FTX Has Come and Gone

We had a week of going out to the field and learning some of the elements of crawling in the sand wearing all of our gear (helmet, flack jacket, two full canteens of water).


Here are some pictures of my experience.

We had a squad competition at the "Fit to Win" obstacle course.
Our squad had the best time.

We also had other important training, such as basic first aid and how to follow a patrol team in advancing.

So, at the end of the week, how did I feel?

A picture has a thousand words...

Now, we move on to the final phases of my training, which entails a lot of how to be a chaplain in the Army.

Two Weeks Left for CIMT

Two weeks have gone by and feels like it has blown by very fast. We are being taught a lot of things in a very short amount of time. I am grateful that my experience in seminary is helping me to stay on top of the material.
There two more weeks for our initial training, then it will be two months of educating us to be Army chaplains. The first four weeks are designed to educate us to be Soldiers.
Family is doing great. Looks like we are going to do Thanksgiving in South Carolina. During my training, the policy restricts us to go too far away from post. Plus, plane tickets are outrageously expensive. For the amount of money we spend on one plane ticket, we can have enough food for three Thanksgiving meals.
Leave a comment below so that can have an idea who is following this blog.
Blessings to all and remember to expect a Breakthrough, Hooah!

Finally, An Update!

For everyone back home, I am finally getting to giving you an update on my experience at CH-BOLC. At first it took a while to get the train going, but it sure is rolling now.

Here are some photos to give you an idea of what I have been up to:

ROPES COURSE

Part of my class...

Here I am wearing my ACU...

Here is the 60 ft. Victory Tower that we all had to repel down on. It was an awesome experience. I wish we could do it again.

We also did the commando crawl, where you have to balance yourself on a single rope and pull your way across without falling onto a net. I was proud of myself for not falling off.

We had to go down this cargo net. All these events put your upper body to the test. My muscles were burning at the end of the day.

CONFIDENCE AND TEAM COURSE

On another day, we did a good number of obstacles in teams. It was a great experience to build confidence with your team members and with yourself.


















PHYSICAL TRAINING

The Army is a place to get yourself physically fit and get paid for it, Hooah!

Here, someone recognized me and wanted my autograph. NOT!

We were just getting ready for PT, and I was filling out some paperwork.






My experience so far has been very fulfilling. I am so bless in many ways. One way is the fact that my family is living with me while I train. After we're done, we will be heading to our first duty station. This was a BREAKTHROUGH in prayer.

Another way that I am blessed is with my Class Leadership; the class leader and the platoon leaders. All of which are my peers.

I will not forget the leadership at USACHCS (United States Army Chaplain Center and School). From my platoon sergeant all the way up to the commandant, they are there with one goal in mind, to prepare us to provide spiritual support to Soldiers and their families. They are dedicated to seeing us succeed. Even the staff of the school, they are a phenomenal group of people. I praise the Lord for them.

I will try to keep making entries sooner than later but in smaller sizes. In the meanwhile, please keep Nicole, the girls, and me in your prayers. God has been gracious in many occassions and we would love to continue to see His mighty hand at work

Commissioned Officer

On August 24, 2007, I was commissioned as a First Lieutenant for the United States Army by taking an Oath of Office. It was officiated by my Senior Chaplain, Chaplain (COL) Arthur C. Pace, at Carlisle Barracks, PA. This day marked 22 days left before I head down to Fort Jackson for training.

This honorable event took place in the chapel at the altar on the Carlisle Barracks. In the picture, CH Pace is on the left and I am standing on the right. Of course, the United States flag in the center. If you look closely, you can see the stain glass window in the background.

The stain glass window is a picture of “The Four Chaplains.” The Four Chaplains are four Army chaplains, CH Alexander D. Goode, CH George L. Fox, CH Clark V. Poling, and CH John P. Washington; who demonstrated bravery and courage while the USS (USAT) Dorchester sank, after being fired upon with three torpedoes by a the German U-223 submarine. To read more about these four great chaplains do an internet search for “Four Chaplains” or visit http://www.fourchaplains.org/story.html

I look forward to honoring the men and women who have contributed and helped me to reach this point in my life. I will honor this commission by honoring the Lord Jesus Christ in all that I do and say as a U.S. Army Chaplain.

Change of Course

Well, Fort Bliss, Texas was short lived. Way before receiving my official orders to Fort Bliss, I received a phone call from my accessions officer letting me know that the Army has seen fit to put my in Fort Hood.

Fort Hood is still in Texas; and it is the home of the III Corps Major Command, 1st Cavalry Division, and 4th Infantry Division. It is adjacent to Killeen, Texas. Think of it as being in the "heart of Texas."

Of course, chaplaincy is ministry, therefore, one must be flexible in ministry. The Bible teaches that man makes plans, but it is God who orders those steps. Living in the palm of God's hand may at times seem scary, because when you think you've figured out what He is doing, the wind shifts and there is a change of course.

It is of the utmost importance to be constantly in relationship with the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of prayer. Prayer draws us close to the heart of God and allows us to hear His voice saying, "Fear not, for I am with you." Prayer is part of the cultivation of our relationship with the Living God. It is most definitely not something we do out of duty or rite; rather because we have realized that knowing Jesus is the greatest thing that any human being could ever experience.

So, we are holding on to the mighty hand of God and seeing one Breakthrough after another.

Blissful Start

After all the waiting to know where my first duty station will be, I’ve finally received “the phone call.” My first duty station after CH-BOLC is Fort Bliss, TX. It was not one of the places that I had written down on my wish list. The only location that I had chosen that was in Texas was Fort Hood.

When I broke the news to my wife, she had a similar reaction, “Really?!” When one entrusts their life in the hands of the Almighty God, all one can do is have the faith to believe that it is exactly where God wants them to be. So, with that in mind, my family and I rejoice that we are no longer waiting to know where we are assigned to and that we are in the center of God’s will.

We now begin to focus our prayers and thoughts for the soldiers and their families that are stationed at Fort Bliss. We pray for our eyes to see the opportunities that God will use us to advance the kingdom of God. We pray that the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ will invoke faith and hope. We pray that the glorious power of the Almighty God would be always present, always evident, and always manifested.

Praise the Lord, for a blissful start!

I Stand In Awe

Last week, my family and I had the opportunity to go to the Assemblies of God Military and V/A Chaplain Conference in beautiful Orlando, Florida. The conference allowed Nicole and I to meet fellow military chaplains and their spouses. It really provided us a step into integrating ourselves into the military culture.

During the conference we had breakout sessions, where both the young and the old shared their experiences as chaplains. I was most impressed by the stories told by those who have been deployed once, twice, and some three times. It was heart wrenching the sad stories of people losing their lives, both military and civilian lives. But, it was exciting to hear of the multiple times soldiers were looking for a chaplain in order to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. I guess that being in the face of death causes people to accept the reality of their mortality and humanity; which brings an awareness of the need for a God that has their eternity in His hands.

I had the honor of meeting CH Eddie Cook, he is the soldier in the middle of the above poster with his arms wide open praying for the soldiers around him. I must of embarrassed him when I treated him like a celebrity after calling him the “poster guy” during one of the luncheons. After getting to know more about him through my conversation with him, from other chaplains, and from my wife; I was left awestruck. My wife got to hear his wife during the ladies’ session and read a book she wrote about her husband’s deployment.

The night of the banquet, they had all the new chaplains go to the front to be prayed for. So, Nicole and I went forward and waited for someone to come and pray over us. We felt a hand on our shoulders and could hear the voice of someone praying over us. As I was listening to the prayer that was being spoken over us, I recognized the voice. It was the voice of one our chaplain speakers during the conference. His name is United States Air Force Brigadier General Chaplain Cecil Richardson. I was amazed to be prayed for by a General, but not just any General, he is the Deputy Chief of Chaplains for the USAF. His prayer was that of looking at every move and relocation as an opportunity to minister and to see the glory of God.

After he had prayed for us, we turned around and shook his hand and talked with him for a little while. He gave us words of wisdom and the encouragement of the thrill of being a military chaplain. I couldn’t really pay a lot of attention to him because when he shook my hand he placed a coin in it. It was a challenge coin, which is given for a job well done or for the challenge to do your best. On the one side of the coin it has the one star flag (representative of the one star Brigadier Generals), “Deputy Chief of Chaplains,” and “Glorifying God-Honoring Airmen-Serving All.” On the other side, it has the regiment insignia of the USAF Chaplain Service, with the words “Freedom, Faith, Ministry” and the year MCMXLIX (1944). At first I didn’t understand the deep significance of the coin, but after talking with other chaplains I soon realized that the meaning of the coin is that I am entrusted with the call of God as a military chaplain to do the work of the kingdom of God with all my heart and passion. My desire is to honor CH (BG) Richardson by honoring our King of kings and Lord of lords as a US Army Chaplain.

I am honored to be among humble men and women who serve our country with courage in the midst of war to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ and the hope of the gift of God, eternal life.

For more information about challenge coins, go to http://www.allaboutchallengecoins.com/