Ups and downs… but mostly ups.
There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven… a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance. --Ecclesiastes 3
This was an eye opening day in Barek Aub. I wish I could write you every day with nothing but incredible success stories, but life is very tough here and full of ups and downs… which we share fully with our Afghan brothers and sisters and which I will share with you.
After a hearty breakfast we headed out to Barek Aub and first got a tour of the new health clinic by Dr. Mary, Latifa, and Fazlullah. We met the lead doctor, Dr. Marof, who runs the pediatric and men’s health sections and Dr. Mohamad Ardif who is in charge of the vaccinations and who at the time was administering an injection of antibiotics to a tiny undernourished 2-month old baby battling pneumonia. We were all greatly saddened to see such a tiny little child battling for her life, but it was also a real blessing to know that she most likely would have already died if the clinic and the doctors were not on site.
We also discovered that a wind turbine that will be installed soon on the roof of the clinic to supply power for lights and more sophisticated testing and diagnostic equipment. What a huge step forward toward energy independence this will be for Barek Aub!
As we left the clinic we were approached by lots of kids eager to learn our names, hold our hands, try to get our pens/hats/cameras, and have their pictures taken. Ordinarily getting to spend time with the kids is one of the true highlights of our trips to Barek Aub, but something struck me as not right… why weren’t these kids in school?
As we walked with our host down the hill from the clinic to the school, we were approached by more and more kids as well as some of the village elders who, although they extended their usual warm greetings, seemed preoccupied.
We soon learned what was going on and it was sad news – the school was no longer in session.
Apparently the Afghan government, which is responsible to pay the teachers’ salaries, hadn’t been doing so and after several weeks of working without pay the teachers left to find other work. It was very disturbing for all of us to see the hopes of an education for all the children of Barek Aub put on hold for now. Our host believes it’s a temporary setback and that the kids will be back in class very soon, but it was still hard for us to see those classrooms – which were filled with eager children only two days ago – now empty.
After touring the school building and briefly meeting with the elders, we headed up the hill to check out the well and water system. We were very encouraged to hear that in the last couple weeks much work has been done and the water system, which had as few as 3 distribution points for the entire village only a month ago, now has 12 locations throughout the village and more to come.
As we spent our day in Barek Aub we kept noticing, despite it’s barren surroundings and remote location, just how beautiful the area is and how green the hillsides a – for the first time since the village came into being almost 2 years ago. Recent rains have produced an abundance of green ground cover with small orange, yellow, and white flowers everywhere! To us it was as if God has planted a “rainbow” on the ground… to remind everyone that there is a magnificent and beautiful plan for Barek Aub and not to become discouraged by minor setbacks from time to time.
We headed back to Kabul, ate a late lunch, and had a team meeting and prayer session for the school and the kids of Barek Aub. While most of us came away from our visit to BA a little bit discouraged by the situation at the school, we were also grateful for the many exciting things we saw at the clinic, the incredible growth of the village itself, and the hordes of happy, smiling children everywhere we looked! We know God has a magnificent plan for Barek Aub and we feel privileged to play a small part in it.
This evening we were joined for dinner by the Captain Eric Whitmore, the departing Chaplain for ISAF Headquarters in Kabul, his driver Matt, and the incoming Chaplain, Captain Jason Knudeson. Our host often has interesting guests over for dinner and tonight was no exception… we were entertained all evening by stories of their work here in Afghanistan and elsewhere around the world.
I see our Internet connection has been working for the lasts few minutes so I’m going to sign off quickly before we lose my opportunity. But before I do I would ask that you please pray specifically for the kids at the Barek Aub school and that the appropriate Afghan government officials will get the funding back on track for the teachers so the kids can get back into the classrooms before any more time is lost.
Thanks again and God bless you for your ongoing support… we are honored to be here and to be able to share our experiences – happy and sad – with you.
--Bob
A young boy with a broken leg and fever brought into the clinic in a wheelbarrow… crude, but effective.
April shares some stories and leaves a piece of her heart with a group of kids at Barek Aub.
