Weaver - Inside Afghanistan: the American who stayed behind after 9/11 and his mission of mercy to a war-tone people

INSIDE
Afghanistan

INSIDE
Afghanistan

The American Who Stayed Behind after 9/11
and His Mission of Mercy to a War-Torn People

BY JOHN WEAVER

INSIDE AFGHANISTAN
By John Weaver

Copyright 2002 by John Weaver. All rights reserved.

Published by the W Publishing Group, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc.,
P. O. Box 141000, Nashville, Tennessee 37214.

No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations used in this book are from the New King James Version (NKJV) Copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.

Other Scripture references are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (NIV). Copyright 1973, 1978 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Weaver, John.
Inside Afghanistan / by John Weaver.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-8499-4392-2
1. AfghanistanPolitics and government1989-2001.
2. AfghanistanPolitics and government2001. 3. Church
charitiesAfghanistan. 4. International reliefAfghanistan.
5. AfghanistanDescription and travel. I. Title.

DS371.3 .W43 2002
958.104'6dc21

2002028851

Printed in the United States of America

02 03 04 05 06 PHX 6 5 4 3 2

Dedication

To all who

suffer because of evil acts of terrorism, and to all whove
given their lives in the fight against it, from Afghans to
Americans.

To all who

purposefully overcome evil with good by practicing the
Golden Rule, promoting peace, and passionately living
to make the world a better place.

Contents

CHAPTER ONE
Three Diabolical Days

CHAPTER TWO
The Road to Afghanistan

CHAPTER THREE
A Dream Comes True

CHAPTER FOUR
A Bend in the Road

CHAPTER FIVE
The Camp at Nowabad

CHAPTER SIX
Dangerous Duty

CHAPTER SEVEN
A Channel of Blessings

CHAPTER EIGHT
Bone Weary, Burned Out, but Blessed

CHAPTER NINE
Friends under Fire

CHAPTER TEN
The Great Dilemma

CHAPTER ELEVEN
Invasions

CHAPTER TWELVE
Its All about Life

I SAW JOHN WEAVER for the first time in October 2001 on ABC NEWSs World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. When Johns face appeared on the screen, I knew there was something special about him. I could see it in his eyes, his smile, and his interaction with the Afghan people. Through ABC and CNN news stories, many came to know him as the last active American relief worker in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks.

Impressed by this young North Carolinian, I informed my project director about Johns activities in northern Afghanistan. Following a meeting with him in Tajikistan, John blazed the trail for Samaritans Purse to do a distribution of gifts to Afghan children through our childrens project, Operation Christmas Child.

In December of 2001, I had the privilege of meeting with John in my office. We shared our mutual vision of spreading Gods love by providing aid to hurting people around the world.

To me, John is a modern-day Good Samaritan. He truly models that the greatest in the world is the one who serves, which sometimes means helping the poorest of the poor in very difficult and dangerous settings. Filled with Gods love and compassion for people he gladly ministers with all his heart and strength. John is a shining example of following in the footsteps of the Lord Jesus Christ

Franklin Graham
President, Samaritans Purse

IM DEEPLY GRATEFUL for the team that worked together to bring this project to fruition, and Id like to extend the following thanks:

To the staff of W Publishing Group and the Thomas Nelson sales team. To Debbie Nichols and Mark Sweeney for setting this process in motion and to Greg Daniel for wisely managing it.

To Neil Wilson and Mary Hollingsworth. Neil spent hours, days, and weeks with my journal, recorded tapes, e-mails, letters, and me personally to produce this manuscript. Then Mary provided the all-important polishing and finishing touches.

To the Weaverville Home Team for providing encouragement since the early 90s. To supporters all around the world, from Asheville to Atlanta, Coats to Columbia, Nashville to Washington, beyond and in between.

To DARE, based in the UK, for helping me with priorities and placement in Central Asia.

To SNI/Shelter for Life International, from the faithful staff in Wisconsin to my fellow coworkers in Tajikistan and Afghanistan.

To my family, especially my mom, who has loved and prayed for me from the beginning. To my sister, Sandi Lynn, who follows this example and also handles my e-mails. And to my grandmother in Washington, D.C., who has been a model of selfless love and who most recently helped me survive when severe malaria knocked me off my feet.

Most of all, thank you, God of love, for the gift of life. Thanks for second and sometimes seventy-times-seven chances. Thanks for calling and keeping me by your goodness and grace. Thanks for this privilege for truly it is all about you.

IN SEPTEMBER 2001 the United States of America and the Islamic State of Afghanistan collided on the potholed road of world events. These two virtual strangers suddenly found themselves bloodied, broken, and bewildered by the violent events that slammed them together. Survivors on both sides are still trying to make sense of the resulting chaos and death. But everyone knows the collision was no accident.

Since September 11, 2001, Ive often had the privilege of telling my experiences during the days surrounding the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. In television interviews, radio talk shows, newspaper and magazine articles, civic and church meetings, I have been asked hundreds of probing questions. You see, I was an American in Afghanistan when three airplanes dove nose first into highly populated buildings in my own country. All but three Americans and Western aid workers went home from Afghanistan shortly after that. I stayed here. And that simple fact sparks the most amazing conversations.

Almost everyone I meet wants to learn about and understand this wild and complicated place called Afghanistan. People say that it helps just to talk to someone who has been here. Their thirst for inside information arises from fear, curiosity, anger, hatred, doubt, and even faith. As someone who loves to teach, I deeply appreciate the chance to help fill in the gaps in their knowledge.

Ive learned so many humbling lessons as an American living overseaslessons we all need to know. For instance, we really do need to work harder at understanding how other people see us. We also need to realize that situations in other parts of the world are usually far more complex than we can understand from the short, often biased, news stories we see on television.

Until September 11, 2001, my first year in Afghanistan was spent living and working among people on one side of a vicious civil war that has raged here since 1996. Many relief and development agencies work on each side of the battle lines. Refugee numbers swell daily. Critical human needs transcend religious and political loyalties. The problem is painfully obvious: People all around us are dying and need help.