Old Journal Entries

9:00 AM Tuesday, October 17, 2006:

We're at a chaplain and wife's retreat. The BGCT invited us, even though we are just exploring what we feel the Lord is speaking to us. I have about three hours to myself while Kevin is being certified in a marriage counseling class, so I'm about to head out to this little pond that has a gazebo in the middle of it and spend time with the Lord. It's so peaceful and sits just about 30 steps outside our hotel room.

We are having a really good time. We met a couple that is going into the army in January. They are really nice and it's been good to get to talk to others who feel the same type of calling on their lives. I can't help but wonder if we will end up on the same base some day...

Last night was totally a God-thing. The man who was going to speak didn't show up! It was so funny...he had it on his calendar for next Monday and Tuesday. After we all laughed about it for a good while, one of the men in charge said, "Well...does anyone have this burning desire to preach, or share what God has been doing in your life?" To which, one chaplain replied, "I just came back from Iraq and would love to share about that - I even have pictures!" I told Bobby, the one who has been working so closely with us, that it wasn't an accident that the preacher didn't show up - God had something else he wanted us to hear!

Before leaving for the worship service, I laid down on the bed in our hotel room and began to pray, asking the Lord to show us more of his plan, to lead and guide and reveal more of himself and his plan to us. As the man spoke and showed us pictures of how he ministered to the men in his camp, picture after picture of him sharing the gospel with them and baptizing them, and pictures of their chapel -which was an old train on the outside but benches full of men on the inside, and pictures of outside chapels in the middle of the night because that was the only time these men could have church, I was completely overwhelmed by God's still small voice that said so softly to me, "This is what it's all about."

Then other men shared of their experiences, one in which I will never forget. He told of a Muslim family (a mom and her daughter and her baby boy) that had been shot and how he was in the hospital ministering to people when this family came in. He said the mother couldn't hold the baby, who was fine, because she was injured, and the sister couldn't because she had been injured, but all he could think was he needed to pick up this crying baby. So, he motioned to the mom, asking her if he could pick him up, and she motioned back yes, so he walked around the hospital, bouncing the baby on his shoulder til he fell asleep, and then continued to minister to other people with this baby asleep on his shoulder. He said he just couldn't put him down. He said it hit him that here he was, an American, Christian chaplain, holding a baby from a Muslim family, wondering if one day that child would know that when he was a baby his family was injured in a war and an American, Christian chaplain picked him up and cared for him. We never know the impact we could be having on others - just by showing love to them...Christ's love which compels us to do things that we would never think about doing ourselves. Touching people in the midst of their pain...in ways that we cannot do if we aren't faithful to do whatever it is God calls us to do.

I am in awe of God's power this morning. I know that no matter what...if he calls us to go this route, or if he tells us to stay, we are going to be faithful to whatever HE leads us to do. I don't know what the future holds for us, but I am excited about the possibilities! We've seen growth at New Life, and we've experienced wonderful things with this body of believers, and whatever God's will is for us is okay. I felt God had begun to bend our hearts to this crazy idea, but I also told Kevin it's not about where we go or what we are doing because it's not about US, it's about HIM (God)! He agreed!

God is good and I just praise Him for this opportunity to experience Him in a new way this week.

4:30 PM Tuesday, Tuesday, October 17, 2006

God has a real sense of humor! When I was spending time with him, out at the pond this morning, I ended up in 2 Corinthians and I just laughed out loud when I read 2 Corinthians 5:13 where Paul said, "If we are out of our minds, it's for the sake of God..." I told Kevin later about it and said "I'm going to make that my motto for this whole adventure!" When someone doesn't understand why in the world we would do this, I can just reply with scripture!

Old Journal Entries (2)

November 16, 2006:

God is good! Here's a few of the ways He worked in Kevin's life today:

1. When they measured Kevin, he said he stood as tall as he possibly could, and he measured one inch taller than he's ever been before, which made his max weight 205. When he got on the scales he weighed 201...which would have made him one pound over had he measured at exactly 6 ft...the same height he's been since high school.

2. He was concerned about his blood pressure being high, like it is every time he goes to the doctor since he gets anxious about it. He said this sweet little old lady was taking his blood pressure and the first time it was too high (so he told them all about how he's been tested a few times before and this always happens, and then when he relaxes it goes back down), so she came back in and asked him what he was going in to the military as, to which he replied, "a chaplain" and she said, "well honey, then just pray about it!" So, of course, he did...and the second time it was still a little high so she said, "well, we just won't count that one", and tried again...this time it was perfect!

3. His hearing has been bad for a long time, but today it was perfectly fine...a miracle for sure!

4. He was the only one in his room that passed...and all the other guys were 18 years old (but terribly unfit). He said there were two buses full of 17/18 year old boys that pulled up and he was standing in line talking to them, until they asked him what he was in for, and then they escorted him to another part of the room, that had nice chairs -- unlike the plastic chairs for the enlisted people, and to the front of the officer's line. He said that made him feel bad. I imagine many will appreciate that about him when in the field...not pulling rank.

He was encouraged by a guy that was there re-enlisting as an officer, who asked him what he was going back in for, and when Kevin replied he told him how much it always meant to all the guys when chaplains were with them in the field.

We are very excited, and looking forward to February, when he the board will decide whether to allow him in to the military! I knew God would perform miracles in Kevin's life today, and we are just praising Him for hearing our prayers, and for just being God and working out His will in our lives.

Life is changing...

It's not every day that someone in their late 30's would tell you they are going in to the military, but that's exactly what my husband will be doing! After much prayer and seeking the Lord's will for our lives, my husband responded to the call to be a Chaplain in the United States Army. He will attending a three month Chaplain Officer Basic Leadership Course in South Carolina, and then we will move to Fort Lewis, Washington State. I think we are still a bit in shock that this is really happening!

Sunday was one of the hardest days of our lives as we informed our church, where he has been pastoring for almost seven years. It was very sad, but we knew God was with us and the love and support from our congregation was tremendous! We have a very loving fellowship and will miss them so much. We are ALL walking this path by faith and trusting God to work out His perfect will for all our lives.

Some days it doesn't seem real that we are packing up and selling our home, leaving our two college age kids, leaving our families, church, my friends at work and moving far, far away. ONLY God could get us to do that, trust me! So many thoughts and emotions flood my heart and mind. I often wonder what it will be like, then other times I am pinching myself to see if I am awake!

I am tired. We've been working hard to put our house up for sale. We put the sign in the yard last night so I guess it's official. We've worked late into the evening every night, but tonight we are taking a break since I'm taking the day off tomorrow to work on the house. My friends at work took it pretty hard, as do I when I think about leaving them. I thank the Lord that I want to cry when I think about it...some people would jump for joy to leave their company, but I count it a blessing that I have had such a wonderful experience working for an awesome company. I pray I can continue to work remotely in some capacity.

We feel very blessed to be serving the Lord in this capacity, and ask for your prayers as we step out in a new direction.

Please pray

A friend of ours will be having a brain tumor removed on Thursday, and we are praying for the miraculous. On Wednesday they will do one more MRI to mark where they will go in and so forth. Pray with us that the tumor is GONE when they look. It would TRULY be a miracle. It's rather large and will be a very difficult surgery. Through research on the internet, he was convinced his symptoms were from a brain tumor. Praise God, the doctor listened (a little) and, to make him feel better, did a MRI and found it was truly a tumor. Several doctors said they wouldn't touch it, but the doctors at MD Anderson gave them hope.

We've already seen many answered prayers throughout the last few months. One being, we prayed the exact day they wanted the surgery to be on - March 8 - would be the date and God answered their prayers. We will be leaving on Wednesday to be there for the surgery on Thursday. I would appreciate if everyone who reads this would be in prayer for him every day this week. His name is Sean.

I am very close to his mom, dad and wife and ask that you pray for them as well as the time draws close. They are members of our church and we have been praying diligently about this, and already praise God for the answered prayers. I praise God for their strength and how the power of God is evident in their lives. It has touched everyone at our church, and allowed us to experience God in a new way. We are praying with all our hearts for God to heal him and, if he so chooses to use the doctors and carry them through a different route, we will still praise Him because His will is best. We pray for God to be glorified in Sean's life and those in his family this week.

Thank you for praying!