Day 118: Spirit of Tashakor

...the Dari word for "Thanks".

Today we celebrated Thanksgiving, a time-honored American tradition in which family and friends come together for food, fun, and of course, football! What's Thanksgiving without an ultimate football tournament! And what better way to start the tournament than with an Army -Navy game. Today's game represents an enduring college football rivalry that dates back to 1908. This is about the Land against the Sea, Green against Blue, Hooah! against Hoorah!...


If you have ever played Ultimate Frisbee, this rules are exactly the same except we are throwing around the good old pigskin. The game started out pretty evenly with both teams scoring consistently. Despite our best efforts, the Army turned up the intensity, and before we knew it we were down 3 goals going into the 2nd half. But we were not going to back down! After several key defensive stops, we were able to tie up the game with only minutes left. The minutes soon became seconds and we found ourselves capitalizing on yet another Army turnover. We marched the ball down field, we found open teammates, and with only seconds left on the clock and inches separating us from victory...

...we WON!!

One of the things that made our football game unique was our audience. Since our base was too small, we asked permission to have the game on the Afghan Army base, and they were very gracious hosts. They were very much entertained at the Americans running around with a very funny looking, spiral-shaped ball.

Go Navy, Beat Army!

After a morning of high-intensity football, we were graced with a Thanksgiving feast. Even I was surprised at the spread that was waiting for us. Who would've thought that on a little FOB (Forwarding Operating Base) in Eastern Afghanistan, thousands of miles away from home, I would still experience the fun and fellowship of a true Thanksgiving meal!

Check out the spread!


There's our Garrison Commander serving Thanksgiving lunch in his shorts!


An ice sculpture in the middle of the desert...now there's an oxymoron!

Some final thoughts...

When I first found out that I was going to deploy...for 15 MONTHS...I wasn't very happy. My thoughts on the chain of events were somewhere between "huh?" and "why?", but definitely not in the realm of "thanks". I tried so hard to find that silver lining...really hard. Eventually, my questions turned into an attitude of trust, and when I finally arrived to my final destination here at Camp Clark, I can honestly say that I am truly grateful for the opportunity that I have been blessed with. Even with a living space that is built from plywood, internet that is slower than dial up, life without the presence of my own family, and the fear that comes with living in a war zone...not a day goes by that I have something to be thankful for.

Sporting my victory "medal"

I pray that all of you, my beloved family & friends, would also experience a true spirit of Thanksgiving in your hearts for the opportunities that you have been granted to serve Him, through the service of others.

"Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16 NASB