The Afghanistan I Know

So many have asked, and more have wondered, when are we going to Afghanistan? Are we still going? Well, we are going, and soon. We will be heading out later this month (it's so soon)! I have to admit that getting back into the mindset of preparing, both with stuff and mentally, has been really hard. I don't really know why that is, but it's been very difficult to find the motivation to get prepared, to go shopping for cold-weather gear, and to even blog about this upcoming adventure.

But I'm getting there.

Last week I bought my coat. It's bright blue. And puffy. But it will pack well and keep me warm, and let's face it doesn't everyone want to wear a bright blue jacket at some point in their life? I also have my gloves and all the clothes I think I'll need, although I'm still stuck on my shoes, but I'll figure it out. I've never needed an excuse to go shoe shopping.

And I'm writing about it. I started up my journaling again last week, and here I am writing a blog. So I'm making progress.

I still have a little money left to raise, about $300. If you had intended to donate, and forgot, or if you didn't plan on it but can, you can donate right now online here. Anything you can give is helpful to reaching the goal.

But here's what I really wanted to share with you: this video. So many people ask what it's like over there, and why on earth I would ever go there, and how I could possibly feel safe there (which I do). And this video, while not a prefect representation, will definitely give you an idea. It's called "The Afghanistan I Know" which is the perfect title. I believe the reason people ask these questions is because all they know of Afghanistan is what they see on the news, which is generally very bad. It's a lot of death and destruction. It's bombed out buildings and oppressed women. It's everything that you would expect a war-zone to look like. And while all of that is true, that's not the Afghanistan I know.

What people don't see are the sweet children. They don't get to sit with the women who are working so hard to change their country. They don't get to see the growth and progress that has been made over the last 5+ years. They don't see the hope and promise of the future. They don't get to see what I see.

So watch this video, and get an idea of what I see when I'm there, and why this place has captured my heart.

Delayed

We were supposed to leave early next week, but we're not. There are lots of reasons, and they are all great reasons, and the right reasons to not go at this time. But that doesn't always make it easier to wait. 

Unlike most of my fellow team mates who have been before, I have never been on a trip that has been delayed. One of them has had just about every trip she's been on delayed. But I haven't, and I still don't know what to think or how to process it. I keep looking at my fully packed suitcase. I open my fridge and am reminded by the lack of food that I'm supposed to be getting on a plane next week, but I'm not. I get texts and emails and words of encouragement from people and have to break it to them that we aren't going right now. And yet, it doesn't quite feel real. I feel stuck in limbo. But I'm not in limbo, I know what's happening, but I can't seem to move forward. 

And so I sit and look at the suitcase and wonder when I should unpack it. I have trips and other things before we leave that I will need to use it for, so the clothes can't just sit in it, they must be hung-up, put away, or returned. I think about the people I need to tell and how best to ask for prayer and support. I think about my wide open schedule next week, and I think about leaving town since I wasn't supposed to be here anyway.

But mostly I think about Afghanistan. I think about the women and children. I think about the staff.  I think about the stories that I will get to hear eventually. I think about the games that we will play. I think about the laughter and and joy that I will experience when I get to see that beautiful place and those wonderful people again. Even if I have to wait for it. And that makes the waiting a little easier.

Prayer requests: 

• Our team as we process through this delay. 
• The Afghan election process. That the recount would be finished, that it would all be calm and safe, and that whomever is elected is respected. 
• The staff of SOZO. They are amazing and always put our safety first.
• The Afghan people. They wake up every morning and go about their day. They take their kids to school, they go to work, they go to the market and do all the things we do, but they live in a world where safety isn't a thing and life could change in an instant. They are so brave.

Heading back...

Well, if you have subscribed to this blog - thanks for sticking around! I haven't posted anything in two years, and yet you're still here. Which means that you're probably related to me, but if not, you are a rockstar!

As you may or may not know, I am headed back to Afghanistan this fall for my fourth (!) trip. It's so hard to believe that it was 5 years ago that I first stepped foot in this amazing country, and I am extremely excited to go back. I am excited not only because I will get to see dear friends that I have made over the last few years, but because the focus of this trip is something that I think will have the ability change Afghanistan, in amazing positive ways, in the years to come.

My past few trips have focused on building relationships, which is one of the greatest values in Afghanistan. I have been able to get to know the SOZO staff very well, have been able to show love and honor to women and have spent countless hours having tea, chatting and laughing. These relationships are the foundation for what SOZO plans for the next few years, and we get to be part of the beginning of that. We will be doing a census! More specifically we will be doing a census of the families of the kids involved in the Kabul Street School that SOZO runs.

The Kabul Street School is specifically for kids who beg on the street for part of the day as a way to support their families. Many of these children have lost at least one parent, and some have lost both and live with extended family, but all of them are counted on by their family to bring home money so that there is some food to eat that day. The only opportunity for these kids to receive an education is through the Kabul School. In addition to an amazing education each kid at the school is fed a meal - quite possibly the only meal that they will eat that day.

Due to the lack of education during the wars of the 80's and 90's many of the caretakers of these children are uneducated and may not be able to read or write, which limits their job possibilities. Many of them have a skill which allows them to bring home a little money, but not much. The census we will be doing will find out not only familial events - deaths, births, children, etc. - we will also be asking about skills and education that they have. This will allow SOZO to develop education and work programs as well as build community among the families - all important things if we want to break the cycle of poverty. The long-term goal is that these families would become more self-sufficient, that the kids in the school would go to college and get good jobs that will allow them to provide for their families and make Afghanistan a prosperous country.

And I am once again inviting you to be part of this journey. Please be in prayer for this trip, my team, the country of Afghanistan and for me. Please read this blog. I plan to post something every week or so until we leave and then hopefully while we are away. And I also need your financial support. The cost of this trip is $3500, and I have been blown away by the support that I have already received, but I still have a ways to go. You can donate online here and be sure to select my name from the drop down menu. If you prefer to pay by mail you can send cash or a check made out to FCC with my name in the memo line to: Flatirons, 355 W. South Boulder Rd., Lafayette, CO 80026.

This opportunity is truly humbling and to have people like you come alongside me makes me stand in awe.

If you have any questions you can always comment or send me an email.