Greetings from KAF

Wow, is it hot...and dusty...and hot...and dusty

Yes, I finally got here last Friday mid-morning after a few hours from the Camp which is naught but a Mirage.

The flight was cramped but uneventful, and the first day here was a bit overwhelming. The heat and the dust and the smell really hit you when you jump out of the Herc onto the tarmac kitted to the teeth.

It took a couple of days to get shaken out, but I'm pretty much sorted now, and my changeover with my friend of many years, Nicole, is going well. She's counting down in single digits now and very cheerful about it too! I'll be working with an excellent crew, and am diving into the material...Like I have anything better to do for the next few months ;)

Lest you worry, however, be assured that the amenities are superb, and won't be wanting for anything while I'm here. For those of you who know me well enough, you know that I'm more of a Starbuck's than Timmy's kind of guy...So the good news is that I've found Greenbeans which is the Camp's equivalent to Starbuck's. Yes, I'll have a Timmy's, but only for form's sake!

I went out to visit an Afghan school today; wow, what an eye opener. All I could think was that we live a pretty cushy life in the West, and I doubt that most of us really appreciate how good life is in our western countries. Good food, shelter, jobs and plenty of clean potable water. Anyone who complains about the stadard of living in the West really ought to spend half a day in a bombed out apartment complex in Afghanistan to get a better perspective.

Oh yeah, and as a footnote, the Darwinist's ideas about moral evolution...Totally out to lunch, and unrealistic except for a situation where nobody is starving.

Right, I have to sign off, until next time.

Waiting!

So I'm waiting for my flight out now. We start our trip across the pond this evening. Hopefully the travelling won't be too bad, and the transit time will be short.

I'll post up when I get there.

K

What's So Great About Christianity

Yesterday I received a shipment of books from Chapters. Amongst the others is a copy of Dinesh D'Souza's What's So Great About Christianity. (Note that the title is in the form of a statement - tells you something right off the bat).

At any road, after seeing footage of D'Souza calmly and cogently eviscerating Hitchens in a debate, I figured that I had to read his book. Long story short, What's So Great About Christianity is D'Souza's response to anti-theists and atheists such as Hitchens et al, as well as being his call to Christians as a group to rally 'round the King and stop being so abject in their apologies to all and sundry.

So far, I've only managed to get into the first few chapters since yesterday evening, but it's a really good read. I'll do a review of it once I've finished.

RCIA - Thanks!

So for those of you who don't know yet, I (finally!) received the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Blessed Eucharist for the first time at Easter Vigil. Hey, it's only been 39 years in the making!

I just wanted to send my sincere thanks out to all of the St Ignatius RCIA Team as well as my fellow traveller Tom.

It was a fairly long voyage, and it took considerable work and introspection. Truth, 'graduating' from RCIA was/is only the first step in a lifelong commitment, but I get a very real sense that the Church puts catechumens through the process for some very valid reasons. You know how your Mother always tells you that nothing worth doing is ever easy, and nothing easy is ever worth doing? Well, RCIA is very much like that in the sense that the Church basically lays out her beliefs and traditions in front of catechumens and says to them: this is what we believe, and you are free to take it or leave it, and should you choose to take up the mantle, here is what you need to reflect upon and subscribe to.

I now understand why the Church mandates classes and preparation for marriage and baptism, and IMHO it's a superb idea.

So, thanks to Claire and the rest of the RCIA team and our cheerleader/secretary Colin for guiding me through this initial journey. There will be work to do every day, but I feel that you've set me on the path I needed to be on, especially for the next six months or so. I just hope that I'll be able to contribute back to the parish when I return.

Enough for now, I'm feeling all verklempt ;)

Change of Format

Following a request from two dear friends yesterday, I've changed the background of the blog.

Please let me know if this is more legible than the previous.

K

Spooling Up

Hey all,
This is the first new post on my blog in about 2 years; and as such this is a bit of a test.

A number of people have been asking about my going overseas to "that place" so I've decided that the best means of communicating with everyone will be through this blog. I'll post stuff up while I'm overseas and you will be able to read up on what is going on, and will be able to make comments as you wish.

Some caveats though. We have been told to take it for granted that everything posted or e-mailed is being scanned and dissected by those who ought to be our allies and by our enemies. To that end, there will have to be some ground rules for both my posts and your comments (should you wish to leave any). At all costs be vague in your comments. Don't use surnames, and don't leave any personal info. You can expect me to be fairly circumspect at all times. We have been warned that others 'over there' have been putting out too much info and have been getting themselves and their families into trouble.

For those wondering, I ought to be leaving in a few weeks, and taking leave in the week leading up to my departure. I expect that the travel to get there will take a couple of days, with at least one stop along the way in the airfield that is only a 'Mirage' in the desert ;) Google Maps is your friend.

As most of you know, although I'm really looking forward to going, I'm not happy about leaving 'my crew' behind for the next few months. Although I know that they are made of some pretty stern stuff, I'm heartbroken at the prospect of not seeing them until mid-way. I'm just happy that it's a summer tour and so they will do some travelling, and the weather wont't be so depressing. I'm grateful too to all of our friends and the Parish, all of whom will be watching out for K and C and M (and Mr. D too!)

Keep watching this blog for future posts as I spool up for my departure.

Take care and may God bless you and keep you.

K