A Table in the Presence

It is hard to believe that three years ago today, Steven came home from his final tour of duty with the Multi-National Forces in Iraq. He had spent 22 of the previous 24 months there. From February to December of 2004 he was at Camp Fallujah, not far from the town of Fallujah, Iraq. He came home for a month. Then, for a full twelve months (except for a couple of weeks R& R with me in England in September) from January 2005 to January 2006, he was in Baghdad, first at Camp Victory in the south part of Baghdad and then on assignment to the State Department at the Embassy in the Green Zone of Baghdad.

It was a difficult time for both Steven and me. Although by this time in his career with the USMC Steven was a lieutenant Colonel, neither of his assignments had been "cushy". At Camp Fallujah there had been almost daily bombardments of rockets, with travel outside of the camp being extremely dangerous due to roadside bombs. The quarters were spartan by US standards. The heat was oppressive, well into the 100's. And the hours were long, long. No days off. Having to make decisions that could drastically affect peoples' lives forever was probably the hardest part, though.

At Camp Victory and the Embassy a lot of the same conditions prevailed, but there was the added danger of many low, fast helicopter flights between the camp and the embassy, and vehicle convoys several times a week through the most dangerous parts of Baghdad. One time his convoy was even the target of a vehicular suicide bomber. Although he was technically a logistical advisor to the Ministry of Interior, part of his mission was to report on corruption when he found it. He had some enemies in high places.

At home, although I did not face the same kinds of discomfort or dangers, my heart was with my husband. We talked on the phone, or emailed each other daily. I acted as the conduit for most of the news between Steven and the rest of our family and friends.

I also had to be strong at home, to help guide our son Phil through his last year of high school and later, as he was making his transition into the "real world". And then there was all the household and financial decisions to be made: home repairs, car breakdowns, repairs, purchases and bills, etc. I had a lot on my plate.

The LORD God got us through it all. A key factor in it was that family, friends, and church were so very faithful to hold us up in prayer! Steven says that was a palpable reality in Iraq. Whenever his attention was turned even slightly toward God, the Presence of God was right there comforting and strengthening him! He attributed that directly to the prayers at home. He also found Christian brothers in the military that would openly pray with him during critical transitions and decisions.

God used Steven, not only in the military missions, but as a witness to unbelievers and to several Muslims. One of his Muslim friends even accepted Christ!

And Steven came home to me safe and sound.

I'll finish up with a couple of excerpts from my journal at that time:

1-28-06

"At 10:22 this morning, Steven called me from Kuwait. He's coming home tomorrow! He talked a very nice Marine Corps Staff Sergeant into sending him straight to San Diego (instead of going to Florida first) so he could be here for my birthday (1-31). WOW!!! I need to pick him up at the San Diego Airport tomorrow at 4 PM. He's coming on United--flight #6156. I was hopping around the room like popcorn after that!"

2-7-06 (We were settled into a very nice cabin on the beach at Camp Pendleton.)

"This morning we woke up about 6 AM. We got up and had breakfast. Steven left for work at 7:30 AM. I washed up the dishes and did my Bible reading. At about 8:30 AM, I decided to take a walk down the beach. It was an absolutely gorgeous morning! The sun was shining. Temperature perfect--not too hot, or cold. I had the whole beach to myself--just the seagulls and other sea birds and the breakers. I was so overwhelmed by the peacefulness and beauty, I just started crying, singing a worship song to the LORD for His blessings.

The LORD has blessed us in so many ways this past week: bringing Steven home safely--in time for my birthday and our anniversary; giving us safe travel between here and Tehachapi; giving Steven a job here at Camp Pendleton that fits with his interests and skills; giving us a good realtor (and possible good price) for the house in Tehachapi; giving Steven a warm reception with family, friends, and even strangers (ie. Olive Garden); and a beautiful temporary place to live this week on the beach. I just have a real peace that God is going to work out the rest of the particulars, including where we are to live and go to church."

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever."
Psalm 23; 5,6

On This Day

Make a Smilebox slideshow

On this day five years ago our beautiful, beloved daughter, Sherri, married our handsome, (and truly wonderful) son-in-law, Jeremy! In spite of the rain that day in Buellton, California, it was a phenomenal day. The wedding was gorgeous. It was also poignant in that Sherri and Jeremy had moved up their wedding date so that her dad, Steven, could give her away. He was leaving very shortly for a 10-month tour of duty in Iraq. Needless to say, there were several moments during the ceremony when dry eyes were hard to find! The song, “Butterfly Kisses”, was a popular song at that time and one of Steven’s favorites. Although it was difficult to choose, I have picked a few of the 255+ photos we took that day to share with you here.

Adopting Phil

Steven and I feel that both of our children were special gifts from God. One was born to us and one was literally handed to us. Back in February 1973 when Steven and I were married, we decided that we would like to give birth to one child and adopt any others. On Christmas Day 1978 our daughter Sherri was born to us after a long and difficult delivery. Although we knew that we eventually wanted to adopt a child, we got caught up in the busy-ness of life and didn’t actively pursue the adoption process. When Sherri was a baby, Steven went on active duty with the USMC as an officer and we began the standard military life of changing duty stations every three or four years. In January 1984 we were sent on a three-year tour of duty to Okinawa. We told our family and friends before we left that we might check into adopting a child from overseas while were in Okinawa, but once again, we didn’t pursue it. God had other plans for us, though! In late November 1985 we got a call from Steven’s mom back in the States, wanting to know if we wanted a baby! It happened that she had gone from her home in Arnold, California to visit a longtime lady friend in Lompoc, California. While she was there, her friend’s daughter came to visit, obviously pregnant and close to delivery. Steven’s mom started asking her about the baby, and she admitted that she couldn’t keep the baby. Someone had given her money to get an abortion, but she had decided she didn’t want to do that, so was going to give him up for adoption instead. She really wanted to be part of the process, though. She wanted to be able to choose the parents, so she wasn’t going through an agency. She only had two criteria for the prospective parents: 1) that they were born-again Christians, and 2) that they were in the military. When Steven’s mom heard that, she perked up! She said, “I know someone that fits those criteria: my son and his wife in Okinawa. Would you mind if I gave them a call?” The girl said, “No, go right ahead.” So that’s when Steven’s mom called us. After only a couple seconds’ hesitation we said, “Yes!” Steven took 30 days leave and Sherri got off early for her Christmas break from school, and we caught a military hop to Travis Air Force Base in California. (That flight is a story in itself: We kept getting bumped. So we spiraled all the way around the Pacific Ocean, traveling almost 24,000 miles to get 6000!) Steven’s parents were at Travis to meet us and took us down to Lompoc, where we stayed with family until the baby was to be born (supposedly around Christmas). While we were waiting, we collected the necessary release forms with signatures and had guardianship papers drawn up. Wouldn’t you know it, though, Phil decided to be late! :) Steven’s 30-day leave was up and Sherri needed to get back to school, so Steven and Sherri got a military hop back to Okinawa. I stayed until after Phil was born. He was born on January 18, 1986. Although I wasn’t in the delivery room, I was at the hospital when he was born and got to hold him when he was 20 minutes old and help clean him up. I spent the night with family friends and the next morning, I got a call from the hospital saying: “Come get him, he’s yours!” So I picked him up from the hospital when he was 12 hours old and took him home! It took about a week to get the necessary passport and visa for him. Then I flew to Oregon to show him off to my parents and family. We stayed about a week there. Then we took a commercial flight to Okinawa. After we got back to Okinawa, it took about 6 months to complete the adoption. Under the Status of Forces Agreement with Japan, many legal actions our military personnel undertake in Okinawa are legally binding here in the States, including adoption. So, Phil’s adoption was completed with a Japanese lawyer and is in Japanese! (It came with an English translation, though. :>) Although, we, as a family, have experienced all the normal ups and downs and frustrations of child rearing and growing up, none of us regret the adoption experience. It was an open adoption, so Phil knows his birth-mother, his siblings, and has all his life had regular and loving contact with his birth-mother’s parents. They were very precious and supportive. Steven and I can truly say that we have been blessed more than we have blessed!

Happy birthday, Son!