Can't Wait to Be Home...

Monday, September 7, 2009

Day 410: Mission Complete

My journey has finally come to a much anticipated end. And with 10 fingers, 10 toes, 4 limbs, and my life intact I have nothing more important to say than, "Thank you Lord!" Not only for my life that He has so mercifully preserved, but also for the life lessons and the opportunity to use this deployment as a way to encourage and inspire those who may be going through their own version of a "deployment". Knowing that there were family and friends following closely along with me as I journeyed "through the sand" assured me that I was sent there with a purpose much greater than what the Army had in mind for me.


I cannot end this journey without saying "Thank you" to those people whose prayers, support, and love have allowed to me to maintain my sanity these last 13 months.

To Gemma, Max, and Maya - to my most precious gifts that God has given me. Thank you for your strength, support, love, and the amazing ability to adapt to a life without me physically in it. Every second of every webcam minute and every crumb of every carefully packaged cookie that was ever sent to me reminded me of how blessed I really am, and how much God was truly watching over me.

To Mom and Dad - thank you for your unwavering support, as even in your quiet, humble ways your love speaks volumes to me. To Mom and Dad Miranda, a special thanks for your watch and care over Gemma and the children. I will never forget your generosity and thoughtful prayers this past year.


To my Family - I wish I could personally thank all of you, but that would take a while and frankly I'm exhausted. But really, every thoughtful word that was spoken, written on a card, typed on a Facebook message or blog comment, or expressed to me via a care package was an uplifting moment that would energize me for days. Thank you.


To my Friends - It was a joy to stay in touch with and reconnect with so many of you. By the way, you are all directly responsible for my Facebook addiction. Your timely words of encouragement through e-mail or even the occasional "Like It" in response to my status changes on FB made for a more pleasant day. Thanks:)


As I sign off and maneuver my way back into the "real world" I pray that this small life snippet of what I have been through has allowed us to grow closer as family & friends. You have followed me through times of great fear, frustration, pride, happiness, sadness, loneliness, impatience, courage, and accomplishment. In sharing a time in my life when I was most vulnerable, I was reminded that through dependence on others, there is great strength. Thank you all for being a source of that strength. Thank you for seeing me "through the sand".

"Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions,with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong."
I Corinthians 12:9,10 NASB

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Day 406: Gear Drop

I wanted to share one of the most exhilarating days of the whole deployment...GEAR TURN IN DAY! I finally returned all the combat army stuff that was given to me, the knives, canteens, gas masks, gloves, shirts, pants, cold weather clothing, extreme cold weather clothing, wet weather clothing, extreme wet weather clothing, extreme cold & wet weather clothing, fire retardant uniforms, body armor, boots, gloves, goggles, sleeping pads, sleeping bags, hiking packs, duffle bags...EVERYTHING! Check out some of the action.


An overview shot of the whole process

So excited to give it all back!

...I know that 500 dollar flashlight is in here somewhere!?!


Found It! That was close...

With a huge sigh of relief, and a few days from being reunited with Gemma and the kiddos, I'm as high as a kite on marijuana. At this point I'm trying to relax and enjoy the downtime. The journey is almost over and I know many of you are right there alongside me for the finish...

I hope many of you have been encouraged or touched by the deployment stories as it was only in knowing that I had family and friends supporting me did I make it through. I also hope that you have been blessed by the Scriptural references as they possess great power and wisdom essential to our daily existence. I know they kept me alive!

In sharing my experiences and bringing this exciting life chapter to a close, I now realize that trials are a fact of life and not an arbitrary run of bad luck. Trials hit us often when we least expect it and usually at a time no where near impeccable. My advice is to embrace it. Know that these seemingly life-altering, energy-depleting, earth-shattering events are mere inconveniences when you look at the big scheme of things. God allows trials for the purpose of maturing us, and to prepare us for a life that pales in comparison to this one.

"For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal."
II Corinthians 4:17,18 NASB