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.

My Heart is Full

Today was spent mostly in the guest house, which may sound boring, but was actually a wonderful day.  We spent the morning playing games and our constant laughter filled the air.  Some of the teachers form the Kabul Street school came over and we were able to teach them how to plant the seeds we had brought.  They each seemed so excited to be able to bring this back to their kids at the school because most of these kids rarely get a meal beyond what is provided at the school, let alone healthy fresh vegetables.

As we sat for tea with the teachers we started talking and they started asking us questions about American culture and such.  It is in moments like that that you realize how vastly different our cultures our.  They were baffled by us having pets, let alone loving them as children.  It is difficult for them to wrap their minds around single women over the age of 25, and that not being a negative thing.  Mary is over 60, married, but never had children by choice, but to them that is a very shameful thing.  You realize that the things that our cultures value are very different.

But there are also so many similarities.  They place a high value on education because they know that is the key to making Afghanistan once again a successful, thriving country.  They value family and relationships, often more than we do.  They value hard work and not settling for the way things have always been. And it is in those similarities that all of our differences fade away and we are just women and men joining together to make the world a better, more peaceful and safer place to be for those we care about.

We head home tomorrow, and while I miss my loved ones at home, I will also miss these amazing people once I have left.  I never feel ready to go, but I know that God has these people in His hands.  I hope and pray that I will see them again, and if I don't I hope my time spent here made a difference in their lives.  They are beloved and I am a better person for having met them.

Cause You Never Know When You're Going to Ride a Camel

No really, you never know.

Barek Aub is a village about an hour north east of Kabul.  We began working there in 2007, starting with building a well, funding the building of a school and clinic and then homes for widows.  My first trip there in 2009 Barek Aub looked like this

Now it looks like this

Upon pulling into Barek Aub on Saturday I was immediately struck by how much the town has grown in the last 18 months.  The clinic used to be the furthest building south, now there are many, many homes south of the clinic as well as a new girls school built by UNICEF.  There are many more homes and even new solar-powered streetlights.  Barek Aub has definitely moved from a village to a town with plenty of room to grow. 

The first thing we did in Barek Aub was to visit with some of the CW workers and thank them for the work that they do.  These women are one of the biggest reasons that Barek Aub is thriving.  Each of them visits 50-75 different homes each Monday to share health lessons and and build community with the women there. Because of them, the families in Barek Aub are healthier and happier.  We then visited the literacy class and gave those women gifts to encourage them to continue to learn to read and write. 

We then headed over to the new girls school.  UNICEF did an amazing job building this school, it is absolutely beautiful!!  It is so wonderful to know that the girls in Barek Aub are receiving a great education in a great building.  We delivered gift bags of clothing, food, school supplies and toys to each of the girls.  They always get so excited to see us, probably because we bring them gifts many times, but just to see their absolute joy is wonderful. Because of the rain on Saturday we decided to return on Sunday.

Today we again headed out to Barek Aub, but the scenery was much different. Yesterday was incredibly rainy while today was a beautiful, warm day full of amazing sunshine.  We started the day at the boys school.  Part of the goal of this trip was to introduce the seed project.  We wanted to distribute seeds and teach people in Barek Aub and Kabul on how to grow them so that they would have a more well-rounded diet.  We took pea, bean and squash seeds as well as seed pots to each classroom and taught them how to plant them and what they look like when they harvest them.  We did the same at the girls school.  The students and teachers were so very thankful for this lesson.  They said that this will help them to become more self-sufficient and to lead healthier lives, which will benefit their entire community and the country of Afghanistan.  

Because the drive to and from Barek Aub takes a little while, the conversations are always interesting.  Today one of the staff members asked us on the way out if we wanted to ride a camel, to which we responded, "of course." He said that if we saw a camel during our drive we would go ride it, and I'm quite sure he never thought that we would see one.  But on the ride home Hillary spotted two off the side of the road, and we immediately turned around.  We did some negotiating on price with the Kuchi (nomad) people and 6 of us rode the camel, Layla, around the field. Like I said you just never know when you're going to ride a camel.

Beauty in the Broken

As you turn off the main road to start heading up the mountain it's like taking a step back into a more simple, laid-back life. Shepherds with their herds of goats and sheep and farmers working vineyards by hand is all you see between the clay boundary walls of homes. Everything becomes greener and more lush as the hustle and bustle of Kabul city life drains away and you head up towards the city of Istalif.

Istalif is much like Estes Park: Up in the foothills, lots of trees and beautiful landscapes, with a river running through it.  It was once the crowning glory of Afghanistan, where people would go on holiday to rest and enjoy some time away.  Today it is well on its way to being that once again.

We visited the clinic there, which sits up on top of a hill, nestled in a large grove of trees. We toured the clinic and learned about everything they do there.  The clinic is more like a miniature hospital: They have a female doctor who lives on site and is available 24 hours for delivering babies (about 20 babies a month are born in the clinic), a vaccination center (Polio is almost eradicated!), lab testing, pharmacy, leischmeniasis (a disease caused by a fly) clinic and a dentist. They also have an ambulance that can transport people to the hospital in Kabul if their injuries or medical needs are too much for the clinic to handle. The clinic has made such a difference in the lives of the people living in the mountain villiages and they are so thankful to have such great medical care near by.

We had the opportunity to sit and eat kabobs down by the river. It was like a little picnic and a little slice of heaven.  And when you follow such a nice lunch up with shopping, it doesn't get much better.

Joy Made Visible

There are always certain days during the trip that you know will live with you forever, yesterday was one of those days.

Yesterday we were able to go to the Kabul school.  This school is for street kids who need to get the basic skills before they can move on to education in the public schools.  There are currently 222 students at the school in 6 different classes. We spent the day going into the various classes teaching them english and songs. One of the highlights was watching Megan, one of my team members. She is a PE teacher and she spent hours, in the sun, foot juggling soccer balls, kicking balls with kids and playing volleyball. In Afghanistan girls are discouraged from playing sports.  For part of the day I was teamed up with her to help teach the class.

When I started playing with the girls and throwing the ball for them to kick, they were at first reluctant.  But all it took was one brave girl and they all wanted to play.  Each time I would throw the ball to them and they would kick it they would instantly all start to giggle, and the pure joy at being able to play with a ball was visible. Later, after we had been playing ball for a few hours, the boys all went inside and we were left with the girls in the courtyard.  I had one little girl come over and sit next to me and all she wanted to do was cuddle.  She never said a word, but would not leave my side for anything.

Other little girls would bring me flowers and she would take them and put them in my hair. It wasn't the most beautiful hairstyle, but will always be one of my favorites.  As I sat there with her, I wondered how often she gets loved on and hugged at home.

I never did learn her name, or really anything about her, but she will forever live in my heart. 

We've arrived!

Well, we have finally made it to Kabul.  After a great day of team bonding yesterday, today we woke up ready and excited to finally go to Afghanistan.  The flight was uneventful and the transition into Kabul was seamless. We met up with some of the staff in the airport lobby, and then loaded up the cars for our drive to the guest house.

As always the traffic in Kabul is an adventure all in itself.  Today the traffic was a bit light but there were still plenty of donkeys, people and other cars to dodge on the road. We arrived at the guest house to warm welcomes from the rest of the staff. We were able to spend some great time with the staff, telling stories and getting to know one another before a delicious dinner.  We spent the time after dinner planning for the Kabul school tomorrow and sorting gifts.

Thank you for all your prayers.  Everything seems to be calm and back to normal, and I'm excited to see what the week holds.

Sometimes stuff happens

As you may have heard, there was a bombing in Kabul yesterday.  First and foremost, everyone connected with Sozo is fine.  Second, we were not there when it happened, and are in fact still not there.  I'm sitting in a hotel room in Dubai.

When we landed in Dubai yesterday we heard from the Sozo national director about the bombing.  We had always planned to do some sight-seeing in Dubai (more on that in a bit), spend the night and take the noon flight to Kabul. It has been decided that we will spend another night in Dubai and see what today brings in Afghanistan.  Things change rapidly over there from good to bad to great, so the wait and see approach is usually the best. Please know that if the staff feels it is too dangerous for us to be there we will head back to the US, but I hope that we will be able to continue on to Kabul and encourage the women there in the midst of tragedy.

A little bit of fun info: Last night I got to go up in the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa! It was so cool to be able to see Dubai at night from that high, it was beautiful!!  I hope to post pictures soon.

Please continue to pray for us and Afghanistan.

All my love.

On being blown away

One of the weirdest things about going to Afghanistan is raising the money to go.  In case you didn't know, plane flights half-way around the world are very expensive, and so raising the money to go is very daunting.  It is humbling and odd to go to your friends and family and ask them to support such a crazy adventure.  But the flip side of asking people for money, is the generosity that I experience in the process.  It constantly blows me away.  And it in this amazing generosity that God does so much work.

You see, I'm inclined to say no for people, which can manifest itself in so many ways, but usually I just don't ask.  And by not asking I have realized that I rob people of the opportunity of giving and supporting me in something that they would never be able to do, or even want to do, but something that they would be more than happy to give money towards.

And I think that's one of the biggest lessons I've learned from these trips.  I've learned that it's not fair for me to say no for people.  They are perfectly capable of doing that themselves, which they have every right to do, but I have to at least give them the opportunity.  And so often people say yes, and I am blown away.

So thank you to everyone that gives and prays and supports crazy adventures.  Adventures they would never be able to go on themselves, but believe in whole-heartedly.  Adventures that seem so insane that you'll never understand it, but know that it changes the world in ways you can't begin to imagine.  Adventures that bring more hope and peace to the world.  Adventures like this one.

And thank you God for always showing me how big and powerful You are and that You do in fact care about all the little details. Thank you for blowing me away.

It's been a while...

... a really long while.  Truth be told, I've been struggling with this post for a while. The blog is called Adventures in Life, but it really only seems to be about Afghanistan.  Maybe after this trip I'll post more often.  More about my other adventures.  More about life.  Maybe.

So my next adventure is back to Afghanistan in April.  This will be my third trip, my second on an all-women's team, and although Afghanistan holds a piece of my heart, each trip is completely different and teaches me something completely new.  A new group of people to travel with, new places to go, and general changes in the country mean that no two trips are ever alike.  Just like snowflakes.

With the recent events I know that many of you are concerned.  But please know that we are keeping in constant contact with people on the ground there.  These people care more about keeping us safe than just about anything else, and if they say that it isn't safe, or have even the slightest concern, we will postpone the trip. Would that be hard? Absolutely. You begin to anticipate your trip and get so excited about it long before you leave, and the let down of not going then can be hard.  But it would be wise. And that is more important than what I want or feel.  Generally the wisest things in life are also the hardest.

So with my trip a month away, I am getting excited. I'm excited to see my friends there and be able to talk to them in person. I'm excited to meet a whole bunch of women and encourage them. But I'm also praying.  I'm praying for the families of those innocently killed.  I'm praying for our service members that are over there.  I'm praying for my friends. I'm praying.

Please join me in praying. 

Home

So it has taken me a couple weeks to readjust back to American life, which is why I haven't posted since I got back.  Sorry.

The last day in Afghanistan was a bit of a whirl-wind.  We were able to go visit the kids at the Sozo School in Kabul.  These are street kids that go to school in the mornings and are fed lunch and then they will head out into the streets to beg for money to help support their families.  In Kabul you'll see hundreds of these kids everyday, sitting outside shops or knocking on your window, and it breaks your heart.  But to know that 160 of them are getting an education, so that their kids won't have to beg that way, will also give you hope.

After lunch it was packing and then heading out to the airport.

Leaving Afghanistan is always bitter-sweet.  Just like any lengthy trip, I long for my own bed and the comforts of home.  But I also want to stay and spend more time with the people that I have come to love.  It is a tug-o-war on my heart.

And now that I've been home for a couple weeks, I can tell you that I miss Afghanistan dearly.  I miss my breakfasts with long-term team members of naan, Nutella and Happy Cow cheese.  I miss the beautiful mountains.  I miss the children, whose faces light up when they meet you, and who instantly invite you into their lives.  I miss the Sozo staff, who work so hard to make Afghanistan better.  I miss the crazy driving.  I miss it all.

But I also live with the hope that one day I will return.  And I will get to see the faces of the children and women that I met.  That I will get to see the difference that Sozo is making.  That I will get to see this amazing country full of amazing people continue to grow, and that they will thrive in the face of adversity and struggle.  One day.

Thank you all for your love and support.  You may not realize it, but you touched lives.  You helped give hope and encouragement to women in a place where they rarely receive such gifts.  I'm sure if they had the opportunity to meet you, they would hug you and say, "Tashakor" which means thank you.

A land of contradiction

"She is everything.  I'm talking about Hannah Montana" - Wakil

Today I stepped into a land of contradiction.  Today we got the opportunity to go visit the women's detention center.  No other team has ever gone, so we had no idea what to expect.  We knew what American jails were like, and could only imagine what this place would be like.  There was some fear and trepidation, but we walked beyond the stone walls and through the gate and could not have been more surprised.

When I met the woman who runs the detention center I knew that anything I expected inside would be wrong.  She was not what I expected. She didn't wear a head scarf and immediately reached out to shake Wakil's hand, two things that make her incredibly distinctive in a country where women are always covered and never touch a man in public.

After a brief tour we went into an office to ask questions and learn more about the detention center.  We immediately resonated with the woman who runs the place.  She is all about giving respect and dignity back to women, even women who have committed crimes.  She gives an incredible amount of respect to the women who are jailed here, and you can tell that they also respect and care about her.  This woman, employed by the Afghan government, defying the rules of the land.

The biggest shock was how much freedom women in jail have compared to those that live in the city.   In prison they are free to walk about as they please.  They are free to choose who they room with.  They are free to get an education.  These are things that we hope for for all Afghan women.  Who knew that I would have to walk behind walls meant to punish to find such freedom.  

Unexpected

"Can you translate 'Scream like a little girl'?" - Mary to one of our translators upon getting into a boat with all the male drivers.

What an unexpected day.  We knew that we would be taking all the ladies of Sozo staff out to a lake for lunch, but had no idea what to expect.

We loaded 35 women into 5 vans, and headed out from the guest house.  We had just passed the grassless Kabul Golf Course, and suddenly this pristine, blue lake appeared.  Upon entering the resort we were greeted to lush trees and grass and a stunning view of  the lake and mountains.  Most of these women had never been to this beautiful resort.  They immediately began walking around and wanting their picture taken in the beautiful scenery.  After some tea and cookies we went for some boat rides.  None of these women had ever been on a boat, and many had no idea what to expect.  They entered the boat with some trepidation, but as soon as we left shore the giggles and water fights began.  To hear the squeals of laughter and joy was one of the best noises I have ever heard.

After the boat rides we sat down for a lunch of kabob and rice.  The food was incredible as usual, but the conversation was the best part of lunch.  Conversation flowed smoothly as we discussed life, relationships and chocolate.  At the end of our time together one of the doctors told us that she had a great day, and will call this day "laughing day."

To say that this day was unexpected is an understatement.  To find this resort in the middle of a desert, to find so much peace in the midst of calm.  To connect and laugh and fall in love with women I didn't know existed a week ago.  To get to sit with a principal and her daughter on their first boat ride and see their delight.  To watch women of Afghanistan stand up and be proud of who they are and what they have accomplished.  It was all so very unexpected.

Small Steps

"Well, that was a massive amount of meat." - Karen, after eating at The Grill

Heading out to Barek Aub this morning I was full of anticipation and hope.  Today we got to sit with the Community Health Workers (CHW) and the Community Development Educators (CDE).  These women are a very large part of why this community is thriving, and it was an honor to spend the morning with them.  Each of them goes into their little section of the community and teaches others how to live a healthy, productive lives, and then those people teach others and the entire community becomes a strong, healthy place.  Mary and Katy were able to meet with them two years ago, and many of the women remembered them and were so excited to see them again.  As a team we had all been praying for many of these women before we got here, so to be able to sit in the room and see familiar faces allowed all of us to make a deep connection with them.

We then headed out to another widow's home, where we were able to sit with 7 women.  While we were there, Wakil was approached by another widow and she was hoping to show him her home.  As he turned the corner to see her house, he realized that she was still living in a tent in the midst of a group of homes, and his heart broke.  She lives there with 6 children and it is now November and will be getting very cold in the coming weeks.  Wakil ordered her a new home, on the spot, to be built in the next 20 days so that she will have a roof and walls for the winter.

The Sozo staff are amazing people that have incredibly large hearts.  They all have a desire to see positive change in Afghanistan, and they all know that it starts with simple steps.  Things as small as making sure that a widow and her 6 children make it through the winter.  Making sure that a small child has the chance to get a basic education and food before he begs on the streets.  Through teaching a young woman to boil her water before drinking it so that her family doesn't get sick.  By ensuring that a local clinic has basic medical supplies to treat infections.  Through each of these small steps they will change Afghanistan.  What an honor to be part of it all.

How do you express that much joy?

Each night I go to bed thinking that there is no way that tomorrow could possibly be better than today.  And each day I am proved wrong.

Today we were able to take our first trip out to Barek Aub.  Barek Aub is a small town north of Kabul that Sozo has been involved with since it was a tent of 300 families in a field.  Today they have a water system, a school, a clinic and many homes.  As we drove out to Barek Aub, I was struck by how much has changed on the way there.  18 months ago it was fairly barren between Kabul and Barek Aub, but now there are many new side roads and buildings along the way.  We saw a lot of construction and even surveyors getting measurements for future construction.  When we pulled into Barek Aub I was amazed at how much had changed.  There were so many more homes and actual roads and a playground.  But still that initial tent stood in the middle of town.  It is a reminder of where they started, and when you look around it you can see how far they have come.

A couple of years ago Sozo started constructing homes for widows in Barek Aub, and we were able to go visit three of those homes and spend time with 10 different widows.  The experience in the first home will stay with me forever.

As we walked in we were all struck by the beauty of the home.  Not only is it constructed amazingly well, but it was truly a home.  It had beautiful walls painted in two shades of pink, with some glitter thrown in.  The carpets on the floor were beautiful and the toshacks were all laid out on the floor.  And then we met the young woman who lived there.  Her name is Soma and she is 18.  She is not a widow in the traditional sense, her mother died when she was a child and her father is disabled.  She has two sisters, one who is 12 that lives with her and her father.  And she is the woman of the house.   And as she was pouring us tea, she told us how thankful she was to Sozo for giving her so much.  As she continued pouring tea she began to pour our her soul to us and how she had felt so hopeless before but that this house and everything she has received has given her a hope for the future, and the tears began to pour from her eyes.

Being in that room and being able to hug Soma and her sister was overwhelming.   But knowing that because of the work that Sozo is doing and the encouragement that we were able to give Soma today, will give her hope and that she may one day become the doctor that she dreams to be, there are no words for that.  I will forever be grateful to be a small part of the transformation that is happening in this country.

"We have realized two things: everyone cries the same, and everyone laughs the same." - Mary

Fly swatters and chocolate

Today was an amazing day.  The highlights happened before lunch and after dinner.  After breakfast we were able to begin sorting items that we had brought and that Sozo had been given that we will give to some of the women here.  They are both everyday items like lotion, soap, and shampoo as well as little gifts like hand knitted hats and scarves.

In the middle of the sorting, the school teachers from the Sozo School in Kabul came to visit.  The Sozo School is a school that teaches kids that have to work to help support their families, by begging or selling little trinkets in the street.  If they don't work, there is a good chance that many of their families will not eat.  Because of the need for them to work, most of them have not been educated, so the Sozo School tries to fill the gap.  There are about 170 kids there now, and each class may have kids that are between the ages of 6 and 15, but they are all at the same ability level.  The teachers are all amazing women who have a passion to helping children who may not have any other chance to learn how to read or write.  They hope to give these children a better future.  We enjoyed some time sitting and talking and getting to know one another.  The wonderful thing about women is that no matter where we live we are all the same.  We all understand the fights that happen between sisters, we all understand family and struggle to balance it all.  It becomes so easy to connect with these women when you realize that they are just like you, they just live somewhere else.

The rest of the afternoon was spent bagging all of the stuff we had sorted in the morning. After dinner we all went into the living room to spend some time relaxing.  Wakil came and joined us, and in no time had us all laughing.  At one point I was laughing so hard that I began crying.  We sat around laughing and eating chocolate and having fun.  It was a wonderful ending to an amazing day.

"I pray that Afghanistan will no longer need guns... just fly swatters and chocolate" - Wakil

Kites in Kabul

We made it safely! We had no travel problems and made it to the guest house in Kabul safe and sound and ready for a great breakfast Friday morning.  After a wonderful morning of spending time with members of the long-term team and two wonderful meals, Wakil took us out for a city tour.  Kabul is a beautiful city, full of unexpected sights.

Wakil first took us up to one of the many hills that overlook the city.  Kabul is surrounded by mountains so there are many "foothills" within the city.  The one had the tombs of the king and queen at the top.  There were lots of children running around, and hundreds of boys and men flying kites.  Kite flying is one of the national past times here, and it was outlawed by the Taliban when they were in power.  It was wonderful to see so many kites in the air.

Then we went to the palace.  The palace is one of the normal stops on the city tour, and was once a magnificent building.  It was destroyed in the 70's during one of the civil wars, and now looks like this:

There were lots of kids running around and we inquired one of the guards as to where they had come from, and we found out that they were living there.  The palace had recently been turned into a home for some Internally Displaced People (IDP's) from up north.  There are 312 families living there, which is about 1500-1800 people.  They have a well, and Unicef has put up tents where the children can go to school, but the building doesn't offer much protection from the elements.  Wakil is currently working on ways to get them extra help.

When we found out that so many families were living there, it was a very sobering moment.  Up until then we had had a fairly carefree day, but at that moment we were reminded that this is a country that is still at war, and that even if the fighting all ends today, the people who live here will face challenges for many years to come as they rebuild their country and their lives.  But the hopeful part is that there are organizations like Sozo that can, and are, making a huge difference in the lives of Afghans.  They are bringing hope to people who could easily be hopeless, and we get to be a small part of it.

We're off!

Well, actually we were off about 24 hours ago, but this is the first chance I've had to sit down with internet connection.  We made it from DIA to Washington DC and are now sitting in the departure lounge at the Dubai airport.  We'll go check in for our flight to Kabul in about an hour and land in Afghanistan in about 7.  Then the goal becomes staying awake.

So you know who all of us are, here's a picture of the team before we left DIA:

From left to right they are: Amanda, me, Debbie, Kelly, Cathi, Mary, Karen, Katy, Deb and Cyndy.

  

Purple, Yellow, Raspberry, Pink, Green, Gold, Blue

A couple weeks ago my team and I had our service day.  It's a chance for the team to do serve locally and to spend more time getting to know each other.  For our service day we got to paint the shed out at the community garden.

The community garden is on the outskirts of Lafayette, and people pay for a plot and all we ask is that they donate part of what they grow to a local food bank or to a family that is in need.  The shed has been out there, and is completely usable, but needed a little love just to look better.  

So one Saturday morning, after a stop at the local Starbucks, we all headed over in our painting clothes.  We had visions of lots of color, and spent a good amount of time mixing paint.  We didn't want to paint the whole thing one color, so I think we ended up with about 7.  We painted each surface a different color and then we let one of the artists take over and design all the accents.  And here's what we ended up with....

It's so bright and cheery, and we hope that the gardeners all enjoy it.  But the best part of the day was laughing and playing with my team.  They are amazing women and I am so excited to share this trip with them.