Give thanks to the God of Heaven, His love is everlasting!
He provides for all living creatures, His love is everlasting!(Ps136: 25,26)

by Catarina Andritsaki – TLIG Bangladesh

The inspiration for the Beth Myriam in Dhaka came in the form of a question from Vassula: “When will you open a Beth Myriam in Dhaka?” It was during a visit to Dhaka where Vassula was invited to witness in August 1999. The sight of extreme poverty in some areas left me speechless and at the same time motivated me to work immediately for this project. A contact person was needed who knew the local people, so I asked Carol Chamberlain who had worked for three years in Bangladesh, if she would like to help start this project. In four months time, in December 1999, with the precious help of Duleep in Dhaka (later on my husband), Carol and I visited Dhaka in order to open the first Beth Myriam.

Since then, six years have gone by and not a day has passed that a hot meal hasn’t been provided to the needy people coming from the nearby slum areas. In the beginning it was only ten guests who were receiving daily lunch; two religious sisters from the Charles de Foucauld order – known as the Blue Nuns – suggested bringing the people they knew who were in great need. Today, 100 guests – men, women and children are being served daily at noon a complete meal. According to a weekly balanced menu with adequate caloric content, the guests are served beef, chicken or fish curry, accompanied by the traditional rice, vegetables, salad and dhal; banana for fruit.

One of the Muslim women from those first guests, Rokeya, a quiet and smiling young mother of a little girl, would come and eat very fast everyday and then smile and go back home where she was leaving her young girl. You could tell how low a level of poverty she was coming from, but you would never see a miserable or unhappy face or attitude.

Rokeya and Myriam during the Beth Myriam Anniversary, December 18, 2002

After coming for over a year for lunch at the Beth Myriam, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl. When we asked her how she would name the baby, she said, “Whatever you would like”, out of gratitude. But we didn’t agree; we told her to honour her tradition first and as a second name she could give the name Myriam. Rokeya decided to name the baby only Myriam. As a shorter version to this day they call the girl Pia. We know that Rokeya doesn’t know what Pia (pious) means, but we receive it as the divine humour!

Our Lady is being mentioned and honored by this grateful Muslim woman. But Rokeya’s story doesn’t stop here; as the guests coming daily to the Beth Myriam for a hot meal were increasing, extra help was needed to assist the couple that was taking care of the daily Beth Myriam function. We asked Rokeya if she would like to help cooking and serving. She would be receiving her meals anyway and we would pay her as well. She was very happy! She accepted and started immediately helping for four hours a day, thus she became integrated into the body of the Beth Myriam.

She became a good and trustworthy friend – with the little English she speaks – and is a volunteer to all functions of the Beth Myriam: anniversary celebrations and schooling help. Since 2001 when we started the afternoon Bangla and English school classes, Rokeya has been helping in distributing the milk and cookies together with Shamol and Onima – the caretaker couple. She also attended the English class five times a week because she wanted to improve her family’s life, as she told us. For this reason, one day Rokeya asked us if we could help her unemployed husband Bilal. As his qualifications were extremely limited, it was not easy. But where there’s a will, there’s a way, so when Rokeya was asked if Bilal would like to have a rickshaw to drive. A rickshaw is a bicycle carriage and is the traditional transportation means in Asia.

Rokeya and Onima

Bilal took this opportunity and started immediately working with the new rickshaw. He proved himself to be a very conscientious man, working hard to support his family and being a saver. As he started earning, he was able to collaborate with his uncle who had some rickshaws of his own and soon Bilal started his own rickshaw business. Soon after he wanted to improve his education level, so he took classes in reading and writing and was educated on the Qur’an, the holy Scripture of Islam. Today Bilal owns 15 rickshaws.

Bilal never forgot from where everything started: the Beth Myriam. So now that he is a businessman, he has taken upon himself the daily morning deliveries of all the fresh vegetables, fruits, beef, chicken or fish that are needed for the Beth Myriam’s lunch time. With one of his rickshaws, he goes to the market daily and buys whatever fresh supplies are needed. Every three days he presents the receipts to us and receives money for the provisions for the three next days. He told us this is the least he could do for all the support and help the Beth Myriam has shown him and his wife.

Mamun, Shamol and his daughter Joya, Rokeya
and Onima

Since Shamol and Onima, the TLIG caretakers in the Beth Myriam, take some holidays for Christmas and Easter, Rokeya and her husband take over and take care of everything in the Beth Myriam. Two and a half years ago extra help was added to the staff of the Beth Myriam: Mamun, a young boy of sixteen years at the time. He had also been eating with the other guests for sometime. Mamun is helping Rokeya and Bilal whenever they are taking care of the Beth Myriam but also during the rest of the time when Shamol and Onima are there.

We are all filled with gratitude for God’s divine plans and provisions for all needy people,

Catarina