Has it only been two weeks? It feels more like a lifetime–
After two weeks and hours of flight time, we arrived in LA on Sunday at around 12:00pm. From there we continued on to Phoenix for a debrief the next day (Monday). I finally got back to Califronia at 5:25 yesterday (Monday) and got to see my wife! I thought that I was going to be fine with the jet-lag, but found out differently last night as I tossed and turned until 3 or 4am, fell asleep, and woke up today (Tuesday) around 1:30pm.
Truth be told, I have no idea how to function right now. I see Walnut Creek in different colors and dimensions and find that I am frightened by the question, “How was Pakistan?”
I wrote a book while I was there because I wanted to remember every single word, conversation, sight, friendship, etc. I took 330 pictures which is a lot of pictures for me–I only wish that they could tell the story better.
Here is what I am going to do…
To help myself process what happened and to tell you the story of a tribal area that is filled with the most outstanding people I have ever met, I will attempt to post a story a day with a picture (hopefully) until I run out of stories to tell. My friends and teammates (see below) will be commenting in to share their insights into the stories. Therefore, when you read my posts, check the comments as well to get a well-rounded perpsective on the story.
To start, I want to introduce you to the team of 4 other Americans that I had the incredible honor to serve alongside. (See Picture).
From Left to Right:
Meet Josh (Yeshua)–Josh is a 29-year-old contractor from Indiana. He has a wife (Erin) and three beautiful children. Josh was at a point where he knew that there had to be something more to life than what he was experiencing in the midwest. He told me that he was ready for God to do something big in his world–and then God called him to Pakistan. Our friends in Pakistan called him “Silent Man” because they thought he was a soft-spoken bro. He loosened up quickly and became dearly loved by the local people and our team. Josh wasn’t on our original team but joined us at the helipad that day we left for the mountain.
Meet Ben (Ikbal, Benji)–We were sitting in our orientation in Phoenix before we left for Pakistan. We all went around the room to introduce ourselves, where we were from, etc. I was sitting near the front of the room when I introduced myself. Five or six intro’s later, I hear (from behind me) a voice that I recognize introduce himself as Ben Selness. Ben and I went to college together at Northwestern and we were both shocked that we had ended up in the same room on the same team. Ben is 25, an accountant, and is very interested in international business. We were on the same team from the beginning, were roommates the entire trip, and went from vaguely familiar with each other to dear friends. He is a Canadian with a fierce mid-western accent, an interesting relationship with his roommate Tony 🙂 and a man with a huge, compassionate heart. When he initially heard about Pakistan, he knew that he needed to go but ran into roadblocks. It didn’t stop him though! He kept pursuing the call until he discovered the organization that we went with. Ben was like a steel-trap when it came to remembering local’s names and the Urdu language. He was practically speaking fluently by the time we left!
Meet Sean (Refukit, Seanee)–Sean is 22-years-old, single, and works at Starbucks. He had the opportunity to experience Pakistan with his dad Rod–an opportunity of a lifetime! Sean wasn’t on my original team but also joined us at the helipad the day we were deployed. He is a young Dallas Willard type that loves to talk theologically but has a youthful vigor to him that caused an instant chemistry between him and the rest of us. Sean’s greatest contribution to our team was his ability to communicate with Irfan (our translator). He was also able to develop meaningful relationships with village leaders and had the uncanny ability to drink several liters of chai every day. He didn’t speak Urdu, but somehow managed to get into several long-winded conversations with locals.
Meet Jeff (Baba Jeff, Uncle Jeff)–God knew what He was doing when he sat Jeff next to Ben and I in Phoenix. We needed to get into groups of 3 or 4 and determine who the leader would be. Ben and I instantly looked to Jeff (older and more experienced than us!) to lead our team. Jeff is one of the most gentle, young-hearted men that I have ever met. In Jabba, Baba Jeff had elder emeritus status as locals and the military hung on every word that he said. He had the unique ability to communicate love and respect through body langauge and his huge smile. He is a veteran of the Vietnam War, giving him instant crediblity with the Pakistani Army. Jeff is happily married to Linda (whom we were lucky to meet in LA), is the father of two, and the grandfather of four, including two beautiful little girls that we got to meet with Linda in LA. His favorite past times are running in the hills of LA and eating chunky peanut butter and honey sandwiches with ice-cold milk while watching cartoons with his grandaughters. (Baba is a respectful way of saying “old man” in Urdu–know that we enjoyed calling Jeff “Baba” every chance we got.)
I am a story teller and the best way that I can steward this trip is to the tell the story. I can’t tell you to enjoy the stories as some of them will be difficult for me to write and for you to read. My prayer is that as you read these stories, that your heart will break for the people of Pakistan who grow more and more desperate as each day grows colder and colder.
