Army Church

Today was my second time to attend church at the Army Chapel. It is a unique experience, and I have enjoyed it thoroughly!
The first time was exciting! Half of the church is filled with soldiers wearing their ACU's (camo uniforms.) These are students in Basic Training. The other half is made up of families, many like us, whose soldier is attending the Chaplain school. The preacher two weeks ago was very animated! I was amazed at the response from the congregation. Growing up Baptist, and attending church for the last 4 years with a vocal father in law, I am very used to people voicing their agreement by saying, "Amen!" Well, I should have known, that when the Army is called to respond, the congregation agrees with a hearty, "Hooah!". I loved it! Talk about keeping the kids attention! Every few moments the crowd says with gusto, "Hooah!" No problems with drifting off into my own thoughts that day!
We attended again today, and again, the crowd was divided with those in uniform and those in civi's. What struck me today was the hearts of the students in Basic Training. One of the pastors asked for prayers or praises before the service began, and immediately people began sharing. So many of the soldiers asked for prayer for perseverance and endurance. They just want to "finish the race" and do a good job. Their prayer was not to be the best, but to do a good job, to have the strength to complete the task. Others praised the Lord for His faithfulness and how He alone was the reason they had passed their PT (physical training) test, or helped them in their studies. The prayer request that struck my heart, was from a young girl. She asked that we pray for her father, who was diagnosed with colon cancer and is having surgery tomorrow. My heart went out to her! She was most likely under 20 years old, in a far away place, in the midst of trials that she has never faced before, and can't be there with her family. I realized that that is most likely the story for many soldiers, who have volunteered to serve this country. It made me realize the importance of the job of Chaplain. There is such a need! That is one soldier, J will have a unit of around 500 with needs, praises, and requests. It also helped me to see the soldiers differently. To be honest, when everyone is dressed the same, marching the same, walking the same, etc. they look strong. You can't tell their age, their worries, their prayer requests. Today, I looked at the faces of the soldiers as they shared, and realized that in essence these are young kids, doing their best, and praying that they make it through.