What Would Happen If...

Part of My New Crew

This is my view from a Stryker

Mark, Myself, and Mike (Left to Right) At the Golf Range

Dear Friends,

What would happen if you started hitting golf balls as hard as you could without stretching or warming up? I now know the answer now. You pull your back. Fortunately this injury only affects my golf swing and not my ability to stay active. However, it has been hard to not hit the green this week. The driving range will not be open forever and I am eager to work on my swing again. Anyway, our Bible Study this week finished the movie "Facing the Giants". The movie really challenged the faith of a lot of the guys who saw it. I want to try and use that conviction to get more of them in the Word so that they can apply their faith. It is funny how many of them are comfortable coming out to a Bible Study every week, but they don't get in the Bible daily. I couldn't imagine a day without God's Word anymore than I could a day without food or water. It has become that noticeable to me.

The weather here is still strangely warm during the days. There are still some cold nights but nothing unbearable in comparison to the winters of Washington or especially the MidWest. I still love to go relax under the stars at night...despite the violence of the land, you can't take the peacefulness out of its night skies. Obviously the U.S. will always be home, but I am doing well here. Thanks for all your continued support, letters, and prayers. I'll write again soon. Bye!

Camp Fires And Long Days...

Yeah, I'm Playing Golf...In IRock.

The Sacred Campfire...Where Work Discussions Are Outlawed

Gift From My Family...The World's Longest Cigar...Seriously

Dear Friends,

Life continues to chug along here. I am faced daily with the challenge of living in the present rather than looking forward to future events...namely mid-tour leave. Sometimes it is difficult to remember of how great of an opportunity I have here...to grow personally, to make close friendships, and to share Jesus with those around me. I am over 1/3 finished with my deployment, and time just seems to continue to move faster. Ultimately I find myself incredibly blessed with a great team in Able Company. God has His hand here.

Other news? Hmmm...I have gradually come up with a list of favorite leisure activities to do while not engaged in work. If you are curious, they are as follows in no particular order:

(1) Working Out: The routine of starting everyday out with this is incredible.
(2) Reading the Bible: Try a day with it, then without...I find myself never wanting to miss my daily "feeding".
(3) Guitar: "Music heals the heart"...some famous dude said that.
(4) Campfires: Makes you feel like you're home.
(5) Yo-Yo'ing: Because there's nothing else to spend your money on :)
(6) Juggling: A skill that is useful in some many situation.
(7) Sleeping: I'll get to waste about a 1/4 of my deployment doing this.

So yeah...you all rock...I'll write again soon whenever something interesting enough presents itself. Bye!

Things Are About to Get Crazy...

Tristan...Wants to be a Soldier Too!

All the Kids (Brother and Sister-In-Law's...Not Mine) Before Their Christmas Play.

Dear Friends,

A good friend of mine told me about 8 months ago that he felt as though God was telling him, "Things are about to get crazy." I have to admit that it looks to be that way for me too. There is a lot of transition in my unit here which I won't go into detail about. Basically, I have a feeling that the next 3 months are going to seem like 3 weeks. There is a lot to do, and I have a lot of responsibility in it. I would appreciate your prayers as I look to work very hard to get things done right.

In other news, in Bible Study we decided to watch "Facing the Giants", a low-budget film with horrible acting but an incredible message that covers it up. I then bring up some applicable scripture to compare with themes of the movie. I'd like to avoid this night becoming a "movie-study", but I am very surprised to see the response from the guys as we go through it. There still continues to be a big need in our base. I have identified a lot of guys on the fence about Jesus. Hopefully He can tip them over to our side. There is still a lot of free time over here for guys to do a lot of soul-searching. My continued prayer is that they find the right stuff to invest in.

Okay, I will write again, but know that I continue to do well. The holidays are over which is kind of a good thing, and I am now only eager to move on to the next big task in a line of many. Bye!