I love to read..i mean LOVE to read. Right now I am reading a book called Three Cups of Tea. I make time to read about 1-2 hours a day. I know..your wondering where I find the time, but if I dont do something to keep myself sane, I would lose it. I work every second Im not with my daughter, so during her naps or atleast once after she goes to bed, I take a bath and read in the tub.
Anyhoo..onto the book. Its about a mountain climber who was in Afghanistan and came accross a small village that really made him feel welcome and at home. Once he realized there was no school and the children only got a teacher a few times a week if that, and did their work in the dirt with a stick, he promised to come back and build them a school. Its about fulfilling his promise to that village. I am fascinated with the Afghan culture.
Books like this remind me that I am on such a small scale in life. Its so important to not only have a goal and find ways to achieve it, but to realize that life is bigger then who we are as people, but really is about who we are when we have reached out to others.
Three cups of Tea, The Kite Runner, and probably a million more I have read and will read, really touch me. They make me want to do so much more.
A few years ago I started a charity called Kites for Kabul. I took an idea that my husband and I had to give kites to the children in Afghanistan and had to figure out how to make it happen. This was before I had even heard of The Kite Runner. I think that book came out in the same year actually. While in afghanistan, my husband learned of the plight the kids had and was so touched, he wanted to give back. He called one day and told me that the kids were always flying kites, and that they had been banned by the Taliban, but now that Americans were there, that they could fly them again. So me, a new mom with a 9 month old, alone without my husband for many months, went on a search to figure out how to successfully collect kites and get them to Afghanistan for the kids.
I started out with what I knew best..a website. Every night after my daughter was in bed, I spent all night emailing companies and people and asking (begging) for a newspaper article. One small newspaper in the middle of no where took me up on it and did a small article, which launched me. I took that article and got another one, and another one and slowly and surely built over 1200 kites that were donated from all over the country. Even some schools had thier kids make real afghan kites and donate them. It was such a neat experiance. I couldnt believe it was actually working out!
The base we were on at the time flew them over on a C-17 and gave them to the U.S. base there. The other kites I had bought from India and had sent over from an Afghan guy to the U.S. Embassy. The embassy over there actully PAID FOR the shipping. The whole thing just fell into place. One of the funny things (wasnt funny at the time) was that the kites got unloaded in the wrong area and left with the FBI in afghanistan. It took us almost a MONTH to find them.
But most of them did reach my husband and he was able to bring some small joy to the kids there. He got to take them to Afghani orphanages and distribute them. The rest were taken after his time was up and someone else got to distribute them. We never did find out how it went after he was gone, but I am sure it was great.
I just wanted to share that when you really want to do something, even if your just a “little person”, that you can. Ill share some of the news articles when I get only the laptop..i have them over on that one. **update: I added some, just click on the top where the links are**
I think that the world can make a difference..one dream and goal at a time.
January 15th, 2008 at 10:53 pm
wow.. ia m weeping at what you wrote… first to read about your fire, then to read about this kits to afghanistan… and then to rad about what you said about each person can make a difference.. this is why i started project hope.. but before i talk to you about that.. i want to tell you i have a very very dear friend that is like a brother that has a heart for the afghan people and goes there 4-5 times a yr. now i have another friend that will be serving there soon as a commanding officer, and another friend who lives in kabul… as you know life is very very difficult there. I am also a volunteer for a new project for this same friend.. called Books for Afghanistan… w ar collecting books as we can and working on getting a container full over the next few months to ship there. would love to chat with you. I would love to be able to send kites somehow with him.. i have walls full of these prescious afghani childrens faces with so little joy.
i am sooooo sorry about your fire, my dear. Thank the Lord you had renters insurance. May God help you with all the details. if you have a minute, please give me a bzz or email me thanks.