Matthew Tomm, MCC Bangladesh

MCC has given me the opportunity to celebrate God’s love by being apart of the one year service/learning program SALT. In Bangladesh, I’m learning about this wonderful nation, with its myriad of cultures, and to share some of my own culture with the people. I am striving to celebrate God’s love through learning and service.

The first thing about this country that has been a blessing to me is the people, and the attitude they have to foreigners. I have traveled a lot, and while I have always met welcoming people wherever I’ve gone, there have been times when I know that my presence as a Westerner was a source of annoyance, frustration, and even anger for the locals. This is often understandable; we have all complained about tourists crowding out our favorite haunts – and the grievances that people in many parts of the developing world have with the West extend far beyond any annual influx of noisy tourists. But, so far in Bangladesh, I am yet to feel such animosity. In fact, partly because there are no tourists here, and very few foreigners, I have found people to be generally welcoming and often very curious about us bideshis (foreigners.)

Sadly, I have also witnessed negative things while here; including student riots, government crackdowns, use of violence to maintain curfews and assaults on journalists. I wasn’t expecting to see this kind of unrest or oppression.

Needless to say, my time here has been interesting, enjoyable, challenging, and thought provoking.

Pray for:

• Peace, understanding and wisdom to prevail in Bangladesh
• MCC’s developing peace program, that it would be effective
• Me, as I struggle to learn Bangla.

 

For more information on Service Opportunities contact Sophie Tiessen-Eigbike at (604) 850-6639 in Abbotsford, 1-888-622-6337 from outside the Lower Mainland or e-mail: stiessen@mccbc.com