DEFN: Prayerwalk (N.)

Prayerwalk: The act of talking to God while moving along on the ground.

I believe that an ancient, ADHD monk invented prayerwalks in the early 11th century...mostly because he kept getting kicked out of his prayer classes, and walking was the only way he could keep focused. Hundred of years later this same phenomenon has once again become popular...it was first reintroduced by a man named Luke C. in Dupont, WA almost 1.5 years ago. This is where I rediscovered its value. In 2nd grade my teacher, Mrs. Benbow, allowed me to stand up and sometimes move around in class...because she knew that this helped me think. I have since reapplied this concept. My mother, aka. Mother "Hiphop" Fahs, has been doing this for years most mornings...putting in some hard prayer-miles at the local Hicksville track. That's right...you can combine personal fitness with spiritual fitness. Crazy, huh?

Well, as you can probably tell...not much is going on here. I'm still waiting to catch a plane. Hopefully I'll be back soon!

Back Here...

Dear Friends,

I am still in Kuwait...waiting (no pun intended). However, this isn't as bad as it sounds. I am sleeping 9 hours a day...I go to the gym whenever and for as long as I want...the food is good...and it is giving me time to process a very busy year. Overall, I am obviously eager to get back home to WA...to a very special girl, a time of relaxation, and a group of brothers/sisters who have prayed me through the entire deployment. However, I am not anxious...rather just content.

Some may be asking me now..."Hey, what is there to do in a desert (not to be confused with dessert...the sign in our cafeteria reads 'desert bar'...which is funny given our current geography?" Well, the activities really are endless. I have a few good books needing to get read. There are also plenty of movies and other "entertainment tents" dedicated to keeping Soldiers occupied and out of trouble. The days still go by quickly...and I have my eye on the prize. I hope you all are doing well as you read this. My hope is to be back soon. Bye!

In Kuwait...

Dear Friends,

I am in Kuwait. That is all for now. Thanks.

My Last Days Here...

Dear Friends,

Well, I can't say how many, but I am definitely in my last days here in IRock. There are a couple more geographical stops before I land in Washington again, but my return seems to be imminent now...the days truly do continue to fly by. I read Romans 15:29 today, and it seemed written directly to me. It says, "I know that when I come to you, I will come in the full measure of the blessing of Christ." I will not be overly optimistic about this deployment. There have definitely been some harder and more testing days. There were times when God didn't seem as close...and the fellowship with my brothers wasn't as tight. However, looking back now I can honestly say that I have been blessed by Jesus every single day. I always had a Christian brother in my same Company...first with my Commander...and then with Reed Timme when he arrived 4 months ago. I was also able to influence a few guys to get into the Word and grow their relationship with Jesus. Finally, I have felt the love, encouragement, and prayers of you all back in the states on a regular basis. To all of you who have supported me...thank you. Please continue to find brothers who are deployed and support them. Not all of them will be as fortunate with fellowship as I have been, and your letters, emails, and packages help an incredible amount.

So yeah...not much else has changed. The last month of transition has been good. It helps time go by, and it has gotten us one step closer to home...which is the ultimate goal. The picture above is me thinking about how awesome it will be once I get back home to my friends and family. You all rock. Please keep me and the men of Able Company in your prayers. We'll see you all soon!

We're Sleeping At The Same Time Now...

Dear Friends,

Hey...guess what? We're sleeping at the same time now...at least roughly. I just started working at night instead of during the day. It's getting so hot during the day that most of us here in my unit are beginning to work at night more. The good part about this is that I'll now be up at about the same time as ya'll back in the states. My hope is that this will ease my jet lag and all that transition stuff when I finally come home. We'll see if it works. Luckily there's also meals still offered at night...we call it "Midnight Chow" appropriately. Again, we are definitely fed well over here...no complaints in that department for sure.

In other news...it is still very good to have Reed around for encouragement and fellowship. Luke is close by too, but unfortunately we haven't really crossed paths much in the past month. It turns out that being on the same base doesn't guarantee that you see each other a lot. I'm staying grounded in the Word daily, and I've continued a new workout routine. Once a week I run on the treadmill and memorize scripture as I run for about 40 minutes. It helps pass the time, keeps me from watching the junk that's normally on the gym TVs, and overall has helped my spirit a lot. I do something similar on lifting days by reviewing scripture in between sets.

So yeah...time is quickly ticking away here. I have a feeling that I'll be back before I even realize it. I hope that you all continue to enjoy everyday of your summers. Thank you for your continued prayers. We're not done yet, but we are certainly getting closer. Bye!