A week ago Wednesday, our whole team plus some gathered to hear the history of Pactec. We are thankful for the people who were persistent in getting the necessary signatures and procuring the aircraft needed to fly here. We are blessed that they persisted through evacuations and long days. This was the beginning to our Pactec conference for this year. On Thursday morning we all flew to Bamiyan for a few days away to regroup, reconnect and rest. We stayed in a hotel run by a Japanese lady who had married an Afghan man. With the mountains in the background, we sang, shared, and heard from our speaker. Our speaker came from Switzerland and was one of the people instrumental in getting Pactec started here. The amazing thing was that he did much hard work in getting all the paperwork complete but this week was his first flight here. Our favorite part of the conference was hearing each family share what God is doing in their lives. Of course the food and scenery were pretty good too.
One day we were able to go to the Bandamir lakes which is about an hour and half from Bamiyan by car. This drive used to take 5 to 6 hours. We had lunch at the lakes with time to go hiking, go out in the paddle boats, and for a few take a dip in the lake. If you will notice in the picture below, one of our young guys jumping off the cliff. Don’t worry. The lake is so deep that they have not found the bottom but the water was very cold.
On a sad note, on Saturday they had to evacuate my friend Amy out to Kabul. In Kabul they diagnosed her as having Amobeas and today she is heading out to Dubai. They are expecting a baby in March so the doctor here strongly suggested she go see an OB/GYN. The treatment they are using is working but she is still very weak and in need of much healing. She has been struggling on and off with health issues since this August. Pray for healing and guidance for her and Jonathon. We praise God that the doctor who saw her first has lots of experience in dealing with Amoebas. Amy has had to resign her position at ISK but we are thankful her replacement for Spring may be able to come early. Pray for me and two others who will be covering her classes until her replacement arrives. Pray also for a quick arrival and transition for the new guy.
So now we are back home with just a few days left to Fall break. Truthfully I could use a few more days but I am sure I will be ready for school on Saturday. Before I forget, did I tell you that David turned 13 years old on Sunday. We officially have two teenagers. The owner of the hotel surprised David with a cake and candles. David said it was a great day since he was with family and friends and was able to go hiking.
Blessed Fall to you all. T