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REASONS FOR HOPE IN AFGHANISTAN
Dear Friends of Compassion Radio / Compassion Radio,
At long last a report on our amazing trip to Afghanistan!
Although the brutal Taliban regime has been driven from power, we found that Afghanistan remains a harsh and difficult place.
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It started with our team's mile
long walk across the "Friendship Bridge" leaving Uzbekistan and
entering Afghanistan, dragging our luggage, our food for the
time there, and all the humanitarian aid we could haul along
with us, through 115º heat, with the hot desert winds blowing
the desert sand in our faces. Many of us with rolling suitcases
had wheels broken within minutes of the start of our trek. So we
ended up dragging dead weight behind us.
Unbelievably, when we came within view of the Afghan soldiers
guarding the border on the other side of the bridge, they came
out to help us carry our things! They were smiling broadly and
as welcoming as they could be!
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| WELCOME TO AFGHANISTAN |
After the slow process of
immigration (everything done long hand, written in a book that
looked about 30 years old - by someone who reads only Dari,
trying to decipher western names) we were taken to an
approximately 5'X5' building with a cooler out in front, where
the locals offered us their plastic chairs and even their own
cool drinks while we were waiting for our cool soda bottles to
be opened. What a lovely beginning.
We were then transported by van (the entire trip was made with 9
people in a 7 passenger, un-air-conditioned van! Lots of
Christian fellowship! Smile) to our guest house where we were to
stay. Oh, how we wish you could meet the precious Korean people
who are on the field there, doing their own ministry in the
community at the same time they are caring for the teams who
come to "work". Of course we all slept on the floor - and
thanked the Lord profusely when now-and-then the power would
come on, and the fans and one tiny swamp cooler would work for a
few minutes. There was never any power at night - so we enjoyed
the balmy temperature of only 95-97º!
But, in our joyous role as 'spies
for hope', we found that hope IS alive in Afghanistan when we
were issued the unbelievable invitation to return in December to
present the pageantry and message of Christmas to 30,000
elementary through high school students, in 20 schools, in a
major city of Afghanistan (the identity is withheld for security
reasons). We have named this project "Advent In Afghanistan." It
will include the sharing of gifts with the Afghan children, a
Christmas pageant to tell the miraculous story of Christmas, as
well as the presentation of educational materials and equipment
to the schools. Can you imagine being invited to come back to
tell the story of Christmas?
Before receiving this amazing invitation, we had traveled
throughout seven provinces of Northern and Central Afghanistan.
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While negotiating an 11-hour (but only 150 mile) trip to Kabul over bombed-out roads, bridges and tunnels; a landscape littered with destroyed military equipment and 10 million live landmines (miles and miles of the road marked with the familiar red and white rocks indicating detected mines which have not yet been defused); and temperatures as high as 120º F; we got a close-up view of the destructive effects of twenty years of war, and the harsh conditions in which the Afghan people live.
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The land itself presents a
challenge to survival. Blowing desert sands constantly obscure
and sand dunes literally bury the roads. Gorgeous mountain
ranges of Himalayan proportions make transportation and
communication difficult. Only 12% of the land can ever be
cultivated, and drought and famine frequently rob the farmers of
those crops. Add to all this the destabilizing effects of
ancient tribal rivalries, the multiplicity of languages, and the
history of warring incursions by foreign powers, and it's a
wonder that Afghanistan survives at all!
Despite this gloomy picture,
we are convinced that God is at work in Afghanistan in a
powerful way.
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We had been invited there to teach English to students and faculty at Balkh University in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif, the first Afghan city liberated from Taliban rule. The students intellectual drive to learn was absolutely exhilarating. And, what a thrill to teach the women who for 6 years had been banned by the Taliban from attending school. The young collegiate women and men all have a fire in them that says, "We have an opportunity to build a new Afghanistan, and the freedom to search for the truth! And we're going to do it!" They were also eager to know if we were Christian, why we were willing to come, and how God is different from Allah.
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| MALE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS |
They were so receptive - and so friendly. At the same time they
were very concerned about how we felt about 9/11. They were
afraid that we might have hostile feelings toward them about it.
We had taken with us an illustrated map of the United States -
which had tiny drawings of the the WTC and the Pentagon which we
were able to show them, without acrimony. It was a real blessing
to be able to talk to them about why we were there - because we
believe the youth of today have to lead the country in a new
direction, and because 'our book' commands us to love those who
are or may be perceived as our enemy, and to do good even to
those who hate us.
They were very responsive to this - as they have great respect
for Christians because we are people of 'a book', as they have
been taught to be people of their 'book'. This is why they had
NO respect for the Russians. The Communists didn't believe in
ANY 'book' or ANY 'higher power'. This also led to interesting
discussions about the differences in 'books.'
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The positive response of students, faculty and administrators to
the teaching efforts of our team was so encouraging. We even had
students, who were not able to enroll in our classes, standing
outside the building looking into the classroom through the open
windows, and participating in the pronunciation exercises. The
constant refrain we heard was, "Do you have to leave? When are
you coming back? We need you to help us!"
We found the same eagerness to learn and openness to assistance
from outside when we visited Kabul University and met with the
Vice Chancellor, and in the wonderful elementary and high
schools we visited and talked to in other cities. There's
nothing like losing a privilege to make it very precious to you!
This current enthusiasm for learning and openness to new
influences among Afghan students, presents an issue of critical
importance. In 1979, following the U.S. assisted military
victory of the Afghan Mujahideen over the invading forces of the
Soviet Union, the United States abandoned Afghanistan and left
it to descend into social and political chaos. The result was a
civil war and the ultimate coming-to-power of the Taliban in the
mid-1990s.
In light of that history,
can we afford to walk away from Afghanistan now, after the
defeat of the Taliban, in the same way we did after the defeat
of the Soviets a decade ago? Clearly, the answer is 'No!'
You may have seen on 60 Minutes last Sunday night (Aug 25th)
Former Congressman Charles Wilson say, "This time America must
not repeat its mistake of leaving before getting Afghanistan
back on its feet. Mostly, we need those people to have an
opportunity to do what they've done for centuries - to raise
wheat, to have their sheep herds, to have some hope and to have
some schools. And that's what we Americans do best. We run wire,
we build schools, we build hospitals, we help people fertilize
land, we stop erosion, and it's cheap. But today America is
barely doing anything in Afghanistan, beyond preserving order in
Kabul. America is making the same mistake it made before. If the
US doesn't help the Afghans to rebuild their society, the
country could easily descend into another civil war and be taken
over again by terrorists."
What could God accomplish if most of those jobs were being done
by Christian 'tentmakers'???
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It is impossible for us at Compassion Radio to abandon
Afghanistan after receiving the unprecedented and potent "Advent
In Afghanistan" ministry opportunity that God provided.
The impact of this event could be enormous. The Taliban came
into existence when radical Islamists funded the creation of
schools for orphans left by the Afghan-Soviet War. Those
orphans, educated in violence and the hatred of America, grew up
to be the 'Talibs' who seized control of Afghanistan and
nurtured the terrorist training camps of Osama Bin Laden within
its borders. At this new beginning point for Afghanistan, we
have an opportunity to influence the education of Afghan
children in a different and positive direction. This "Advent In
Afghanistan" project has amazing potential for good and for God.
We found a desperate need for educational resources in
Afghanistan. The schools have been repeatedly looted. There are
only a minimal number of desks and chairs left - all broken, so
many of the students have to stand. There are no pencils, pens,
or paper, no chalk and few blackboards. The textbooks were
almost all burned.
And yet individual schools were packed with 1500 to 4000
students, 6 days a week, during what would have been summer
vacation -- ready and eager to learn. The future of the nation
depends largely on the ability of the schools to bring
educational skills, literacy and a wider worldview to a new
generation of leaders. The future of the soul of the country
depends on our bringing the Truth to them.
We just can't fail to seize this
opportunity. The "Advent In Afghanistan" project
can show Afghan children the love of God through the generosity
and faithfulness of American Christians. And it can open the
eyes of government officials to see that American Christians
care about the needs of their nation, their families and their
children. This door will not be open forever. We have to walk
through it now!
You know that we are committed to the proposition that talk is
cheap, but deeds of love and service honor Jesus Christ in a
compelling and powerful way. And once again, He etched this on
our hearts. Although we had to leave the team 5 days early to
return home, we learned after arriving that one of the young
people with whom we worked made a decision for eternity! After
counting the cost, the Good News was just too good to be denied.
Please pray for this brave new member of our forever family.
We are, indeed, honored to be 'spies for hope.' And even in a
harsh and difficult place like Afghanistan . . .we found it!
NOTE: To be involved personally,
or to have your Church, Sunday School, Youth Group, Club
Program, Bible Study and/or Christian School be involved with
"Advent In Afghanistan", ask for information by sending an email
to
CR@CompassionRadio.com; or, by calling 1.800.868.2478; or
by writing to:
"Advent In Afghanistan"
22978 El Toro
Lake Forest, CA 92630
We will send you a brochure - as well as updates as plans progress. Please covenant with us in the meantime for free cargo transportation for all goods we can get donated. Thank you for partnering with us in this Christmas miracle.
