As we begin our second month it has become important to find those moments away - to create some space or time that reconnects you to home - to family - to the civilian world.
With the Iowa/Iowa State game coming up this weekend I find soldiers using it as a lifeline to our other reality (that which has nothing to do with saluting or having a uniform looking right) As you can see by the attached picture - some go to extremes to make sure their allegiance is made known!! We are trying to get the game shown here with some success and some failures so please pray our efforts become fruitful.
While a month (or as my XO states the end of our second consecutive Annual Training) is a long time when we are facing 2 more months before we go overseas it can seem like time has begun to stand still and morale is drained. I have come to the conclusion that 'they' make pre-mob station so bad that you actually look forward to going to Afghanistan!
My 'official' counseling have been averaging 15 a week and can get draining as I hear about some sad situations - see marriages failing - watch people lose sight of why we are here and I begin to feel helpless to do anything. As I tell my soldiers I have requisitioned a magic wand but because I can't find a NSN number (National Stock number used to order supplies) the supply SGT can get it!
When I get frustrated at my inability to solve these soldiers problems I remember that it's not my place to save them that's God's job! And to remember also He has stated that what's impossible for man is possible for God. Then the other day as I was feeling particularly ineffective I had the opportunity to pray with two different soldiers that came in for various reasons and I was reminded that He continues to use me. The Sunday night chapel services I've been holding have been going well and we've started a Thursday night bible study looking at the book of Joshua. In fact a new crew came to one of my chapel's and filmed the whole thing which some of you might have seen on the news so at this point I am so over my 15mins!! http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/Military-Women-Serve-Side-by-Side-with-Men-101435419.html
SPC Ohloff and I also have begun to do prayer walks - where we walk around the blocks that surround our AO (area of operation) praying for situations, for soldiers and for each other. We feel too the prayers that you all continue to lift up.
I must say the soldiers appreciate the care packages as my office has become the place that care packages go to get eaten!!
God bless!
I don't think I ever truly understood Heat Index until I've lived it this past week in Mississippi. When you can just stand in the shade and literally drip sweat that is truly when you know it is hot! Then add the battle rattle that soldiers have to wear on top of it and you begin to realize a full Camel back is your best friend.
One full week is gone and the send off ceremony seems like a distant memory. The outpouring of support that I received from St. Luke's means so much to me as I continue to pray for you all in this year of unknown. The good thing we can all hang onto is that God is in control of all things: from this deployment to who the Interim will be.
I'm settling in though with the different training that is happening so far it has been difficult to get a schedule in place. The past three days SPC Ohloff and myself have been in UMT/RST training [Unit Ministry Team/Religious Support Team] Today is the last day and we will be doing Ramp Ceremony's, Memorial Services and the like. Yesterday was survivability teaching basic hand to hand defensive moves. The fun in that was I was able to throw SPC Ohloff to the ground!! Of course he had his opportunity to throw me as well.
As many of you know my much awaited promotion to Captain finally came through. During the formation for the promotion the heaven's decided to open up. As I stood in front of the Commander it was a torrential downpour and they were trying to read the promotion as quickly as possible. My Commander said it reminded him of Noah - I say it was just holy water and God was blessing us mightily!! It certainly is a promotion NO ONE in my company will forget. I've attached a picture but I don't think it depicts just how hard it was raining.
I've also had a few more minutes added to my claim to fame. I've attached a link to an IPR interview I did along with COL Corell the Brigade Commander. Also, the Cedar Rapids reporter did a follow up to the Camp Ripley story from earlier and I get another sound bite. And finally if you were unable to attend the send off ceremony the Des Moines Register has the video of the entire thing and you too can listen to the campaign speeches :-)
I enjoy getting your emails and cards - if I don't respond it's not because I do not appreciate them because I do immensely - it's because I do not have the opportunity or the time to do so. You remain in my prayers and I appreciate all the prayers that you say for me.
God bless.
The IPR interview: http://iowapublicradio.org/single_story.php?storyid=1061
KGAN piece from Cedar Rapids: http://www.kgan.com/shared/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kgan_vid_3156.shtml
Send off ceremony: http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid36249172001?bclid=0&bctid=490928709001
This morning while I was doing the daily office I felt that the prayer associated with the day was appropriate.
Today is the commemoration of John Mason Neale who was a Priest in the Church of England in the mid-1800. As Wikipedia tells us:
Neale was strongly high church in his sympathies, and had to endure a good deal of opposition, including a fourteen years' inhibition by his bishop. Neale translated the Eastern liturgies into English, and wrote a mystical and devotional commentary on the Psalms. However, he is best known as a hymn writer and, especially, translator, having enriched English hymnody with many ancient and medieval hymns translated from Latin and Greek. More than anyone else, he made English-speaking congregations aware of the centuries-old tradition of Latin, Greek, Russian, and Syrian hymns. His translations include:
The prayer in honor of Fr. Neale goes as follows:
Grant unto us, O God, that in all time of our testing we may know your presence and obey your will; that, following the example of your servant John Mason Neale, we may with integrity and courage accomplish what you give us to do, and endure what you give us to bear; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
This would be my prayer not only for myself but for all the soldiers that have been and are being deployed and facing many different types of testing.
