31 May
Today is Memorial Day. It is a time to stop and reflect and honor those who have given their lives--the ultimate sacrifice--in time of war, and for the freedom and security of others. It has been a low-key day here so far. There was a ceremony earlier this morning, but I did not attend. It was quite a long walk from my office, and I chose to have a personal time of reflection instead. It has a weird feeling here about this Holiday, almost as if people don't want to celebrate it while in a war zone. Perhaps it will have more meaning to me next year, when I'm at home and away from this place. Maybe it's too raw for some to celebrate this day. One of my Chaplain friends had two Soldiers in his battalion killed in the month of May alone. I guess no one really wants to talk about it. But we do pay homage to our Fallen Heroes. I will remember Chris, from my Unit, as well as his family. I will also say a prayer for all those who have died for our country and for the freedoms we hold dear. Please do the same. Thank you.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Army Buddies
28 May
Tonight we celebrated the birthday of one of my good friends from this deployment. His name is Stephen and he has been my PT partner and a good source of information for me about Army stuff. He's been in 17 years now, and he's one of the smartest guys I know, so I often look to him for an explanation to some of this stuff. In the picture you will see a handful of the "junior" officers in the Battalion (Lieutenants and Captains). We all went out to dinner together tonight and spent some quality time together. They say misery loves company, and most of these officers here went through a rough time this deployment. The Company Commander position, Operations, Human Resources, and Supply can be extremely hectic places to work in the Army, not to mention in a deployed environment. With the exception of the guy on the left, this is a quality group of people, and I'm proud to call them friends.
The second picture is of a buddy back home who served in the Army a few years back. A knee injury ended his military career, otherwise I'm sure he'd love to be here with me now. He is a great friend from church who supports me back home with a bracelet that he won't take off until I come home. Now that's pretty cool! However, he is a Notre Dame fan, but I don't hold that against him. The only problem is I have yet to receive a card or letter or even a post card from him! It's heart breaking. Someone tell him that I'm just not feeling the love from my Army buddy back home. It's tragic.
Tonight we celebrated the birthday of one of my good friends from this deployment. His name is Stephen and he has been my PT partner and a good source of information for me about Army stuff. He's been in 17 years now, and he's one of the smartest guys I know, so I often look to him for an explanation to some of this stuff. In the picture you will see a handful of the "junior" officers in the Battalion (Lieutenants and Captains). We all went out to dinner together tonight and spent some quality time together. They say misery loves company, and most of these officers here went through a rough time this deployment. The Company Commander position, Operations, Human Resources, and Supply can be extremely hectic places to work in the Army, not to mention in a deployed environment. With the exception of the guy on the left, this is a quality group of people, and I'm proud to call them friends.
The second picture is of a buddy back home who served in the Army a few years back. A knee injury ended his military career, otherwise I'm sure he'd love to be here with me now. He is a great friend from church who supports me back home with a bracelet that he won't take off until I come home. Now that's pretty cool! However, he is a Notre Dame fan, but I don't hold that against him. The only problem is I have yet to receive a card or letter or even a post card from him! It's heart breaking. Someone tell him that I'm just not feeling the love from my Army buddy back home. It's tragic.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Injured Toe and other Travel Stories
25 May
I'm back in my little room ("hooch") tonight after returning to my base early this morning. It was a good visit to a few of the FOBs, although the travel issues continue to haunt us. Essentially, it is a drag trying to get from one place to another over here. But once you get there it can be an enjoyable time (even fun, occasionally). But let me share a few photos and highlights from the last week...
I smashed my toe into a door frame yesterday morning and hobbled about for a few hours afterward. It hurt bad enough that I went to the Med station and had them examine and "buddy tape" it. I could bend it some by that time, so we don't think it is broken, but boy does it sting to hurt a toe. I don't know why I actually took a picture of my toes here, and posting it on the internet is even sillier. My wife says I need a manicure before I ever take a picture of my feet again! But oh well. I can't go into much of the military stuff, so I have to share other (less exciting) aspects of my everyday life. I suppose a coat of red nail polish would do wonders. Hummm.....??? Naaah. I'll pass.
The picture of the shepherd was taken from a look-out tower at one of our FOBs. This particular place is very quiet and safe, and the reason for that has to do with a local warloard and a graveyard on the FOB. Apparently, some of his ancestors are buried in this particular graveyard within the FOB's boundaries, and he did not take kindly to the Taliban shooting rockets at this FOB a few years back. Local tradition has it he went after the Taliban himself and made a violent example out of those guys and a warning to anyone who messes with that specific FOB in his territory. So our troops in this area enjoy peace and quiet and his protection, in a way. Needless to say, the local shepherds come right up the the walls of the military base.
The watermelon was a gift from a local man to our team last Saturday. About six of us sat around and enjoyed some watermelon like it was 4th of July back home. It was a good day and a nice memory. Thankfully, no one got sick from the local citrus, which was a possibility.
Also, I got to tell you about my ordeal getting home last night. My assistant and I managed to get seats on a 10:30 pm flight back to our base. I had high hopes of getting into my room about midnight and sleeping in my own bed. No such luck. We actually got on board and were all loaded and ready for take-off when they discovered a problem with the brakes. Good thing they found it when they did, I suppose, but we ended up sitting there on the plane for over an hour before they sent us back to the terminal to wait it out. They told us they might fix it in a few hours and we'd be on our way about 2 am. So I stayed up and watched a movie in the terminal. My assistant tried to sleep on the concrete floor. It was not fixed at 2 am, so we were placed on the 6 am bird (which was cancelled at the last minute, too). We finally caught a 7:30 am flight that actuallt did fly us home. I never did get any sleep at the terminal, and realized I had been up over 26 hours. I did catch a nap today, and hope to get some real rest tonight. One of the things I realize about the Army is that the days can be very long!
And finally, I received a nice comment about my blog from a new Marine friend who stumbled across it on the internet. Thank you for your encouragement as well as for your own past service. I appreciate that you put on the uniform, too, and for your kind words. Some days I do not know what impact I'm having over here, but other days it's more obvious. Thanks for the reminder and the pick-me-up!
Saturday, May 22, 2010
No Fear
Sat. 22 May
A few years ago I was on an airplane coming back from a conference in Idaho. I was on a small jet, the kind with about 20 rows of seats and a center aisle with two seats on one side and only one seat on the other. Pretty small. Anyway, we encountered a storm and they diverted us to Provo, Utah for a landing to wait out the storm. At some point in the turbulence I put on my headphones and fell asleep. I was way in the back of the plane. After we landed I learned that someone way up front had been overly stressed during the flight and the turbulence and screamed out, "We're all going to die!" I missed it. Never heard a word of her terrified rambling since I was out like a light.
It reminded me of Jesus asleep in the back of the boat during the storm (Mark 4), and his buddies are scared for their lives and wake him to ask why He does not care that they are all going to die? But Jesus was not scared. Why should He be? (He is God, by the way) But He had already told them they were going to make it to the other side, and he already knew his final destination was a cross in Jerusalem (and not a sinking boat in Galilee). That's why he was angry with the disciples ("Why are you afraid?" and "Where is your faith?").
Anyway, I have been preaching this sermon lately which I titled, "No Fear," and based it on the Mark passage. My theme is that if Jesus is in your boat (a.k.a., your life), then you do not have to be afraid. It does not mean life will be a piece of cake or a rich and smooth ride, but it does mean He will never leave you nor forsake you. Those are stong words that I have come to live by over here. I also draw comfort from Psalm 91, especially the verses that say you will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day, and, No harm will come near your tent, or, God will command His angles to lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot upon the rock. I am banking on these promises, and God is upholding His Word and keeping me safe and calm.
I do not fear the war going on around me. And yes, I was at the large base last Wednesday that was attacked by the Taliban. The alarms woke us up, and I was lying there hoping it would all go away so I could go back to sleep. No such luck. I heard an explosion and then machine gun fire -- not too far away. Shortly after that I heard the loudest gun I've ever heard, and I was quickly up and moving to the check-in point for safety and accountability. Turned out to be an attack helicopter overhear firing on the bad guys. But the weird thing is I never felt scared. It was more awed fascination than fear. (I've never seen an attack helicopter in real life doing what it was designed to do. It was intense). Ultimately, my hat is off to our security forces. They responded quickly and did a great job of protecting the base. They stopped the Taliban dead in their tracks. Literally.
So I am practicing what I preach, and encourage you to do the same. Even in this environment I am aware of the danger out there, but it will not come near my tent (God promised, remember?). Did you ever stop and think about how much of our worry/anxiety/fear is a "faith" issue? Jesus Himself told us "Do not worry!" (Matthew 6). And notice something about that verse: it's a command. So I am placing my life and trust in His hands. No better place to be, if you ask me.
A few years ago I was on an airplane coming back from a conference in Idaho. I was on a small jet, the kind with about 20 rows of seats and a center aisle with two seats on one side and only one seat on the other. Pretty small. Anyway, we encountered a storm and they diverted us to Provo, Utah for a landing to wait out the storm. At some point in the turbulence I put on my headphones and fell asleep. I was way in the back of the plane. After we landed I learned that someone way up front had been overly stressed during the flight and the turbulence and screamed out, "We're all going to die!" I missed it. Never heard a word of her terrified rambling since I was out like a light.
It reminded me of Jesus asleep in the back of the boat during the storm (Mark 4), and his buddies are scared for their lives and wake him to ask why He does not care that they are all going to die? But Jesus was not scared. Why should He be? (He is God, by the way) But He had already told them they were going to make it to the other side, and he already knew his final destination was a cross in Jerusalem (and not a sinking boat in Galilee). That's why he was angry with the disciples ("Why are you afraid?" and "Where is your faith?").
Anyway, I have been preaching this sermon lately which I titled, "No Fear," and based it on the Mark passage. My theme is that if Jesus is in your boat (a.k.a., your life), then you do not have to be afraid. It does not mean life will be a piece of cake or a rich and smooth ride, but it does mean He will never leave you nor forsake you. Those are stong words that I have come to live by over here. I also draw comfort from Psalm 91, especially the verses that say you will not fear the terror of night nor the arrow that flies by day, and, No harm will come near your tent, or, God will command His angles to lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot upon the rock. I am banking on these promises, and God is upholding His Word and keeping me safe and calm.
I do not fear the war going on around me. And yes, I was at the large base last Wednesday that was attacked by the Taliban. The alarms woke us up, and I was lying there hoping it would all go away so I could go back to sleep. No such luck. I heard an explosion and then machine gun fire -- not too far away. Shortly after that I heard the loudest gun I've ever heard, and I was quickly up and moving to the check-in point for safety and accountability. Turned out to be an attack helicopter overhear firing on the bad guys. But the weird thing is I never felt scared. It was more awed fascination than fear. (I've never seen an attack helicopter in real life doing what it was designed to do. It was intense). Ultimately, my hat is off to our security forces. They responded quickly and did a great job of protecting the base. They stopped the Taliban dead in their tracks. Literally.
So I am practicing what I preach, and encourage you to do the same. Even in this environment I am aware of the danger out there, but it will not come near my tent (God promised, remember?). Did you ever stop and think about how much of our worry/anxiety/fear is a "faith" issue? Jesus Himself told us "Do not worry!" (Matthew 6). And notice something about that verse: it's a command. So I am placing my life and trust in His hands. No better place to be, if you ask me.
Monday, May 17, 2010
"Chapel-In-A-Box"
18 May (Tues)
I wanted to share about our "new" chapel facility. I am currently serving on two separate chapel staffs here on this base: one service is on Sunday morning in a B-hut structure (Warrior Chapel), and the other is a Sunday night service that used to meet in this big warehouse (East Side ChapelNext). Not very conducive to great worship services, but it was all we had. Yet all that changed last weekend. They ordered us what is commonly called a "chapel-in-a-box" around here, and it arrived a few weeks ago. The construction crew set it up (well, most of it, anyway), and we moved out service into this new facility this past weekend... in the rain. It was not a great night to make a major move, and because it came as a surprise to most of us (including the Chaplain staff) many people did not even know we moved. But that did not stop us from holding both Catholic Mass and Protestant Worship in the new building that night. It's a tent, actually. See the pictures. I had the privilege of being the preaching Chaplain this past weekend as we opened and "dedicated" the new chapel. And I spoke on the "Storms of Life" and showed a Rob Bell, NOOMA video called "Rain." How appropriate considering the weather that night. We still had about 25 in attendance, which was not too bad. These chapel tents are about 70 feet long and about 25 feet wide. Depending on how many chairs you have, you can probably seat close to 75 or more people in there. That would be a great thing if/when we do that! Keep us in your prayers are we try to meet the religious needs of our Soldiers over here. Even if we have to do it in a small wooden shack or a tent!
I wanted to share about our "new" chapel facility. I am currently serving on two separate chapel staffs here on this base: one service is on Sunday morning in a B-hut structure (Warrior Chapel), and the other is a Sunday night service that used to meet in this big warehouse (East Side ChapelNext). Not very conducive to great worship services, but it was all we had. Yet all that changed last weekend. They ordered us what is commonly called a "chapel-in-a-box" around here, and it arrived a few weeks ago. The construction crew set it up (well, most of it, anyway), and we moved out service into this new facility this past weekend... in the rain. It was not a great night to make a major move, and because it came as a surprise to most of us (including the Chaplain staff) many people did not even know we moved. But that did not stop us from holding both Catholic Mass and Protestant Worship in the new building that night. It's a tent, actually. See the pictures. I had the privilege of being the preaching Chaplain this past weekend as we opened and "dedicated" the new chapel. And I spoke on the "Storms of Life" and showed a Rob Bell, NOOMA video called "Rain." How appropriate considering the weather that night. We still had about 25 in attendance, which was not too bad. These chapel tents are about 70 feet long and about 25 feet wide. Depending on how many chairs you have, you can probably seat close to 75 or more people in there. That would be a great thing if/when we do that! Keep us in your prayers are we try to meet the religious needs of our Soldiers over here. Even if we have to do it in a small wooden shack or a tent!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Purple Heart
16 May
If you get injured in combat you receive a Purple Heart medal. General George Washington himself instituted the tradition of giving this prestigious medal to our wounded Soldiers. I had the privilege of being invited to an awards ceremony for a few Soldiers a few days ago. Just three days after I rode in the medical helicopter, we had another situation where a handful of our men were caught on a mountain by a group of bad guys. Five of our men took cover and returned fire. Air Force jets were called in to give "suppressive fire" to the enemy, and they flew overhead protecting our guys until reinforcements could arrive. They said it was an awesome sight to see those jets flying extremely low over trees and mountains trying to scare the enemy away. All five of the US Soldiers survived, but a few were injured. One was from my Unit. He was flown to my base and stayed in the hospital two days before they flew him to Germany for additional medical treatment. He was in good spirits and doing well when he left. The medical facilities here are pretty good, and those guys deserve a ton of credit for what they do and how many lives they save. In fact, if you walk through the halls of this base hospital (which is pretty large), you will see many of the rooms occupied by local nationals who are either sick or injured themselves. We will treat anyone who needs it -- including the locals and sometimes the bad guys. It reminds me of old episodes of M*A*S*H, where Hawkeye worked on everyone, too.
Anyway I will attach a few shots of the Purple Heart ceremony in the hospital room. The Commanding General and his Sergeant Major delivered all the medals while another member of his staff read the citation out loud. The whole room comes to attention (except those who are in hospital beds!). I felt pretty honored to have been invited. It's one of those awards/medals you really don't want to win!
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Recent Thoughts
12 May
I am back on my home base now. The last few days have been busy and somewhat hectic. I wanted to tell you what happened to me the on Monday night, but I have to leave out real names and some details. A US Soldier was wounded critically by "the bad guys" very close to where I was staying last weekend. He was taken to the ER on this FOB and they worked desperately to save his life. They called in a medical helicopter in an effort to fly him out of there and back to the larger base where there are more advanced medical facilities (including surgery). The team there worked on him as well as a local national man who was also wounded in the attack. I was allowed into the ER and close to the bedsides of both of these men. (The Chaplain has special privileges!). The local civilian allowed me to pray for him at his bedside while an interpreter translated my prayer into his native language. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask the Lord to save and heal this man, and he was receptive to my prayer. I understand that a good Muslim does respect Protestant and Catholic Chaplains as "men of the Book," even though he may reject faith in Jesus Christ. Either way, it was a unique opportunity and I took advantage of it.
But as for our US Soldier... he was wounded critically and they flew him to a larger base. However, the base Commander wanted the Chaplain to go with him. So I quickly packed a few belongings in a bag and hopped on the medical heilcopter with the crew and the wounded Soldier. I sat in the back and watched as three flight members (nurses and EMTs) worked on him... and I prayed the whole way! I figured my role here was to bathe this man in prayer and to ask God for protection, speed, and healing. It was a pretty awesome experience. The pilots fly at night with night vision goggles, which allow them to see everything pretty clearly. I was looking out the window at mountain passes and little villages down below us in the dark. They were hauling butt trying to get to the larger hospital ASAP. We had two blackhawk helicopters (gunships) escorting us at top speed. Kind of like having a police car with his lights on escorting you to the hospital and running all the red lights in town. It was pretty cool!
And the best news is the Soldier made it alive. He is still in critical condition, but has undergone two surgeries already to stabilize him. He will now be flown home to the USA for more medical treatment. His name is "Joe" and I ask that you lift him up in prayer. He will need more surgeries and probably a long recovery, but he is out of the woods and should be OK. Thank you, Lord.
I am back on my home base now. The last few days have been busy and somewhat hectic. I wanted to tell you what happened to me the on Monday night, but I have to leave out real names and some details. A US Soldier was wounded critically by "the bad guys" very close to where I was staying last weekend. He was taken to the ER on this FOB and they worked desperately to save his life. They called in a medical helicopter in an effort to fly him out of there and back to the larger base where there are more advanced medical facilities (including surgery). The team there worked on him as well as a local national man who was also wounded in the attack. I was allowed into the ER and close to the bedsides of both of these men. (The Chaplain has special privileges!). The local civilian allowed me to pray for him at his bedside while an interpreter translated my prayer into his native language. I was thrilled to get the opportunity to ask the Lord to save and heal this man, and he was receptive to my prayer. I understand that a good Muslim does respect Protestant and Catholic Chaplains as "men of the Book," even though he may reject faith in Jesus Christ. Either way, it was a unique opportunity and I took advantage of it.
But as for our US Soldier... he was wounded critically and they flew him to a larger base. However, the base Commander wanted the Chaplain to go with him. So I quickly packed a few belongings in a bag and hopped on the medical heilcopter with the crew and the wounded Soldier. I sat in the back and watched as three flight members (nurses and EMTs) worked on him... and I prayed the whole way! I figured my role here was to bathe this man in prayer and to ask God for protection, speed, and healing. It was a pretty awesome experience. The pilots fly at night with night vision goggles, which allow them to see everything pretty clearly. I was looking out the window at mountain passes and little villages down below us in the dark. They were hauling butt trying to get to the larger hospital ASAP. We had two blackhawk helicopters (gunships) escorting us at top speed. Kind of like having a police car with his lights on escorting you to the hospital and running all the red lights in town. It was pretty cool!
And the best news is the Soldier made it alive. He is still in critical condition, but has undergone two surgeries already to stabilize him. He will now be flown home to the USA for more medical treatment. His name is "Joe" and I ask that you lift him up in prayer. He will need more surgeries and probably a long recovery, but he is out of the woods and should be OK. Thank you, Lord.
Friday, May 07, 2010
A Rough Night
7 May
It was another rough night last night. A Soldier from another Unit (not mine) was killed around dinner time somewhere in the mountains near where I am visiting. I know his Chaplain and my friend called me and asked if I could go over to his Unit's office and spend some time with his team on this particular FOB. I was happy to go an minister to a group of about 10 Soldiers just sitting around, kind of in shock. I was able to talk about some of the emotions they may be feeling and got a few to open up and talk about their buddy who died. Some even laughed as they remembered fun times with their friend. These guys deal with the bombs, and it was a rocket that exploded that caused his death. It makes everyone stop and reflect on life; on how fragile it is. This kid was about 22 years old with his whole life ahead of him and now he's gone. There were some tears shed, and then I read from Psalm 91 as well as Psalm 23. I asked if I could pray for the team gathered there last night, and everyone bowed their head and closed their eyes. I noticed people coming out of offices to join in the group prayer (who had not been involved in the discussion up to that point!) It was a pretty powerful moment and I know God was there in that room with us. In times of utter fear and panic and, in this case, sorrow, people seem to know they need God. And to think, I was frustrated because we could not catch a flight back to our home base yesterday morning. Yet God had something different in mind for me. I believe God had me stay here for a reason... to minister to those Soldiers in their time of need. It is a reminder to me that when I ask God to use me, He does!
There is a family back home who received the worst news imaginable last night and must be grieving terribly today. Please lift up this family specifically, as well as a prayer for protection for all of our troops in harm's way. I would appreciate that. Thank you.
It was another rough night last night. A Soldier from another Unit (not mine) was killed around dinner time somewhere in the mountains near where I am visiting. I know his Chaplain and my friend called me and asked if I could go over to his Unit's office and spend some time with his team on this particular FOB. I was happy to go an minister to a group of about 10 Soldiers just sitting around, kind of in shock. I was able to talk about some of the emotions they may be feeling and got a few to open up and talk about their buddy who died. Some even laughed as they remembered fun times with their friend. These guys deal with the bombs, and it was a rocket that exploded that caused his death. It makes everyone stop and reflect on life; on how fragile it is. This kid was about 22 years old with his whole life ahead of him and now he's gone. There were some tears shed, and then I read from Psalm 91 as well as Psalm 23. I asked if I could pray for the team gathered there last night, and everyone bowed their head and closed their eyes. I noticed people coming out of offices to join in the group prayer (who had not been involved in the discussion up to that point!) It was a pretty powerful moment and I know God was there in that room with us. In times of utter fear and panic and, in this case, sorrow, people seem to know they need God. And to think, I was frustrated because we could not catch a flight back to our home base yesterday morning. Yet God had something different in mind for me. I believe God had me stay here for a reason... to minister to those Soldiers in their time of need. It is a reminder to me that when I ask God to use me, He does!
There is a family back home who received the worst news imaginable last night and must be grieving terribly today. Please lift up this family specifically, as well as a prayer for protection for all of our troops in harm's way. I would appreciate that. Thank you.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Tea with the Poles
3 May
I had an interesting experience last night that I wanted to share. I am visiting a FOB operated by the Polish Army. They call that a "Battle Space Owner," and they can vary considerably with the international flavor here. If our troops are on one of their FOBs, then we have to obey their rules of engagement, which sometimes creates interesting situations. Anyway, there is a Polish Catholic Priest here and I went to meet him in the afternoon. Through in interpreter he invited me back for tea after his evening Mass. I was honored for the invitation and went back. I was the only American in the room for the evening tea, and the priest and a handful of other Polish Soldiers --including their Colonel --were sitting around smoking and talking about the day, and/or telling "war stories." For all I know they were talking about me, but since I cannot speak a lick of Polish, I have no idea! One of his Soldiers translated for him, since the priest does not speak any English. It was a weird experience, and a little intimidating, to say the least. But they were all very gracious and polite to me and I carried on a conversation with this Polish priest, while sharing tea, through his interpreter. I asked him if he had any advice for me, someone new to "military ministry"? He told me to (1) be myself and not try to imitate others, (2) to be available for Soldiers at all hours -- in other words, don't turn anyone away because it is after hours or in the middle of the night; (3) to keep in contact with your military commanders as well as your Soldier's families (if possible). And (4), he also said to keep in touch with the One who can "change water into wine." His comrades laughed at his joke, but I didn't think he was kidding. As a fellow Chaplain I understand the importance of keeping your faith strong and staying in prayer and in God's Word as much as possible. I think that should have been #1 on his list. Anyway, it was a nice conversation and I appreciated their hospitality. As you may know, the Polish lost most of their government leaders, President, and military Generals in a plane crash recently. Everyone on board was killed. The Soldiers here do not know what the future holds for them and you can sense the sadness and anxiety in their voices. So do me a favor, please pray for the Polish government, their people, and military. Pray for God's divine guidance and protection on their country and on their Soldiers serving far away from home! Thank you.
I had an interesting experience last night that I wanted to share. I am visiting a FOB operated by the Polish Army. They call that a "Battle Space Owner," and they can vary considerably with the international flavor here. If our troops are on one of their FOBs, then we have to obey their rules of engagement, which sometimes creates interesting situations. Anyway, there is a Polish Catholic Priest here and I went to meet him in the afternoon. Through in interpreter he invited me back for tea after his evening Mass. I was honored for the invitation and went back. I was the only American in the room for the evening tea, and the priest and a handful of other Polish Soldiers --including their Colonel --were sitting around smoking and talking about the day, and/or telling "war stories." For all I know they were talking about me, but since I cannot speak a lick of Polish, I have no idea! One of his Soldiers translated for him, since the priest does not speak any English. It was a weird experience, and a little intimidating, to say the least. But they were all very gracious and polite to me and I carried on a conversation with this Polish priest, while sharing tea, through his interpreter. I asked him if he had any advice for me, someone new to "military ministry"? He told me to (1) be myself and not try to imitate others, (2) to be available for Soldiers at all hours -- in other words, don't turn anyone away because it is after hours or in the middle of the night; (3) to keep in contact with your military commanders as well as your Soldier's families (if possible). And (4), he also said to keep in touch with the One who can "change water into wine." His comrades laughed at his joke, but I didn't think he was kidding. As a fellow Chaplain I understand the importance of keeping your faith strong and staying in prayer and in God's Word as much as possible. I think that should have been #1 on his list. Anyway, it was a nice conversation and I appreciated their hospitality. As you may know, the Polish lost most of their government leaders, President, and military Generals in a plane crash recently. Everyone on board was killed. The Soldiers here do not know what the future holds for them and you can sense the sadness and anxiety in their voices. So do me a favor, please pray for the Polish government, their people, and military. Pray for God's divine guidance and protection on their country and on their Soldiers serving far away from home! Thank you.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
My Birthday Promotion
1 May
It has been a great day! Not only is it my birthday, but I also got promoted from 1LT to the rank of CPT (Captain) today as well. What a great memory. I will attach a few pictures of the ceremony, with my commander slapping the new rank on my chest! My wife also made the day very special by taking the time to make a video of family, friends, neighbors, and Sunday school classmates wishing me a Happy Birthday, too. She also ordered me a care package of chips and salsa to be shipped here to me. It arrived yesterday. That was awesome. The care packages from home were filled with love, and were greatly appreciated.
I feel like God has done a work in my life the last 6 weeks or so. I went from being down in the dumps and hating my job, to feeling more confident, needed, and honored by my peers and troops. I have been reading through the Psalms and see some of this in King David's words when he cried out to God to rescue him and protect him, etc. God answers those prayers. He draws close to the broken hearted and loves to come through for us, as author John Eldredge (from Wild at Heart) likes to say. I can attest to that. I thank God for my wife, who helped make my birthday special, and I praise God for all the blessings He has given me--including this deployment!
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