Vision Restored in Afghanistan
 Abdullah
had enjoyed reading Afghan proverbs since he was 20 years old. “The
man of proverbs” always carried his favorite small book wrapped in
a cloth and read it to his friends. Men of all ages enjoyed his readings
and following discussions. Then the Taliban attacked the village of Istalef
and everything changed.
Uprooted
“During the Taliban invasion I was sixty years old and did not have
the strength to flee,” shared Abdullah. “I hid my book of
proverbs carefully. The Taliban came to my room and hit me. The next day
they removed my shirt and hit me on my back. I am not sure where I got
the strength but that night I crossed the mountains for safety. It took
me four days to [get to] Kabul and when I got there I collapsed. The next
thing I knew I was in a friend’s house. For the next nine years
I hid the book of proverbs so that it would not get into the hands of
the Taliban.”
Vision Dims
When the Taliban was removed Abdullah returned home. After rebuilding
his destroyed house, Abdullah took out his book to read to his friends.
However he could not see clearly. Now 70, his eye sight had become weak.
He summoned young men, who were eagerly waiting to hear the proverbs to
read for him. But most of them had not gone to school. Slowly the small
group began to dwindle away.
Seeing is Believing
One afternoon Abdullah heard that a team of doctors from Operation Blessing
had brought reading and prescription glasses to Istalef. He was overjoyed
to think that he might have the opportunity to be able to read again.
At 4 am he began walking the four hours it took to get to the clinic.
Upon his arrival, a volunteer optometrist determined that all Abdullah
needed was a pair of reading glasses.
After putting them on, he smiled. “Thank you very much for coming
all the way to Istalef. Never did I dream that I would be able to read
again. You have just given me another life. God bless you.” He quickly
reached into his pocket for the small book of proverbs. Right away a group
gathered around him and Abdullah began to read.
During this 2-week medical mission, Operation Blessing’s medical
volunteers provided hundreds of eye glasses, optical exams, vitamins and
toothbrushes to Istalef’s men, women and children! Thank you for
continuing to rebuild this war-torn village.
There are literally millions of children and their families around our
world that still need medical care.
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