I’m about 1/2 way through the book Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson.  It’s a great book about his experiences helping to rebuild schools and bring peace in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  I love this passage and wanted to share this from the book:

“We had come into this stricken valley in order to build schools and to promote education, we were inviting the people of the area to become our teachers.  And in so doing, Sarfraz and I wound up relearning the lesson that had originally been imparted to me, all those years ago, by the silver-bearded Haji Ali in the village of Korphe.

When you take the time to actually listen, with humility, to what people have to say, it’s amazing what you can learn.  Especially if the people who are doing the talking also happen to be children.”

You know when you hear a truth.  You get one of those heightened feelings.  He goes on in the book to relate a story of how they couldn’t figure out why students weren’t coming back to school.  It was a child that had the answer.

You can get your own copy at Stones into Schools

I have just started reading the book by Greg Mortenson, “Stones into Schools.” He literally stumbled upon his mission in life when he got lost coming down a mountain. He found a small village in Pakistan and he found his direction and passion. I will give you the opportunity to read his story,but his mission is education. Promoting peace with books not bombs. Imagine that.

This is a true story of Greg’s experiences of supporting education in Afghanistan and Pakistan.  I had read Charlie Wilson’s War about the US involvement in helping Afghanistan fight the Soviets.  After that victory the US pulled out without helping them bring order back to their war torn country.  This left them vulnerable.  Enter the Extremist’s who forbid girls to be educated and they limited the freedom and power of women.

Somewhere else I remember reading how common it is in war for the enemy to cripple by attacking the women.  I believe this is an  unconscious attack on a society’s source of power.

Economists and development experts around the world have realized that educating young women can be the biggest potential agents of change in developing countries.  It is sometimes referred as the Girl Effect. African proverb:

If you teach a boy, you educate an individual; but if you teach a girl, you educate a community.

This book is the follow up from Three Cups of Tea, which unfortunately I haven’t read yet. Three Cups of Tea is where this story really begins. You won’t be lost if you don’t start there though. I haven’t read it yet. Stones into Schools was handed to me. There are no accidents.

This is an inspiring book.  My own mission statement has been to empower people in my healing practice.  This man, Greg Mortenson, is working to empower a nation.  Impressive.

Check it out for yourself:  Stones into Schools

I finally figured out how to create a book page with the links I wanted.  I’ve been wanting to share some of the great books I’m reading.  Here’s one of several I have going.  What If It All Goes Right? Creating a New World of Peace, Prosperity & Possibility by Mindy Audlin.  Tony gifted it to me and the timing was good.  Have you noticed how that happens?  I’ll stop reading a book for a while, then pick it up when I really need to read what was in the next section.

What if … everything is in divine order right now.  Doesn’t the unknown just scare the bejezzes out of you sometimes?  We hang on, ok I hang on resisting the change.  Ugh.  OK time to let go.  Trust.  Thank you.