Mountains of Iranian Kurdistan
Chapter 10
A GIFT FROM GOD
The journey across the Iranian
border and into Iraq was made manageable by the Kurdish driver and his
accompanists. Three Kurds singing at the top of their voices on the rough
mountain roads concerned Little Brother as much as Leah giving birth without
him there.
Thoughts rambled around in
his head carrying guilt. The two soon-to-be new parents had put so much into
breathing exercise practices prescribed by the nurses at the Tel Aviv hospital.
Leah and Little Brother were taking the coming child very seriously as any
parent should.
Now, the Team was overboard
with their offers of help, prep, and nerves. Before Leah flew to her parents in
Israel to stay near the hospital, she had gathered The Team to scold them about
their being more nervous than she was. She shook her finger at them, saying,
"If you don't calm down, someone among you will have a heart attack! Thon!
What happened to your sense of humor? Mabior, I have been with you with bullets
flying all around your head, and you never exhibited any nerves. You are an
absolute wreck. Alek, you used to be so involved with your weapons that you
rarely gave me the time of day. Twins listen to me, Sam and I cannot fit
another baby present in our home. Look, I love all of you, but you must calm
down!"
Inside Iraq, the driver
headed the Rover toward Harir US Air Base near Harir in Western Kurdistan, a
semi-autonomous area of Iraq. Arriving at the air base was not what Samuel
expected. As the Rover and its passengers were fully expected, they were waved
through the gate without stopping. As the dirt-covered vehicle came near the
runway, a sizeable gathering of US military and Kurdish workers and dignitaries
lined the road cheering the Rover on to its destination.
Samuel sat sheepishly
waving the entire trip through the air base. Until he neared the waiting plane
for his flight to Israel. An Air Force ground crew snapped smartly to attention
as they approached, giving a crisp salute. Samuel and the Rover's crew jumped
out of the jeep gawking at the plane before them - a Gulfstream III C20 US
military passenger jet.
Major Korda, the pilot,
released his salute and offered his hand to Samuel while introducing himself.
"Sir, General Iverson ordered the best plane available. Welcome aboard.
It's an honor to be your pilot, Mr. Winston. This is Lieutenant Armstrong, my
co-pilot."
Taking a brief pause from
gawking, Samuel asked Major Korda, "Major, is your last name an indication
of Kurdish ancestry?"
Surprise showed in the
Major's eyes as he answered, "Yes, sir, it is."
Hearing this, the three Kurds were in awe. The three
dirt-covered men removed their hats and wiped their hands on just as dirty
pants while taking turns shaking the Major's hand.
Asking for the driver's
phone, Samuel prodded them to squeeze together for a picture with the pilots.
Commenting to his mates,
the driver told them, "I've always told my sons they can accomplish great
things even from a poor family such as ours. This Kurd from the United States
is proof."
Overhearing the man, Major
Korda pulled a card from a pocket of his immaculate uniform, offering it to the
man and instructing him, "Sir, call me tomorrow at the number on my card.
I'll arrange for your sons to spend some time at the base, and take a ride in
some of the aircraft here."
The driver grasped the
Major in a loving hug with tears wetting his face.
While those discussions
went on, the flight crew was taking photos with Samuel.
Climbing
the stairs onto the plane, Samuel turned, shouting, "Hey, we need to pray
before we take off."
The crew chief gathered
everyone in the area. After a strong prayer, Samuel climbed back up the stairs
to the plane.
As the Rover driver was
about to launch himself into his seat, he turned and asked the pilot,
"Take good care of this man? I have heard many stories about him. He is an
important man with a good wife and child waiting for him."
Major Korda smiled,
"My brother, I'll take good care of him, but you take good care of your
family, too. The world needs good families now, more than ever. Remember, call
me tomorrow."
As the jet lost contact
with the runway, Little Brother yelled to the Major and his co-pilot through
the open cockpit door, "Are you a Muslim or a Christian?"
Both replied,
"Christian."
Samuel mused,
"Gentlemen, how can a person look out from that cockpit and not see the
hand of God?"
Major Korda motioned for
Lt. Armstrong to take the controls, and turned to face the passenger
compartment, "Samuel, I asked the same question the first time I rode in
an airplane. That plane was piloted by my Father. He had flown us, my Mother,
brothers, and sisters, from Iraq to Turkey. We were escaping Hussein's tyranny.
To be truthful, It was more than tyranny. It was genocide. He was gassing us
Kurds in Iraq. Our people were dying by the thousands. A horrible time."
Releasing his seatbelt,
Samuel stood and walked two steps to grasp the Major's hands, telling him,
"I have read stories about those harrowing events. The Kurdish people are
very loving and loyal. I am certain that if Hussein had given the Kurds even a
small piece of sovereignty and shown just a little compassion, he would have
had a loyal friend through thick and thin. I cannot imagine what would cause
people to do such ghastly things to their fellow man."
Breathing deeply, the Major
replied, "Now, Hussein is dead and Khomeini is close. Man struggles to
serve justice because justice is God's. We Kurds are a patient people for we
know that God's justice will come in his time and his way, and he may use the
Kurdish people to administer a piece of that justice. My people were excited
when we received word of The Team in Iran. We knew that God had not forgotten
us. You cannot imagine the lift your presence has upon us."
Sdot Micha Airbase loomed
in the distance as the pilots began their ascent to land. The ground crew was
waiting with a car and driver nearby to transport Samuel to Sourasky Medical
Center where Leah and the newborn awaited the new father's arrival.
With newborn, Aliza Eliana,
in her arms, Leah lay there talking with her Mother, Hannah, and Father,
Elijah. At that moment a nurse rushed into the room, shaking, "Mrs.
Winston, there is a dirty and scruffy man, maybe homeless, wanting into your room."
At the same time, the door
slowly opened revealing a man exactly as the nurse described him, dirty and
scruffy. Leah shrieked, "Sam!" While immediately breaking out in
tears.
With a sheepish grin on his
face mixed with a hesitant move to the bed to embrace and view his daughter and
wife, he was intercepted by Hannah.
"Son, put this
hospital gown around you, first come to the sink to wash your hands. Then
you'll be just fine."
The nurse stood there
unable to speak at the sight before her.
Elijah, beaming with pride,
leaned over to the nurse's ear, assuring her, "It's her husband, Samuel,
just back from a mission in Iran."
The nurse blurted out,
"Iran!"
Elijah gloated, "Yep,
Iran. Samuel's a member of The Team, God's Special Forces Unit."
With a gulp, she said to
nobody and everybody, "Forgive me for not knowing." Then she rushed
out of the room to spread the news.
As the nurse traveled down
the hall, excitement erupted throughout the hospital at the news of Samuel and
Iran. Add to that the reverberation of the news that the PM, Netanyahu, was on
his way up to see that dirty and scruffy man, wife, and newborn daughter. That
event seemed to open the floodgate of important visitors. General and Mrs.
Iverson and Mrs. Akech and her husband had the honor of attending the door and
welcoming visitors awarding them a cordial addition to the waiting list. It was
a grand event with hospital administrators seen frantically rushing here and
there to arrange space and to create a spur-of-the-moment great experience for
all. But there was one thing that Samuel and Leah kept searching for in the
line of visitors each time the door opened. A piece was missing that would make
the event truly exceptional.
A week passed by, and
Samuel slept on the couch beside Leah's bed. That morning marked the beginning
of the last day of hospital for the Winston family. Leah had experienced some
minor issues that were safely resolved.
A head popped in the
slightly opened door to ask, "Boker tov (good morning - Hebrew), are you
ready for some aruchat boker (breakfast - Hebrew)?"
Leah looked at Samuel, who
had just sat up, sleepy-eyed, "Boker Tov, Sam, ready to eat?"
Samuel was always ready to
eat.
The bubbly lady exited the
room with a heartfelt, "Shalom."
The two went about digging
into their meals. Samuel looked at the wall clock. Leah, noticing, commented,
"Sam, Aliza will be here shortly. After I feed her, you can take care of
her while I shower and dress. It's so exciting to leave. Soon we'll be back
home in Yei to start living as a family."
Samuel, his mouth stuffed,
mumbled, "You bet. I'll take her down to see all the newborns."
Laughing, Leah chastised,
"Samuel Nathanael Winston, don't talk with your mouth full."
"My Mother always told
me that same thing."
Leah put her fork down. A
sad look swept over her face at that last comment. "Sam, I wish your
Mother and Father could have been here. I remember fondly our trip to Oklahoma
to visit them. I remember how welcoming and loving your relatives and friends
were. It's sad for us to be separated from your family at times like
this."
Still eating, Samuel
concluded, "Oh - I'll be fine. We'll see them soon, I'm sure."
Leah scrunched her face,
responding, "Sam, I won't put up with you not making more effort to get
your parents here. James said he'd put them on the first plane. All you had to
do was say the word. But you - you hem-hawed around, never making
arrangements."
As if that conversation
were the intro, the same nurse that had announced Samuel's arrival, threw open
the door and breathlessly announced, "Mrs. Winston, coming down the hall
is a large group of men that look exactly like Mr. Winston did upon his
arrival!" At that, she opened the door fully.
Leah screamed, "It's
The Team! They're home."
Samuel jumped up spilling
his food tray, shouting, "What took you guys so long?"
Mabior shouted back,
"We had work to do, unlike someone we know!"
Leah's Mother walked out of
the nurse's station at the same time that The Team appeared. She immediately
sidestepped back into the room to muster nurses. They loaded up with extra
hospital gowns to cover the men. Then she flew to the baby station to grab
Aliza for The Team to see.
Diemba's wife, Fadoul, had
been sitting in the waiting room till the Winston's finished their breakfast.
She heard the commotion. Stepping into the hallway and seeing her husband, she
ran to embrace him.
Once again, the hospital
was a picture of madness, but a wonderful and Godly madness.
The nurse who had the
privilege of announcing both momentous events stood proudly before all the
nurses on duty who stood gawking at the sight, introducing the new visitors,
"These men before you are the rest of The Team just back from a top-secret
mission in Iran."
The Team packed into the
small hospital room after being fitted with a hospital gown and washing hands.
The sound of everyone talking at once was like a gaggle of geese. The whole
family was home, and there was a new member who came down the hallway swaddled
in the arms of a very proud Grandmother.
Without a word of caution,
she handed Aliza gently to me, James Jefferson. The room went silent. I don't
know if I had ever held a baby this young and tiny. It scared the daylights out
of me. My only thought was, "Oh, Lord, you must approve of our work, for
you are adding to our numbers, and, by the way, don't let me drop this
beautiful thing."
I asked Hosseini what
everyone was laughing about.
His reply, "Chief, the
nurse asked for Aliza to give her a final examination before leaving the
hospital. Leah explained to her that she had no idea where she was. The nurse's
shocked expression at that answer was priceless. Leah looked at her with a
'what's the fuss about' look, saying, 'Do you seriously think something could
happen to my daughter with The Team around?'"
Both of us laughed, as I
made my way through the crowd handing Aliza to the bewildered nurse.
However,
Aliza was snatched from the nurse's arms by Amani. Alek began complaining that
he was supposed to be next. All this while Leah and Fadoul, Diemba's wife,
sifted through the candy boxes brought as presents. Samuel held the attention
of a group, telling them how he was quite the expert at changing diapers. Tales
of his heroic changing of poopy diapers without gagging was a hit. What a
family.
Unknown to us, powerful forces were gathering
back in Yei, South Sudan. Fortunately, those forces were powered by God.
Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv