Hello from Afghanistan cont.

Just a few days after I posted some words and pictures from Dad we got a few more fun emails. We loved the pictures and I couldn't resist posting them. I've also really enjoyed hearing the little details about the country and way of life that Dad now finds himself in and wanted to share them with all of you. And, as always, after hearing from him I am left feeling very blessed for the lives we have here in this country and the sacrifices that have been made on our behalfs.

"Hi Everybody, We have started to get a little rain off and on the last couple of nights and it rained really hard today. This evening just before sundown it quit and a beautiful rainbow came out. It doesn't happen often here and all the Afghan Army troops were on top of the guard posts to watch and exclaim.The pics are of me and the rainbow, my work tent (with the flowers in front) a little stone house that is right next to the road down by the Saw valley, the children that live in the house, and then the Konar river that is outside our FOB where the locals have rushed out to gather up the driftwood that the flood waters are carrying downstream. They are gathering everything from loose brush to large logs. They need it for their cooking fires.

The weather seems to be changing now, we have had rain and clouds and cooler temps all week. It has been nice to cool down a little bit and it has me wondering what the winter is going to be like. Our LN (Local National) advisors tell me that on the hills around us the snow will get 4-5 feet deep but that here in the valley we will get less. When I ask how much less they just shrug their shoulders. One even told me the winters here are very bad, "very bad?" I asked him, "yes, he replied "very bad, you know like California." : ) He of course has never been to California or anyplace else outside of Afghanistan, but it is funny that he picked sunny CA to explain how cold it would be. (I'm kind of hoping he

is right and we get balmy 70 degrees for the next 5 months!)