I have always been an advocate. They say that God chooses specific parents for specific children because no one can pour into them, love them, and raise them like you can. God creates in the womb a life that fulfills His purpose and is unique to its own. I never saw autism as a major challenge for my son, only a challenge that we would overcome to the extent that it was possible to do so. There is a problem, we will fix it.
If you want to do this parenting of special needs right, an overnight advocate you must become. No one has the responsibility but you. I decided that a normal life was what he would have. Aside from several hours a week in therapy, my son did everything the other kids did in our small town. And that is how I ended up eating Hamburger Helper by the city pool while he was taking swimming lessons. I had a 10:00am lunch break for six weeks, four summers in a row. But he can swim now. People, schools, insurance companies, and sports teams; everywhere you decide to create an equal environment you will have to advocate for that.
I believe to be an advocate, you must have a moral set of absolutes. You must approach the cause knowing there is such a thing as actual truth. Only through the lens of a perfect God do we know the difference between good and evil, right or wrong, and faith, love, and real charity. God has allowed for me to have a very interesting life. Everything from senior citizen water aerobics with the older ladies at church, sports mom, frog catcher, Bible camp cook, being questioned by the IDF before entering the country, to the Toby Keith Foundation and working with people like President George W. Bush and his wife Laura, Admiral William H. McRaven, and even Leanne Morgan for auction items.
I have also found myself worshiping God with retired Marines running safe houses in Afghanistan and working tributes for Toby Keith, to which our U.S. veterans came out in droves.
I never turn away a chance to hear their stories or sing along with them, “cause we’ll put a boot in your ass it’s the American way.” All of this happened to me because I understood that Jesus Christ died for me so that I could live for Him. If every experience, including divorce, taught me anything, it is that I only have this one life, and I want to live for His purpose. Still, with all of this, nothing prepared me for Afghanistan.
I just remember thinking, “how could President Biden do this?” I think all Americans will remember what they saw on the news August 15th, 2021. I single him out solely because no one bares the responsibility of the withdrawal except for President Joe Biden alone, and now his staff since they knew the mental state of our then-president and acted on his behalf.
Of course, this was a policy question for every administration, but every president ultimately made the decision to stay because the reality was clear. People would be falling off planes if we did this. I went to a book signing event for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and in advice to President Donald Trump, he warned that leaving Afghanistan would be like pulling the pin out of a grenade. Don’t do it. Everyone knew how serious a decision like this was except for apparently one administration.
Evacuation planes were on the move, and soon we had refugees at our military bases all over the world as the chaos continued to unfold. In response to the crisis, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R., Okla.) pledged to take one thousand Afghan refugees to resettle in Oklahoma. This was not just a call to correct a moral failure created by the Biden administration — it was an Oklahoma call to action.
My now home church, Memorial Road Church of Christ decided that they would partner to resettle families from Afghanistan, so I talked to my mom, and I signed up! What followed was a complete life change for me, but again I found myself to be an advocate. I found it was not just for my new friend; but for all of them. Oklahoma by no means did everything perfectly — this experience exposed flaws, particularly in low-income housing units of which I had zero problem confronting landlords — but Oklahomans did this well. Churches did this well. Military veterans did this well. I am proud to be an Oklahoman for many reasons but what we did for our new families from Afghanistan was remarkable.
But then came the biggest change of all.
“Laura, you can’t possibly be moving to Virginia,” said every single person I know. And yet, here I am.
The story on how I joined the Afghanistan United Front (AUF) is a long one. It really all began with a book, “The Last Commander,” by General Sami Sadat. I was hooked by his love for coffee and always having a good coffee pot with him. It’s funny that after reading a book of battle stories that that would be my first comment when I met him, but in a world of green tea, I liked this about him. Turns out I was not the only one!
To my core, I believe that the blame for the current state of Afghanistan lays at the feet of the United States government. We own this failure. Sure, there are other parts to it, but that withdrawal is where we find today innocent people being killed, living in hiding, starving, and woman completely stripped of any rights. The greatest asset in Afghanistan — its people — are living under one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet, including North Korea.
The mission of the Afghanistan United Front is to restore Afghanistan back to a free democracy that takes its rightful place among the peaceful nations of this world. When I look back on all of the challenges the Afghan people have faced in the last four years, how much they love their country, and would have never left had it not been a literal death sentence, I realized that if I could give them anything it would be this. If I loved them like I advocated for them, I could use my skills to give this to them. I am fully committed to doing so through the AUF.
I am typing this op-ed as I sit at the headquarters dining room table a few days after our last event we had in this house. I like the dining room table because I am central to all the goings on in this house. To finish this mission takes a special kind of bond within the team and we have it.
As I am telling this story, the sheer fact that I am living here as the Executive Director of our humanitarian aid program still shocks me — but it shocks me even more when I recount the journey it took to get here. Every day I consider it a privilege to carry out the 501 (c)(3) mission; providing humanitarian relief to former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), their families, and women who are considered high-risk in Afghanistan.
Four years later, they are still resisting — but they must do it in hiding. People think that there must always be a reason as to why I said yes other than what it is, but I said yes because I love the mission. It’s the heart of the AUF. It’s the heart of God. “He will redeem them from oppression and violence, for their lives are precious to Him (Psalms 72:14).”
Here at the Afghanistan United Front, we are a group of men and woman who fight for those who can’t fight for themselves. We are led by General Sami Sadat, who I know to be a patriot, a man of vision, and a friend. He will do anything it takes to complete this mission, for no other reason, but for his country and the men and woman who represent it.
I believe this mission to be morally right, and strategically imperative to the U.S. national interest. President Trump will not have a better ally than General Sami Sadat. But we need an ally in you, in the American people. We would like to invite you to come and see what we are about because I believe that you will not be able to look away. Head over to our website, and check us out.
From there you can donate, support our cause, or promote our story, but we invite you to use your story to restore Afghanistan as an active friend of the AUF. Be a part of the change that is coming to Afghanistan.
Laura Hardin is the newly appointed Executive Director of humanitarian aid for the Afghanistan United Front (AUF). A native of Oklahoma, Laura brings over twenty years of banking experience, six years of that in the nonprofit sector, with thirty plus years overall serving her community from homeless shelters, to overseeing funding for persecuted communities. In August of 2021, her whole life changed when the U.S. retrograded out of Afghanistan and Oklahoma City welcomed new neighbors from Afghanistan. Finding her place, Laura has advocated and helped our new families from Afghanistan adjust to living in America while championing for a restored Afghanistan.