Dear Friends,

How do we meet the needs of people who have suffered as a result of wars, ethnic and tribal conflicts, natural disasters, and social, political, or economic upheavals?

This is the question that Christians face when offering the gospel and love of Christ in a tangible way to people in need. When I went to Afghanistan in 1977 as a young twenty-year-old, I didn't understand how soon I would have to come to grips with this question. My purpose in the country was to study the Persian language, but soon after my arrival, communists attempted to forcibly take over the traditional Muslim country through a coup. This was followed by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, thrusting the country into a protracted war and creating a humanitarian crisis of unparalleled proportions. I soon had to face the realities of learning how to minister to a suffering refugee population... to a people who desperately needed to experience the love of Christ in action.

After almost twenty years of working with the poor and needy throughout Asia in the area of relief and development, it is clear to me that as Christians we must be prepared to respond to the poor and downtrodden of this world with vision, faith, and compassion. This is my heart's desire.

In His Service,

Randall Olson
President and CEO

The appointment of Rand Olson as the new President and CEO of Shelter For Life (SFL) followed a careful search for a leader whose vision, experience, and commitment to positive change will move the organization forward. Rand brings an impressive resume to the work of SFL. Most recently, he served as Director of International Development at Bethany International between 2003 and 2005. Prior to his work for Bethany, he served in several positions in Tajikistan: as a Development Assistance Specialist for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); as Country Director for Counterpart International, Inc.; and as SFL's Regional Director, overseeing programs in Tajikistan and northern Afghanistan between 1998 and 2001.

Rand received his B.A. in Linguistics and South and Southwest Asian Studies from the University of Minnesota. After receiving his M.A. in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from the University of Washington in 1992, he went on to become a Ph.D. candidate in Law and Diplomacy from Tufts University, with concentrations in International Conflict Resolution, Southwest Asian Studies, and Political Systems and Theories.

Rand is the author of two language textbooks and a dictionary: Speaking Afghan Pashto (1990); Basic Grammar of Tajik (1996); and the Standard Tajik-English Dictionary (2001). He has studied the Persian, Tajik, Pashto, Arabic, and Uzbek languages.

Rand lives in St. Cloud, MN, with his wife Rochelle and their three children: Lydia, Luke, and Aaron.