Monday night in Is-bad

Greetings,

A short note today. Presently there are seven of us (Daryl Martin is not among us as he is staying to lead the second group), from the first group that are in Is-bad together at the HDF office. The other part of the first group, those in Balakot, should also be in Is-bad somewhere but I don't know if we will see them before we get to the hotel.
We are tired, somewhat hungry, and very dusty. We are grateful for God that there has been no rain or snow, but it does mean that everything is caked in dust. So be it.

Inshallah (God willing), we will be on a plane back to the US by 8 am tomorrow. We expect to arrive in Washington about 34 hours from now, at 6 pm. We are trusting that there are people waiting to take us back to Salunga at that time. Right Doreen? Doreen? :-)

We have been blessed by our time here, and will carried many fond memories back. I may have even picked up an affection for tea while here, and those that know me, may consider that a miracle.

The others back in Bugna are working at clearing out a few houses of rock (the walls), and dirt (the roof) so that the people can begin to rebuild. It is hard, dirty work but the men come back (after a 30-40 minutes walk UP the mountain) at the end of the day in high spirits. Some are also hoping to finish stairs and a latrine, including shower pad, in the next couple of days. Keep them in your prayers as many of them will be missing Christmas with family for the first time and continuing to relate in a culture that is become more comfortable, but still bewildering foriegn at times.

Allah affiz (Good bye) for now, and thank you for your prayers,

Jon UB

Well, the rest of the seven are waiting for dinner

Monday afternoon in Islamabad

Hey all,

I am sitting in front a computer running DSL, anticipating a hot shower in a couple of hours, and plan to sleep in a warm bed. Ah, luxury.
I came into Is-bad this afternoon to meet the next group of men coming. One group came from Lithuania this afternoon and another group comes from Philly tomorrow morning at 6am.

When I left Bugna, our group was just about to drag the second of four shelters into a new location. Most of today will be spent improvingthe main compound so it is usable as a hopsital/pharmacy. Within Islamic culture there is greater sensitivity regarding men and women interacting so it is necessary to create some separation so the women will feel comfortable comingto the hospital.

I expect that a number of our men will also get out into the villages today and start to asses the needs there. This has taken a little longer than we had hoped due to some political concerns. The HDF board is showing up over the next week so it is important that we be visible and thatthe site be in excellent condition. I understand these concerns but I don't want them to outweigh the other needs here also.

Still recovering from seeing Muzzarafabad yesterday. I have never seen such death and destruction and pray I never will again. Entire buildings, schools, hospitals, hotels, simply gone, with thousands forever trapped inside. During our time there we saw one site where larger construction vehicles (Ezra would have loved it) were working. And this was run by Americans. There simply isn't the capacity nor the space for such vehicles to work. Too many of the houses are not accessible by anything other than foot. So we drive by people working at the stone with hammers, and if they are lucky, pickaxes. There is an entire cottage industry being created by people willing to spend their days salvaging rebar and other building materials.

Looking down over the river one sees families collecting sand and gravel for cement. Carried up by hand, by donkey, or very rarely, tractor, these materials are mixed right by the side of the road because there is no other place to work. Driving in this country is a whole other experience, dodging landslide debris, building materials. beggars, and any number of different vehicles.

Coming down from Bugna today it took close to a half hour to getto the bottom of the first mountain. This trip, averaging 30kms/hr, consists of hairpin turns every 20 seconds, mostly 1.5 lanes, avoiding donkeys, people, and agressive bus drivers who stop for no one and then stop suddenly for a passenger, oh, and one 50m straightaway.

The rest of the trip is much calmer, with hairpins less than every two minutes and wonderful opportunities to look at the road you are suppose to be on lying 100m below in pieces. And that section wasn't because of the earthquake, simply the general landslides that happen periodically.

This is a hard country, with little natural resources that we have been able to discover. Fiercely independent, and proud of the differences between them and India, Pakistanis, and especially Kashmiris, seem to be able to make a life out of nothing. We are making fast friends with a number of boys, and then slowly their fathers. We will miss these people when we leave, most definitely.

A note on their hospitality. Earlier, I risked by declining an offer of tea from the HDF CEO. He was a little surprised but recovered well. Since then I have been asked four times, every time by someone different, if I need anything, especially tea. Each time I have assured them i am fine. Moments ago a man simply brought me a cup of tea, asking no questions. One can work alone in an office on the computer for a few hours, but one cannot go with out tea!

For those that know me, I am not a big tea drinker. Thankfully this stuff is black tea made with mix of water and milk, with plenty of sugar. Mostly palatable.

Well, i should sign off.

take care, and I thank you for the amazing support.

Jon UB

Sunday afternoon in Muzzarafabad

Asaleem alekum (forgive the spelling) or peace be with you,

This is the formal greeting here, although many rather use English with the 'americans'. We are in M-bad for the day, and have seen more devastation than I believed possible. It is set in a valley and whole sections of mountain are gone, taking houses with them as they crush the city below. We could see houses standing just 50 feet above the landslide, seemingly untouched. But as we get closer, nothing is untouched. House after house crushed, some to rubble, others merely collapsing upon themselves, killing all inside. Now people live outside, not trusting the buildings to hold (there goes a chopper - they are a constant presence, trying to carry supplies into the mountains.) while they sleep.
THere are tent villages everywhere, run by a myriad of local and foreign ngos. I don't know what will happen in a month when the snow comes, and I don't think they do either.
THere is a field hospital that encompasses a huge open air cricket stadium. Dozens of tents, dotting the fields as we travel the mountains above.
Weep for these people. There is so little that can be done and yet everyone is working madly to do something. And yet I sit in an internet cafe just off the main drag, the music playing, the computers are running, and business as usual. The only sign I can see of the earthquake is a crack in the cement wall beside me.

We are doing well - living in a small tent village of our own. We eat some meals with our hosts, enjoying wonderful Pakistani food - which they say is similar to Indian, but not as spicy. We will meet this afternoon with a village elder to determine a plan of work for the next two weeks. I think we are getting closer to some more 'productive' work. Although I hesitate to say it that way, as I believe we have done good work already. The tentative plan is to split into two groups, one staying at the NGO's compound, improving the buildings there, making the hospital more functional. Many hospitals have been destroyed and this is the only one for miles.
The othere group will head into the villages, helping to catalyze construction. We will offer some workshops on rebar and cement pier construction but most importantly we will work side by side with people whose homesare destroyed. THe destruction has to be numbing. So many listless people, losing the will to rebuild. We will attempt to offer hope.

We had a good worship service this morning - the eight of us are feeling strong and connected to each other. God is good.

I must go - time to meet the others.

Love,
Jon UB

Thursday morning in Islamabad

Well, we made it. We arrived in Is-bad about 7 am, thursday morning. Mostly uneventful trip, although John and I were given the same boarding pas in Philly, causing some difficulties. Nothing serious.

Once in Is-bad we quickly connected with Just Peace and DAve Harnish and 11 others went off with them to Balakot. I don't expect to see them until the 20th when fly back. We are in cell phone contact however.

It tokk us a little longer to connect with Human Development Foundation but after a few phone calls to Barry Hoffman in the US we mangaged to connect. Eight of us are currently relaxing at the HDF office. They fed us a wonderful meal of chapitis, eggs, and tea and we are now waiting for the CEO, Mr. Saleem.
Today has been, and will be, a day of hurrying up and waiting. There is some uncertainty what we will be doing but I expect we will decide this afternoon, at least in part. We will probably stay in Is-bad tonight and head up to Bugna (just south of Muzzarafabad) tomorrow morning. The drive is about 3-5 hours. We are learning how to be patient. All of us are do-ers and there wil be opportunity for that but not now.

The office here has about 20 employees and is bustling. HDF has about 100 people around the country working in education, medical work, economic development, and community planning. They are primarily supported by a network of Pakistani doctors in the US. They appear to being doing quite good work. I look forward to seeing some of it.

Well, take care all, and I hope to be in contact further but no guarantees. Here there is dsl but after we get to Bugna I don't expect to have internet access.

Thru London to Islamabad and beyond!!

We are currently in London, in the middle of our seven hour layover. We are rested, well-fed, and anxious to discover what we will be doing.
Currently the plan is for 12 of us to go to Balakot to work with JustPeace International, probably distributing supplies and doing some rebuilding. Eight of us will be going to Bunga (sp?) to work with the Human Development Foundation doing much of the same. They have a field hospital that we may volunteer at.
Both groups are Muslim run - although secular NGOs. This will give an excellent opportunity to build relationships across faith borders. I am excited about that.
This will be for most of us, the first time that we have had such an opportunity. I pray that we will be able to relate well, showing respect and love for the people we meet.
I am continually grateful for the prayers and thoughts of support that have been offered on my behalf. I am buoyed by them.
May God grant strength for the journey,
Jon UB

to possibilities and hope

This middle school teacher now has a place to teach again. One of the keys to recovery, particularly for children, after such a disaster is a return to rhythm. Creating classrooms empowers people to begin to rebuild lives and helps the children start to envision normalcy.

From destruction to...