Hello, everybody. It's Saturday, March 4 and I've been out in the field for a couple of days doing GAC training. That stands for Ground Assault Convoy. We train in how to react when a convoy gets hit with an explosive or small arms ambush. I've learned that even for me as a non-combatant, there is a lot more I can do than just sit in the back of the truck and try to make myself small enough to hide under my helmet. For one thing, I can run back and forth between shooters, carrying messages, ammo, etc.  Also, I can be the primary guy to take care of the wounded while the rest of the shooters are engaging the enemy. Finally, I can pray, pray, pray, pray, pray. And I do.

In between these training times, I'm still working with a lot of real-life soldier issues. By soldier issues, I mean anything that affects a soldier's mind, spirit, or emotional morale. The expectation from headquarters is that I will try to fix as many problems as possible to get soldiers "back in the fight". It's a different way of thinking about pastoral care than back at home, but the basic goal is the same -- to help people in their struggles against their demons so they can move on with their lives and their jobs.

The biggest issue continues to be relationships. It breaks my heart already to see how many marriages have ended, and how many more are hurting. My hunch is that many of the divorces would have happened anyway, but the mobilization acts like a catalyst, speeding up a process that ordinarily might have taken much longer to become combustible. I've been able to help a few; others, I've only been able to help pick up the pieces and drive on.

In just over a week, I leave Camp Shelby for Fort Jackson. Then in April, it's the real show. We still don't know where in Iraq we're going, and we probably won't know until we get into Kuwait. But we all know what's happening in Iraq these days, and the tension is pretty high among us because of the tension over there. Please talk to Jesus for us, for him to give us courage as we approach the edge of the cliff.

God be good to you!
CH Steve Timm