Happy Thanksgiving 2009

26 Nov 09
Happy Thanksgiving Day! It was a great day, largely because I decided it would be and I decided to focus on being thankful. Besides, isn't that what the day is for? I woke up and read Psalm 23 this morning, and I spent time on the verse (5b) that says, "my cup overflows..." This past week I have been thinking about what it means to be thankful (to whom and why), because it can be real easy to get into a pity-party mode and complain to God about my circumstances, my comfort level, my situation, etc. I am living in a wooden shack, no indoor plumbing, half-way around the world from my family, etc... (You get the picture). But God showed me this week from Romans 11:33-36 that it's not about me. It's about Him. Being thankful is about who God is and what God did; specifically his awesomeness and that He sent his son, Jesus, to die for you and me.

So when I saw that verse this morning, it reminded me that God truly has blessed me -- my cup overflows -- even in a far-away land, living in a shack, next to a bomb shelter and a port-a-john. It doesn't get any better than this! (Well... maybe I shouldn't go that far). God does bless those who heed His call and obey his Word. That blessing may not always be financial. It can also be serenity, trust, confidence, deeper relationships, and intimacy with Him. I think God has given me serenity (peace) about my mission here, about His ability to take care of my family back home, and about and His promise to never leave me nor forsake me. So I can rest easy in that promise and concentrate on the job at hand. Thank you Lord. That is something to truly be thankful for.

Travel by Helicopter

This was pretty cool. We flew in a Chanook helicopter to visit some of our Soldiers up in the hills. I also got to watch the Michigan vs. Ohio State game from Afghanistan this year! The outcome stunk, but it was still fun to watch it nonetheless. I will try to upload a few pictures if I can. The picture with the Soldier in the back of the helicopter (or "bird" as they call it here) is my favorite. She is harnessed in, and she had the best view in the house! It was awesome. The landscape was desolate and mountainous and brown. Every now and then we would pass a village, but it was hard to see much from my seat. This helicopter does not have a back door (only a ramp), so we could see partially out the back as we flew. Did I mention it was very cold?

Memorial Ceremony

18 Nov. 09
We held the Memorial Ceremony today for our Soldier who was KIA last week. It has been a stressful week, culminating in the ceremony. But I think it went really well. Many hands worked hard to make it meaningful and professional, and I think we pulled it off. For a brand new Unit in theater, with a rookie Chaplain, I think we did our fallen Soldier proud!

Keep me in your prayers, as I will be doing some traveling soon to visit more of our Soldiers scattered across our area of operation (AO). Many of these guys do not have a Chaplain at their locations, so I must get out and visit occassionally. Maybe I'll have a cool story to share next week when I return! See ya then.

Terrible, Rotten, Horrible, No-Good Day

14 Nov 09
Yesterday was a horrible, no-good, terrible, rotten day. I am not a superstitious person, but it was on Friday the 13th that our Unit lost a Soldier -- killed from a road-side bomb. We got the news late morning and it devastated us. We have been here less than a month and we've already exprienced tradegy. Suddenly this war took on new meaning for us all, and it may have been a horrible reminder to our troops of the reality of what we're doing here. I don't pretend to understand it all, and I certainly cannot tell you why God allows war and death, but I can tell you His presence is felt here and is desperately needed here. I knew this Soldier; he asked me to pray with him before we left the United States. I will always have that tender, spiritual memory with him and of him.

Every Soldier who is killed (KIA) is called a Fallen Hero, and they have a special ceremony to honor the Hero while they load the casket into an Air Force cargo plane to be flown back to the USA. (I recommend you watch the movie, Taking Chance, with Kevin Bacon). I went to sleep around midnight Friday night and got up again around 0330 Sat. morning to participate in this ramp ceremony. It was truly an awe-inspiring event to be a part of that. A Senior-ranking Chaplain and myself led the pall bearers into the plane and then shared a prayer and Scripture (Psalms 27:1-4). I stood at attention with tears streaming down my face while many Soldiers from our Unit payed their last respects to their friend with a slow salute to the casket. It was really powerful. We will now hold a Memorial Ceremony in the next few days, where I will deliver the message. This is where the Chaplain has to shine because it will be attended by some big-wigs around here (men with stars on their uniform). I don't mean that I have to preach like Billy Graham, but I do have to coordinate it all and make sure it goes off flawlessly. If not, it looks bad on me and our Command. So we'll rehearse and get it right.

So please pray for our Unit, the family of our fallen hero, and the ceremony we will hold to honor him and his sacrfice. I would appreciate that. And someone tell Jenny that I missed the race this morning. The ramp ceremony took precedent. Oh well, maybe next year.

Momentum

11 Nov 09
It's Veteran's Day today, and it took on a totally different meaning for me this year. We had a ceremony in the same tent that they used for the NL show last weekend, and it was meaningful. It's weird because I don't really think of myself as a veteran. When I come home I can even join the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars). Maybe I'll get one of those hats!

Well, things have been picking up for me recently. I have been going through some soul searching and even some "wrestling" with God. I was on a treadmill running last night when God brought me back to the story of Jacob wrestling with a "man" (a.k.a. God) in Genesis 32:22-31. The Lord forever changed Jacob through that struggle, but he also blessed him as well. (It's where the Jews got the name Israel). I can sort of relate to that story, as I know God is changing me -- and it's painful. In know Roman 8:28 says it's for my benefit, but that does not make it any easier! Yet he does bless those who love and serve him, and I can attest to that as well.

Well, let's see: (1) I plan to run in the local Cross Fit 5K run this Saturday morning. It is sponsored by one of the church services here, so the Chaplains are encouraged to participate. It may be 30 degrees that morning, but who's counting? My old Remuda friend, Jenny, would be proud of me! Someone tell her I finally ran in a race, even if it is on the other side of the world. (2) I met the local Family Life/Counseling Chaplain here on base and he's already asked me to cover a few of his counseling groups for him next week. This guy does most of the counseling done at the chapel, and I'm sure he's pretty busy. So when he heard about my background he was pretty excited. I'm told getting busy makes the time go by faster, so that's what I plan to do.

Finally, I'm going to try to upload a few more pictures. One is of the local mountains after the snow fell over the weekend. Another picture is of a water station near my room. Free water bottles are all over the place, as they do not want us drinking the local water supply. They even encourage you to brush your teeth with bottled water. It seems everyone here gets sick initially, as we're living in a bacterial cesspool. In fact, we're all taking malaria pills on a daily basis, too, and some believe that's contributing to the problem. Who knows? And the last picture is of a garbage truck. Seriously. The local nationals go all out when they decorate their vehicles. It's kind of cool.

Fox NFL Show

7 Nov 09

It's Saturday night here and the place is electric with NFL football -- not college football, which you'd think would be the case. Nope, the boys from Fox NFL are here and taped their show with us tonight. It was fun to watch. I walked over there and was actually close enough to get a few pictures, but not really close enough to get good pictures! But hey, I was there! They came in a few days ago and began setting up all this stuff in the MWR tent, and the stars went around and did little info pieces around the base. They hung out with Soldiers and Air Force guys and shot some of the video they played on the show (if you watched it). I'm pretty sure they had better living quarters than the rest of us, and I wonder if they had to use a porta-john, too? Doubt it. Regardless, it was good for morale.

Surf and Turf Fridays

6 Nov 09
It has been a really good day. The weather was wonderful and it felt like we got a few more things accomplished. Fridays are also "surf and turf" days at the dining facility (DFAC). That means they serve steak and seafood. Not great quality, mind you, but a steak nonetheless. Tonight we had fried shrimp with it. (Pretty tasty). Earlier today we also went to the local Bazaar (kind of like the flea market). My mom would have loved this place, because they expect you to barter with them for the junk they're selling. Lot's of pottery, rugs, vases, and leather jackets, to name a few items. Oh, and there was even a camel! The owner charged a few bucks for a picture with his camel, so I made a new friend today. The camel, I mean. The owner was kind of grumpy! (If I can get pictures to upload I will show you my new buddy).

I'm also praying about a ministry opportunity here to get involved in a new worship service over on the other side of the base. Doesn't sound like much but it takes 30-40 minutes to get over there, and it will be held in a tent for now. Kind of like church planting or a church start-up project. The drive over there is interesting, to say the least. You go past stretches of fence-line with ancient villages and ruins just on the other side. Sometimes the local children can be seen playing in the huts, and sometimes they throw rocks at passing vehicles. For obvious reasons, service members are NOT encouraged to jog alone out on those stretches of the road! It feels kind of like being inside a prison with hugh barbed-wire fences all around the perimeter. But in this case it is to keep the bad guys out, not in!

I think God is trying to stretch me some more with this issue. I wanted to plug into a nice, comfortable service within walking distance and have as few additional responsibilities as possible. Nope. That probably won't happen. The Division Chaplain over here (my Chaplain boss) wants us all to support a specific worship service as well as the overall ministry on post -- not just our individual Units with the Soldiers we already know. Boy, the nerve. They're going to actually make us work over here!

A few more pictures

Here are a few more pictures of my new "home." One is an updated picture of my room, with a few more pictures on the wall than previously. My dog Chance is with me now, and the black and white photo on the bulletin board is of my girls and the neighbors on Halloween night in their costumes. I love that photo. You can also see the sheets hanging down from the ceiling. The plywood walls only go about 6 feet up, and so there is a gap the rest of the way to the ceiling. So people hang rugs, sheets, more wood -- anything to give you more privacy. As it stands, I can still hear everything from the other 5 guys in this hut, but at least they don't stand in the hall and peek over into my room!

Another picture is of the area I live in from a second story level. You can see the many roof-tops of our huts as well as the snowcapped mountains beyond. The mountains are rugged and gorgeous here, and most will be covered with snow in a few weeks (so they tell us).

The last picture is of the local weight room inside the tent. They call it a "clam shell" because they pull up the sides during the day for light and fresh air. Its a pretty neat facility. You can almost see a row of exercise bikes and treadmills in that picture. I've been working out there already and plan to be "ripped and buff" when I come home! You won't recognize me. My assistant also wants me to take a martial arts class in the evenings -- to learn how to kick some butt (like I have nothing else to do while here)! We'll see how that goes.

1st Week Over

3 Nov 09
Well, I completed my first week of actual deployment in a war zone. It does not feel like a war zone where I am at, but the reality is something different all around us. Many of our Soldiers in more remote locations are already in much more dangerous situations. So please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.

As for me, I've been shadowing the out-going Chaplain for the past week. We'll do this for a total of two weeks, as they call it Right Seat, Left Seat training (he drives for the first week, then I drive for the 2nd). After that he goes home. His Unit is anxious to get out of here, and we can't blame them. Our time will come, too. Someday I'll be in his position (and drooling to get on the Westbound plane!). Lots of planes and helicopters coming and going from here at all hours. I don't mind the noise, though. It reminds me of home (but louder), and it is the sound of freedom. So I love to hear and see those jets go by overhead.

Watch the NFL show with Howie Long and Terry Bradshaw this upcoming weekend. They're going to be doing it live from Afghanistan, so tape it if you can.

1st Sunday "Down Range"

1 Nov 09
Today is my very first Sunday in the war zone, or "down range" as they called it back home. I was somewhat down this morning due to home sickness and thinking of my family having fun on Halloween without me. It's a lonely feeling, and I've heard people say this can be gut wrenching at times. I understand what they're talking about. So what did I do? I prayed and then went to church!

There are many opportunities to worship here on this post, for people of all shapes and sizes and colors. The chapel has an extensive schedule to meet all of the demands from numerous faith groups and denomnations and worship styles. For example, for Protestant services there is a liturgical service, a contemporary service, 2 gospel services, and a traditional-contemporary mix. It's impressive. There is also Jewish, Catholic, LDS, and Wiccan offerings, too. I'm going to try to experience a few different services these first weeks to see which one I want to get involved with. Each Chaplain must choose to serve at one of the services throughout his or her time here, so I need to make a decision of which one I'm comfortable with. I'll let you know.

(btw: I'm having trouble uploading pictures to the blog due to the poor internet connection here. I'll keep trying, but it's painfully slow. Sorry)