Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings
from Bangladesh! It seems hard to believe that my 2 years in Bangladesh are
quickly coming to an end. I have really
learned to love Bangladesh and am sad to be leaving. My 2 year commitment with Samaritan’s Purse
will finish in October, but my Bangladeshi visa expires the end of September,
so now I am in the process of saying goodbye.
These last 2 years have been
full of many blessings. One was the
opportunity to work with some amazing Bengali women. I really enjoyed getting to know them in and
outside the hospital. I was able to
teach them OB, but they also taught me about Bengali culture, language, and how
to provide apply good care in the Bengali context. I also had the opportunity to lead the female
ward staff devotions for part of my time. Please continue to pray for these
women, that they would remember the things we talked about and apply them to
their own lives.
Another blessing was getting to
work with some wonderful patients. My
patients came from many different backgrounds, Muslim, Hindu, Tribal and
Christian. The majority of them came for
prenatal care and delivery, but I also saw a lot of patients for gynecological
and infertility problems. In this
culture, it is so important to be able to have biological children, especially
sons. Being able to help some of these
women achieve pregnancy and then have a healthy delivery was so amazing. We were also able to share the good news with
many of these women during their hospitalizations. A few accepted (hurray!), but also many seeds
were planted. Please continue to pray
for them in the midst of the difficulties that they face.
Living
in a different country for 2 years can be very difficult, but God really
sustained me and provided me with some great Bengali and American friends, one
of whom was my Bengali language tutor.
We would study together about twice a week, but sometimes we would just
practice conversation. Those were my
favorite classes because I would really get to know more about her and what
life is really like in Bangladesh.
Please continue to pray for her and her family. 
And of course, one of the things
I’m going to miss the most is the spicy, but very yummy, Bengali food!
My time
in Bangladesh has now come to an end. At
this point, I’m not sure if I will be coming back in the future or not. The program with Samaritan’s Purse is only
for 2 years and unfortunately cannot be extended. I am definitely interested in continuing with
long term medical missions and will be looking into different
possibilities. For now though, I will be
returning to Kentucky to study and take my oral OB/Gyn boards. I will also be doing some OB/Gyn work in the
US, while trying to determine what God would want me to do next. I would really appreciate your prayers for
wisdom both during my time of studies and in my future plans.
Thank
you so much for your prayers and support over the last 2 years. I definitely felt your prayers during many
difficult times. Thank you also for your
financial support. With your support,
many Bangladeshi women were able to receive safe medical care, but most
importantly hear the good news! My time
with SP ends on October 13th, so if you would like to give in
October, that will help cover my last minute expenses. If you have been using electronic funds withdrawal
through SP, please call (828)
262-1980 to cancel.
I hope
to be able to visit many friends and family over the next couple of
months. If you would like me to visit or
speak at your church or small group, please email me at cgbrabon@gmail.com.
Onek Donobad! Nomoskar from Bangladesh!
Christel Brabon
My church in Bangladesh.
The female social workers at MCH.
