a view from the mountains, a view from a base.

so i'm cheating a little bit...it's actually the morning as i type this recap. we were all exhausted yesterday after our full day and i just had to sleep! :)

after our big (two) group breakfast, chatting for an hour or so, and singing worship songs, we headed out in what we've deemed the "party bus". (a quiet, culturally appropriate party bus, mind you.) we drove up the shomali plain and followed the west side of the valley, up into the mountain town of istalif. i visited this small town last year and was struck by the resilience and determination of the people to rebuild their town from literally nothing but rubble. we toured the clinic of the town, this one serves about 25,000-35,000 people and has become nearly self-sustaining through the town's efforts. it is great to see a community that is farther along in the development side in their work with this NGO.

after touring the clinic we were treated to lunch from a local kebab stand. fresh grilled lamb kebabs for all! we sat in the shade, listened to indian/afghan music, and enjoyed the gracious company of our hosts. when we all had our fill (and we sure did) we walked down to the old international hotel...to walk through the remnants of this once world famous hotel. i learned a new story about it this year. i had known that the taliban had taken over this town and claimed it as their own, due to its strategic mountain lookout location over the vital shomali plain. (the afghan's call it a "throne town". the soviets had also used this strategic location.) here's what i learned that's new: the taliban called together all the people of the town, telling them there was to be a jurga (meeting) in the hotel. when many of the townspeople had gathered in the hotel the taliban detonated the stockpile of bombs they had hidden in the lower level of the hotel. over 360 people died in a matter of minutes. ...i struggle to find words for the horror, for what it felt like to walk through the burned, broken remnants of where so many lost their lives in the matter of minutes.

a somber ride home was followed by some down time (nap for me) and the ladies getting henna'ed by some of the staff. a nice rejuvenating break before heading back out.

we were given the wonderful opportunity to head to camp eggers, a big US/german (etc.) base for their evening service. what an experience! we were lead past numerous checkpoints and guard stations, mazes of barracades, and in to the belly of the base. wow. viewing where our faithful soldiers live and rest before heading out to help the afghans defeat the taliban... it was surreal.

joining the worship service on the base was quite an honor. singing to our great God with fellow believers in a distant land...

my spirit is filled to the point of overflowing. let Your love flow out of me, great King of Kings.