What Does the World Know?

This is an email sent from my cousin and his family who are missionaries in Bangladesh. Please keep them and the country in your prayers.

CYCLONE SIDR - LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
Dear Friends,How many times have we heard that phrase? Location, Location, Location. Unfortunately, location played a big part in the tragic events of last week. Bangladesh lies just a few feet above sea level right on the Indian Ocean. Hundreds of rivers to overflow and no higher ground. Also its remote location makes it difficult to speed aid to the people in need. Lack of equipment, infrastructure and communication make it difficult to even put a handle on the size of the task ahead. In 11 districts 90% of the crops have been lost and an estimated 200,000 livestock have been killed. They are even using elephants as part of the clean up effort.Location will also play a part as international awareness and interest in the coming days and weeks will diminish. This was not a hurricane that hit a state in the US. This was not a tragedy that effected foreign tourists at the beach that was caught on tape. This was not a sensational tabloid story of the rich and famous having a member of their family die. No, these were just nameless people from a far off place that happens to be in the wrong location. Because of location the cyclone will mostly likely be only a 30 second piece on tonight's evening news if its mentioned at all.Honestly, it has been hard for me to process it all from even just 80 miles away. The reality of the need can be overwhelming. The idea that location, location, location has affected the people of Bangladesh on a such a large scale has kept me up tonight with tears in my eyes. Please be praying in the days ahead that God will open opportunities to share His love.Serving Bangladesh,Duane for Lori, Justus and Jared
CLICK TO SEE MORE PICTURES AT CNN.COM

PRAYER ITEMS
1. PRAY FOR THE AFFECTED CHURCHES.2. PRAY THAT AN OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE FOR TENTS AND FOOD TO BE SENT TO BANGLADESH WILL GET GOVERNMENT APPROVAL.3. PRAY FOR THE LOVE OF GOD TO BE DEMONSTRATED IN THE MIDST OF SUFFERING.4. PRAY FOR A HEATH CARE MINISTRIES TEAM THAT IS BEING FORMED. PRAY FOR SCHEDULES AND VISAS.5. PRAY FOR ALL THE NEEDED PERMISSIONS TO GET THE AID INTO THE COUNTRY.
If you or your church would like to help with the relief efforts please email us at DuaneLori@gmail.com

THE DANIELSEN FAMILY, QUOTE AND LINKS

THE DANIELSEN FAMILY:Thank you for praying for us during the storm. Thank you for the many emails and calls to see how we were doing. Dhaka was hit but we only experienced heavy winds and rain and minimal damage here in the capital. We temporaily lost power and communication for a little over a day. QUOTE:
"Sadly, because this cyclone was on the other side of the world, many have disregarded the loss and devestation that you've experienced, and we need to have our spiritual eyes opened to the human need you are serving."
Dr. Bruce Bell - Liberty UniversityLINKS:Videos at CNN http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/11/19/bangladesh.cyclone/#cnnSTCVideo

My Favorite Show!!!

I wanted to tell you about one of my favorite tv shows. Jon and Kate Plus 8... it's on TLC on Mondays nights and you have to watch it. Both Dhrumil and I really enjoy it. It's about a family who has twins and sextuplets! It's amazing how they deal with it and it's also really funny and cute. Check it out!!!!!!

People You Think of

Isn't it interesting how the mind works? How memory works? Ever since I've joined facebook I have become even more interested to see what has happened to people who were once in my life. Anyways not a very exciting post, but think about it...

The Perfect Storm is Captured... sort of

The Celtic Woman/Skater "feast" took place at the casion called Mohegan Sun. This was the first time I ever went to a Casino and it was pretty amazing. Unforortunitly we didn't get many pictures.

The hotel was behind us... I promise! What's with D?

ElisaBeth's Perfect Storm

+ = My perfect storm!!!

Yesterday Dhrumil "surprised" me with tickets to go see some of my favorite people perform. I say "surprised" because once again I didn't take "let's go to dinner" seriously and made plans over it. So in order to break the plans he had to tell me ahead of time. Poor guy... he can never win.

Anyways about the performance.... it was at Mohegan Sun of all places (pretty cool place actually) and it was called Skate for the Heart... and will be airing on NBC on January 13 4-6pm. The reason I was so excited about this was because the group Celtic Woman were performing (Dhrumil and I have become groupies) and BEST of all, Ekaterina Gordeeva, was one of the skaters. I LOVE HER! I can remember watching her and her husband on the Olympics and lots of other competitions and always thinking she was amazing. I also read her book about the love story with her husband and how she dealt with him dying. Such a good book.

Having the Celtic Woman singing and her skating gave me chills and was amazing. I probably sound like a dork, but oh well. :)

NYC has my heart

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I miss NYC! I wish I was writing in this blog during my 1 1/2 years in the city because I had some pretty interesting stories.

The life of a commuter was one that I experienced for a short while. Before I excepted my job at the college in the Empire State building, I interned for an orchestra in the garment district. I loved passing the big needle threading the button, stopping at Starbucks and then up the strange elevator to the hip office with each desk blaring different classical music pieces.

Once I started at the college and the daily grind of riding the train became a reality... it turned into something not as glamorous:

Packed trains, lots of unique personalities, walking 10 blocks, falling in front of hundreds during rush hour on Madison Ave. (oh yes I did that) trying to walk in a major blizzard, walking in the rain getting soaked and hit by hundreds of umbrellas, staring down taxi drives who I thought were going to kill me, being stranded by a taxi driver and having no clue where I was, smiling at the security guards in the Empire State Building, being asked by tourists from other countries to take their picture in the lobby, riding the elevator and S T O P P I N G on every floor, eating in little Korea town, almost fainting on the train in the midst of many men (yup did that 2 times), working at an office with no window visible, cutting the line to go to the top of the building and leaving really early and getting home really late.

I could go on and on. No matter how much the tourists bothered me or how many bruises I got from people running into me I was always struck by how awesome it was to work in the most famous building in America in one of the most famous cities in the world.

I miss you NYC... oh and I miss the Starbucks on EVERY corner.

How people impact us, even for a short time

Sometimes you never realize how people have impacted your life until they are no longer here...

My first day of the real world and I was scared to death. College was behind me and now it was time to put my learning to the test. My first "real job" was working for an oil company in the contracts department and I didn't have a clue what to expect.

I can't remember the first time I met him, but his first day was around the same time as mine. My first impression was of his huge smile and easy going nature. We were starting this new step in life at the same time, though coming from completely different worlds and ways of living. I kinda felt like we were in it together although we hardly knew each other. Those few months of working together, eating lunch together, barely scratching the surface of each other's lives were special.

I felt like I knew him personally, but then again I didn't know him at all. All I know is that he was a genuine person, a person who gave everyone a shot, a funny person and someone who always had a huge smile no matter how late he had been out the night before. He was real and that is what I appreciated most about him.

We didn't talk much after he left the Oil Company, only a few times on IM, but his death is hitting me deeper than I would have ever thought possible. Those few short months that he was in my life really meant something and I will always remember them. It makes me think how much you can impact someone's life and not really notice. Who will remember me when I'm gone? Someone I only spent a fraction of my life with?

RIP Jason Lantieri you will be missed by so many. May God be with your family and loved ones during this hard time. I will always remember you as a funny and crazy guy who took chances and was one of the most real people I knew.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18909670&BRD=1645&PAG=461&dept_id=10856&rfi=6