Sunday, May 13, 2007

A Picture is Worth a Whole Bunch of Words...

One of my greatest challenges has been describing what Afghanistan is like. It is at once a country of raw beauty and stunning poverty...

The architecture is a mix between the ancient and the impoverished...

The land is a mixture between ragged mountains, stunning deserts and green river valleys...

As you can imagine, only a picture can describe this sort of a country.

My first mission was in the desert area of Ghorack; surrounded by high mountains. During this mission we held a number of meetings with the leaders. In the Afghan tradition, newcomers hold a "shura" at which they explain their aims and plans.







Our next mission was to Sangene.

Sangene is in the heart of poppy country, a plant for which Afghanistan is infamous.

Afghan poppy is a beautiful flower from which, and by quite an impressive amount of manual labor, much of the world's opium is derived. As you will notice, we arrived in Sangene right during the heart of poppy season.

Other pictures show different views of the city, looking to the Helmond River, and over the "Green Zone." The Green Zone is the area immediately around the river. It is highly irrigated and just about the only suitable area for agriculture. As the majority of economic activity is dependent on poppy and its cultivation, the majority of the people live in the Green Zone. The rest is just desert...








Finally, we visited Heyderabad. Upon our arrival in Heyderabad, the poppy flowers had run their course and it was now time to harvest the stalks.



In Heyderabad we spent much of our time talking, trying to convince the people that a brighter future lay with resisting the Taliban themselves and with the assistance of the Afghan Government. As you can imagine, us coming to "help" root out the Taliban is not what they want.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

John these pictures are AMAZING. It makes such a difference to have a better idea of what's going on. And it makes me want to say.. HEY THAT'S MY BIG BROTHER!!! :) We're so proud of you and we miss you!! Keep the updates coming!! We love you! Mary

KBG said...

Thanks for the updates! It's all very interesting. You are often in our thoughts. Stay safe!

The Blogging Pastor's Wife said...

Hey John,
This is Valerie Terry Hopkins I just wanted to let you know that we think of you often and we are praying for you.
Thank you for all you do for us.

Anonymous said...

John,
Awesome to hear your stories and see your pics...
I'm still working on my letter I keep meaning to get out to you...sorry I've been so slow to write.
Nate

The Esperats said...

Hey John! It was so good to read your updates and hear you're doing well! And now, when I want to know what unit/battalion you're with, I won't have to get Marie to explain it to me once again. :) We think of you often, and we're looking forward to seeing your girls in a couple weeks. We'll give them extra hugs.
Love, Robb and Ali

Mike said...

That is awesome, I know you are doing a great job!