i'm reminded of the book hind's feet on high places, and the flower "acceptance-with-joy".
today was a full day. a good day. our last day. (ugh. i loathe having to write those words...even though there are a number of things i am looking forward to in the states...there is more of me that longs to stay here.)
we headed out to barek aub early. some of our team is feeling a bit under the weather today, so the hour drive on a-stan's roads was a bit rough. (potholes that could swallow your car, a complete lack of "your side" and "my side" of the road, suddens stops, the dust, the heat...) anywhoodle, we made it safely and without anyone tossing their breakfast. the reason for today's trip was to give out certificates and appreciation gifts for 15 of the community health workers (CHWs). these people have been selected by the elders of the village, trained by the NGO we're partnered with, and sent out to teach the 600 families of barek aub. they teach sanitation, nutrition, waste management, birth control/family planning, and basic healthcare...just to name a few. oh, and have i mentioned that nearly all of the CHWs are women? literally. all but one.
the men gathered together in one room in the clinic, sitting on toshaks (mattress-couches) and drinking tea while we women gathered in the community health education (CHE) training room for the appreciation. the head of CHE for the organization spoke to the women, encouraging them and highlighting the importance of their work. (this same woman trained each of these CHWs.) one of the long term staff shared, and our female "elder" also shared our honor to join with them and thanking them for their vital work. women from 16 to over 40; the future of this community. when the CHW director talked about the future, using micro-loans to start small businesses, every woman in the room raised their hand to signify their interest. wow. the drive is there. the hope for something better. the joy in the progress made.
it was truly an honor to be among these women. their strength made me acutely aware of my "easy" life. i felt blessed to stand among my teammates in a receiving line, congratulating each CHW..."tabriq!" (kiss right cheek, kiss left cheek, kiss right cheek) "tashakor".
as we got ready to head out, a few kiddos meandered into the room. almost immediately i spotted a young girl from last summer, one we interviewed with her family in her home, hearing their story. oh, my heart... one of the staff translated as i told her that i remembered her and how we had spoken with her family. blank stare. disappointment mixed with understanding. as i sat patiently, watching my teammates and the other kiddos, this sweet girl, sunya, sidled up beside me. slowly, she warmed to me. smiles. giggles as we played with my camera. watching her eyes as she caressed her image on the camera's screen. my heart melted.
saying goodbye came too soon. blowing kisses to the girls from the back of the car. "khoda hafez!" (goodbye!) i wish i knew how to say "until next time!" ...until next time, my sweet, strong, hopeful children. may God shine His face upon you.
after leaving barek aub with heavy--but filled--hearts, most of us headed back to istalif via baghram. we head north to the city which houses the largest US base in the country, then west for a short bit, and back south to qara baragh until we turn west again to climb up the mountain to istalif. we headed up to buy some of their famous pottery, straight from the source, supporting the local economy. a quick bite at the kebab stand (lamb, anyone?) and we headed back down to kabul.
some snapshots from the baghram/istalif drive:
- CAMELS!! seriously. we saw five! one was quite close. wahoo! :)
- learning more about the nomadic kuchi people (who have the camels) who roam the land
- the stark contrast in landscape...the east side of the valley of the shomali plain is so barren, brown, and desolate...the west side so green and lush
- the green leaves of grape vines peeking up over the high mud walls
- sunflowers. in full bloom.
- white check marks along stones and buildings, noting that the area has been cleared of land mines. commence the outdoor excursions of children playing.
- talking and laughing with the girls as we road in "little pig" (the nickname for our faithful car)
a great trip. after returning "home" and checking on our under the weather teammates, we packed up our team bags with rugs, pottery, and about 1,000 hats to sell. these hats were made by the people of barek aub and all of the money will go to microloans for the community. (sidenote: can i say again how bittersweet it is to pack? we have all fallen deeply in love with this land, with these people.)
our full day was rounded out with dinner at the intercontinental hotel. man! what a place! we had to go through numerous security checkpoints to even get to the parking lot. what a trip down the rabbit hole from there... through a metal detector, around the hotel, under a trellis of grapes, and out into a courtyard. live musicians playing traditional afghan music. the lights of kabul shining below and on the surrounding hillsides. twinkling blue lights in all the surrounding trees. tables circling the perimeter. a topaz blue pool in the middle of it all. stunning. the food was spectacular...yet not far from our minds were the people we have met. as one of my teammates pointed out, it's hard to reconcile the stark contrast...that this place could exist just a few miles from the desperate poverty of the IDP camp we visited yesterday. sadness mixed with joy. a strong desire to advocate from the states while acknowledging and accepting my many blessings. ...and remembering to share my blessings with others.
"behold, i am your handmaiden, acceptance with joy" (- hannah hurnand)
i cling to my sovereign Lord. my heart is filled with thanks. i pray that the Spirit will help me pour out this love, thankfulness, and joy onto others as i travel back home.
as i finish perhaps my final posting from this country that has captured my heart, the same song i awoke singing this morning is again running through my head.
into marvelous light i'm running
out of darkness, out of shame
by the cross you are truth
you are the life
you are the way
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