Capturing vision and hope for the future.

We set aside our last full day in Afghanistan to visit the village of Istalif where our host organization has been working since 2002 shortly after the fall of the Taliban. The one-hour drive to Istalif was remarkable because we could see a tremendous amount of new construction that has occurred and continues to take place north of Kabul. Substantial commercial and residential growth is noticeable even since my last trip to Kabul last June!

There is no “work” per se that our teams can do in Istalif, but we send our teams to visit Istalif for a couple other reasons: 1) to encourage and support the staff and volunteers that work so hard to provide emergency and ongoing care at the clinic supported by our host organization and 2) to help short teams like ours capture the vision of what kind of development might be possible in Barek Aub and other younger IDP settlements if provided with enough solid leadership, time, and support.

Shortly after we arrived we met the clinic director, Dr. John Mohammad. We were then given a tour of the Comprehensive Health Clinic including the emergency area, OBGYN and family planning programs, delivery room, vaccination room, dental care, Leishmaniasis treatment, and tuberculosis program center. The 24-hour clinic also has its own pharmacy, testing lab, and ambulance and the maternity program boasts 15-20 babies delivered in the clinic every month.

Seeing Istalif as an active, healthy, and self-reliant village today, it’s hard to imagine that barely more than 10 years ago the clinic, the hotel, all the crops and vineyards, and virtually all the homes in the area were completely destroyed. Fewer than two dozen people remained in Istalif at that time, but now more than 40,000 people have settled in the village and surrounding district. Knowing that Istalif has grown from a couple dozen to 40,000 through strong leadership and planning gives hope that Barek Aub, and other IDP settlements like it, will someday thrive as well.

At the conclusion of the tour we headed to the nearby banks of the Istalif River where were joined by the Governor of Istalif District (really, the Governor!) for an incredible lunch of fresh Nan and kebabs right off the grill. After consuming what was surely a record number of kebabs, the team pronounced it The Best Meal Ever! After sharing lunch, tea, and some fascinating conversation, we made a quick trip up the hill on the north bank of the river to the Istalif Bazaar -- a dusty collection of tiny wooden storefronts that would look right at home in Gunsmoke, New Mexico -- but which is also world renowned for its colorful Afghan pottery.

We then headed back to the guest house to finish the packing process (boo, hiss!) and a final transit briefing before heading out to dinner to give the guest house cooking staff (Naeem!) a well deserved evening off.

Our final full day in Kabul was a fruitful one with several hours talking with our host organization’s new executive director and national director, the chance to see the fruits of many years of aid and development work in Istalif, and a chance to meet the Governor of one of the most beautiful province in all of Afghanistan.

Departure day tomorrow is something none of us want to even think about. So I’ll sign off tonight with a request for your prayers for a safe journey home and a smooth transition and re-entry back to life in Colorado. I will try to send everyone an email from the Dubai airport tomorrow night to let you know we made it out of Kabul. But our layovers in Dubai and DC are very tight so don’t worry if you don’t hear from us till we’re on the ground in Denver Wednesday morning.

Till then… thank you again for all your prayers, thoughts, encouragement, and support. May God bless you and the people of Afghanistan as he has so richly blessed all of us.

--Bob