19 Feb
It's Friday night again, and I just got back from steak night at the dining hall. I guess after awhile it gets to be old hat. The "coolness" of having a steak every week is wearing off, especially since they're not the greatest steaks either! I'm sure that has something to do with it. The afternoon temperatures have been nice here recently, and so I went for a 4 mile run today. (The perimeter run around the base is almost 8 miles, and I want to be able to complete that at least once before I leave!) Part of my route takes me past massive airplanes being loaded or unloaded with supplies and personnel, gorgeous snow-capped mountain views, fighter jets taking off, and the local village huts with men watching their flock of sheep or goats. Sometimes the local kids get close enough to the fenceline to holler at us or even throw rocks at cars and runners. They warn us not to run the perimeter alone at night for obvious reasons! I wonder if anyone ever threw rocks back? I'm sure they were tempted.
It has been a very busy time for me recently, and it may get worse. The Division Chaplain asked me if I would help out at another chapel service starting up here. This one is on Sunday mornings and is also way across town. I am honored that he asked me, and I told the Lord that I would gladly help if He (God) supplied the transportation. Sure enough, the Div Chaplain said I can hitch a ride with the other Chaplain involved in one of the chapel vans. It is true that if God is calling you to do something, He will provide what you need. I can't help but think of Henry Blackaby's words in his Experiencing God Bible study that we need to look around and see what God is already doing around us and then go and join Him there. Don't go off trying to make up your own plans and then ask God to bless you in your activity. Nope. Instead, seek His direction and then join Him in whatever He's doing. I think Blackaby's right. It works better that way.
I've also been doing quite a bit of counseling these days. Sometimes it's with soldiers who are not even in my Unit. My office is on the first floor of a busy building (near the finance office), and I think sometimes they see my sign and stop on in. I even got a call at 12:30 am one night to come talk to a distraught soldier from another Unit. They could not locate his Chaplain so I gladly went in. I came very close to asking that Soldier to surrender his weapon to me that night for his safety. Had his sergeant not been there to watch over him, I might have done that. It's kind of creepy realizing that your distraught clientelle is carrying a loaded gun! It's par for the course in this environment, but no less dangerous.
Finallt, on a personal note, my wife's mom is really sick right now and I know both she and my father-in-law could really use your prayers. Thank you. Gotta go for now. Talk to you again soon.
It's Friday night again, and I just got back from steak night at the dining hall. I guess after awhile it gets to be old hat. The "coolness" of having a steak every week is wearing off, especially since they're not the greatest steaks either! I'm sure that has something to do with it. The afternoon temperatures have been nice here recently, and so I went for a 4 mile run today. (The perimeter run around the base is almost 8 miles, and I want to be able to complete that at least once before I leave!) Part of my route takes me past massive airplanes being loaded or unloaded with supplies and personnel, gorgeous snow-capped mountain views, fighter jets taking off, and the local village huts with men watching their flock of sheep or goats. Sometimes the local kids get close enough to the fenceline to holler at us or even throw rocks at cars and runners. They warn us not to run the perimeter alone at night for obvious reasons! I wonder if anyone ever threw rocks back? I'm sure they were tempted.
It has been a very busy time for me recently, and it may get worse. The Division Chaplain asked me if I would help out at another chapel service starting up here. This one is on Sunday mornings and is also way across town. I am honored that he asked me, and I told the Lord that I would gladly help if He (God) supplied the transportation. Sure enough, the Div Chaplain said I can hitch a ride with the other Chaplain involved in one of the chapel vans. It is true that if God is calling you to do something, He will provide what you need. I can't help but think of Henry Blackaby's words in his Experiencing God Bible study that we need to look around and see what God is already doing around us and then go and join Him there. Don't go off trying to make up your own plans and then ask God to bless you in your activity. Nope. Instead, seek His direction and then join Him in whatever He's doing. I think Blackaby's right. It works better that way.
I've also been doing quite a bit of counseling these days. Sometimes it's with soldiers who are not even in my Unit. My office is on the first floor of a busy building (near the finance office), and I think sometimes they see my sign and stop on in. I even got a call at 12:30 am one night to come talk to a distraught soldier from another Unit. They could not locate his Chaplain so I gladly went in. I came very close to asking that Soldier to surrender his weapon to me that night for his safety. Had his sergeant not been there to watch over him, I might have done that. It's kind of creepy realizing that your distraught clientelle is carrying a loaded gun! It's par for the course in this environment, but no less dangerous.
Finallt, on a personal note, my wife's mom is really sick right now and I know both she and my father-in-law could really use your prayers. Thank you. Gotta go for now. Talk to you again soon.
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