All is well on the Iraqi front. We arrived in Kuwait at 11 p.m. on Thursday night (11/4) and jumped on a C-130 to head into Iraq. We were about to take off when our load master noticed a fuel leak on the right wing. Needless to say, we were glad that he was paying attention! We changed transports and arrived in Iraq at 1:30 a.m. We were so glad to see our bunks. Five hours of sleep later, we were refreshed and ready to face the day. By Wednesday, we will hopefully have presented seven concerts.
I led a small group Bible study on Friday evening. We met with four soldiers who are studying “The Purpose Driven Life.” We talked about the importance of weakness– that is not an easy topic for soldiers, but the truth of God’s Word applies in all situations. Learning how much we need Him and each other is so important. These guys are almost finished with their study of the book, and they get it! We worked through the evening’s study as we listened for missile fire. There was none. Fridays are Iraqi holy days until sundown; then it gets loud again. It usually includes some missile fire and little else.
On Saturday we heard the missile sirens sound (meaning an RPG had landed somewhere in the camp), and I was with one of the colonels at the time it happened. I was reminded that this is a war zone, and I am in it. After a great meeting with the Colonel, we went to the chapel to prepare for our concert that night. The Gospel went out to several soldiers, along with words of encouragement and gratitude. Soldiers filled the chapel and talked and visited with us afterwards. The Commander also came to the concert and stayed afterwards to talk with us and enjoy an ‘Icee.’ (The Icee Corp. donated an Icee machine to the chaplains’ office– ‘Icees for Jesus!’) He was so down to earth and yet such an honorable and strong leader; I was encouraged by his support.
We had to cancel one of our concerts this week because a fire fight broke out in our area. We were, however, able to attend the Chaplain’s Bible Study and sing for the dedicated few. It was good to encourage them. The real stories belong to the ones who are here and know that God is watching over them. Miracle after miracle has taken place, and God is getting the glory and the credit!
I am honored to be a small part of God’s ministry to the brave men and women of the U.S. Army. The chaplains and their assistants are great to work with. Please continue to pray for us and for the troops. My hope is that they will always be at the top of our prayer lists– their families need our support.
Blessings,
Russ
