I posted this email I received from John and hoped you would join in writing to some of the Crisis Centers and/or adding these people to your prayer lists. I do hope that no one is offended by anything said here. If so, please direct your comments to me....Billy
From: John Baker [mailto:john@nedbaker.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 8:52 AM
To: john@nedbaker.com
Subject: The Army has requested your help
Dear Friends,
We have been asked to fill a need of sending Love Boxes or letters to the Combat Stress Clinics run by the 1835 Med Det. in Iraq. They help soldiers with sleep disorders, problems from home, combat fatigue, etc and they also visit the most remote sites to use your boxes of goodies and letters to have the most positive impact on morale. You can help by doing any or all of the following:
1) Send Love Boxes to the three addresses below.
2) Send letters or cards of encouragement to the addresses below. A first class stamp will get it there.
3) Please pray for their needs. Please find attached below a prayer request list that was sent with their communication.
4) We will be at Morningstar Community Church 4775 27th SE Salem, Or 97302 this weekend presenting this need to the members. Please pray for God’s wisdom in the presentation and his spirit to encourage participation.
5) We could use some help at the Love Box table to hand out materials and answer questions. The services are 6 P.M. Saturday Dec. 13, 9 A.M. and 11 A.M. on Sunday December 14th.
Thank you for your support!
Our FOBs (Forward Operating Base) with Combat Stress Control clinics and their contacts are:
Israel Medina
1835th Med Det, CSC
APO AE 09397
Kevin Kells
1835th Med Det, CSC
APO AE 09378
Brian Lanier
1835th Med Det, CSC
APO AE 09396
Our Prevention Team jumps out to
alliwada, Normandy, Ashraf, and O'Ryan
We give them a lot of the boxes you send us to take out to these outlying FOBs
Prayer Requests……………………………………………………………
Dear Friends in Christ,
There are a number of prayers in this request so I'll number them just to help keep things organized. I'm sure you are busy, but when you have a moment to pray, to speak with Christ about what is on your heart, it would be terrific to keep the needs described below in mind.
(1) Chaplain Daza has sent the following requests:
Please pray for one of our Soldiers who recently lost his father to cancer. He still grieving over the loss. Another Soldier is loosing his grandfather. He is anticipating his death soon but is not planning to go home for the funeral.
The heartbreak of losing one you love is achingly compounded when one is separated half a world away both from that individual and from the family and friends that have acted as an anchor in life's storms. I'm certain we all join together in praying for these soldiers, their loved one's, and that God's great love will not only be experienced as present during their time of mourning, but will also help to lift the curtain of grief that hangs so heavily at these times in life.
(2) TSgt DJ wrote "As I prepare to leave this place (my second tour here) I ask my lord for a safe journey home. And I also ask him for protection over my Son, a Marine here in country, his name is Seth. I can't talk about my son being here and the fear I have for him, but to say I'm scared."
I cannot imagine any parent who could not appreciate what TSgt DJ must be experiencing. The sacrifices of our service members are likewise placed upon the shoulders of all those that love them. Let's pray both for Seth and for his parents and family that their son's deployment brings with it a peace that truly passes understanding.
(3) We have prayed for an airman's young daughter of late. He has been kind enough to provide us with an update and gave permission to forward his email:
"Update on my daughter - Payton.
The neurologist looked at her MRI results and explained that Payton did not have any noticeable damage anywhere on her body. He said the brain stem looked great, there were no lesions anywhere on her spine and there was no blood pooling anywhere in her body. That was great news!
However, he still doesn't know why she is having so many problems. He thinks the fall from the monkey bars just really jarred her, and that with time, she will progressively get better (which is how she got bad to begin with). Payton has another appointment Jan 5th at 2:30. The neurologist said that if she didn't get much better or got worse to take her to the ER immediately. If the progression of healing doesn't move as quickly as he thinks it should, he will then schedule a nerve conduction test to isolate where her problem is.
We still have some times ahead, but God is working and healing my daughter.
Thanks for your prayers!!!!"
(4) A contractor who has been in Iraq for over a year, and works at a dangerous job outside the wire, is returning home for Christmas and is worried about his daughters. Both are teens living with their mother who often does not care for them. The younger girl, Cheryl, is ostracized at school, has no friends, cannot speak above a whisper due to her not having vocal chords, and is experiencing a heartbreaking sense of isolation, rejection and inadequacy. Please pray that she will experience the acceptance of Christ, and that she will find a small group of friends that accept and support her.
At church last Sunday (December 7th) several requests for prayer were made. These included:
(5) That God would provide safe travels for Jason Green as he returns home. Congratulations, and may your homecoming be all for which you would hope.
(6) Kay, the wife of an airman was to have surgery today. We asked God's healing touch to be present in that surgery and continue to pray that she is quickly returned to good health.
(7)Elizabeth, the cousin of an airman, recently had surgery in order to remove a brain tumor. Since that time two more surgeries have been required, she continues to suffer with severe headaches, and yet more surgeries may be needed. Let's join together in talking with Christ about Elizabeth's needs, seeking His comfort for both she and her family, that hope's horizon will not dim during this time of stress, and that the Great Healer will restore Elizabeth to health before many days pass.
(8)The mother of another airman is experiencing liver failure and will soon be on a list for transplants. Please pray for this woman and her family, that God's presence is palpably felt at all times, and that she too is restored to health, and through it all that her faith is strengthened.
From the prayer request box come the following requests:
(9) Please pray "for the burned children in the Balad hospital and for their families. For the entire armed services and their familes. Pray for safe return home in January and for all those who are away from their families during the holidays."
(10) Another request is "for the salvation of T. Natao, A. Ransom and Tito. T Natao is slowly turning to Christ, A. Ransom's relationship with Christ is unknown to me, and Tito is unsaved and incarcerated."
Praises
As always we included in church a time for praise, and this included Chaplain Correa expressing his gratitude that the young woman for whom we prayed last week, that she would pass her English proficiency exam, not only passed it but now has an interview for a job. Chaplain Correa is returning to Puerto Rico within a few days - thanks for your service chaplain, have a safe journey home.
There was another praise, and prayer request... a reminder that Sunday the 7th was the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We pray for all of those whose lives were forever torn apart by that attack, and we thank our creator for those who stood in the gap on that day and the days that followed in order to safeguard our freedom.
Another note of gratitude is for the service of Chaplain Brown who will soon return home to family and friends. Chaplain Brown has been a support to many, an encouragement to those in need and steadfast steward of Gilbert Chapel and Troys Place. Thanks for all you've done Chaplain.
God's blessings and safe travels.
Thanks again for your faithfulness in prayer. We do not always know what effect our prayers have, but we are assured that each time we speak to Christ He listens. Never too busy to hear what is on our minds, never dismissive of our concerns, always attentive and always ready to act on what is within the will of God. Perhaps someday we will see the specific results of our prayers, but until then we can rest with assurance knowing that Christ encourages us to 'pray without ceasing' and reminds us that he has plans that we should prosper. With this in mind know that your prayers are important.
This being the second week of Advent I thought I would again share an observation with you regarding Christmas. I would begin by noting that some scholars are convinced that Iraq encompasses what once had been the Garden of Eden. The first, and best, home shared by Adam and Eve. God had planned for them to raise their children in the earthly paradise He had made especially for them. When you read that story in Genesis isn't it remarkable what care God took in making their home, making certain that no need was left unattended. Eden must have been a place where they were to know God, to be His intimate companions. They were treated as family, which is what they were: Adam participated in naming the animals, God made Eve after confiding in Adam that even the delights of Eden would not be enough for the hunger of his soul; He provided instruction on what they were to do, how they were to behave with one another, and in the cool of the mornings God could be found walking through the garden seeking their company. Can you imagine having that sort of intimacy with our Creator?
Scripture does not tell us how many years Adam and Eve enjoyed this intimacy, it only indicates how it ended. Did they, in the intervening weeks, months or years, have moments within the garden when they spent time next to God in childlike contentment? Did they ever hear His laughter, see the joy He took in being with them, and walk in quiet companionship down a garden path? In the early evenings would Eve and Adam sit together and recall the very first days of life? The time when they first laughed at the sight of a giraffe, or first tasted the sweetness of a pear? In the still of the evening, when lying side by side, did they reflect on their good fortune, determined to seek God out the next morning and express anew their gratitude for all of these riches?
In this second week of Advent in Iraq it might be helpful for us to ask whether the traces of God's touch can ever be fully removed from those places where He has once walked. Could there be some remnant still remaining of that place where God first made Himself known to man? Often we are reminded that Christ is the second Adam, but how often do we remember that Christ's birth brought the joys of second Eden into every believer's heart? This new Eden, available to each of us, is found in a small manger, in a carpenter's workshop, and on the dusty paths surrounding the Sea of Galilee. It can also be seen on a cross pierced hill, in an empty tomb, and on a small beach where Christ prepared a morning meal for His friends. Where we find Christ we also find the very best that the Garden of Eden possessed. The birth of our Redeemer is an invitation for us to open our hearts that we may spend each day in His company. Every sunrise an invitation to walk with Him the path of faith's journey together, hearing His laughter, and knowing His joy.
Eden still exists, and God's company can still be found when walking among its paths in the cool of the day - we need only look within the heart of every believer. Could it be that one of the best things each of us will take away from this Christmas season in Iraq is a reminder that the joys of a second Eden have been planted within our souls by the birth of the Christ Child?
Merry Christmas,
Peter
Thanks!!!
John
Operation:Love Boxes For Our Troops
They Keep Serving, We'll Keep Sending.
John W. Baker
2339 State St
Salem, Or 97301
john@nedbaker.com
(O) 503-364-6797 ext 302
© 503-871-2624
(F) 503-364-6798
Toll Free 877-893-6797
From: John Baker [mailto:john@nedbaker.com]
Sent: Wednesday, December 10, 2008 8:52 AM
To: john@nedbaker.com
Subject: The Army has requested your help
Dear Friends,
We have been asked to fill a need of sending Love Boxes or letters to the Combat Stress Clinics run by the 1835 Med Det. in Iraq. They help soldiers with sleep disorders, problems from home, combat fatigue, etc and they also visit the most remote sites to use your boxes of goodies and letters to have the most positive impact on morale. You can help by doing any or all of the following:
1) Send Love Boxes to the three addresses below.
2) Send letters or cards of encouragement to the addresses below. A first class stamp will get it there.
3) Please pray for their needs. Please find attached below a prayer request list that was sent with their communication.
4) We will be at Morningstar Community Church 4775 27th SE Salem, Or 97302 this weekend presenting this need to the members. Please pray for God’s wisdom in the presentation and his spirit to encourage participation.
5) We could use some help at the Love Box table to hand out materials and answer questions. The services are 6 P.M. Saturday Dec. 13, 9 A.M. and 11 A.M. on Sunday December 14th.
Thank you for your support!
Our FOBs (Forward Operating Base) with Combat Stress Control clinics and their contacts are:
Israel Medina
1835th Med Det, CSC
APO AE 09397
Kevin Kells
1835th Med Det, CSC
APO AE 09378
Brian Lanier
1835th Med Det, CSC
APO AE 09396
Our Prevention Team jumps out to
alliwada, Normandy, Ashraf, and O'RyanWe give them a lot of the boxes you send us to take out to these outlying FOBs
Prayer Requests……………………………………………………………
Dear Friends in Christ,
There are a number of prayers in this request so I'll number them just to help keep things organized. I'm sure you are busy, but when you have a moment to pray, to speak with Christ about what is on your heart, it would be terrific to keep the needs described below in mind.
(1) Chaplain Daza has sent the following requests:
Please pray for one of our Soldiers who recently lost his father to cancer. He still grieving over the loss. Another Soldier is loosing his grandfather. He is anticipating his death soon but is not planning to go home for the funeral.
The heartbreak of losing one you love is achingly compounded when one is separated half a world away both from that individual and from the family and friends that have acted as an anchor in life's storms. I'm certain we all join together in praying for these soldiers, their loved one's, and that God's great love will not only be experienced as present during their time of mourning, but will also help to lift the curtain of grief that hangs so heavily at these times in life.
(2) TSgt DJ wrote "As I prepare to leave this place (my second tour here) I ask my lord for a safe journey home. And I also ask him for protection over my Son, a Marine here in country, his name is Seth. I can't talk about my son being here and the fear I have for him, but to say I'm scared."
I cannot imagine any parent who could not appreciate what TSgt DJ must be experiencing. The sacrifices of our service members are likewise placed upon the shoulders of all those that love them. Let's pray both for Seth and for his parents and family that their son's deployment brings with it a peace that truly passes understanding.
(3) We have prayed for an airman's young daughter of late. He has been kind enough to provide us with an update and gave permission to forward his email:
"Update on my daughter - Payton.
The neurologist looked at her MRI results and explained that Payton did not have any noticeable damage anywhere on her body. He said the brain stem looked great, there were no lesions anywhere on her spine and there was no blood pooling anywhere in her body. That was great news!
However, he still doesn't know why she is having so many problems. He thinks the fall from the monkey bars just really jarred her, and that with time, she will progressively get better (which is how she got bad to begin with). Payton has another appointment Jan 5th at 2:30. The neurologist said that if she didn't get much better or got worse to take her to the ER immediately. If the progression of healing doesn't move as quickly as he thinks it should, he will then schedule a nerve conduction test to isolate where her problem is.
We still have some times ahead, but God is working and healing my daughter.
Thanks for your prayers!!!!"
(4) A contractor who has been in Iraq for over a year, and works at a dangerous job outside the wire, is returning home for Christmas and is worried about his daughters. Both are teens living with their mother who often does not care for them. The younger girl, Cheryl, is ostracized at school, has no friends, cannot speak above a whisper due to her not having vocal chords, and is experiencing a heartbreaking sense of isolation, rejection and inadequacy. Please pray that she will experience the acceptance of Christ, and that she will find a small group of friends that accept and support her.
At church last Sunday (December 7th) several requests for prayer were made. These included:
(5) That God would provide safe travels for Jason Green as he returns home. Congratulations, and may your homecoming be all for which you would hope.
(6) Kay, the wife of an airman was to have surgery today. We asked God's healing touch to be present in that surgery and continue to pray that she is quickly returned to good health.
(7)Elizabeth, the cousin of an airman, recently had surgery in order to remove a brain tumor. Since that time two more surgeries have been required, she continues to suffer with severe headaches, and yet more surgeries may be needed. Let's join together in talking with Christ about Elizabeth's needs, seeking His comfort for both she and her family, that hope's horizon will not dim during this time of stress, and that the Great Healer will restore Elizabeth to health before many days pass.
(8)The mother of another airman is experiencing liver failure and will soon be on a list for transplants. Please pray for this woman and her family, that God's presence is palpably felt at all times, and that she too is restored to health, and through it all that her faith is strengthened.
From the prayer request box come the following requests:
(9) Please pray "for the burned children in the Balad hospital and for their families. For the entire armed services and their familes. Pray for safe return home in January and for all those who are away from their families during the holidays."
(10) Another request is "for the salvation of T. Natao, A. Ransom and Tito. T Natao is slowly turning to Christ, A. Ransom's relationship with Christ is unknown to me, and Tito is unsaved and incarcerated."
Praises
As always we included in church a time for praise, and this included Chaplain Correa expressing his gratitude that the young woman for whom we prayed last week, that she would pass her English proficiency exam, not only passed it but now has an interview for a job. Chaplain Correa is returning to Puerto Rico within a few days - thanks for your service chaplain, have a safe journey home.
There was another praise, and prayer request... a reminder that Sunday the 7th was the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. We pray for all of those whose lives were forever torn apart by that attack, and we thank our creator for those who stood in the gap on that day and the days that followed in order to safeguard our freedom.
Another note of gratitude is for the service of Chaplain Brown who will soon return home to family and friends. Chaplain Brown has been a support to many, an encouragement to those in need and steadfast steward of Gilbert Chapel and Troys Place. Thanks for all you've done Chaplain.
God's blessings and safe travels.
Thanks again for your faithfulness in prayer. We do not always know what effect our prayers have, but we are assured that each time we speak to Christ He listens. Never too busy to hear what is on our minds, never dismissive of our concerns, always attentive and always ready to act on what is within the will of God. Perhaps someday we will see the specific results of our prayers, but until then we can rest with assurance knowing that Christ encourages us to 'pray without ceasing' and reminds us that he has plans that we should prosper. With this in mind know that your prayers are important.
This being the second week of Advent I thought I would again share an observation with you regarding Christmas. I would begin by noting that some scholars are convinced that Iraq encompasses what once had been the Garden of Eden. The first, and best, home shared by Adam and Eve. God had planned for them to raise their children in the earthly paradise He had made especially for them. When you read that story in Genesis isn't it remarkable what care God took in making their home, making certain that no need was left unattended. Eden must have been a place where they were to know God, to be His intimate companions. They were treated as family, which is what they were: Adam participated in naming the animals, God made Eve after confiding in Adam that even the delights of Eden would not be enough for the hunger of his soul; He provided instruction on what they were to do, how they were to behave with one another, and in the cool of the mornings God could be found walking through the garden seeking their company. Can you imagine having that sort of intimacy with our Creator?
Scripture does not tell us how many years Adam and Eve enjoyed this intimacy, it only indicates how it ended. Did they, in the intervening weeks, months or years, have moments within the garden when they spent time next to God in childlike contentment? Did they ever hear His laughter, see the joy He took in being with them, and walk in quiet companionship down a garden path? In the early evenings would Eve and Adam sit together and recall the very first days of life? The time when they first laughed at the sight of a giraffe, or first tasted the sweetness of a pear? In the still of the evening, when lying side by side, did they reflect on their good fortune, determined to seek God out the next morning and express anew their gratitude for all of these riches?
In this second week of Advent in Iraq it might be helpful for us to ask whether the traces of God's touch can ever be fully removed from those places where He has once walked. Could there be some remnant still remaining of that place where God first made Himself known to man? Often we are reminded that Christ is the second Adam, but how often do we remember that Christ's birth brought the joys of second Eden into every believer's heart? This new Eden, available to each of us, is found in a small manger, in a carpenter's workshop, and on the dusty paths surrounding the Sea of Galilee. It can also be seen on a cross pierced hill, in an empty tomb, and on a small beach where Christ prepared a morning meal for His friends. Where we find Christ we also find the very best that the Garden of Eden possessed. The birth of our Redeemer is an invitation for us to open our hearts that we may spend each day in His company. Every sunrise an invitation to walk with Him the path of faith's journey together, hearing His laughter, and knowing His joy.
Eden still exists, and God's company can still be found when walking among its paths in the cool of the day - we need only look within the heart of every believer. Could it be that one of the best things each of us will take away from this Christmas season in Iraq is a reminder that the joys of a second Eden have been planted within our souls by the birth of the Christ Child?
Merry Christmas,
Peter
Thanks!!!
John
Operation:Love Boxes For Our Troops
They Keep Serving, We'll Keep Sending.
John W. Baker
2339 State St
Salem, Or 97301
john@nedbaker.com
(O) 503-364-6797 ext 302
© 503-871-2624
(F) 503-364-6798
Toll Free 877-893-6797
Don't wait too long to tell someone you love them.
Billy
Billy