Kabul to Gardez (7-15)

July 15th, 2011

I had been in Afghanistan for only 5 days.....

Oh how I would like a milk shake right now..... McDonalds sounds like a treat right now....it's funny how you really start to appreciate the little things and I've only been here a week... Like the ability to walk down the street without having an armed guard... Out here on the job site We had an armed guard with a AK47 walking with us and Shaun was carrying his own gun also...

I'm really not sure I've got the right mentality for this... I've been spoiled... I was up for an adventure but ....... .???

Help me have some positive thoughts...

The drive out to the site was quite uneventful... But very interesting... Lots of army patrol... Oh what a diverse country... I've inclosed some pictures taken from the car.... The car ride it's self was a kick... I'm not sure how to describe it except that I think we spent more time on the wrong side of the road than on the right side... Missed a head on accident by inches many times.. Never slowing down...

I'm at the job site.... I'm impressed with the scope of the project and the work being done....
We are making our own masonry block, we have our own concrete batch plant, we make our own gravel and sand, we self perform all of the work.... So it's quite a project....now the living conditions, they are something else, it just a little better than camping ... Or maybe it's camping with air conditioning... The toilets are the mid eastern kind... Just a little better than a hole in the floor ... I'm having a hard time adapting, I'm not sure I can do this long term... This is the first day I'm having my doubts.... I expected something different... I really need some positive encouragement or someone to say come home....

The food here is nothing like I expected... It's Afgan all the way... I'm told my cook will cook what I want but while I'm here this is how Shaun does it..... Lunch was difficult ... I guess when I get hungry enough it won't matter..... Ok maybe I am still a picky eater and I thought I was doing so much better....

It would be different if I was doing this for a us... Building a future for a us by investing in now.... Making a sacrifice because I knew I had something to come home to...to build for, to work for... Oh how I wish that was the case ... Truly it would make it a little easier .... I am near tears after writing this last paragraph because it is what I want so badly..... I truly appreciate more than ever things of great importance that I don't have at this time....and I know that things could have been different if only.......

I pray for courage.... For endurance... I didn't expect to have to pray for these things...

I will overcome these feelings, I'm sure I'm just feeling overwhelmed, it's all new to me... I'm just now getting settled in.... I'm strong and I can do it.... But what will be my reward?

Sorry if I dumped to much of my feelings into this note....

I know your dreaming.... Hope you are getting a good nights sleep... Oh how I wish...... I think you know what I wish for..

Have a great tomorrow

Kabul.... (7-13)

July 13th 2011

Thought I'd catch you up a little...

It's been an interesting day.. Went to a military base today, About 1 mile away... We walked with an armed guard, Lots of little kids swarming you and asking you to buy things or just give them money or drinks... It was like you would see in a movie... If you were not careful they will steal things from you... It's sad to walk by a trash pile and see the kids picking through it looking for things They can sell or eat... We are so blessed in our country...

After dinner tonight I stayed and visited with some of the upper management men.. Trying to get to know them... That was interesting also... The things you can learn...

I'm leaving tomorrow to go for some training at a site (Gardez) to the east about 4 hours away.. We will leave about 10am after the military clears the road for road side bombs... I understand that there have been an increase in activity in this area... When we go we will be in two cars.. Our car with two armed guards and a car the follows with 3 armed guards... I will be well protected... I hope

Things, activity has increased in the last couple of days since the Afgan presidents brother was killed... More road side bombings and attacks... I will be careful....

This is the real beginning of a new experience... Now I will be living and working with the Afgan people... I will be with only 1 other American ....

I will return to the office on Thursday for a meeting and then go to my site on either Friday or Saturday... At that site I will be the only American...

I've already had some interesting discussions with some young Afgans regarding religious beliefs comparing ours and theirs ..

More yet to come.....

Its my Birthday.......

It's my Birthday.....

You know I could whine about not being home, being alone, and a number of other things but truth be told I have so many blessings... My kids have been wonderful... They have really carried the day, expressing and showing me so much love... Cards, a special package, emails, Facebook postings and phone calls.... The love they show and express is unbelievable... The Faith they have shown is way beyond their age, oh how proud i am.... Whitney even had her girlfriends from BYU write thoughts of appreciation on cards and then she sent them to me, oh how touching that was....

And then there are my friends... Thank you for all of your wonderful comments and messages of love and support....

While this has been a "different" birthday.. It is good sometimes to just time and reflect on the blessings that we do have.... I went out "shopping" in downtown Mazar today, and again saw the other side.. People hungry, living with no or little hope for tomorrow... It is so sad to see our brothers and sisters suffer like this... But we each can reach out and "touch the one" .. I have the opportunity to do just that.. Let me share...

OH, but before I share.......When I went shopping I bought myself a handmade Afghan rug and then I went and got an Afghan "suit".. it what they wear when they get dressed up... it is being made for me... I will sent some pictures of the "tailor" shop...

I have implemented a program here call " Capacity Building" it's not a new program but it is one that hasn't been used for a while.. The COR and my Company is excited about it... I'll explain..

What I am doing is taking 10 (this number will grow)day labors and giving them the opportunity to become carpenters ... The carpenter sub will train them, we TI (my Company) will pay for them to be trained... The COR at the end of the training will give them a certificate of completion.. This will allow 10 men with no expertise to change there status in life... We will also give them a raise while they are being trained... Something like teaching a man to fish ... You all know that story... I am excited about this... It will make a difference in changing people's life's ... The way to change the world is one person at a time... "Reaching the One" .... My motto in life.. Try it reach out and do something good for someone else and see how good you feel... It comes right back to you with more...

Oh yes, I can't help but wish I could have a few (do overs) in my life... My life isn't what I ever thought it would be... Never in a million years... Answers to prayers come in strange ways... Still trying to figure that one out but I have Faith that the Lord has a Plan and He will guide me and lead me... Who knows where the path will lead me... Maybe I just took a detour..... and will end up back where I belong..... But I know I will end up in a happy good place.

Just came home from Church.... Love the Spirit... even though we had only 5 people attending the Spirit was so strong there...having so few really shows how important each of us are ...

I hope everyone has a Happy good Sunday

Scott

Pictures of Afganistan

Traveling from Kabul to Mazar.. jobsite (7-23)

July 23, 2011

Hi....

I'm hoping you are enjoying my adventures... I like sharing them with you... I will send some more pictures.. I'm sure the stories will become less frequent due to being on the job site... But one never knows...

I wrote this during my travels... More like a travel log, I guess....

I'm traveling again, this time from Kabul to Mazar, in the north near the northern border, used to be Russia now one of the Stans.... By air... But the drive to the airport itself was a little crazy.. For the first time since I've been here the Afghan Army was posted at all the main corners, before it was the local police, the local police with the army were picking cars at random to do a spot check, and of course we were picked, they searched the car, removing all the bags.. checked ids wanted to know where we had been and where we were going... A little crazy.. Not sure I can get used to this...

When we got to the Airport many check points... Lots and lots of heavily armed men.. The bags were x-rayed 3 different times, I was frisked searched six different times... My carry on was searched, everything taken out... I hope this isn't where the United States is heading... Something to think about...

It was very nerve wracking... My stomach was in knots... I'm now waiting for my plane... Which is running late of course...

I'm looking out at the runway.. Such very old planes.. I mean like real old.... I'm glad this is a short flight... About 1 1/2 hours...

I'm staying at the guest house tonight and then tomorrow I will be going to the site for some meetings with the US ArmyCorp ... Handing the job over to me... Monday I will be on my own... I will be staying on site... Full time.. I am meeting with the new General on Monday to walk the site.. He is just taking it over like I am.. Hmmm... Is that good or bad, we will see...

I'm hoping to find out in the next two days about Church... I'm missing that part of my life...I've been praying, reading the Scriptures, listening to the, Choir, bit.. It's just not the same... Going to Church is important, guess you don't really know that really until you are unable to go...

My Spirituality is inside me, I can feel it.. Part of it is the love I feel already for these people who are suffering so much... It is so sad.. These are our Brothers and sisters and it sad to see so many of them digging in trash piles for food.... I wonder what we are expected by our Heavenly Father to do... Surly we are expected to do more than we are.... The other part is that I have so few distractions.. Work, eating, resting and then what ever I want to do... Read and study comes easy.. I listened to a talk by Elder Oaks on Faith.. He talked about choosing carefully the distractions we allow in our life's by asking do they build up or tear down the Kingdom of God... Do they add to your value... It's a question I didn't ask myself often enough...

There are so many things I will never look at in the same way, and I've only been here a short time...

Maybe that will be one of the things that will change me, appreciating the little things more...

My attitude and spirits are positive and up... I'm not sad or depressed... Oh, maybe a little overwhelmed... But overall I'm good... Missing my kids ... And other things....

I think I may go to Dubai in August for 4 days.. I get 4 days off in a row and do not want to waste that opportunity ... That could be fun... I just don't want to go alone but, .......

It's almost time for us to take off yet we are still in the waiting room... Been here now about an hour and a half... Now I'm learning patience and I thought I already had that one covered...

On the flight I had the opportunity to carefully discuss the difference between the Muslim religion and mine... I told them that we believe in Prophets.. That our church was led by a Prophet, they found that very interesting... We discussed how we, the Mormons were very similar to them.... Interesting discussion.. I think it gave them something ton think about...

They asked why I came here, I told them one of the reasons was to get to know and understand the Muslim people...

It may not have opened any doors but it raised some eyebrows... Its a start...

I'm in my suite... Reminds me of the hotel I stayed in near Ventura at a singles conference late last year... While that was one of the better times I had at a conference but the room left a lot to be desired......

Time to get something to eat and then retire for the night... Eggs, honey and Afghan flat bread...not complaining it tasted good....

Big day tomorrow.....

Travel to Char Bulak (8-10)

August 10th 2011

Good morning, (my evening).... I hope all is going well for you. I'd love to hear about what is happening in your world.

Thought I'd give you another of my journal entries.. or travel log... Hopefully you find these of interest. I will follow up with some pictures. I haven't figured out how to inset the pictures in the letters. I tried to inset them but ......

Well, I'm on my way to Char Bulak (district) if you want to look it up it is Balkh, Afghanistan ... It's a smaller project that I have the responsibility for also.. Total I have three different projects that I oversee ... This project is a new district headquarters for the Afghanistan Army.
To get to Char Bulak we have to get off the main paved road and go about 10 miles on a dirt road or path...as we get on this path two men om a moped carrying AK -47's join us as "local" security ... They become our lead vehicle .... As we go through the small village, mostly mud huts, I notice that the shops are closed.. I am told that they are only opened two days a week due to security concerns and problems... I am told that the Taliban are very active in this area... we paid the locals to provide us safe passage...as we drove in we passed many groups of men sitting on the side of the road, with AK-47's, just sitting and watching, now the site its self has been very safe, we have had no problems on site. I think one of the reasons is that right across the street from our site is the old existing Afghanistan Army base, but between the paved highway and the jobs site is a no-mans area.

As we were going to the site we had to pull over and stop due to a local funeral... Very interesting... They carried the body on a bed frame, she was wrapped in burial clothes, bright purple, very beautiful clothes, no women, just men were In the burial party... they were just walking down the road carrying this bed with her body on it, I didn't feel right and it was to obvious to take any picture.

If fact as we drove through town the security team in the car asked me not to take pictures as we drove on the dirt road, to not cause problems. I took a few and I will share with you but not many.

I don't think I will go back often, but I will need to go back. My input is needed, while I was there I discovered three different problems that would have come back and bit us and cost us some money and time if I hadn't of seen it and Identified the problem and the fix.

From there we went to Hazrate Sultan in Samangan, Afghanistan. It was a busy day lots of driving. This area is very nice and considered friendly. It is near some mountains, a very beautiful drive, kind of reminded me of the drive through Arizona from Vegas to Saint George.

This is another smaller project, it is going to be the District headquarters for that district.

I will send some pictures of both these areas. It was an interesting day. It was a nice way to break up the week.

Oh, on both projects we are building a water storage tank, this tank sits up on a support platform, this platform is 21 meters high, it is that high so to provide the proper pressure needed below at the buildings. Anyways I climbed to the top of the platform, the Afghans were surprised that I would do this, as you can see by the picture it was scaffolding that I was climbing, no I am not to old to be doing this. I think you are as young as you feel and I'm not feeling old.

Some good news, I am going to see the dentist on Base, he happens to be a member and on Friday he is going to fill two cavities that I have and on Saturday he is going to extract one tooth in the far back part of my mouth. I'm excited to get this problem taken care of.

Other than that, all is going well.

I'm a little sad knowing that on Sunday I will have a birthday and will be celebrating it alone. At least I get to go to Church. That will be a great gift, I am really appreciating just receiving the Sacrament. Truly I'm looking forward to Church on Sunday. My favorite day.

Company Party - Mountains of Kabul

July 29th 2011

Friday was my day off. We had a Company picnic - got together at the owners weekend house about an hours drive outside of Kabul up in the mountains... It was a beautiful Villa at the top of the mountain.. Beautiful park like grounds ... We had a BBQ .. They brought in 10 lambs slaughtered them and we had lamb kabobs ... Very tasty, very fresh, very tender... With it we had Afghan rice...the rice was very good...and Afghan flat bread.... It was a relaxing day...

It was interesting... It was a family day... I would say close to 400 people... They actually had 2 parties, 1 for the men and another for the women.. the women and the men did not co-mingle at all.. I understand that is the custom here.....the women even traveled in different cars...
The drive anywhere is very interesting... Again, no rules... We saw one motor scooter carrying five people... A whole family .... Then we saw a car full of people, a Toyota corolla, with I think 9 people in it and about 4 to 5 kids in the trunk... It was an interesting sight....

I will be flying back to the job site on Saturday night.. I could stay here till Monday because it's a holiday weekend but I really am looking forward to attending Church on Sunday....I'd rather be able to go to Church than hang around in Kabul.

The things we take for granted.... I never knew how truly blessed we are until I came here...from being able to go to Church, our freedoms, to our abundance.... Each of those simple little things mean so much more to me.... And I've only been gone for a short time...
I have a lot of time to reflect on things... I have many regrets... Oh if I could only have a "do over" on a select few of them.... I believe my life (and the life of others) would be so much different.... The small decisions /choices we make in life are so very important... They can change the path we are on in a blink of an eye.... And they affect so many others, not just us... A ripple effect in the life of others... I have Faith that with the Lords help the mistakes of the past can be corrected ....

I am happy.... I really have Faith that things will turn out as they should... Oh sure that Faith is stronger on some days than others....

Things are good.....

The Joy of little Children

August 11th 20011

It is interesting how the littlest things can touch you... I mean this is really nothing but it touched my heart and really made me happy this evening.. so I will share

As I was walking out the man gate, which is locked after hours but I have my own key so as to allow me access to the Army base across the street. I use this gate whenever I go to the base, which is a couple time a day due to the fact that I eat my meals and meet the COR people there, anyways....

I was unlocking the gate to go out, and this young boy probable about 10 to 12 years old that works on my site as a cooks helper and a office cleaner, really a sweet nice boy, he ran up to exit the gate also, I opened the gate for him and motioned for him to go through he motioned back for me to go through first I said no and told him to go through... this went back and forth, I sat down on a chair the guard uses and the boy sat down on the ground.. both of us laughing.. it was a stale mate... neither of us were going through first, it was so cute,this went on for a while.... he whistled some and just sat.... I haven't played with kids for such a long time... I didn't know I was missing it... anyways I got up went to shake his hand and tried to pull him through... he wouldn't go .. so I laugh gave in and went out first... he laugh and went out and ran down the road..... it was fun to play.... but as I walked away I was also touched missing that part of my life and appreciating that simple act of the respect the boy had been taught to give to his elders. It is a different society, lots of sad wrong things and yet some things that we could learn from..... but I think I was also just touched at being able to play and have some fun...

As I thought about it, I really haven't had any fun for a long while.... and this was more meaningful than some of the other fun things we do as singles... This young boy and I brought a moment of joy/fun into each others life by just playing... I really am missing grand kids... I look back at some of the pictures I have holding someones elses grand kids and I see the joy that I had in my eyes and heart... I miss those special spirits....

Anyways just wanted to share this very little thing .....

Mazir - Airport - where oh where is my driver

July 30th 2011

I don't think I've ever written as much as I have this past month...

I enjoy sharing with you... telling about what's happening... I hope I do it in a way that is at least interesting to read...

It seems like I travel a lot... It's a 6 hour drive from Kabul to my job site.. So I fly.... I have meetings at the office every two or three weeks... I'm not sure when the next meeting is, I think in two weeks.. Its nice to break up the time with some travel... But at the same time travel is nerve wracking, for example I am the only American on the plane... I'm looked at and stared at ... And shunned ... It's hard making your way around the airport with no one speaking your language .. Even at the check in desk I asked a question and they just stared.... ..

I'm actually looking forward to get back at the job site.. It's my home now....

They are getting me an interpreter to work with me, the superintendent and I was in a meeting today and Josh, a VP, had trouble understanding and that's when we discussed the need of an interpreter .. I think it will help in moving things along....

Oh, I went to the Post Office to pick up some mail with josh's wife (my boss) and found out that her whole family is LDS, she had been married in the Temple, but after the divorce left the Church... We had an interesting discussion... She came from a very active family...

Tomorrow is Sunday, it's the day I look forward to the most... I get to go to Church..

I had an interesting interaction the other night with a big burly black man on the base while eating dinner, I was eating, the chair next to me was empty and he ask if he could sit down...
He sat , got comfortable, ready to eat, bowed his head and said a silent prayer on the food.. As we ate No words were said between us... After I finished eating I turned to him and thanked him for his example to me, we talked about religion, we talked about prayer, during our conversation he said..

"I'm not going to let what others think change who I am..."

This comment really has stayed with me, I we all can learn from this...

Ok, just got in from the airport.... Can you believe that someone dropped the ball, no one came to pick me up .. After many calls and 1 1/2 hours later I got picked up... Now let me describe the scene... I arrived at 8pm.. Last flight... It's getting dark...after awhile, I'm kicked out of the safe airport.. I was the Last one there... They locked the gates behind me.... Walk out of the gate away from the guards... Waiting on a dark deserted road, no one around, thinking what am I doing.... I truly was frightened... Very upset, almost angry ... When the car and guard came to get me, I was not a pleasant person... Think about it, They needed a guard to come with them to get me but I was ok to sit there by myself and wait...

Ok, all is well that ends well...

Another experience to write home about........

Scott