As far as Keith is concerned - I wouldn't know where to begin to tell you how God has used him in the lives of his fellow deployed serving as a "lay-chaplain" and friend to many with hurts and questions. Alongside this role, he has unceasingly advocated for the people of Afghanistan in the health arena. And anytime mercy and justice is extended, the God of mercy and justice is glorified.

Here are some excerpts from his latest update (pictures to follow when I figure it out):

Dear Friends and Family, it has been a while since my last email. Here is a quick glance at what has been occupying my time over the past month, preventing me from corresponding as I would like with you all.

I would like to start by saying thank you to the many who have donated coats, shoes and women’s hygiene products. I am fortunate that our mail clerk is a friend of mine and attends the chapel because I may have been admonished long ago by any other mail clerk for taking up so much of the mail space on the flights coming in. I have received about 100 boxes, over 3,000 lbs and about 1,000 coats, 800 shoes, 900 hats/mits/socks, and thousands of female hygiene items. I am the envy of every other person on the FOB because of the amount of mail I have been getting- I have attempted to tell them it is not for me but to them mail is mail regardless of who receives the items in the box, and every mail drop I have more boxes piling up. I will save the pictures of the coats for a later email as we are still getting some of them out to people. This month has been extremely busy, but incredibly encouraging at the same time. I have felt the prayers of many and have enjoyed the email reminders that you have been lifting me and my team before the Lord in prayer on a regular basis. The memorial for Tom, my friend who was killed about a month ago, was a healing. We just finished putting together a video for his family today. We have been pressing forward with a renewed vigor as we realize that the reconstruction we are working toward as a Provincial Reconstruction Team will really be the thing that changes the environment more than the thousands of troops fighting here in Afghanistan.

This month was highlighted by the first ever Ghazni Province women’s health month. The maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate here in Ghazni are some of the highest in the world. They have started to drop as the women are receiving significantly better healthcare than they were under the Taliban, but the rates are still about 4 times the rates in Haiti which is the worst in the western hemisphere. Twenty-five percent of children die before the age of five and one in six women die from childbirth.

As an effort to help this problem, I recommended to the director of health that we hold a month long education and information campaign for women’s health. She really liked the idea and we have been doing many different activities relating to women’s health this month. A total of 850 healthcare workers have been trained in safe motherhood and other women’s health topics. These health workers have done public health education that has reached more than 30,000 people in our province.

The greatest challenge is to counter some of the prejudices against women and the health care necessary for women. During the Taliban, all the clinics except for a couple hospitals in the country were designated as male only. To combat some of these ideas, we have been putting a lot of health messages on the radio/TV and in the newspaper. This has been a very rewarding job and it really will be a strange transition back into seeing patients in my own little office in the clinic back in CT. Here are some pictures of the activities.

I continue to preach at the chapel once per month and lead the midweek Bible study. This has been more challenging than the medical reconstruction as there are real hurts and pains that people are dealing with out here. Many questions being raised by people who have been placed in circumstances that are challenging the foundations that they have securely stood upon all their lives.

As I look back at the few months prior to my deployment when our family was struggling with why God would be taking me away from my family for 15 months and sending me to Afghanistan, I now have a few answers to those question. God is good, God is loving, and God is in the process of using me while He shapes me for a greater work, probably in a different country, but definitely using the same skills He has taught through work and play, sorrow and joy while here in Afghanistan.

I will be making my way back home for my 15 day leave period in 12 days, not that anyone is counting. It has been a long time since I left on the 1^st of January, 11 months ago, and in that time I have reaffirmed my realization that I have a more incredible wife than I could have ever imagined or hoped for. All I can say is that I am glad I was the one deployed because I could never do all that she does on a daily basis as a single mother of three extremely active children halfway across the country from either of our families. We continue to covet your prayers for us and pray that you may know our Comforter as He has made himself known to us during this year. With Love, Keith.

12 days and counting

This has been an unbelievably long year for our little family as most of you already know, yet one of experiencing the comfort of a faithful Father firsthand. As is on my bathroom mirror - my anniversary card from Olivia:

The sted fas love uv the Lord never seeses.
His mursy's never cum too an end.
They aer Knou evry mouning
Knou evry mouning
grate is thy fathefel'nes O Lord
grate is thiy fathefel'nes.

From a distance people have commented on my/our strength in this separation, but those who know me well know that this has been a year of humbling weakness. I have experienced more anger, impatience, pride, shame, self-pity . . . than I thought possible. Every onion lets out it's stench at some point. The joy of this humiliation, however, is that in my weakness, He is strong.

The third verse of Be Still, My Soul beautifully describes this year for our family:

Be still, my soul:
when dearest friends depart,
And all is darkened in the vale of tears,
Then shalt thou better
know His love, His heart,
Who comes to soothe
thy sorrow and thy fears.
Be still, my soul: thy Jesus can repay
From His own fullness all He takes away.

Keith will begin his journey home in 12 days! We are all tingling with excitement! We will be taking off Dec. 10 to Jamaica for so some much longed for family fun. The great thing: the girls can sit on either side of their Daddy and Nikolas on his lap!!!! What in the world will I do without a little one climbing all over me on an airplane? Nikolas will be 2 during Keith's 2 weeks home. To him, "Daddy" is a picture that he kisses every night and a face that he laughs at and "talks" or rather "moo's" to on the computer. It will be so fun to see him with his daddy!

Keith will return to finish his time - coming home for good in early April.