One Crazy Week

As I laid my head on the pillow this week I fell asleep to the sound of 3,000 rioters down the street.  The chants are getting louder and louder.  As I type this helicopters are circling overhead launching flares into the crowd.  Rioters are being sprayed with water, which apparently has no affect on them.  Afghan police are using stun-guns we bought for them to separate the mob.  The crowd is angry.  Tires are being burned and thrown over the fence.  Smoke grenades are being tossed to break-up the crowd.

The entry control point has been shut-down.  The base relies on inbound vehicles to provide services like water delivery, waste removal, septic and laundry.  With no inbound trucks, all bathrooms have been shut down forcing us to use porta-johns.  With no waste removal, porta-johns are not getting emptied, so waste is piling up.  The odor is unbearable.  With no water delivery, kitchens were only serving bare-minimum items and offering MREs.  Laundry has been shut-down all week.  I went 4 days without taking a shower.  I shaved using a rusted metal shack outside as a mirror with a 6 oz bottle of water.  Yesterday the water came back on for a while, long enough to take a quick shower. 

As miserable as the week has been, I found great comfort in reading scripture.  Stef and I are going through a bible reading plan together.  Today’s reading was Psalm 56.  Isn’t it interesting how God’s Word is always relevant to the season of life you are going thru? 

Listen to Psalm 56: “Be merciful to me, O God, for men hotly pursue me; all day long they press their attack.  My slanderers pursue me all day long; many are attacking me in their pride.  When I am afraid, I will trust in you.  In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.  What can mortal man do to me?”.  It reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 10:28: “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.  Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell”. 

Isn’t this an amazing piece of scripture?  These verses tell me the worst thing the enemy can do is to take our lives.  The reason we shouldn’t be fearful is because if our bodies die, our souls are immediately with God in heaven.  If we were to take those verses literally how would it impact our lives?  Would we spend less time worrying?  And what would it do to the anxious people over here in a war zone?  I think, perhaps, it would free our minds to focus on the greatness of God. 

Ceremony for Fallen Soldier

This week I participated in a ceremony for a fallen soldier in our unit.  The military always pays respect to those who die in the line of duty, especially here in the midst of war.  The ceremony took place at the flight line.  Many of us formed up in several smaller units and stood at attention while the honor guard carried the flags. 

Soon the humvee with the casket drove by and we all saluted the vehicle.  As you might imagine, there is a lot of protocol that comes with the way the casket is prepared.  When a flag is draped over a coffin the union is always placed over the head of the deceased.  The flag is vey meticulously wrapped around the casket.  At the funeral in the United States the flag will be ceremoniously removed from the coffin and presented to the family (usually the wife) as “Taps” is being played. 

The pall bearers marched to the vehicle and slowly carried the casket onto the back of the C-130.  Many of the co-workers walked by to pay last tributes to their friend and fellow soldier who lost his life.  The body was flown to Dover Air Force Base for testing.  It was a sad day for many here at the office. 

Updates

Well, it’s been a while since I’ve updated and I have lots to share, so where do I start?

First of all, thank you to the First Presbyterian Church, Kooeinga’s, Clarks, Colburns, and Garners for your packages.  I got all kinds of goodies this week, including homemade cookies, almonds, mixed nuts, chewing gum, Hanalei Tea, Kaui Cookies, Mauna Loa Macadamias, Kaui Nut Roasters, starburst candies, and sandal-shaped gummies.  Also, thanks Kim and Matt for the sleeping mask, it has really helped.  It’s always fun to receive boxes from people who care about you and love you.  Thank you!

On Saturday for lunch 4 of us guys decided to eat at Aziz’s (below).  Aziz’s is a locally run, traditional Afghan eatery located on the Northwest side of the base.  There are only 4 tables in the restaurant.  I had a rack of lamb on rice, topped with fried raisins, slivered carrots, and pistachios.  It turned out pretty good.  Lamb is the most widely used meat in Afghanistan.  The only downside of the lunch was waiting one hour and 45 minutes for the food.  It was snowing outside and you could see the cook through a hole in the wall cooking up the lamb outside.  I think the falling snow slowed his cooking time.

Here’s my entrée below.  Let’s just say I don’t think Dad would ever eat at this restaurant!

Here’s a picture of my room with my new desk.  I found this desk broken, on the side of the road outside my B Hut.  All it needed was some extra screws in the leg to hold it in place.  A few days later, I found a broken metal chair and bent the metal back in place, so now I have somewhere to sit as I type.  It has been so nice to have a chair and desk in my room.

Here’s my view from the desk I work at everyday.  The building I work in is one of the newest buildings on the base.  Directly in front of me is a flat-screen television where I can watch highlights from news channels in the states.  Early this morning we had a group of people in here watching the Super Bowl.  The Ops Center is directly across the hall from my office, where about 30 people do the day-to-day mission work here at the Regional Support Command. 

Thanks to Kim and Matt for the beautiful Hawaiian calendar I get to look at each day.  It reminds me there are other places in the world besides Afghanistan.  Next to the calendar are some of my favorite pictures from our little family.

Behold the Lamb of God

This week I have been listening to the “Behold the Lamb of God” album that Jen and Todd bought for me.  I like having something to listen to as I work-out in the afternoons.  I found the music to be very good and the lyrics to be so rich in meaning.  I’ve been thinking of the words to the song, “Deliver Us” a lot recently.  I posted some of the lyrics so you can see.  It is a reminder to me that God frees us from the bondage of sin, releases our shackles, and sets our hearts on Him.  Thanks for the music Todd and Jen!

Our enemy, our captor is no pharaoh on the Nile Our toil is neither mud nor brick nor sand Our ankles bear no calluses from chains, yet Lord, we're bound Imprisoned here, we dwell in our own land Deliver us, deliver us Oh Yahweh, hear our cry And gather us beneath your wings tonight Our sins they are more numerous than all the lambs we slay These shackles they were made with our own hands Our toil is our atonement and our freedom yours to give So Yahweh, break your silence if you can

Thank You!

I’ve been blessed to receive so many thoughtful letters and packages.  Today I received a wonderful care package from Cori and Cason.  They thought of all my favorites:  sour patch kids, swedish fish, popcorn, coffee, the game Mad Gab, and LOTS of other things.  Thanks guys!  I also got a box from Stefanie with iPod ear phones, pictures of the kids, and gummi candy!

Every once in a while we get boxes of letters from elementary students from schools all across the country.  My co-worker likes to read them out loud during the day.  Some of them are quite funny.  We post the best ones on the wall for everyone to read.

Snowed In

The snow started falling here last Thursday night and didn’t stop until Saturday.  We ended up with several inches, which made travel back and forth to work interesting.  It made me glad to be walking in waterproof combat boots.  Temperatures have lowered into the teens overnight and caused the snow to turn into a solid sheet of ice.  Planes were grounded on the runway and all available snow plows were diverted to clear the taxiways.  With no missions taking off I’ve been able to get some of the best nights of sleep I’ve had yet.  The snow really boosted morale here.  Soldiers were making snowmen on their breaks.  Airmen were throwing snowballs at one another.  It was fun to see a lighter side after months of the same dull weather.

Here’s a look down Disney Road, the path I take to work each day.

Right outside my B-Hut.  By early afternoon most of the snow had compacted and turned into ice.

Here’s one of the many water bottle supply points.  Get the water before it freezes again!

Our B Huts here are made of half-inch plywood and offer no insulation.  We have a heater but it can barely keep up with the freezing temperatures.  So I bought an electric blanket here at the PX which helps.  I crank it up to the highest setting every night!

Christmas Morning Rocket Attack

Well, Christmas started off here at Bagram Air Base with a bang… literally!  I awoke at 1:08AM this morning to the sound of sirens going off, lights flashing, and commotion in the hallway.  A loudspeaker situated outside my room repeated, “Rocket attack, don your IBA (individual body armor) and take shelter immediately”.  Phones were ringing in the rooms next door as everyone began to take accountability.  Everything was moving so fast.  I was still rubbing my eyes after being sound asleep and couldn’t really process what was going on.  I never heard the first rocket attack, only the flash of light from the strobe outside my room and speaker.  After about 3 minutes though I heard a second explosion.  A loud rumbling shook the ground. 

From my B Hut I could not determine exactly where the rocket hit, but knew it landed somewhere on the Eastern side of the base.  I called my three people and reported accountability up to the Colonel.  A few minutes after the second explosion, you could hear a slew of jets taking off from the runway.  Security Forces vehicles were dispatched to conduct perimeter checks.  At about 2:00AM a voice came over the speaker to declare “All Clear”.  The jets landed after being in the air for about 20 minutes. 

After the attacks in the early morning hour I could not go back to sleep.  My mind was racing.  What is next?  Is tonight going to be it?  Will I live to see Christmas day?  Will I be able to attend the morning worship service?  I spent time praying that God would keep me safe and allow me to return to my family.  By the grace of God the rockets did not kill or injure anybody.  This morning I learned the rockets hit an unoccupied side of the base on the South East side. 

Today’s mortar attacks reminded me that we are at war here.  Not just a physical war.  A war against Christianity and Islam.  The day they chose to launch rockets over the fence is no coincidence.  The Christmas morning attacks send a clear message that our recognition of Jesus entering the world is reprehensible with Muslim beliefs.  The Muslim world is outraged about Christianity.

The person and work of Jesus is absolutely central in Christianity. He is our foundation, our cornerstone, our pillar by which we stand.  Yet 99.9% of the Afghan population is Muslim.  Muslims and Christians do not worship the same God.  Muslims do not believe in a Jesus who entered the world, who gave His life as a ransom, who arose from the dead, and who claimed to be the divine Son of God.  All those things are rejected by Islam.  Today is a day I praise God that He sent Jesus, and He answered my prayers for safety.  Have a Merry CHRISTmas!