Operation CARE

A timely and important service project has been brought to our attention from Debbie Maddox. It's called Operation Care and concerns many of the citizens in Afghanistan. The winter that they are currently experiencing there is a brutal one for the majority of the people who live in poverty. Quite literally, many Afghans are dying due to the weather conditions. In an effort to help the people over there, a service group working with the military stationed over there is trying to get as many warm clothes and blankets to the Afghan children. While some are buying new clothes, many are donating old clothes that are still usable. Debbie is asking for anyone who might have long-sleeve children's clothes, coats, sweaters, boots, gloves, mittens, etc. to bring them to church on Sunday, January 20th and she will box them up and mail them to Afghanistan where they are needed immediately. If you have any of these clothes that you can donate, please do so and bring them to church this Sunday. Please see the pictures below of the soldiers handing out these items to th Afghan people as well as a letter from Kevin Kennedy, one of the soldiers stationed in Afghanistan who has handed out these items. Please consider what you can bring next Sunday, these children are literally freezing to death as I write this.

"This morning I joined about 50 other American service-members on a trip out to a group of refugees living in tents (I think I saw at least 200 people there just from my vantage point) in the middle of a muddy field!From what I was told, some are refugees that have returned from and/or kicked out of Iran. They are basically squatting on some land that is undeveloped in a Kabul suburb. They live in makeshift tents and due tothe construction going on around them; their field has become more of a drainage point so there is a lot of mud.

The weather this past week has been well below freezing every night and we've had snow mixed with rain most of the past week. The site we visited looked rain-soaked and, without a doubt, it is the most impoverished place I have ever personally visited. The people of the camp knew we were coming because some members of our team visited the site earlier this past week to hand out tickets for coal and clothing and blankets. The tickets are important because when 12-13 American vehicles show up at a run-down camp, everyone knows there's goods being given away and many poor come from all around gather to try and get something for themselves as well. The tickets are given ahead of timeso the folks in the camp would be the ones getting the coal and blankets and other goods. Some members of the camp physically restricted others from entering.

I moved off of coal duty today and got into shoes and socks duty. I was the line former for a line of children that led into the back of a truck where we gave out shoes, socks, blankets, hats, and gloves to kids. Lots of stories I could tell...but one 4-5 year old boy was in line and was physically shaking...he had no hat, no gloves, no coat, and no socks; just slip on shoes pants and a couple of layered T-shirts. The ground was still frozen so it had to be below 32 outside. I got a Nike hat from John and put it on the boys head then put my arms and hands around him to try and warm him up a bit. We were giving the blankets out after the kids got their shoes...but this boy was so cold that I grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around him like a poncho and put some gloves on his hands. Then I kept rubbing him and put my warm leg next to him. He snuggled up to my leg and after a minute started talking. Ihave no idea what he was saying but he was smiling so I figure he must have been getting warmer. By the time he got some new shoes and socks he was smiling...and off he went back to his tent city!

Another man broke into the line of kids with his crying two year old daughter. He held her out to hand her to us...I didn't know what to do but to grab the little girl. She was crying and shaking, partly because she was cold and certainly now even scared because some stranger was holding her. We put a hat on her head and wrapped a blanket around her and just tried to comfort her a bit...and she stopped crying. Then we handed her up into the truck to a SMS gt who used to work for me at Minot. She took the two year old and helped her get outfitted with some shoes and socks and, a few minutes later, she left the back of the truck and went back to her father's arms...much calmer than she had been when she left them.

The team handed out coal, blankets, coats, shoes, socks, and even had a station just for women...to handle feminine hygiene products and diapers. I saw several babies with nothing on but a T-shirt...amazing! What a sight to see...what an experience to experience! The two hours we spent there went by quickly and as I got back into our truck I began to feel how cold my own feet had become standing on that frozen ground. As the heated truck began to thaw me out I looked across the ditch(being used for sewage) at the tent camp and just prayed for the people. A couple of the kids we had helped came over to the 6 foot wide ditch and waved at us as we were driving away. They actually had smiles on their faces! Love you all...and am so grateful for you all and for all we've been given! Thanks for the gloves and hats...and other donations...I have now personally seen them go to a VERY GOOD CAUSE!"