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)