I apologize for not
updating sooner. Redeployment, block leave, PCSing, etc. have all
happened in the last few months, and I've neglected some things.
However, I cannot possibly share about all of that before I first
explain how God redeemed this last deployment. Although in my last
post, I felt like it would never end, I soon began to feel relief as
the Lord answered my prayers. But first a little background...
During the second
half of the deployment, I attended a Beth Moore Bible study at PWOC
called Believing God. While I wasn't able to attend every session
due to aforementioned illnesses, I did keep up with my homework and
watched the videos online. Through this study, the Lord taught me
many things. The most powerful part occurred one week when Beth
Moore told us to do a timeline of our lives, even from before we were
Christians. In this timeline, we had to record major events, as well as people God used or ways He was
working, sometimes behind the scenes. This was such an encouraging
activity, and I highly encourage you to write one yourself,
especially if you are in a challenging season of life. As I was
completing my timeline, deployments were a common theme, and things I
had not thought about in years came back, reminding me of God's
faithfulness. It brought me renewed peace and deeper hope.
As I was doing
this homework, the end of the deployment was drawing closer and my
husband and I began discussing when he might come home. We knew this
was a year-long deployment, despite the fact that most other units
were now serving 9 months overseas. Of course, my husband had to be
in the unit that was the exception. While I was prepared to go the
whole year, and possibly even longer (since you never know what the
Army will throw at you), I was not prepared for the news my husband
gave me one day while we were chatting online. I had been praying
big prayers in my Bible study that semester and never doubted God,
but I did doubt the reality of what happened next. My husband said
he had good news. This could range from passing his PT test to
having time to play soccer that day. However, on this day, good news
meant that he had been approved to come home on an earlier flight!
This flight would bring him back a month earlier than was
expected. I was overjoyed at the news, not just to have my husband
home sooner, which would be reason enough. This earlier timeline
would also mean we would have more time before PCSing, and it would
be right around my daughter's 2nd birthday which I had
been very upset about him missing. In addition, my mom would be
staying with us so she would be able to take care of my daughter while
my husband and I could get some much needed alone time. My God is a
Redeemer in every sense of the word!
You see, if you've
followed my story from our last deployment, you know that my husband
had been extended a month longer than the 1 year mark during his second tour in Iraq. It was a
very difficult time for me, after what had been a mostly successful
deployment. The extension had long-term effects on me, teaching me
to never count on the Army's timing.
Although this 3rd
deployment was much tougher in many ways, God redeemed it. He gave
me back that month that I lost in the 2nd deployment by
bringing my husband home an entire month earlier in the 3rd
deployment! Had I not done the timeline in my Bible study homework,
these details would not have been as fresh on my mind. God is a
master orchestrator, fine-tuning all the minute details of our lives
to show His power. I love it when God decides to show off! How I
pray He would do it more!
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