Shane in Pakistan

I will be traveling this year with a group of people from Eastern Mennonite Missions to Pakistan. Our aim is to offer ongoing help with the aftermath of the 2005 earthquake. We will be helping with the cleanup and rebuilding effort in a village called Bugna. For more information about Eastern Mennonite Missions, you can have a look at their website: emm.org.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

High point so far.

Today, we went to the home of Makhdoum ( hope I'm spelling that right) who works at the Bugna field hospital. His daughter just had a child, and this dinner was in celebration. His home is near/in the village of Satnara. We took a car down an awfully bumpy road that is still under construction. I hope that next time we visit Satnara, we
just walk.

The meal was, as usual, excellent, and I have now fallen in love with riata (again, not sure on the spelling). Riata is a yogurt-based sauce with shallots and a bunch of spices. Absolutely wonderful over rice.

Anyway, the high point of my trip here so far came afterwards. Mr. Mujtaba, Ishfaq, David and I visited one of the houses that we had worked at last year. It's the house that only had the door standing. Everything else was piles of dirt and stone. Now, it's a concrete foundation waiting for government inspection.

When we arrived, two of the grandchildren ran up to us. Their names are Umar and Salma. Both of them remembered me, and also remembered that I was open to them using my camera to look at photos and try shooting some of their own. I have a few photos of them, and I'll post them when I can access the Internet from my own computer. I also took some photos of the current condition of their house.

Upon seeing the family and the progress on the house, I pretty much lost it. Honestly, I haven't cried so much in years. (I'm a bit teary-eyed thinking about it now)

The homeowner sat us down to tea, and we chatted for a while while the rest of the family looked at some of the photos in my camera. They made it a point to ask about Daryl, who was our trip leader last year. We explained that he is leading a YES (Youth Evangelism Services) team to Guinea-Bissau next week, and won't be available for several months.

After exchanging contact information and promising to try our best to return before I leave for home, we took our leave. I do hope that we meet again.

3 Comments:

Blogger SportChick said...

Shane, I'm really glad you made it to Pakistan safely! I had wondered if your visa had come through. I am enjoying your posts already and look forward to some of the photos. Did you "lose it" because the house had not been completed? Or is something else going on?

On a separate note, since I don't know if you're checking your emails, have a fantastic birthday tomorrow!! You are in our thoughts and prayers!

8:01 AM  
Blogger Shane Knudsen said...

Hmm, my gift for unclarity is not lost, it seems!

I "lost it" because I was so happy to see the difference that a year had made. I was particulary fond of this family, and the joy of seeing them recovering was just a bit too much.

11:22 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

So are you still there or home? Should have checked this earlier. Either way your in my prayers.

9:04 PM  

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