The Scotts
Missionaries to Bangadesh
Hi! We are the Scotts!
My name is Karen.
My name is Ed.
We are missionaries sent by our church to Bangladesh. We work as the directors of Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh.
People ask us why we came to Bangladesh.
Well, the first and most important reason is that we love our Lord! We have always wanted to serve God and help others, as God wants us to do.
There are lots of ways to do that. You can serve God in your home, in your school, or in your neighborhood. But somehow we felt that God might want us to help far away from home. Back in 1973 we learned that our church needed people to work in Bangladesh. But we weren't sure we should go.
So what helped you make up your mind?
Ed: When we both thought about going there for the first time, I was not too sure that I would like to work overseas.
Karen: But I thought I would.
Neither of us had ever ridden in a rickshaw before (see picture), much less lived every day in a place like Bangladesh! So we talked with other people about whether we should go. We prayed and prayed about it. We asked God for a sign, for something to help us make a decision. When a real estate salesman came to the door and asked if our house was for sale, we knew our prayer had been answered!
We have returned to Bangladesh many times after going back home thinking we would not go back. But God keeps calling us back!
Has it seemed strange to live in another country?
Sure! At times it has seemed strange because lots of things are different here. But we have grown to love Bangladesh and even adopted a daughter here. And we've learned so much!
Ed: When I first came to Bangladesh, my job was to help people build. But when I got here, I found that many of the materials and tools used to build houses in Bangladesh are completely different than in the U.S. In the end, this was a good lesson for me. I realized that there is always something new to learn!
Can you eat the food in Bangladesh?
Can we eat it?
We love it!
Ed: I love a good goat curry (see left). There is a restaurant in Barisal, about two hours north of where we live. They make great goat curry. Just talking about it makes my mouth water!
Karen: I like curry too - especially chicken curry.
Tell us about Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh
Many children in Bangladesh never see a doctor. Some don't get the shots most Americans get when they are kids that help them stay healthy. More than one out of ten children in Bangladesh will die before the age of five.
Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh helps children and their families get and stay healthy. We run a small hospital in a place called Dumki, in the southern part of Bangladesh.
But it's hard for sick people to travel, and most villages don't have their own doctors. So our medical staff also travel to villages to help.
How expensive is it for people to get cared for?
For only $2, LHCB covers the cost of a patient's visit. Those who can afford to pay are charged 40 cents. Children under five and poor women generally pay nothing. (Their care is paid for by gifts from members of our church.) We also help communities find ways to improve their lives. Here is a picture of the people we work with.
Lutheran Health Care Bangladesh is a way we share God's love by helping others!