First Team Meeting

The team met for the first time Tuesday night. We spent about 3 hours discussing the Afghan culture, our tentative trip itinerary, and got to know each other a little bit. Expedited passports all came in on time and we have all submitted our visa applications.

I am honored to be a part of this team. There is a ton of leadership experience from all walks of life, and the spirit in the room was a sincere interest in the people of Afghanistan. I saw zero selfishness and everyone seemed eager to do this trip incredibly well and with a desire to honor God with every activity. There is still a ton to accomplish in the meantime, but we are now one step closer to making this a reality. Very excited!

I plan to assemble three teams for support. One, a prayer team committed to praying over the team, our families and most importantly, the people of Afghanistan. Two, a support team for my wife and children while I am gone. This is more practical and light hearted and a great way to free up my family to enjoy the 11 days on their own. It can be as simple as inviting one or some of our kids over to play or hanging with Jan over coffee so she can enjoy some adult conversation. Three, a financial support team to contribute 100% tax deductible funds to FCC on my behalf. My deadline to fund the trip is the end of February, just around the corner.

If you feel led to support this trip in any of the above mentioned ways, feel free to contact me directly, via email or phone. I would love to share my personal insight on why I am going, how you can specifically help and the impact it will make. This is not just about financial giving. I have already been overwhelmed by the support of my friends and family, whether verbal encouragement, offers to watch the kids and inquiries to learn more about the trip.

The Water

Each morning I either pour myself a cold glass of water, sourced from the Indian Peaks wilderness and delivered straight to my door, or use it to brew delicious coffee to go along with my plate of readily available vegetables and eggs. I admit I often take this for granted, at least until my monthly invoice anyway! For some, water is a precious resource, often unavailable and often well below human standards. It can mean a ton of work just to afford the option to consume it. Or, it can mean it's something enjoyed only on occasion.

Part of our mission is to provide easily accessible clean drinking water for the community we are rebuilding. Imagine having this resource become available to you daily where once scarce and undrinkable. Imagine knowing your children could maintain a level of health all people deserve. Imagine being renewed in your spirit, knowing you no longer need to stress over something so simple as water.

Education

Afghanistan has made impressive advances in increasing basic education. More than 10,000 schools are providing education services to over 7 million children, a more than six-fold enrollment growth since 2001. During the Taliban regime no girls were registered in schools. Today, 37% of the student population is girls. Similarly, the number of teachers has increased seven-fold to 142,500, of whom nearly 40,000 are women.

Adult literacy activities increased rapidly in 2009. Learning centers grew from 1,100 to 6,865, and activities expanded from 9 to 20 provinces, bringing literacy and financial services to over 169,000 beneficiaries (62% female). Ongoing support of literacy and basic education is paramount, as well as the quality and preparation of teachers in order to close the literacy gap left by 30 years of conflict. University enrollment has grown to 62,000.

While all good indications of huge improvement, the road ahead is still long and challenging!

source: www.state.gov

The Mission

As this blog progresses, the focus will be on the mission and the people of Afghanistan. I continue to get a ton of questions (keep them coming!) about what we're doing exactly. To be quite frank, it's fluid. We will provide aid in various ways, but rest assured clean drinking water, excellent health care and education will certainly be priorities.

As I dive into books on Afghanistan's history and culture, I am amazed at the resiliency of the people impacted by years and years of civil conflict and being caught in the crosshairs of world conflict. Images of Kabul in the early 90's reveal complete devastation. The 2000's certainly brought more. The people of Afghanistan are determined to rebuild and make the region economically strong.

How We Serve

I've already been asked a several times just in the past few days what this trip is about and why I want to go to Afghanistan. Here is a brief background.

Since 2007, Flatirons has focused most of its attention on community development in Afghanistan. Afghanistan ranks 181st out of 182 countries on the UN Human Development Index (the UN HDI measures life expectancy, education, and standard of living). The focus is on development through initiatives in health care, education, and economics. Our primary involvement rests in focusing on working with returning Afghan refugees and IDPs (Internally Displaced People). Since 2002, more than five million Afghan refugees have returned to their home country, increasing the population by over 20% according to the UN High Commission for Refugees. This scale of people returning to a country that has suffered from decades of war puts a great deal of stress on infrastructures that have been destroyed. We helped fund three key infrastructures in a new community made up of around 4,000 former IDPs: a school, a clinic, and a water system that provides safe drinking water. We continue to help fund these ongoing operations to create a sustainable economic situation for the residents of this new community.

The Call

On Friday, I received the call officially inviting me to join the team to Afghanistan in the spring. I accepted and feel quite honored to join this group of ten people headed to the other side of the world to provide humanitarian aid. I have been considering this for six months, and am confident I am right where I am supposed to be in this decision.

I have never sensed a call to go overseas. For years, my focus and mission has been community building in my immediate sphere of influence. In other words, my immediate neighbors. I am tremendously blessed with a number of neighbors I call dear friends. My relationships within this sphere are genuine. I am content. However, when I first learned about the Afghanistan trips, I have not been able to shake the call to go. I've been open to the timing, but when I saw a team of men going in the spring, I felt I needed to attend the interest meeting and interview for a spot.

Given the support of my wife and my employer, I am now scheduled to prepare for the trip. Much is needing to be accomplished - acquire my passport, visa, vaccinations and raising $3,500 by end of February. Seemingly large tasks in relatively short time, and yet I am very much at peace.

Join me in learning about a unique culture and people who are so very deserving of support.