There’s a new microbus in Bangladesh! It may not seem like a big deal, but it is, and we’re going to explain why a microbus like this is a potent ministry tool both for the gospel, and for the health of thousands of people in Bangladesh. God is at work in Bangladesh, saving souls and bringing sight to the blind.
Whether you know it or not, the Churches of God General Conference has a large and longstanding ministry in Bangladesh. Thanks to the legacy of our missionaries in the 1890s and early 1900s, and thanks also to the wonderful work of our Bengali Field Leaders and pastors today, we can boast in the Lord that Bangladesh hosts more than 180 Churches of God churches. We have 20 schools for children that serve approximately 750 children. Likewise, the Bogra Christian Hospital and the Khanjanpur Health and Eye Care Clinic treat over 120,000 patients each year, routinely performing life altering surgeries. In order to keep much of these churches connected, and in order to treat patients that cannot make the journey to the clinic, Dr. John Costa, our Bangladesh Country Director, and his team frequently use a microbus to bring the ministry and health care to the people. The 12-passenger microbus has become indispensable for both the clinic and the churches there.
The previous microbus had been in service for the Bangladesh field for almost 17 years, and over that time it accumulated nearly 300,000 miles, and prior to acquiring a new one, the field had spent thousands of dollars in parts and maintenance just to keep it running. It overheated so regularly, that the drivers knew to always keep jugs of water on board to cool it down. Poor road conditions, and near daily use for 15 years had simply worn the microbus down, and everyone recognized that it was time for a new one. The problem is that, like everywhere in the past few years, getting a new vehicle of any kind is expensive and often impossible with the profound global shortages of parts and microprocessors. As Travis Helm, our Assistant Director of Global Reach, said, “We’ve needed a new van/microbus for the last year and a half. I knew how much money they needed for it, but I was reluctant to make any promises.” Still, Travis knew how necessary the microbus was and started reaching out to churches back in the U.S. to see if we could raise funds. Despite the belt tightening of the Covid years, Mark Wakeland, then pastor of Mt. Carmel Church of God responded to Travis and said, definitively, “We’re going to make this happen.”
Indeed, over the course of a few months, churches and individual donors from all around the Churches of God, from every region and beyond gave toward the Bangladesh Microbus fund. While speaking about the involvement of his region, Great Lakes Director Dr. Dave Odegard said that he was “excited to meet this need for the Bangladesh ministry.” He went on to say, “I love how we are better together in meeting these needs. This was definitely a testament to our collective potential.” The willingness of so many different churches and people to come together under a single cause like this demonstrates the power of a denomination that works together to see the gospel spread, and to see lives changed.
As it turns out though, raising the funds wasn’t the biggest obstacle; finding a new microbus was. It took longer than expected to find a suitable vehicle, and Dr. John Costa was becoming discouraged, and told Travis Helm, “You need to come and experience it.” When Travis arrived in Bangladesh to help purchase the van, he quickly realized why. The only microbuses available were reconditioned vehicles from Japan. The microbuses were ostensibly in good shape, but they were also sold at the same price as a new vehicle, without a title, and without any way to know what had been reconditioned or refurbished. Likewise, the experience of trying to purchase a microbus in this setting was daunting, and Travis describes the feeling of being swarmed by people trying to sell. “I was almost in tears experiencing that for three or four hours. We couldn’t trust buying anything but new. And there was only one Toyota dealer in all of Bangladesh." It wasn’t long before Travis and Dr. John realized that they might just have to invest the money into repairing the old van. Travis recalls the day. I said “God, there is no possible way that I could produce a van… and they are all counting on me. I really need you. I’m totally at a loss, I need a miracle.”
Despite the feeling of desperation, the team in Bangladesh went to the only Toyota dealership in the capital, Dhaka, a mega city with a population of about 10 million people. There, a saleswoman told the team that there was exactly one brand new microbus there, but that it was currently being held for another buyer who the woman was quite confident would come and purchase it the following week. Travis, Dr. John, and the team asked her to price out the microbus for them anyway, just to see. The price turned out to be within just a few hundred dollars of the money they had raised.
Travis recounts the moment. “I turned and said, ‘This is our van.’ She smiled, but she seemed hesitant. I was very confident and said, ‘We will be waiting for a call from you on Monday morning…’” Travis admits that some of the team were a little embarrassed by how forward he was, but he had recognized how unlikely the situation was, and felt that God was making it clear that this was the microbus they needed. He said, “They had exactly what we were looking for, and for the exact price, even down to the color, and it was potentially available.” And it turns out that he had every right to be confident because after a weekend of waiting and prayer, they got the call on Monday around noon that the van was theirs.
For the last 17 years, the old Toyota microbus has been absolutely essential to the ministry in Khanjanpur, Bangladesh. God has seen it used for powerful ministry and life-changing surgeries, and when the microbus had served its purpose, God had the last brand new microbus in the entire country waiting to replace it. Travis said, “Long before it was on the assembly line God knew that van was for us. I really believed that.”
So, we are grateful to God today that He’s been so diligently watching over the people doing both gospel and health ministry in Bangladesh. Likewise, we’re grateful that as a denomination, we are capable of coming together, even over great distances, to do and support incredible ministries like the work in Bangladesh.
CGGC eNews—Vol. 17, No. 18
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