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.

Just for fun...

Day 4

Today was one of the driving elements for the composition of this particular team. Our team is made up of men, all of whom are experienced leaders. Today, we participated in training the leadership of our host organization's key leaders. These are the rooted leaders who are truly empowered to bring sustainable change in Afghanistan. They are leading the future leaders of this country and are critically important in keeping the country on the right path. In America, we might say "this is where the rubber meets the road." The approach was open ended and designed to engage in conversation between our two teams and it was effective.

Discussion focused on servant leadership and the components that drive its success. We exchanged practical examples in our work environments through the lens of these components, including honesty, integrity, consistency. Topics such as conflict resolution were particularly insightful and the need for translation in all the dialogue was not a roadblock whatsoever. I was encouraged when heads were nodding in agreement from both the Afghan and American teams.

After training, we broke bread over a massive lunch which is likely to ensure skipping dinner.  I'm not used to eating this much food but I sure enjoy the community it creates with the Afghans. I am so very challenged by the hospitality of the Afghan people. Sorry friends, but we din the west don't even come close to the level of community created here. It washes away any sense of being in a war zone. Now I understand why my team leader has often expressed how he never feels unsafe here.

A couple of us revisited our cultural training as a team before coming here and the point made that what we experience here and how we process it is just the tip of the iceberg. In other words, we will return and over time continue learn more deeply what we experienced and how we can provide support to the Afghans and how we can apply that gained knowledge to our own lives. My prayer and hope is that Afghans will share that goal.

Day 3

As I am posting from my phone all week on possibly the world record holder for slowest internet, I am keeping photos on the blog to a minimum. My apologies if you're looking for more.

Today we visited a girls high school for a distribution assignment. We took blankets mostly and, after unloading the truck, spent a great deal of time with the head of school discussing the hope, accomplishments and needs of the students. I was floored by the stats - 12,000 students taught by 200 teachers over three shifts per day. No water, no heat, no air, no fans. The government brings water in twice per week, otherwise the children have no water supply. Outside tents are needed to accommodate those numbers. Desks and chairs are in short supply. And, of course, they could use a ton of school supplies. The redemption is the absolute joy from these children. Just a decade ago, girls couldn't set foot in a school. Now this one school has 12,000 of them, all eager to get an education and enter a world of competitive workforce. I also had the opportunity to demonstrate how the camera on my phone worked to a couple siblings of a student. They were fascinated to see their own faces on this tiny piece of technology. Definitely a little slice of heaven for me.

The head of school was very grateful that the challenges being faced in Afghanistan are being shared in the U.S.  Part of what our short term teams accomplish is raising awareness to those easily capable of helping. We go inside the borders to see and experience those needs so as to better reveal the ways they can be redeemed. It's an eye opening ordeal, and I am excited to return with this perspective and opportunity to share more deeply.

I want to take the opportunity mid trip to once again thank you for supporting all this. None of it gets done without that support. I wish you could be here in such a great country full of history and hope!

Day 2

I have pretty much pocketed my phone so little to no photos. Our resident photographer snapped 800+ shots today so no need for duplication. When the trip concludes, better photos will emerge.

We began the day with group worship on the lawn around 6am reading and discussing Nehemiah from the Bible.  Enjoyed a breakfast of mini fried pancakes, naan and tea. We then took to the streets of Kabul for a quick stop at Chicken Street for chadors (scarves) and some errands before heading off for the Kabul school. This was a real treat spending time with 220 children ages 7-14. The goal of the school is to raise their level to acceptability for public schooling. These children were full of joy and were all smiles, despite most having their one and only meal of the day (rice, beans and naan). One of our team members is an illustrator and won the children over with white board creativity. Laughs and smiles all around. You would not believe the level of respect these children demonstrate d to us and the excitement for school was contagious.

This afternoon we sorted blankets for one of our IDP camps in preparation for a visit later this week. We also got measured for our traditional Afghan outfits, the Shalwar Kameez, which we will wear extensively the rest of the trip.

I am completely off my sleep schedule and by that I mean five hours in the last four days. Apologies for any lack of structure to this post. Maybe tomorrow. Oh by the way...everyone tells me they see those Flatirons stickers everywhere.  Well, the pic below is proof they are, indeed, everywhere, including Afghanistan!

Day 1

We got here safely. What a stunning diversity of scenery. The Afghans are the most hospitable people I have ever encountered. I am humbled. Our hosts met us right outside passport control and basically made our transition a breeze. Travel through the city weighed heavy on my heart (I intentionally kept my camera in my pocket so that I could see it with my own lens). I experienced excitement, nervousness, joy, and pain. Our team lead and I rode in a separate vehicle from the rest of the team and it was great to hear all his delighted commentary on so many changes for the better even since just last summer. There are a lot of positive developments in this city as of late. Examples include sidewalks, cover grates for sewer drains, street lights, newly planted trees. Bear in mind, the degree to which these improvements are in place is limited; however, it's very promising.

I sat in quiet amazement at the stories from our Afghan hosts, who survived incredible challenges in recent years, often not knowing what the next day might bring. They are filled with joy about their country and are grateful for the support of so many teams. It's an honor to serve with them.