"A wealthy person in Bangladesh is a kid with a biscuit."

 That comment from Father Bob McCahill, M.M. puts things in perspective. Offer a child a biscuit, he says, and you have a friend for life. But that life is often a tapestry of sorrows because in Bangladesh many kids die in childhood…from birth defects, snake bites, and diseases that are just passing illnesses for kids in other parts of the world.  Father Bob has served in Bangladesh for more than 30 years. Today, he lives in Narail, a low-lying area that teems with life—large, extended families, faithful religious practice, and the bustle of tea stalls and outdoor markets.

Narail is also desperately poor. There is little infrastructure to care for the sick—and family incomes can be less than a teenager's allowance in the United States. "How can a mother care for her sick child under these conditions?" The answer is, she can't. Sometimes the Mom herself is sick. That's why Father Bob is in Narail. "I want to live the way Jesus did caring for the poor," he says.

In his unassuming way, Father Bob makes each person in need his own mission project—scheduling a medical visit, providing transportation to the hospital, or supplying medicines to alleviate pain. Whatever it takes. 

Bangladesh is a country the size of Iowa and has 156 million people—about half the population of the U.S. Many Bangladeshi live on less than $1 a day. The poverty is heartbreaking, unimaginable. That's why we need you—your prayers and your gift to mission. Can you be generous—for the sake of a child?  

Father Bob says that birth defects are especially difficult for families. The boy with a cleft palate may become a shut-in because of the social stigma associated with the deformity. Children with cerebral palsy can be helped, but family members need to learn and administer physical therapy. This is not always possible. Then there is the cost.

No matter the obstacle, Father Bob does all he can to find a way. When Narayan's young daughter needed surgery, Father Bob took him, his wife and their child to Dhaka, the capital, for care and then returned them home. One day Narayan went to Father’s hut just to say, "My heart beats warmly for you," a phrase he repeated over and over.

Banu suffers from severe depression and remains lifeless inside her hut. Father Bob took Banu to a psychologist and bought medications for her. But her brother's family won't oversee her care. "They have written her off," says Father Bob, "so I won't." He visits Banu often.

Will you join Father Bob in witnessing Christ? Your gift to the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers will give more comfort than you know to a family in crisis and a child in pain.  A biscuit in a child's hand may be a sign of wealth in Bangladesh. But a sign of compassion is giving all you can so that others may live.

Your gift and your prayers will offer so much hope. Please join us in mission.