poor people of bangladesh

We arrived in Dhaka after Vassula's mission in India was accomplished. Dhaka is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, whose Muslim influence is reflected in the more than 700 mosques and historic buildings found throughout the city. This busy and colorful city has a huge population of 12.5 million people, predominantly Muslim, with Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian minorities. I could feel Vassula's eagerness to be in Bangladesh once again, this is where she lived when True Life in God started 20 years ago, on November 28, 1985. She had come to visit the Beth Myriam, the first TLIG school to be opened in the world, and pay a call to her friend, the Ven. Suddhananda Mahathero at the Dhammarajika Monastery and Orphanage, as the Ven. Buddhist Monk was ailing and weak. True Life in God's Beth Myriam Project was launched after Vassula was given a vision in the Holy Land back in 1998. In August of the following year, Vassula was invited to witness in Dhaka, accompanied by Catarina. The Holy Spirit's inspiration for the Beth Myriam in Dhaka came in the form of a question from Vassula to Catarina: "when will you open a Beth Myriam in Dhaka?" Carol Chamberlain, who had been assigned to Bangladesh 3 years earlier, was then called to establish the local contacts, and with Catarina and the precious help of Duleep, the first Beth Myriam was born on the 10th of December 1999. Today, 100 meals a day are prepared to feed the poor. Catarina and Duleep are helped by the caregivers, devoted souls offering an oasis of peace and love from Our Lady and Jesus. The Beth Myriam caregivers encourage their guests to say their own prayers of thanksgiving before meals. There is no mistaking it is Our Blessed Mother's House by the many holy images and icons decorating the walls. Underneath Our Lady's icon in the dining room is an inscription: "Jesus and Mary are offering this meal to you." Visit to Beth Myriam Dhaka This Beth Myriam has been functioning every single day since it opened. The humble people were overjoyed to express their thanks to their special visitor. It is run very efficiently with meal cards distributed to the families, and the nutritious food is served according to a Menu Schedule that Carol had put together back in 1999 and posted in the kitchen. During Ramadan, the Muslim period of fasting, this Beth Myriam prepares special lunch boxes for the people to take home and eat after they break their fast. Care is always taken to respect other religious traditions; the objective is to give food, clothing, education and medical assistance to all God's children in need, regardless of belief and practice. Four times a week, the Beth Myriam hosts an hour-long Bangla school-class teaching the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic to 25-30 children from the slums, aging from 5-12 years of age. At the same time, an English class for the children is also offered. True Life in God readers are encouraged to experience life in a Beth Myriam, two clean rooms are available here for those interested to go to Bangladesh to visit or help out. A day in Kulun Village, to see the True Life in God School About an hour's drive from Dhaka, one reaches the river crossing point to Kulun Village, which is one of 5 Christian villages in the area. The whole village and the parish priest from the nearest Catholic Mission were on hand to welcome and thank Vassula. We were accompanied by Fr. Waseem Walter, Catarina and Duleep. The children of Kulun had to walk long distances to go to school a few years ago, discouraging many parents from giving their children an education. The Lord inspired one of the villagers to request Catarina and Duleep to offer the village children the facility to learn by building a school for the little ones. The request was granted, donations were given for its construction and the school furnishings. TLIG Bangladesh sees to the salaries of the teachers and the maintenance of the school. In this Christian village, the teachers read the True Life in God Messages to the children once a week. A very generous donation was made by a devoted reader of the TLIG Messages, and inspired our friends in Bangladesh to build an extension to the initial building. Vassula's visit was a good opportunity to set the foundation stone for this extension. Taking the trowel with some cement, Vassula laid the first bricks for the foundation of this continuing act of charity. Vassula's mission in Bangladesh was to observe and document Beth Myriam Dhaka. She was happy to see the cleanliness and the quality of the food served, and most of all the grateful and joyful smiles of adults and children in their Blessed Mother's Home. This Beth Myriam has been functioning every single day since it opened. The humble people were overjoyed to express their thanks to their special visitor. It is run very efficiently with meal cards distributed to the families, and the nutritious food is served according to a Menu Schedule that Carol had put together back in 1999 and posted in the kitchen. During Ramadan, the Muslim period of fasting, this Beth Myriam prepares special lunch boxes for the people to take home and eat after they break their fast. Care is always taken to respect other religious traditions; the objective is to give food, clothing, education and medical assistance to all God's children in need, regardless of belief and practice. Four times a week, the Beth Myriam hosts an hour-long Bangla school-class teaching the basics of reading, writing and arithmetic to 25-30 children from the slums, aging from 5-12 years of age. At the same time, an English class for the children is also offered. True Life in God readers are encouraged to experience life in a Beth Myriam, two clean rooms are available here for those interested to go to Bangladesh to visit or help out. The Lord goes slowly and quietly, bringing His people back to him. Simple efforts inspired by the Messages bring about so many blessings to God's people. Acts of love such as these are the sublime expression of God's Love in us. May God bless the good work of TLIG Bangladesh. We were graciously received by the Orphanage administration members and the Venerable Suddhananda Mahathero, who is the Chief Monk, President of the Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha Monastery and also Vassula's old friend. One can feel a special relationship of gentleness and deep respect between Vassula and the Ven. Suddhananda. Their conversation revolved around Pilgrimage 2005 which unfortunately the Ven. Suddhananda was unable to attend due to last minute health problems. They discussed matters on the situation in the world today threatening to draw God's Justice upon us. She indicated to him that the NY towers and the Tsunami disasters were prophesied in the Messages and have come to pass, and that the Lord has warned us of another much graver event to happen. Vassula requested the Ven. Suddhananda and his monks offer their prayers and fasting for the world to return to spiritual values. The TLIG International Beth Myriam Fund continues to support the Dhammarajika Buddhist Orphanage in Dhaka, an act of love that binds us to our Buddhist brothers. Our short stay in Bangladesh was fruitful and filled with graces to see True Life in God so alive ... after all, this is where it was born 20 years ago. BACKGROUND Vassula Rydén who is Greek, born in Egypt, belongs to the Greek Orthodox Church. God approached her back in 1985 while she lived in Bangladesh in a most extraordinary way to use her as His instrument and charge her with His messages for all mankind. In truth it is a reminder of His Word. In these messages for our times, God is calling us to repentance, reconciliation, peace and unity. In the very beginning of God's intervention she was totally confused and feared she was being deluded; this uncertainty was truly her biggest cross, since she never heard in her life before that God can indeed express Himself to people in our own times. Because of this she feared and tried to fight her experience away, but instead of diminishing, God approached her even more intensively. As the sacred communication progressed there was perceptible change as Vassula grew in faith, knowledge and love of God. Her need to seek reassurance lessened, she became more comfortable in this unusual role which in turn allowed fuller statements from her divine visitor. The principle motive throughout is the divine love of Jesus expressed in the bridal terms, characteristic of mysticism, but manifested as an effulgence, an outpouring of the ineffable love of Christ. The fact that Vassula, without ever having received any catechetical instruction, let alone theological formation, is able to write about such profound spiritual matters without committing any errors, is itself a powerful confirmation of the authenticity of her messages. Since 1988 Vassula has been invited to speak in more than 60 countries and has given over 800 presentations. Vassula receives in all of this work no personal royalties, fees or benefit for her efforts. So far the books have been translated into more than 40 languages. They are written in such a clear and direct language that anyone of reading age can understand them. At the same time their content is so rich and profound that brilliant theologians have been inspired to write books about the spirituality of the messages. God himself has chosen to name these divine messages: True life in God. Wherever she is invited, whether in Asia, the Americas, Australia, Africa or Europe, she is welcomed by crowds of people of all ages from every imaginable social class and milieu, both Christian and non-Christian. Among those who come to hear her testimony are not only lay people, but also their spiritual leaders and hierarchy. Also other religions, like the Israeli Jews invited her, as well as the Buddhist monks of Hiroshima and of Bangladesh to give her testimony. The attendance of her meetings has reached up to 400,000 people and among them, in some countries there could be Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists and Jews. She was invited on three occasions to speak on unity in the World Council of Churches of Geneva and once in Romania in Iasi at a meeting called : "Unity and renewal, consultation and Christian spirituality for our times." In 1998 and 2001 the United Nations in New York, a section based on Peace in the World, working specifically between Jews and Palestinians, invited Vassula to address them and repeat what our Lord says to us in the messages to obtain peace in the world. In 2001 she was invited among other speakers by the International Bridgettine Centre of Farfa to speak on Ecumenism and Spirituality. Since May 2002, Vassula was invited to inter-religious meetings to give her testimony. The first one was held in Dhaka where the opening was done by a Muslim Imam. After that she was invited by the Archbishop of Taipei Joseph Ti-Kan to give her speech to non-Christians. Vassula's speeches on reconciliation and unity started to be known and appreciated among non-Christian. In February 2003 she was invited by the Venerable Suddhananda in his monastery in Dhaka to honour her with the Peace Gold Award for her efforts of propagating peace in the world. She was nominated for this peace award by the Buddhist monks as a distinguished personality in recognition of her great contribution and her efforts for establishing inter-religious harmony and promoting world Peace among all peoples and faiths. The function was inaugurated by Rev. Michael Rozario, Archbishop of the Catholic church in Dhaka. Among other guests was the Secretary of the Apostolic Nuncio in Dhaka, as well as Muslim Professors from various regions of Bangladesh and from the four major religions, Christians, Muslims, Buddhists and Hindus. In Scriptures it is written that faith without good works is quite dead. The fruits of True Life in God are not only the conversion of the heart but the good works the readers have begun. After experiencing our Lady in a vision, Vassula was asked by her to feed the poor as well, for spiritual food was not enough. Since then, many houses called Beth Miriam (house of Mary) started to function from the friends of the messages to feed the poor. Those houses are progressing to have schooling as well for the poor children. There are now many worldwide -- in Egypt, Bangladesh, the Holy Land, multiple in the Philippines, Venezuela and Brazil, an orphanage in Kenya and help is given as well to 600 Buddhist orphans in Dhaka.