Hey Roadies! Guess What!

I am back up as a PIC in the Mi-17. YAY! After the last couple of weeks we have had here I can tell you that going flying a couple of times was the perfect dose for me. I needed a bit of out of the office time. It felt good to challenge myself a little bit too. I got to fly up to the HLZ's just west of BAF. Shout out to me if you know where that is! The first one I picked on was right at 8700 MSL and the second was over 10500 MSL, so it was exciting. These LZ's are definitely the right way to practice the minimum power pinnacle landing. Never take mountain flying lightly. Read the books about the windward and leeward sides, how to fly through valleys, etc. Most importantly is performance planning. How much power will be available to me when I climb up and land? I think its really fun. I like to do the planning and then go see if it works. I hope you enjoy the planning too.

Well let me say Happy Mother's Day to all the mother's out there. I am thankful for both my mothers and my beautful wife who is also a great mother. Make sure to go out of your way for your mother.

Hopefully in the next week or so I will be totally back to normal here in Kabul. My replacement will be coming in soon, so that means it's getting closer to my return. I will really be ready for home this time.

I also want to give a shout out to the faithful patriots at my mom's American Legion post in Indiana. Thanks for reading!

Must go for now!
God Bless.
Matt

Hey Roadies!

It’s been a tough time over here. First the crash of an OH-58D which resulted in the loss of one US Army Warrant Officer and then the shooting in Kabul which resulted in 9 US killed.  That's 10 in 4 days. As long as we have been in Afghanistan it is easy for those at home to see these numbers on TV and move on with their daily routine, but I can tell you first hand these losses are very heavy on those of us on this side. That is not to mention the families of those that were lost. The loss of not one person is acceptable. In a military operation it is understood that the loss of a team member is a possibility and maybe even a likely hood, but never acceptable. Measures must be taken, tactics changed, and procedures manipulated to do whatever conceivable to try and prevent the same type of events in the future.  

Finally the most important thing is that we continue our work. We cannot stop or be deterred.  We must ensure that those that have fallen did not fall in vain. Many feel the guilt of “why not me”, many have seen things no one should see, but all must go on. Trust has been lost and a once stable relationship is now less solid, but still we must continue in order to honor the dead.

I am safe, I am confident in the purpose of our work, and I feel your prayers and concern. May I take a moment to speak to all the Roadies who may have this type of work in their future? Study Hard! Get far away from the “Rucker University” mentality and understand that the training you receive at Ft. Rucker is life and death stuff. I know many of you may have heard this before, but the “Instructor Pilot and the less experience pilot arrive to the crash at the same time”. What that means is that you are responsible for you! Know all you can, ask all the questions you can, study all you can; and come over here as prepared as you can.
God bless you guys. I am still in austere conditions right now until we can get back to operations normal. I will be back soon. Go to the link to read details of what happened in Kabul.
Thanks again for all your prayers and concern.
Matt

Hey Afghan Roadies! What's happening?

Shout out to the Roadies in JBAD and KAF!!  What's up?  U guys alright?  I know the reports people hear from far off are never right.
We have had some EXPLOSIONS in Kabul too!  Never a fun thing.
New tactic for this city. There have been quite a bit of police imposters making attempts at our perimeters.  We had one the other day at our gate.  A guy was dressed up as a Afghan soldier and attempted to get in....he is no longer with us.  Needless to say when I get some time off I won't be hanging around the outer gate!!

I am smoked right now and wanted to quickly sum up last weeks truth and fairness discussion.  Bottom line is God may seem unfair in light of certain events here on earth, but the reality is God is very fair.  Think about it.

1. Everybody is welcome. 
2. Everybody gets in the same way. 
3. Everybody can meet the requirement.

This is very fair.  Without a doubt the most fair!  So we can be thankful that we may not always understand God's ways and we most certainly can't live up to His standards, but that by true faith in Jesus Christ we are good to go.
Thank goodness...cause otherwise I'd be toast. 

You guys rock!  Keep up the good fight.  Watch out for the birds!

Matt

Hey Afghan Roadies!

I hope you all are well.  Things are well here in Kabul.  Not sure  

if you realize it, but it's been a rough last couple of weeks for  

coalition forces.  I know in KAF and Kabul its been a pretty costly  

10 days or so.  Looks like the winter is officially over and the  

hills are alive!  Be careful out there.  What may have been a safe  

valley in February, may not be now!!!  Bottom Line Up Front:  Watch  

the recenty thawed out high ground!

On another topic; I would like to vent just a bit about a topic  

close to my heart.  Hope that's ok.

While I am in Afghanistan I seem to run into more and more people  

that just don’t like the message that salvation can only come  

through faith in the resurrected Christ Jesus.  They say it’s unfair!

It’s a basic argument for most people.  The argument that “good  

people” will be able to go to heaven.  This thought process is of  

course a very palatable and fair idea.  I get that logic.  I  

understand the human desire for “all people” to be good, and that if  

you’re good; you get a good outcome after you die.

For me it’s hard to look at people that you know are going to  

struggle to walk out a faith in Christ.

For example, if I were to lead one of my Afghan interpreters to  

faith in Christ.  Of course this could occur only by the power of  

God’s Holy Spirit.  Anyway, this faith would be a suicide mission  

for him.  He would have to be so sold out for Christ because his  

entire world would be shattered in unimaginable ways if he even  

mentioned believing in Christ as the risen Lord.  Is this unfair?

So, do I not tell him…….?

Of course not, I have to tell him.  Now, I have to be smart about  

how I do it and I mostly have to pray for him, but this brings me to  

my point.

Fairness has nothing to do with truth.

Put another way….for something to be true, it does not have to be  

fair.  Sorry, that’s the truth.

FAIRNESS IS NOT A REQUIREMENT OF TRUTH!!!!

Realizing this truth as a Christ follower is what fuels a lifelong  

passion to tell other people about the truth that is Jesus.  It may  

not be fair from a non-believers perspective, but God is holy and  

great in ways humanity can’t understand, so I am compelled to trust  

Him, even if his judgments don’t seem fair.

What do you think?

Hey Roadies in Afghanistan!

I know some of you are rotating in, so if you can let me know where you’re at.  I would love to hook up.  Things are well in Kabul.  Lots of rain.  I have pasted a little video for you.  I flew on this mission over a year ago.  We still work with these guys several times a week.  Can anyone tell where this is??? Sound off if you’re at KAF?  I will be down there for a week very soon.  070-734-7915 is my local cell.

Take Care and God Bless You!
Matt

Happy Nowruz (New Year)!

As you know Monday the 21st was the New Year on the Iranian calendar used in Afghanistan.  The celebration is called Nowruz and has its roots from way, way back.  So Happy New Year in Afghanistan!  This makes the second New Year for me in Afghanistan.  One with our Gregorian (Western) calendar on January 1st, 2011 and now my first in Afghanistan where we rang in the year 1390!!!!!   

Well, I completed my first week back and I have to say it has been much easier getting back in the swing this time.  I am so thankful this has been a good week for me.
I had begun to anticipate the work I would do upon my return and began to get anxious.  As you know the pace in Afghanistan is fast, so I started to think and worry about my return quite a bit my last week home.  I can honestly say that the anxious worrying feelings did me no good at all.  I don’t know why I do that to myself.  There really is no reason to worry.  I love that the Lord tells us in Luke 12:22–26 (TNIV) 

22 Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23 Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25 Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? 26 Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 

All of that worrying I did while the entire time Christ had it covered for me!  May I encourage you to join me in a renewed effort to not worry so much? Whether you’re coming or going from Afghanistan, or there are things going on at home that are out of your control….do your best to lean on Christ’s words and wisdom in this matter.  It works!

Be Blessed!

Welcome Back Crossroads Afghanistan!

Well, it's been five weeks since I last blogged.  My intent was to possibly blog a couple of times while I was home, but I was OBE (Overcome by Events).  All I can say is WOW!  There are so many things to do when you get home with so little time to do it.  Especially, when you are on a quick return clock.  I know many of you only get two weeks at a time, so it would be extremely difficult to get stuff done.  If you only get two weeks on your R&R I would just stick with immediate family, because that time will go by really fast.  Two weeks is better than nothing though.

Well in the five weeks I was gone I missed most of the cold weather here in Afghanistan...that's good.  I came back to a country that still has a lot going on.  I know each of you is really busy and I just pray that you are finding some peaceful time to yourself.  I can say with all honesty that Crossroads Community Church DOES think about you and pray for you.  You are a big deal to Pastor Gene and the rest of the team.  This blog is actually a very small thing when compared to all that is going on to bring you a better capability to stay connected (video).  Trust me its coming.  It's coming with much love and effort having been put into it, so I am very excited about that.

That’s it for now.  I am back in Kabul.  My cell phone has not changed 0707347915.  Call me if you can.  I am not sure when I will be out and about, so if you get anytime in Kabul please call me.

Be Blessed
Pastor Matt