In a dry and weary land………..

the chapel at Camp Speicher, Iraq

the chaplain holding sunday service

 

When Eric arrived at Camp Speicher he set out to find the chaplain.  He wanted to know if he was a Christian (yes, he could’ve been something other than that), talk about his own faith journey, and find out about church services.  Eric seemed to like him.   The first Sunday they had 5 people at the service.  Eric and his 2 roommates were 3 of them.  On Easter Sunday even the “Easter Christians”  came out in force. They had high attendance that day……..9 people attended!!!    How’s that  for church growth!  The numbers are back down to the 5 regulars now……but that’s okay. God is not concerned with numbers….only hearts that seek after Him.   “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” ~ Matt. 18:20.

I was proud of Eric as he shared his heart with me, our friends, and our home fellowship group before he left.  God has done so much in his life the past year preparing him for this.  He learned how to “Live on Target”  and has grown so much at our new church the past year.  He is proud and honored to serve his country but his first mission was to make a difference in the lives of others and to share his faith by word and deed. He thinks of this as a mission trip.   Those of us who have been on missions know that we go with the idea that we are going to make a difference, lead people to “change” their lives, etc.  But the reality is we are the ones who grow and change the most.  Yes…….we make a difference but we come home changed forever.  I know this journey is growing and stretching Eric as he relies daily and hourly on God to sustain him, protect him, and guide him in difficult circumstances.  My prayer is for Eric to be bold in his words and more bold in his actions and witness.  I pray other soldiers will look at him and see something different in him.  We are nearing the halfway mark (thank you, Lord!) of this deployment and there is still time for Eric to make a difference.  Press on, Eric!  Don’t forget your first love and your first mission!  Stay on task. God has surely shown you favor through this journey.  Pray for every opportunity for Eric to share/lead  “Living on Target” with other men and to seek hard after God.  I am praying for miracles! 

‘Therefore, my brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord’~1 Corinthians 15:58

Technorati Tags: church in iraq,sundays,mission

Finally……an update…..blogging again!

Sheila -  I had someone email me recently and ask if everything was okay since she hadn’t seen any blog posts lately (thanks Debbie!) so it reminded me that I needed to get busy!!

Eric has settled into a routine in the desert finally.  He is working 6 days a week and goes to church services on Sunday at the chapel.  He and his 2 roommates make up 60% of the church! (there are only about 5 that attend).  We are so thankful for modern technology!   We are able to talk via Skype almost everyday.  For those that don’t know what Skype is……it is video calling with a webcam from computer to computer and the best part is….it’s FREE!!   How stinkin’ cool is that?  So not only do we get to hear his voice we get to see his face!!!  Not to mention his totally bald head and his desert tan.   Boy how things have changed since his deployment 18 years ago when we could only use snail mail!

Back to Eric……he is with about 11 Navy guys working with/for Army special ops guys.  I don’t think I’m supposed to say exactly where he is.  They are doing building projects on the base.  I’ll have to encourage him to blog so he can give better details.  I’m so proud of him.  He has such a great attitude except when his patience runs short in dealing with what he calls “ignant” people.  Maybe the Lord is trying to teach him something!  God has surely shown favor on him during this deployment.  He likes his roommates (southern boys from Tennessee and South Carolina , he has been given great opportunities for leadership, he has not really seen any real danger, apparently they eat like kings, they have cable tv, he is not bored (as he and boredom don’t get along well!), and he gets to stay in touch with his family on a regular basis.  It could have been so much worse.  Thank you Lord for your grace and kindness!

As for the rest of the Treat household……things are going well.  Really….they are.  Avery has transitioned beautifully into his role as chief lawn caretaker!  He push mows, weed-eats and blows it.  I finally hear him taking pride in “his” yard now instead of complaining about doing it.  God is good!  Shelby has been so busy with school and soccer.  Occasionally she has some sad moments of missing her daddy but they pass quickly.  I am so proud of them!!   They have handled this journey with grace and faith.  As for me,  truly by God’s grace and faithfulness, I am doing fine.  We have had a few “deployment demons” but God always  sees us through.  We went away for a weekend and came home to no water.   So many people offered to come take a look I had to turn people away.  It was fixed so quickly when a great friend showed up with someone that fixed it in about 15 minutes- and for FREE!!  How amazing is the body of Christ?!!   Someone is always checking to see if we need anything.  Another friend came over and switched out some electrical outlet plates & switches for us too.  People have kept our dogs, offered to help taxi children where they need to go, simply hung out with my kids while I was working and countless other things.  

So…….things are great except for missing Eric tremendously!  Sometimes I think that people think I am just pretending to be okay.  But I really am………..I don’t understand why people find it so hard to believe except for the fact that everyone handles things differently. Here is the bottom line for me……..I have NOTHING and I mean NOTHING to complain about. First and most of all, I serve an amazing God and my life is His not my own….He sets the agenda, not me.  If I say I am a person of faith I have to live it….talk is cheap.   My husband is alive and well, my kids are learning to be strong and deal with the realities of life, we have an income that provides food and shelter in hard economic times, we have been blessed beyond measure with the best friends & family ever,  and we get to live in the greatest country in the world!  So…what in the world would I have to complain about?  I’m so proud of my family and ever grateful to the Living God that ‘supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory!’

Blessings to you!