First a little about what has been happening in th last couple weeks:  

I cannot believe that we are right at the 6 month mark of our deployment!  Since the weather has started warming up, my assistant and I have been able to focus more on traveling to visit our Soldiers in other areas.  Previously we had been grouped the other bases into clusters.  This meant that we would spend multiple days jumping from FOB to FOB.  Instead of that model, we are trying to do shorter trips more often.  A week ago, we were able to visit three different locations.   

One of the FOBS we made it to was by an accident.  It is my opinion that the person who was supposed to schedule our  
flight fogot about us until the last minute.  So they scheduled us to fly to another FOB in hopes that we could find another way to our destination.  I was tired and not very happy but as we walked to the DFAC that evening i was able to take the picture to the right.  I had to decrease the resolution and quality of the picture because of the slow internet speed, but it was a beautiful scene. 

The next morning we woke up early and flew back home because there were no flights to our final destination where I had a scheduled for a service the next day.  We arrived at home around 0800 via fixed wing flight.  We took all our gear and range walked (walked fast) down to the Helo terminal to see if there was any chance that we might jump on a helicopter to get us where we needed to go.  I walked in and it turned out that there were two chinooks that were getting ready to depart to our destination to pick up some Soldiers who were getting ready to redeploy.  We arrived without incident and immediately went to the chapel to begin our preperations for the service. 

       In celebration of Easter, we ran, and ran, and ran some more.  Ther was a 5 mile, "run for Jesus" that was put on by one of the other Chaplains, and then a couple days later there was a satallite boston marathon here.  The boston marathon began at 0300 and since my travels didnt allow me to properly train I decided it best to work one of the water stations.  After the marathon was the muleskinner challange which was a 100 mile relay event.  Each team could only have a max of seven persons on a team (i think), and you could only have one runner per team at a time.  Run, run, and more run!

2nd a little about our Troops:
The warmer season is also bring more coflict.  The Soldiers in our brigade always amaze me as I see how strong, mentally and physically they are.  One of these Soldiers whom I consider to be one of the strongest and toughest Soldiers we have came up to me the other day with a worried look on his face.  I knew something was wrong, and honestly, I starteld me a little bit.  We made out typical plesantries, and I finally just asked him what was wrong.  He reached for his neck and pulled out a celtic cross that i have given him a few days before.  "I broke the cross," he said as he pulled up on his ID tag Necklace.  Dangling on the end of the neckalce was a cross that had one of the sides of it broken off.  The Soldier nervously said, "I heard that its really bad luck when this happens."  This Soldier goes outside the wire very often and you could see the hurt on his face as he thought about bringing bad luck down on himself and the Soldiers with him.  I went to my office and grabbed another one traded with him but just trading didnt seem to releave his fears.  "I am glad that you wear this thing enough to wear it out," I told him.  He seemed to accept this and he nodded his head.  We then talked about how lucky we are that God is more than just crosses that can be broke, or books that can get torn up. 

For those praying for us:  1st safety, and secondly for me.  I need clarity and wisdom as I work to keep our Soldiers engaded and thier heads in the game as we move past our halfway point. 

Professionalism

What is professionalism?  This is a term that I am learning to define differently as of late.  Since joining the Army, I have been given the opportunity to stand with some of the greatest professionals that I have ever known.  As many of you know, a couple weeks ago some actions by Soldiers on the base caused riots and demonstrations in the surrounding areas.  The protest here was just outside one of the gates which was too close for my comfort.  The day after the protest, I was visiting all my Soldiers and checking in with them to make sure that every ones nerves were in check.  I made my way around the base, and eventually came to a new company to our Battalion.   

This company is a group of Soldiers that supply ammo to our base, and all the other bases around us.  Because they are new to me, I have tried to spend as much time as possible learning from them exactly what they do.  A few weeks ago they were explaining how the process of getting ammo from them to the soldiers works.  I got lost in all the technical terms and the mountain of paperwork, but the gist is that every piece of ammo (or any property for that matter) is always accounted for by someone.  This means that everything is on some persons hand receipt, meaning that they are financially responsible for it.  One pallet of Ammo can cost a small fortune, and someone has to sign for it. 

On this particular visit, I learned that on the day of the protests, the guards for the base came to these Soldiers with a need for support due to the protests.  The protestors were getting out of hand and the situation was growing more and more stressful.  Simply put, the Soldiers needed an alternative to live-rounds to help the situation.  My Soldiers had to quickly analyze the situation, make the decision, and trust that the paperwork would be completed after the fact (which puts all the risk and accountability on the Soldier).  I realize that this might not resound with those who are not in the military, but to let someone walk out the door with something that belongs to you is a very difficult thing to do.  Should that equipment go missing or be damaged, you are held responsible and it could possibly be something that haunts the rest of your career in the military. 
In the end, the Soldier made the right decision and accepted the potential risk.  The Soldiers at the gate got what they needed and the situation soon de-escalated.  I was almost speechless as the Soldier talked to me about the situation and the role that he played in it.  When he was done I told him how amazing that was and that his actions saved lives.  He told me, “it is not that big of a deal Chap, this is what we are here to do.”  What is a professional?  A professional has developed a gut feeling of what “right” looks like.  A professional knows that the right decision remains right even when there is a large amount of risk involved.  A professional sees the right decision as the standard, not the exception.

Tense Times

First off, I cannot thank you all enough for your prayers and support.  I have received notes and emails from many of you just letting me know that you care.  We also received a few boxes from “operation care and Comfort” on the 22^nd which was a huge lift to our spirits and to the Soldiers in our area.  Along with the prayers and support has come some questions that many of you have about all that has been happening in the past few days.

If you have seen the news then you know all about the issues, and might even know more than I do.  What I know is that at this point my Soldiers are safe and are out of harms way.  When the conflict and tension was at its worst, I will admit that the thought came to me that of my 900 some Soldiers, I am the only one without a weapon.  That is a humbling thought.  Praise the lord for the hedge of protection around this base, and my Soldiers.  And thank God for my assistant! 

Currently, my Soldiers are frustrated, and we are all hoping that we can work through this time with as little conflict as possible.  The cold weather has been nice because it keeps people indoors for the most part which will hopefully mean that everyone has more time to let angers settle down before it warms up.  As many of you know, I am a part of a Sustainment Brigade which has lots of different kinds of units within it.  For example, I am the chaplain for an ordinance unit, finance, postal, customs, HHC (higher headquarters), the riggers, and the retro-sort yard.  We are logistics which means that our biggest concern over the past few days is how to get the necessary supplies out to all the Soldiers that require them.  Imagine how stressed out we can get in making sure that all the smaller bases have everything they need, especially in very difficult conditions or times of conflict.  As the days go on, it seems that things are returning more towards normal, but lots of people are still on edge.  Over the past three days, I have given 14 different briefings to Soldiers in regards to proper ways to handle religious materials.  Tonight I will give my last two and then I can give my voice a rest for a while.  

Thanks for the prayers and support! 

Happy Valentines Day!

Happy Valentines day to you all.  I am really happy to say that we were able to pull off our "operation rosebud" on Saturday and it was a great success.  What we did is contact a florist local to Ft. Drum and worked it out so that he would supply a single rose for each spouse/significant other of our deployed Soldiers here at Bagram.  Then, we had each of the Soldiers type a love note to send via email to the FRG (Family Readiness Group) at Drum.  The FRG then printed out the notes, then matched it with a rose.  Then, the FRG planned and executed a brunch meeting for all the spouses/significant others.  At the meeting, we set up a video conference and each soldier got to spend 15 minutes with their spouse and family.  What great fun!  I laughed to myself a little because we had a couple of spouses that didn't want to get in on the conference because they are working on losing weight and want it to be a surprise for the Soldiers when they get home.  I have good access to skype, but it is so blurry that there are a lot of small details that you forget when you haven't seen your loved ones a such a long time.  It is also interesting how God works.  I has just walked out the door from sitting down with my family when the a leader looks at me with a deer in the headlights look and says "chappie, we need you right now!"  I went from playing drums on the table with Ethan and singing "deep and wide" to helping a Soldier that is facing being kicked out of the army.  They feel like everyone hates them and is doing everything they can just to make their time left as miserable as possible.  As we talked and grieved together, I still had "deep and wide" going through my head. 

For those praying for us:
    I ask that you pray for all the Soldiers that have had close calls with injuries or death.  The tendency is to just roll on and ignore it, but then all the stress and anxiety comes to the surface in other ways.  Please pray that they get the help they need as soon as the possibly can. 

Thank you all for your prayers and your support! 
And happy valentines day! 

Whats been going on.

                I apologize for not posting anything in the past month.  It is hard to believe that the weeks have gone by as quickly as they have.  Two of our attempts to visit Soldiers at other FOBS has been cancelled due to weather.  On the last trip I was really excited because we were able to get on a plane and flew halfway to our destination.  Unfortunately we were turned around mid-trip and sent back because of the snow and fog.  

One of the things I love about this job is that even when plans are forced to change, I am still able to minister to our Soldiers.  As soon as we got back into the office after the cancelled flight, A Soldier with issues back home walked in and asked to talk.  It's great how we make our plan, but God guides out path. 

The Pinata that Lindsay Sent me for my birthday has taken on a life of its own.  Every month our Battalion gets together for a meal we spend a little while telling stories about the funny things that have happened since the last month.  Since we are the “muleskinners,” it is only fitting that the person who has done the most embarrassing thing should have to keep a donkey with them until we meet again.   At first they were going to just give out certificates to the winner, but the pinata was just too good of a “prize.”

CH Mead and SGT Webb picking up our latest delivery of care packages!

One of the great blessings is seeing all the support that we get from people back in the states.  These care packages are from different groups that send us stuff every month or so.  Because of their support and care, our many of our Soldiers do not have to purchase toiletries, and snacks (unless they are picky).  Through the K-cups that were donated all the way down to the flip-flops, our Soldiers are blown away by how much care and support they get from people that do not even know them.  One person Soldier was really moved by us giving her a blanket that we received in a care package.

  One of the reasons that I have been too busy to update the blog lately has been that one of our chaplains has been gone for RandR.  This meant that I had to cover down for him on all his duties.  His unit is a transportation unit which means that are the brave Soldiers to drive supplies from point A to where ever it needs to go.  The Chaplain will always be there for the convoy brief to give a prayer/devotion/thought of the day for the Soldiers before they leave on their trip.  Then the Soldiers grab a meal and leave for the trip.  

 

For those praying for us:  

     We are in the phase of this deployment that we are realizing that this is not just a field exercise.  We are here for a year, and instead of being able to go home to our families, we are living with those we work with.  Needless to say, this means that there are growing pains as we continue to live, work, fight, laugh, and eat with the same people, day in, and day out.  Just like any close family...  

     Also, I ask that you pray for Gods protection for our troops.  IDF stands for Indirect Fire, and there have been a lot of them in the past two months.  Thankfully, not of our Soldiers has been injured, and many of the rounds have been duds. 

     Oh!  I have also found out that our church service is going to be changing in march.  We will be combining with some of the other Religious Support Teams to provide a service at the main chapel.  Please pray that God use us as mighty instruments as we lead services for those who are hungry for God. 

Christmas Time

A few days before Christmas we took 97 care packages to the airstrip to be packed up and airdropped into some of the remote bases throughout the area.  I was amazed by how people back home sent us care packages!  Because I am at a large base, we have almost everything we need which gives us the great opportunity to be able to ship packages our to places that are not as fortunate.  I have already heard from one Soldier who was very happy to receive personal hygiene products because the area he is in does not have a PX to purchase it. 
  At first we were overwhelmed by moving all the boxes from our office to the van, but when we arrived, we were immediately helped by some of the locals who work with the riggers.  I always like working with them because some of them are really energetic, and ready to help however they can. 

I was told that the ruins on the furthest hill was built by Genghis Khan, and
the nearest one was built by Alexander the Great.   

A day or so after packing up the care packages, my assistant and I made the trip to a small base that does not have a permanent chaplain.  We were lucky enough to be able to jump on a Chinook on the morning of the 22^nd and almost froze to death as we made the ascent from our home base (at 4500 ft above sea level) to the small base (8000 ft above sea level).  We were met on the helicopter pad by our Soldiers and driven to their area of operation.  Just after we unloaded our gear we were challenged to a game of basketball on the outdoor court.  Still shivering, I took the opportunity to build others up by showing them how awful I am at basketball.  My assistant and I only lasted a few points before we realized that breathing at 8,000 ft is a lot different than 4,600. 

On Christmas day we held a service that filled the chapel.  We had a few contractors, 4-6 Polish Soldiers, and the rest were US servicemen and women. It is always so encouraging to me to see how eager people are to gather together and sing familiar songs, to take communion, and to hear the birth story of Christ again.  We had a couple of Soldiers volunteer their time to work with my assistant in singing and playing music, and two others who volunteered to read some of the Scriptures during the service.  I was also really glad to have some small candles that my parents sent over to us.  I always enjoy ending a Christmas service with candlelight.  It was such an honor to be able to provide this service for such a mixed group of nationalities, services, and jobs. 

We jumped back on a chopper and flew back home on the 26^th and have been swamped ever since.  I really like coming back from other bases because everyone wants to her about how things are at other areas.  It makes me laugh because they are almost saying, “what news of the outside world?” as they ask about living conditions, places to eat, and how the Soldiers they know are doing. 

Oh!  And I must brag on my Christmas tree sent to me by Lindsay, Ethan, and William.  I believe that Williams two feet, and Ethan's hands make up the trunk, and then the “ornaments” are a collaboration between the two of them.  Best tree I’ve ever had!

For those praying for us:

   Please remember all the Soldiers behind the scenes.  The Soldiers who delivered the tons and tons of Christmas mail, the workers in the dining facility who prepared and oversaw all the Christmas decorations, the dinner, and the cleanup, and so many more Soldiers that always work in places that many people do not see. 

   I also ask that you pray for our religious support teams as we work to meet people where they are, whether that be celebrating life, or mourning the loss of loved ones.

Christmas Time!

The Season of Advent (the time before Christmas for us Baptist Folks)

is something that I was unaware of until I started working at a Methodist Church during my seminary days.  As I sat through the Sundays prior to Christmas, it was clear that Advent is about anticipation of what God has done, is doing, and will do.  We didn’t have a wreath and that same Methodist Church sent us one to use during this season (thank you Buford Street UMC!).  I didn’t really think anyone would care about us having an advent wreath, but this week is the 4^th week in advent and I have heard a comment from Soldiers every week saying that it means a lot to them to be able to help out in the readings, and lighting of the wreath each week.  It’s a reminder of home, of hope, and of God. 

                This time of the year has also found us looking for Christmas decorations.  I was getting a little irritated at people running into my office asking for Christmas decorations.  They just assumed that I was secretly sitting on some decorations stock-pile and would not let anyone have it.  I was humbled when my assistant went to a storage container and found a good amount of Christmas decorations from the previous year…    We were able to give out trees, decorations and lots of stockings for everyone to have to hang on their doors and place in their offices. 

This time of year is difficult for all of us who are separated from our families.  Please pray that the right people walk in at the right time to help our Soldiers.  This happened to me yesterday, as my family celebrated Ethan’s second birthday party.  A good way to deal with it is to not dwell too long on how much you want to be there, but sometimes you cannot shake how much you miss your family.  I was walking outside and one of our Soldiers met me and we started talking.  I asked how he was doing and he said, “alright, but I am really missing my family because my sons’ first birthday party is going on right now.”  Thank you God!  I immediately shared that Ethan’s was happening as well and we began to talk about all that we love and miss about our sons.  This was a complete God-send to us both because instead of having to get bogged down in how much we want to be home, we were able to share about our joy and love and longing for our families.  And since we were both going through the exact same thing, we both completely understood.  I left that conversation feeling recharged and energized because I knew that this conversation was a gift to me, and to this other Soldier.  Thank you God!