We all know about the combat-related deaths related to the war.  But combat isn’t the only killer. Suicide rates are the highest since 1980 (when rates began to be tracked). Of the 143 deaths in 2008, two-thirds were either deployed at the time of death or had been deployed previously. The rate within the military, specifically army & marines, is *TWICE* that of the civilian world.

Tomorrow, April 8, the Army Chief of Chaplains has declared a day of prayer and fasting for our soldiers. Please keep our soldiers in your prayers tomorrow. And please pass this information (or send them the link here) on to others who may be interested in participating.

An article about it:

http://christianpost.com/Society/Church-state/2009/04/chaplain-declares-day-of-prayer-fasting-for-u-s-army-07/index.html

The proclamation:

http://www.militaryministry.org/wp-content/uploads/proclaimation-to-pray-and-fast-mar-09.pdf

Some articles about the suicide rates:

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/military_suicide_rates_congress_031809/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/04/AR2008090403333.html

‘Ya know how God has a sense of humor? (NO, I’m not about to say I’m pregnant!!!  I would see NO humor in that.)

In the last year, I’ve felt that part of what God has in store for me while we’re here is to work on humbling me to ask for help.  I’ve prided (and we know what pride cometh before…) myself in being able to take care of myself pretty well w/o having to ask for much outside help.  I don’t even like to ask for prayers except on the little things.

So.  Church today.  Tradition there is a praise and worship Sunday on Thanksgiving week.  They have one section of the sanctuary curtained off as a prayer area.  I felt an immideate push to go before service was over.  Once both kids were in their rooms, I came back and felt the push even stronger.  But I didn’t want to go.  At the start of service, Pastor Mark had said to grab someone to pray with you or, if someone entered alone, for someone in the service to go pray with that person.  But doing either of those would require me to humble myself to ask for that kind of help.  So I’m trying to figure out how I can get in there without anyone seeing me.  I decide to go outside and through the door that leads to that section.  I get to the door and there was a sign that the section was closed for prayers, use the front door.  Since I wanted it for prayers, I figured it would be okay.  Enter God’s humor.  There is a table with nearly a dozen candles just on the other side of the door!!!  Okay, God, I get the picture.  You’re not going to let me get away with my plan!!!  LOL  So I go back inside (and past a few people giving me a really quizzical look as I try to make my excursion look like I planned it that way!).  I wait until prayer hoping no one would see me.  And chose a spot back in the corner facing away (like I’d actually blend in with the wall and chair LOL).  A dear lady (who I had to walk pass to get from my chair to the prayer area) came in.  She said that she’s not good with praying out loud but that God had been nudging her back here the entire time and, when I walked past, she felt a push.  We talked.  And cried.  She prayed over me.  And I felt such peace.

I’d love to be able to willingly ask for help.  I just have such a hard time.  I’d rather not do X or do it by myself and fail than ask.  I’m fully believe that I’m going to have to seek help at least a few big times before this deployment is over.  I’m trying to find peace in the process.  I’d rather, though, just have an instant heart turnaround.  And be able to avoid any more of God’s humor.  LOL

I know its been awhile since I posted.  I just don’t feel like I have much to say lately.  Let’s see…

My night bible study is over.  It was such a good study.  Beth Moore’s Breaking Free.  But it was also very hard emotionally.  Those hard emotions, though, were shared by many and I’ve come out of it feeling much closer to the ladies in the study.  I love that God is bigger than my anger.

My day bible study on base is also over until the end of the month.

I’m working on redecorating the kids bedrooms & their bathroom while Jim is gone.  I can post my plans & pics, if anyone is interested.  I’ll definitely post when they are all done.

Ben started sitting a couple weeks ago.  He’s also *finally* broken his first two teeth through.

Jim is gone for the month.  Missing his birthday at home yet again.  He’s in California near Death Valley.  Says its hot and ugly.  One of my top bases I hope to NEVER get stationed at (it took over the spot of Hawaii LOL)

Elizabeth is going over to the hourly day care for two mornings next week.  And I’m counting the seconds down!!  Yes, yes, I know that sounds terrible.  But, truly, she talks from the moment she wakes up until she’s asleep.  And then IN her sleep as well.  I need S-I-L-E-N-C-E!!  I’m one who used to crave noise.  It helped me stay focused on my task.  Now I crave every second of silence I can get.

Elizabeth starts back at AWANA in a couple weeks.  She loves it and can’t hardly wait for it to start back.  She had my iron her vest already.   I’m thinking I may start doing my grocery shopping those nights with just one (non-talking!!!) child.  At least once Jim deploys.  Until then, I think I’m going to snag those nights for myself.

I haven’t been sewing much but I plan to spend the weekend on my machine.  When we go home in September, I’m planning to hit some fabric stores.  I have yet to find a good one here.  I found one that has a HUGE variety but it makes me nuts to go in there.  There is little organization to it.  The flat bolts of fabric are stacked on top of each other (rather than standing on end like books @ the library), so in order to see what is under the top one, you have to pull the stack out and look through it.  Like I have that time with two kids in tow!!  HA.  I’m hoping to go to Hobby Lobby and Jo-Anns, at least.  I have a list of projects.

I’ve been thinking a lot about church & children.  I’d love to hear what others have in their church that they like/dislike and what they had growing up.

At the church we went to until I was in junior high, they had a traditional church service for the kids but at kid-appropriate level.  It was divided K, 1-3 and then 4-6.  First we had a Sunday school lesson and then we’d move from the classrooms to the worship area.  K had little pews with arm rests/dividers (I can still vividly remember sitting in them) and the others had chairs.  I remember K having a piano but I don’t remember for the others.  We’d do lots of singing and dancing.  Plus a “sermon” of sorts.  We’d pass the offering plates.  And I even remember passing the communion plates (in 4-6, at least).  I loved the style we had.

I really like the church we’re attending but I’m also not confident its *the* one.  Being in the military adds a different dimension to church than I ever planned–church theology v. worship v. church family. I always thought I’d place theology as #1 and then a mixture of the other two for secondary importance when finding a new church.  But I’m finding that the differences in theology within the Protestant churches aren’t all THAT different as far as the bigger picture and, what is different, I can mostly ignore.  Worship style and church family are really winning out when picking a church. As we look ahead, what they offer for children will also be a big factor.
Since being in the military, the churches we’ve attended the most regularly have been a Southern Baptist (in WA), a Nazarene (in GA) and now a non-denominational.  I chose the church in WA because I liked the preacher, it was large (a preference for Jim) and the worship style was a nice mix of what Jim prefers and what I prefer.  In GA, since he was gone most of the year, I chose a church that was much more my style (lots of music, smaller family, not a formal service, etc.)  In our area, I couldn’t find a church that fit all the criteria I wanted.  (Before we came, I church shopped on the internet and through sermon podcasts–life in the 21st century!!!)  This church is larger than our last (125ish in service v. 60ish).  Lots of music.  A good preacher who delves more deeply than our last (last church sermons were roughly 15 minutes long–not much time to get into anything too deep!).  Definitely NOT a fire-and-brimstone type.  Church family is very welcoming.  And they all say how cute my kids are.   They have several opportunities to get involved outside of worship service.  I think it’ll be a church and church family that I will fall in love with, just not a love-at-first-visit type.

I left early last week for my LLL meeting (held at the library on base) and stocked up on some books.  I haven’t been to the library for a stack of books since early last fall.  It was wonderful!  I got three fiction books and two non-fiction.  I’ve been busy reading all weekend.

A belated thank you to Amy–the aquaphor idea helped!  We still battle a rash but Aquaphor has been the best of the options we’ve tried.

The Mole is coming back!!  I am so excited!!!!!!!!!!  I loved the first two seasons. Then the third season was a bad celebrity edition.  It got interrupted by 9/11 coverage and never resumed the rest of the season.  It was early in the reality TV game show phenomenon and didn’t have manufactured drama in it.  And it made me use my brain to really think.  I hope they stuck with what made it so good.  If they pull the manufactured drama into it, I’ll be terribly disappointed.  Anderson Cooper was the original host and was fabulous.  I hope they found someone just as good.

Church was really nice today.  They hold Easter service at a park down the street.  Its nestled among several apartment buildings and many from the buildings, who don’t come to the church, came down for service and lunch.  They didn’t have care for the kids, so E was with us the entire time.  That is the first time in a really long time she stayed with us for the whole service.  Jim had to take her back for a few minutes and she didn’t do the best job of sitting entirely still/being entirely quiet but she really did well.  We sat in the back, so we’d be able to vacate quickly if we needed.  Starting next week they are going to two services.  The first will be a family-oriented service and the second will be the usual (kids welcome but children’s church available).  I’d like to get her into service with me more but I know she also loves to be with the other kids.  So I’m not sure which we’ll do.

Sleep problems with E continue but in a new development.  Four weeks ago she began waking at 5:30-6:15.  Every day.  :yawn:  If her body adjusted to this okay, I would be tired but I’d deal.  But her body can’t take it!  Early to rise isn’t causing her to go to bed any earlier (7ish).  And it isn’t causing her to sleep any better at night (up 2-5 times).  She cries from early morning on that she’s tired.  By 2-3 each day, my fairly compliant child becomes monster child and usually gets carted upstairs to cool down where she often ends up crying until she’s fast asleep (which then messes with night even more).  I have NO idea how to deal with it.  Its not time change (we don’t change here).  No disruptions to her schedule.  No change in the amount of activity she gets or outside time she gets.  No change to her diet.   And its only getting worse.  When she wakes up, she either lays in bed or gets up and plays quietly.  Neither makes a difference in the rest of her day.  If I could find some way to get her to sleep later, go to bed earlier and/or sleep through the night (the one I’d choose!!), I think she’d be fine.  Her body just needs that extra 1-2 hours of sleep SO badly.