WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!

     One night after we were asleep, about 11:30pm the phone rang.  It was one of our soldiers.  He is one of the few who has a family staying in the area.  His wife was having some problems and he asked us to go check on her.  He could talk with her on the phone, but couldn't leave base and was worried about her and their baby.  So we quickly dressed and drove about 5 miles to their apartment.  We found them to be fine, but she was scared to be alone that night because of some unusual circumstances.  So we bundled up the sleeping 6-month-old baby and took the two of them home with us.  She slept on our couch, and baby on the floor nearby.  It worked out, and we were glad to help.  The crisis passed and all was fine.
     This week we attended the graduation of the only female soldier that has attended church since we got here.  We only saw her one Sunday.  So when we walked into the graduation and she saw us, her face lit up and she exclaimed, "I DO have someone here!"  Few of the graduating soldiers are fortunate enough to have family members attend.  She was so pleased that we would support her in that manner.  We took pictures to send to her.  It was a good feeling to represent her family.
     Last Sunday we had homemade stew, bread, and chocolate chip cookies.  It was funny when I brought out the food, they were so excited about the home baked cookies that they started grabbing those first.  One soldier said, "Hey, you can't eat the cookies before the dinner!"  Another soldier said, "My mother's not here."  A third soldier said, "Besides, it has been a long time since my mother has been able to tell me what to eat, anyway!"  They ate their fill of stew and bread, then cookies for dessert again. 
     Today we had Shepherd's Pie, rolls, and pies for dessert.  We always have a Chaplain Assistant who is present in the background who helps us set up and clean up, and is the "official chaplain presence" in the building.  We usually invite them to eat with us, but they always decline.  Today, the Assistant couldn't resist the Shepherd's Pie.  He took a little bit, then came back for seconds.  Ha ha.  I loved it.
     Today we took a soldier to the AT&T store to solve a problem with his phone.  Normally we can't take the soldiers anywhere, but because of the Thanksgiving holiday, he had a special pass.  He had to go in the mall to get to the phone store to solve his problems.  So we were feeling pretty weird walking through the mall in our missionary clothes on a Sunday. I debated about taking my name tag off, but decided to leave it on.  As we were standing there waiting for him, a young lady said, "Hey, what does your name tag say?"  So I walked closer for her to read it.  She said, "I've been looking for you.  I need to know how to find the church so that I can start attending. It's been a long time and I want to get out of the situations I'm in now."  She looked like a really nice girl, not like she was in very bad trouble.  So we took her phone number and told her that we would have someone get back to her.  We felt much better about being in the mall.
     When Elder Elkins was set apart as the Military Group Leader, the Stake President said in the blessing that he would know why he is here, "in the next 10 days".  We thought that was an interesting thing to say.  That was 11 days ago.  So what have we learned?  It is mostly that "We are here for the soldiers." They each have unique needs and circumstances.  Some need Priesthood blessings.  Some need a father figure.  Some need a friend.    Some need a place to get away from the Army for a couple hours once in a while.  All need to feel The Spirit.  We fill many different needs and it is great to help the Lord's children when they need us.  We will also be getting to know people at other military bases in the area, to make our presence (the Church) known.  We are so blessed.
     One soldier announced today that his wife gave birth to their 4th child on Thanksgiving Day.  He was planning to be home for the planned C-Section on Dec. 10, but for some reason they had to do it early.  He was sad to not be there for her but glad that mom and baby are OK. 
     We had a dinner with other senior missionaries on Saturday.  There were 3 couples in attendance who serve the military.  It was interesting to learn that even with the same calling, our mission duties are vastly different because of the different situations we are in.