Holidays in a War Zone

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Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. — I Thessalonians 5:18

“Give Thanks With a Grateful Heart” was the praise chorus ringing in my head, but I was having a hard time. How could I give thanks in Kabul? I was cold, far from home and family, and my first grandchild was due to be born at any time. I would miss her birth and the gatherings of my children during the holidays. What was a grandmother doing teaching in Kabul anyway?

Let me start at the beginning: After his retirement from a major airline, my husband began working overseas flying for an Afghan airline. I visited him there and felt God’s call to come to Afghanistan. With four children in the military it would be good for me to be part of a positive process there, I reasoned. Nine months later I arrived, headscarf and all, to teach in the international school.

I immediately connected with the Navy Chaplain on base. I knew I would need my “kid fix” by being around military young people, and I knew I needed a place to worship without fear. I brought other colleagues with me and every Sunday night we would make the four mile journey to base. That is if we were allowed to travel due to security restrictions. In a land of suicide bombings and IEDs those times came quite often, and we would be so disappointed if we could not get to Chapel.

I adopted as many military folks as I could. With a kid in each branch of service, I had something in common with each of them. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with them in the Chapel tent singing “though the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say, ‘Blessed be the name of the Lord’” was electrifying. Because the darkness did close in. Sometimes it was in the form of a tragic event of war, but other times it was the pervasive homesickness and monotony of life in a war zone. Every day is a grey version of the day before. I borrow the phrase of “hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.” There is so little to look forward to—except mail, Skype, and the journey home. When I listened to prayer requests they were always about home—prayers for wives and husbands shouldering the load, kids struggling. Our heads were in Afghanistan but our hearts were turned toward home.

But what about Thanksgiving? God calls us to give thanks in all circumstances (I Thessalonians 5:18). My life was so much better than most of those around me. So I snapped out of it—the “mom” in me came alive. It was time to make it special. My Grandma would say, “It is not where you are, it is how you deal with it.” So we planned the feast at our compound. We scoured the markets for pumpkins (squash), and turkeys (giant chickens). I taught lessons in how to cook a turkey, made pumpkin (squash) pies, and then Christmas cookies.

We feasted—although it was still cold and the power kept going out. And then on Sunday night, cookies in tow, we headed to Chapel at the local ISAF base. Care packages lined the back of the tent ready to be distributed along with our cookies. We lit the Advent candle and sang, inviting Jesus to come.

And all I could see was His light—The Light of the world. The holidays had arrived. And I gave thanks.

Questions to Share:

1. What holidays do you remember from your childhood? Share those memories with your spouse.

2. What has been your experience of the holiday season during deployment?

3. Ask each other how you can pray for them during this holiday season.