I gotta say thanks to some more folks.
Wow! Soldier's Angels- they have poured the stuff into our chapel from nice metal coffee mugs, to tons of coffee, to snacks and care packages and an extra special gift for an extra special bunch of folks that I don't want to mention just yet and ruin the surprise.
The folks at Our Redeemer in Bloomington Illinois -- wow! Thank you for the boxes and boxes of stuff for our troops and school supplies for the local kids.
Also all you folks from Cincinnati who have been sending in stuff for our troops and for Operation School Supplies -- Thank you!
Thanks to my wife too! Thanks to her efforts I've got 192 boxes of Little Debbie cakes to pass out adn there are more on the way. I've got word that the city of Dayton Tennessee is taking this on as a project. Way to go Volunteers!!!
A few updates. If you keep up with the news you'll learn that the oil refinery near our base was hit causing a large fire. We watched a very dark cloud burn all day yesterday. This morning we had a large VBIED go off in town. Shook my office pretty hard. It's getting down right cold here at night but is quiet pleasant and sunshiny in the day time. Had lots of counseling sessions the last couple of weeks and the great thing is actually being able to help out some folks. With all the snack items we have sort of become like a 7-11 with people coming in all times of day and night now. Our chapel lounge and snack area has definetly been discovered. I'm putting together a big tree lighting project to kick off our holiday celebrations, a real challenge considering trees don't grow in the desert. Our engineers are building one out of camo netting. I'm doing lots of visitation. I am truly enjoying the fact that several units have truly involved our team into their units having us for unit functions, cook outs, and so forth. It's a rare day I don't have someone call up wanting to have lunch or dinner. All those incredible connections really enable ministry not to mention friendships. I've got a big friend from the army that I have learned shares a passion with me -- Little Debbie cakes. In fact I love them so much, I married a woman named Debbie. (just kidding honey!)
There is that down side though. As the end of deployment is coming around the corner, I find that I will miss my new friends. I am eager to return to family and my team back home, but there are some really great people here. It's truly too bad we don't have Star Trek Transports to whip around visiting friends all over the world.
Peace to all.
