On this day eight years ago...

Nine years ago today, I was on a plane to China thinking, "I can't believe that one year from today I'll be getting married!" So far we've had eight wonderful years. So happy anniversary, honey!

No better offer (Three Cups of Tea post 2)

Along the way, post 9/11, Greg Mortenson was introduced to a young man named Hashmatullah, who was released from the Taliban army when he was wounded. Greg said "Hash" was a "jihadi in theory only. He was a smart guy who would much rather have worked as a telecommunications technician than a Taliban fighter, if a job like that had been available. But the Taliban offered him three hundred dollars when he graduated from his madrassa... so he reported for weapon training."

Some madrassa schools are funded with Saudi oil money and run by the Taliban. These schools provide an education to the poorest students who could not otherwise afford the uniforms and supplies to attend school. You can see how the natural progression for graduates from these schools would be to enlist in the Taliban army because they are not presented with other viable options.

Hash's story blew my mind. Contrary to popular belief, many Taliban fighters are not truly militant America-haters. These poor students see a job with the Taliban as a pretty good offer, not having the training or education to search for a real job.

Getting back to the subtitle of the book, "One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time." Greg believes that the Taliban will disappear in a generation or two if the poor Muslim children are given a decent education. This isn't his goal (he tries to stay out of politics). It is just a byproduct of providing quality education. The disheartening thing is that the madrassas are popping up faster than his non-profit, the Central Asia Institute, can build schools. So in a sense, it is a losing battle. Greg refuses to take money from the US government, because he would lose credibility in the Muslim world if he were associated with the US government. So he is dependent completely on donations. At this point, he does have donations coming in from around the world. But still, it is difficult to compete with the fortunes of Saudi oil companies.

More to come...

Three Cups of Tea

During our vacation in Tennessee, I read the book Three Cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The book's subtitle is, "One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time."

Greg Mortenson grew up in Tanzania as the child of Lutheran missionaries. I say that, not because it is a central part of the book, but because I believe that, deep inside, he knows the truths of faith in Christ. Through his work in Pakistan, he has adopted Muslim practices out of a deep respect for the people he is working with. The book doesn't really address his faith, except to say that he does not share his parent's faith.

On to the story...

Greg was a on a hiking expedition to climb Pakistan's highest peak, K2. He didn't quite make it to the top, and was separated from his team and his local guide during his decent. He was quite emaciated and dehydrated from the climb. He was headed toward a certain village, but got lost and ended up in a different village, Korphe. He was welcomed warmly in their humble accomodations. They fed him and nursed him back to health even though he was a stranger and a foreigner. Once he regained his strength, he was shocked to see young boys and girls holding school by themselves, using sticks in dirt. The Pakistani government failed to send a teacher to those children more than once a week, and there was no school building.

Through a series of events, Greg returned to the States with a newfound mission to provide education to these children. He wrote 580 letters to celebrities and the world's richest people, asking them to contribute to his cause. He got one reply: $1,000 from Tom Brokaw. Through another contact, he acquired a benefactor who would fund the first several of Greg's schools at a cost of $12,000 each.

Now that I have given you the background, I will be writing other posts about specific things from the book that impacted me. I have to say, though, that if every American read this book, it would change the way we think about Muslims, the Taliban, the Sunnis, the Shiites, and the War on Terror (or whatever the Obama administration is calling it now). This book is 349 well-written pages that will require an investment of your time. But, for me, it was well worth it. An excellent read.

1+1=3

So I've decided that the new math stuff they're teaching in school might actually be right. Various times over the last few days I have been treated to the privilege of watching just one of my boys at a time. I can't get over how much easier it is. Some of my friends who had two kids before I did warned me about this. Jennie and Fran said that having two kids isn't twice the work of one. It's three times the work.

I think I've realized why that is. The boys are at each other most of the time they're together. They're playing, which turns in to fighting. They're tackling each other. They're feeding hyper-ness off each other. They want the same toy. They want to watch different videos. They're demanding my attention. They're demanding something right now. I'm constantly running interference. When I'm with just one, the competition is non-existent. I don't have to divide my attention between both of them.

So Isaiah has been with Vern and Lorrie since this morning. Yesterday he had a temp of 102.5, and when that child is sick, he is a bear. We were supposed to go to camp with Dan today, but I decided to wait until Isaiah is healthy. So he wanted to stay overnight with Grandma, and she was willing to keep him. So Sam and I have just been hanging out all evening. He took a nice long nap, and then we ate dinner. Then he would alternate playing alone and wanting me to look at books with him. Very pleasant. He's like a different, calm child when Isaiah's not around.

Hopefully Isaiah will get better in a day or two so we can go up to camp. I'd like to be able to see Dan on our eighth anniversary - Tuesday!

Isaiah, the four-year-old

Yesterday my mom brought over a cake and we opened up some gifts. Somehow I didn't get a picture of the really cool veggie tales pirate ship my mom got for Isaiah. I think I was taking a video at the time, and I was trying to keep Sam under control, who was throwing a major tantrum. So here are some pictures of the big boy.
Isaiah wearing his train back pack from Matt, Katherine, Abbie, and Karis. He was psyched that it matches his train conductor's hat.

Isaiah in his police gear, handcuffing his Dad.Isaiah with his Spiderman cake.