Hi Family and Friends,
Christina and I have been busy this week sorting through our home for items to sell in a garage sale later this summer. It is amazing how much "junk" you accumulate in 4 1/2 years of marriage!!! :) Each night, after the kids go to bed, Christina and I spend a few hours looking through boxes, reminiscing over the last several years. It has been wonderful sharing this journey with a woman like Christina.
On Thursday I accompanied Chaplain (LTC) Andy Meverden to Buckley Air Force Base as he presented a training session on suicide prevention to a group of soldiers. I was touched to see Andy with a tear running down his face as he told the story of a soldier he had worked with who had walked through a difficult time. I am honored to be mentored by Andy...he is the type of Chaplain I want to become someday...
On Friday I began my training with the "Honor Guard" of Colorado. This is a group of soldiers who go to each funeral of a veteran in order to honor the memory of the soldier...a flag is presented, a short speech is given, taps is played...it is a wonderful way to show honor to someone deserving...I stood in the shadows as the funerals took place watching the team in their dress blues...they sure looked sharp and made me proud.
On Saturday and today I completed "welcome weekend" with the Guard for new soldiers. It was a nice time to be processed into the individual units and learn more about what we'll be going through in the years ahead. My unit is the 193rd MP Battalion and is located in the Denver Armory north of the city.
The Sergeant in charge of the training enjoyed putting me on the spot throughout the weekend. "Hey Butter Bar!" (As a 2LT I wear a little gold bar on my chest and I'm the lowest officer on the totem pole and the fact that I'm a chaplain in training puts an extra target on my chest for attention. There are only 8 of us in the state serving nearly 4,000 Colorado Guard troops.) I don't mind the teasing because it gets my name out in front of the soldiers and opens doors for ministry.
My favorite part of the week was how easy it was to minister to hurting soldiers. Broken marriages, lost loved ones, fear of the future...it seemed that every soldier I talked to had a need to talk...Thank you Lord!!! I got a picture of how neat it will be to live and work with the men and women in uniform. (Although the foul language is something that will take some getting used to.)
A bit of history I learned this week...During WW2 it was a Colorado Guard Battalion that liberated the notorious Dachau concentration camp in Germany. I had no idea when I visited the remains of that terrible place near Munich Germany in the year 2000 that I would someday be part of the organization credited with setting the prisoners of that camp free. (I carry a rock from Dachau in my possession to remind me of what can happen when hate is allowed to triumph.)
Well...I hope your week ahead is blessed!
1 comment:
good to see that your not vacationing and actually doing something productive! Any hoo, lee is going to talk with the Easy-A man tomorrow.
BTW - did you hear about the lead toy recall? the chinese are trying to kill us one child at a time. to say the least, lee is super scared. we are going to have our kid tested on friday for lead in her blood. please pray that she wasn't affected by this.
peace!
Seung
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