Beth Myriam’s Beginnings

True Life in God’s Beth Myriam Project began after Vassula was given a vision in the Holy Land in 1998. In August the following year, Vassula was invited to witness in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Holy Spirit’s inspiration for the Beth Myriam in Dhaka came in the form of a question from Vassula to Catarina Andritsaki who was accompanying her: “When will you open a Beth Myriam in Dhaka?” she asked Catarina.

Carol Chamberlain, who had been assigned to Bangladesh three years earlier, and called-in to establish the local contacts, launched the first Beth Myriam with Catarina on the 10th of December 1999. Catarina and Carol wrote:

„Seeing the people on the streets of Dhaka searching for food only to survive, homeless people who live in slums, having no access to water, sanitation or shelter, motivated us to do something for them. We, who are so blessed by God, having a roof over our heads and taking for granted that our refrigerators are filled with all good things, must never forget that we were in the same state of existence: ‘hungry and desperately thirsty’, in the spiritual sense; the Good Lord rescued us from our sufferings, satisfying our needs.”

They found an apartment on the 4th floor in a new residential area, at the northern part of Dhaka; an area called ‘Baridhara’ close to the airport. This area had a defense colony for retired army personnel, and therefore very secure: an important factor in setting-up the Beth Myriam. The Beth Myriam they established functioned every day and was not titled as a feeding center, but simply a house full of The Love of Jesus and Mary.

Carol had a meal schedule put together which was hanging in the kitchen. The apartment was decorated with many holy images and icons on the walls; underneath Our Lady’s icon in the dining room was the inscription: ‘Jesus and Mary are offering this meal to you.’ They served 100 meals daily, and took care to respect all religious traditions. They gave food, clothing, education and medical assistance to 25-30 children from the slums, 5-12 years of age. During Ramadan, the Muslim period of fasting, they would prepare special lunch boxes for the people to take home and eat in the evening, after breaking their fast. TLIG readers were encouraged to visit and volunteer. Two clean rooms were available for those interested to go to Bangladesh. This Beth Myriam, however, is no longer open.

BM Dhaka with Our Lady’s icon ‘Jesus and Mary are offering this meal to you’

Shamol and Onima – the caretaker couple in the Beth Myriam

In 2000, TLIG volunteers and donors were inspired to support the construction of a school in Kulun Village, again in Bangladesh. This village is about an hour’s drive from Dhaka, which is one of five Christian villages in the area. The infrastructural situation at hand was forcing the children of Kulun to walk long distances to go to school, discouraging many parents from allowing their children to obtain an education. Thanks to the TLIG donations, a more accessible school was constructed and its furnishing provided. Since its opening, TLIG has supported the salaries of the teachers and the maintenance of the school. Vassula laid-down the first bricks of its material construction; it continues to provide an ongoing educational act of charity. Today there are 70 children at the school ranging from nursery school age to 5th grade.

Vassula laying the first bricks for the extension of the TLIG School in Kulun