Video

Check out a nice VIDEO from one of our team members this week.

Afghan Meal

Goat kebabs, naan and pakistani style chai

Home!

We apparently picked a good time to leave. President Obama arrived shortly after our departure and the first thing Wednesday morning there was a suicide bomb attack, which would have placed us in lock down. Thankful for God's timing and our team is back in the states. Smooth flights all around. Feels good.

I will miss my new Afghan friends. Lord willing, I will return to Afghanistan in the very near future. I will post an update on some overall trip take aways soon. Stay tuned.

Day 8

We traveled to Istalif today to visit the medical clinic and meet with the leadership to discuss challenges and needs of the community. Very much like the Barek Aub clinic, they are getting by on just the essentials and yet very hopeful.

We had kebabs at the creek in the village with the Governor and continued the dialogue on how our partner organization can continue to provide developmental leadership and resources. Let me just say this was one of the coolest meals I have ever enjoyed. Lamb, naan, sixty degrees, sitting under cherry blossom trees next to the creek and getting business done. Perfect.

While most of the team took a half hour shopping the bazaar in the village, I enjoyed tea while reclined on a toshak at a local vendor with our host and our chokidor Kushal (my new favorite guy on the planet).

Packing meeting tonight with the team and final prep for our return. Excited to greet my family in Colorado and enjoy a few days of rest. God is good.

Day 7

Must have Dari phrase for this Coloradoan...tashwish nako. More on that later.

Today we helped with laying foundation on a house in the Barek Aub village. The interesting piece of this project was our goal to have the Afghans teach us their methods for building them. They have a method that has been used since dirt was invented and we wanted more insight. We helped haul rock mostly and it was great to get our hands a bit dirty. I also enjoyed the rounds of Apache helicopters dropping test bombs on the hillside just a mile away. That'll perk you right up any day.

We took time afterwards to sit with the elders of the village to discuss their current struggles and to brainstorm ideas for development. As you might recall from my post in February, we hope to transition our supported communities out of relief mode and into development mode. This is both a long process and also very complex. Generating productive economies in a village so isolated and without infrastructure takes a ton of planning and cooperation. And while the residents of the village are incredibly thankful, we honestly are sensing some frustration begin to take root. We desperately want to begin to develop more ideas which are sustainable for the community to thrive.

We also toured the west end of the village to investigate the massive failure in the water diversion project led by a different organization which resulted in two homes washed away in this year's end of drought and very wet winter/spring. Repairing this issue is going to require significant capital and expert planning and engineering.

The weather today was a lot like Colorado, sunny, calm and 60 degrees all morning and 40 mph winds and a dust storm in the afternoon. Will be cleaning Afghanistan sand from my ears and nose for probably the next two days. Tashwish Nako...no worries.

Barek Aub Day 6

"We bring greetings from the village of..."

Today was another day filled with hope for the Afghans. We visited Barek Aub, a former IDP camp turned strong community of people determined to become a thriving village. I was a bit surprised at the size of the village, which busted the seams of my interpretation and expectations coming up in our vehicle. It's set in a valley surrounded by stunning viewscape, including the Hindu Cush mountains. Just off a newly paved road, we drove on rocky sand paths to the newly constructed school. Our host made introductions with our team and the village elders and Mullah and we unloaded clothes for distribution to the children.

Our team lead greeted the children and let them know they are deeply loved and prayed over every day to live a long and happy life. Seeing these children in school knowing just a few years ago they were shipped out of Kabul to this desert with the "sky as their tent and rocks for their bed" (village elder) filled me with great hope. My favorite part was shaking hands and exchanging fists bumps with the boys as their faces lit up with huge smiles. Several times I had to fight back tears while standing in front of these classrooms. We toured the school library and supplies room, as well to get an understanding of their current needs, which remain great. Much is still needed to provide a good education, so this generation of children can one day make a positive difference in Afghanistan and the world.

We then toured the clinic, the only one provided for over 11,000 area residents in the valley. The lead physician explained how the clinic works, its current needs and introduced us to his staff. The clinic sees 30-40 patients per day, quite a load for a building housing an emergency room that resembles a waiting area. The pharmacy had only a dozen medications. This was discouraging but once again a huge step of progress when one's expectations are reset to reality out here.

And then there is the well. In 2010 we dug a 150M well which tapped pure, sand filtered water. This is a life saving water supply to a once drought ridden place and it gives ongoing hope to the residents. While there, our host gave his testimony of how he discovered the IDP camp and launched his effort to rescue them. This was a very powerful reminder to me how one transaction or decision can change the course of history. Instead of an unknown scene of the death of several families in the desert, Barek Aub will one day show up on the map as a thriving, self governed village with a strong economy and a place of production.

Rest

Muslim holy day, as well as national holiday (anniversary of the end of the Russian occupation), which means a very quiet Kabul. Our team began the day as we have every day...in the Word and in prayer.

We spent four hours in worship - singing, praying, sharing insight with one another through various readings. We also had some spontaneous moments rallying around those hurting through some serious emotional battles. Shared tears, laughs and quiet moments in reflection all included. Let me say this very simply - I am part of a truly great team of men. All gifted uniquely and all passionate about serving. It's an honor.

We ventured out with our host leaders to the Intercontinental Hotel for tea and coffee. It's situated in a great spot and although the clouds interfered, we did get to see some of the peaks of the Hindu Kush Range. 24,000 ft mountains are something to behold. The Afghans are working hard to remodel portions of the hotel after last years' attacks. Yet another sign of hope and determination.

On a personal note, I am working hard to process what I've been exposed to thus far. It's not easy for a guy who processes routine, daily matters a bit obsessively. These complex dynamics of social, physical, spiritual and emotional dichotomies in Afghanistan have my brain in overdrive, resulting in limited sleep. I often feel sadness, joy, anger and peace all at the same time. I'm exhausted and have only been here one week. How deeply the Afghans deal with this on a  permanent basis, I will never know.