sounded off to me, God used for His glory because of the right Spirit within me and within the church. He will be coming to our youth group on Thursday night Lord willing and I am so excited to see what God will do in his life! It makes all of the showing up early for practice and prayer and preparation so very worth it to know that your work is being fruitful. If it is for only one soul that this trip is for, I count it as a huge success! Let the rains begin!
