Unbounded Words

This past Friday I returned home from Fort Jackson, SC. I spent 41 days down there doing a Chaplaincy Practicum. It was an awesome experience.  I was assigned to the Reception Battalion.  The Reception Battalion is the first stop for new soldiers, where they are in-processed, issued uniforms, and sent to Basic Training.  The days were busy with counseling sessions dealing with everything from home sickness to serious depression. I preached the Sunday morning chapel service each weekend as well. The numbers ranged from around 600 soldiers down to about 150. It really depended on whether or not the previous week’s soldiers had shipped late in the week or if they were being held over until the next week. But overall the chapel services went well, and about 1500 soldiers heard the gospel over those four weeks. God really used the time to confirm His call in my life.

Now it is back to the real world. The fall semester started last week, and I am enrolled in five classes. I am already behind, and I don’t know how I will make it through this semester.  I will return to my job on Thursday, and we have already started assisting in AWANA at our home church. Rachel is pregnant and is having a rough time with sickness. She also has a full load, as she is taking two classes at Roane State, home schooling Kyra, and at the same time volunteering at Choices Resource Center.  God help us!

We are both a little overwhelmed, but the one thing this tells me is that God is definitely going to use us. He called us to this ministry, and this ministry requires a lot of preparation. Everything we are doing now is part of His purpose for us, and one thing we know is that God’s purpose will be done.  The hard part is to rely on Him to provide for us, and to get us through these difficult times. I know that He will.