Visiting other areas...

In the past week my assistant and I have been focused on seeing our Soldiers in other areas.  Battlefield circulation is one of the many things I love about this job.  Going out and visiting Soldiers is almost always fun for me.  Not only does it put things in perspective for me and my assistant as we see how life is in other areas, but I also enjoy getting to the smaller areas where the dust and traffic are not so bad.  My biggest hindrance for making these trips is the flights.  I hate flying...  A couple days ago I got to experience my first combat landing. If you don't know what that is, I have attached a picture of it.

Personally, I find the picture insulting because it is not what my

assistant and I went through in the back of the plane. He told me, "I thought they were trying to make a tornado or something." So, I have made a modification to the picture to more accurately portray what we experienced. 

 

Once we got our boots on the ground we met with all our troops and hand delivered some goodies to them. One of the areas was attacked recently and the Soldiers there are not getting the same foods that they are use too. Yes, food is available but its the same stuff again and again. These Soldiers were very happy to see me show up with Ramen Noodles, cans of fruit, and snacks.  While we were there, A couple Soldiers really wanted to walk us around the area and show us what all had happened in the attack a couple weeks ago. As we walked it became very clear to me that this Soldier was needing to talk about what he went through.  As we made our way around the base, he started talking about how all of his Soldiers immediately snapped into "help mode" and helped some wounded Soldiers to the nearest medical station.  "I have not always been a big believer in God," he told me.  And the after a pause he added, "but I just don't see how so many of us were so close to such danger and didn't get killed."  As we made our way back to the company area he pointed out the damages done to the chapel (its the most beautiful chapel in AFG. in my opinion).  The back wall is buckling a little bit and the stain glass was blown out.  But the building still stands and work is being done on it to repair it. 

 

For those praying for us:

I ask that you pray for our chapel service on Sunday mornings.  I ask for God to make himself known in such a big way that it is obvious to everyone that it is God moving, not whatever Chaplain is preaching, or whoever is singing that Sunday.  If we go home and have not had a meaningful encounter with the Creator of us all, then we have been ripped off.

 

 

 

Getting back in the swing of things.

I got back from my R&R three days ago and it has been a non-stop blur of meetings, counseling, and services. 

It is so nice to be back with the Soldiers and help point them towards God’s peace, grace, and mercy.  When I walked into my office, the first thing that I noticed is that I had apparently “won” the Battalion piñata for the month.  What happens is that at the end of every month, the Battalion gets together and has a meal and shares stories about stupid things that people have done.  Then we all vote by round of applause for the dumbest event, and that person gets to keep the piñata in their office for the next month.
 

Why did I win?  Those of you that know me know that I have a mischievous streak in me.  One day I was in the command group office and found that the Battalion Executive officer had left his ID card in his computer and left the room.  So, I decided that I would add a mustache to his picture.  It was a really great mustache and made him look a lot like Luigi of the Mario Brothers.  I quickly left without being spotted and went back to my office.  I laughed at the thought of him not noticing the mustache for weeks or months.  It only took him 10 minutes.  I later found out that instead of using dry erase markers, I had accidentally used a permanent marker.  So, needless to say, the piñata has found a nice home with me for the month.
 
For those of you praying for us:

I ask that you pray for God to put me in the right places at the right times.  I have over 800 Soldiers, 7 different companies, and they are located on over 11 different forward operating bases.  I cannot see how I am going to be able to get to them all as much as I want to before my assistant goes on his R&R.  We also have to coordinate carefully with the other Battalion Chaplain because we cannot both be gone at the same time because of our mission to the convoys and the mortuary affairs Soldiers. 

I also ask that you pray for our Soldiers and their family members.  More specifically, I ask that you pray that God help remind everyone of the worth in their relationships.  There is a huge cost that our Soldiers and family members pay while being deployed.  And, when you cannot be around each other much, the costs appear to outweigh the benefits.  “I don’t see anything left to hold us together,” is what I often hear from my Soldiers in regards to their relationships. 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Home Sweet Home

I am home!  I flew back on the 25th and have been soaking up ever single second that I can.  My travels between Afghanistan and here were a little difficult for me because somewhere along the way I got some bacteria in me that left me feeling extremely sick and weak.  In the worst for days of it, I lost nine pounds (my apologies to those who had to sit next to me on the flights).  I was literally dizzy as I walked from terminal to terminal in Atlanta and Cleveland.  The doctors gave me some good drugs and I am feeling almost 100 percent better now.  We have gone to parks, played in water, been to a farm to see and feed the animals, and have even gone yard-selling together.  The whole time I have been here Ethan has been saying "Daddy this" and "Daddy that."  He will come up and grab my hand and want me to take him somewhere and do something with him. 

The rest of my R&R is going to be free of sickness I hope!  We are traveling to a waterpartk/hotel tomorrow and will spend a couple days there before we head to the zoo in Syracuse where I will jump on my flight back to Afg, and Lindsay and the boys will start their drive down to North Carolina to visit with family. 

It is such a blessing to me to see how God has taken care of my family.  Ethan and William are always into something and Lindsay and right there, keeping them from killing each other and taking care of all the tasks of the house.  How did I get such a great soul-mate?  There is a growing number of my Soldiers who will be coming home from our deployment to broken homes.  I don't think that deployment in and of itself causes divorces, but it is a clear stressor on top of other issues that are present.  Because of all this stress, some relationships break apart and cause a lot of harm to those involved in them.

Please be praying for our Soldiers and family members who are running a little low on morale right now. 
I also ask that you pray for the Religious Support Teams as we try to plan activities and events to help bring Soldiers together with each other, and to help Soldiers grow closer and more open with their families. 

Blessings!