" Back home, I guess the holiday season is in full swing. Thanksgiving is over, as is Black Friday and "Cyber Monday" (whatever that is). Although I'm glad that I am missing out on the Christmas shopping spectacle, I as well as everyone here will certainly miss the times of celebration with friends and family. But Christmas is about giving, and thanks to the gracious and generous support of Lynn Clark and her family, we were able to embrace the Christmas spirit a little bit by getting to be Santa Claus.
Lynn sent several boxes of toys, which we handed out to about 30 local orphans. Donning Santa hats, we went outside the gate and had the kids line up and cycle through the line, where they could pick a toy of their choice. Despite the overwhelming popularity and name recognition of Jon Cena, surprisingly the hottest item was the toy microphone. I guess they've been piping in the re-runs of "Middle East Idol". Jon Cena statues and action figures took a close second, with the chalk and chalkboards finishing third.
We enjoyed giving back to the community in a tangible way. Because of the amount of fighting that we do, it can be easy to adopt a hardened attitude against the people here. But looking into the eyes of these kids, I saw the future of Afghanistan. Their words, deeds, attitudes, and actions will shape this country long after we're gone and forgotten. In reality, a simple act of gift-giving may be one of the most significant contributions that we've made here so far. And as an added bonus, seeing smiles on all those faces brings a little bit of Christmas cheer to our hearts.
Thanks again to Lynn Clark for her donation and generosity. Without here the above would not have been possible."
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