Dear POM
We would like to express our gratitude for being able to host two of the 14 Israeli soldiers from the Peace of Mind project last week October 17-24/2010.
We had no idea what to expect when we were told Amir Salhuv and Oleg Dinkeyich were going to be staying with us for a week. We didn’t know if we would get to know them or even if we would have any time to spend with them. While we did not have much time with them, we formed strong bonds and connections with them and some of the others soldiers remarkably quickly. We had no idea that in such a short time, it would feel like Amir and Oleg were family.
It was fascinating to hear on a personal level, some of what they experienced, although it was a small fraction of what they experienced, reading it in an email or in the newspaper pales in comparison. We were fascinated listening to their opinions on the state of Israel. We never dreamed we would get so much out of this program. We genuinely gained insight into the lives of these “real life” super heros. In part, because of the Peace of Mind project, we will be visiting Israel this summer and some of our soldiers. We would volunteer to be part of this project again in a heartbeat.
When they left, we wished we had had more time with them as we wanted to get to know them better. We were also very sad, as if part of our family had left us.
They truly took a piece of our hearts back home to the holy land with them.
Regards,
Jennifer and Steve Kranc