God's timing is always perfect and I'm so thankful for that!!! Sunday was Mother's Day and around 4 o’clock I went over to Ryan's parents to take his mother out for Starbuck's and just to let her know how much I appreciated her on this special day ;) I walked in and of course the first thing I asked is "Have you heard from Ryan?"....she said no but hopes that he would get to call for Mother's Day. Well as she was welcoming me in and asking how the day was...etc I saw my phone light up and it was a 573 number. A huge smile came across my face and I said out loud "OMY GOSH its Ryan!!!!!!" You know I have never felt the feeling of missing someone so much that when you heard their voice you just melted and it's like your heart stopped. I was so overwhelmed even at 10pm last night ......I got to hear his voice - it meant the world to me and I know to his mother and family ;) THANK YOU JESUS!!!!!!
Of course I put him on speaker so everyone could hear. We ALL (his mom, dad, sis and I) talked to him for about 16 minutes and he had a lot to say. First, that his battalion was ranked the best out on base and they got rewarded for it. He said he has been to 2 church services, carries his BIBLE everywhere he can, reads his journal A LOT, and can receive ONLY pictures and letters in the mail. There was a tornado last week he said... so the mail room got flooded and he hasn't received any mail yet. He mentioned there were two Catholic soldiers in his barrack that he has become really good friends with and that they came up to him Saturday night and asked if Ryan would pray for them. How exciting is that????? God is using Ryan......what a testimony!
Of course I put him on speaker so everyone could hear. We ALL (his mom, dad, sis and I) talked to him for about 16 minutes and he had a lot to say. First, that his battalion was ranked the best out on base and they got rewarded for it. He said he has been to 2 church services, carries his BIBLE everywhere he can, reads his journal A LOT, and can receive ONLY pictures and letters in the mail. There was a tornado last week he said... so the mail room got flooded and he hasn't received any mail yet. He mentioned there were two Catholic soldiers in his barrack that he has become really good friends with and that they came up to him Saturday night and asked if Ryan would pray for them. How exciting is that????? God is using Ryan......what a testimony!
Here are some pics we took yesterday for him:::
Ryan said he gets up at 4am SHARP and goes to bed at 9pm SHARP. He said the food wasn't good but they got 3 meals a day and that the sergeants cussed in their face and was extremely mean. They CAN NOT have any calendars or clocks AT ALL!!!!! We were so shock because he didn't even know what time he was calling yesterday but knew it was Mother's Day. He told me that Monday (today) he gets First Aid certified and had to actually stick someone with a needle.....YIKES!!!! He said that he has gained muscle and they work them about 17 hours. His dad made him laugh by telling him he would send a picture of his guitar ;) lol.... I'm sure he misses it! I could tell he was about to get emotional because this was the first time his dad and sister had heard his voice since he was gone. We kept on saying STAY STRONG RYAN- you are doing a great job and we are ALL so proud of you! He cried and said I'm STRONG and I can do this!!!!!
**He will graduates on August 7th and we started today planning the air flight for both families to travel together......I'm SO EXCITED ;) We all can't wait to see him.!!!**
My best friend (Lauren Morris) --- husband (Michael) wrote a column that was put online that I printed out and mailed to Ryan today. It is AWESOME and really we should take the time and pray for all soldiers and their families. If you get a chance please read this thoroughly because the words are so true and what a sacrifice these men and women lie down for us. I feel truly blessed everyday!!!Check out Pray for our Soldiers by Michael Morris at http://www.edwardsroad.org/
or you can read below::::
(1LT Michael Morris, United States Army)
Pray for Our Soldiers
When praying for Soldiers that are deployed, you may be surprised by the differences between what the average person believes they should pray for and what the Soldiers would have others pray for them. As a leader of Soldiers in combat and back home in the United States, I have been amazed at some of the issues our Soldiers face. Most often it is the safety of the Soldiers that is prayed for.
In my experience, Soldiers of faith understand that their safety is in the Lord’s hands and that His perfect will ultimately will be carried out. As far as the Soldiers who did not exercise their faith, they, too, believed that there was a Higher Being that controlled their destiny, and as crazy as it sounds, I truly believe Soldiers, when faced with a life or death situation, during that moment believe that they will come out of it fine.
During my year in Afghanistan my eyes were opened wide to the immense amount of problems that U.S. Soldiers deal with on a daily basis. It was very hard for Soldiers to hide their problems, and in fact it is highly encouraged for them to talk to someone about their problems. Some of the young Soldiers that were married dealt with their spouse leaving during the deployment along with spending the money that they had made while deployed. Many of these Soldiers were told while deployed that their spouse had not been faithful to them. Many of the Soldiers that had families dealt with a large amount of guilt for leaving their family. This was a major issue that burdened me while being deployed. You can make the most educated decision you want to when joining the military and go over every hardship in your mind that you will face, and still no one is prepared to face the pain of leaving their family for a combat zone.
It is also a great idea when praying for Soldiers that you pray for the Christian Soldiers to be strong Christian leaders. Never once can I remember not being able to make a decision in combat (right, wrong, or indifferent) as a leader, but many times I questioned my Christian leadership – was it effective at all?
Pray that Soldiers will have a clear mind from all of their problems while out on missions so that no other Soldier’s safety is compromised.
Pray for Soldiers to have the strength to admit when they need help upon returning home. The Department of Defense has come a long way over the years and offers tons of help to the Soldiers if they will seek it.
Understand these are just a few examples of what Soldiers go through during deployment. Some are lucky to come home to great families that have waited for them, and some come home to worse situations than they went through in combat. Please pray that the Soldiers can come home and their life remain as normal as it was when they left. Most of all thanks for your prayers!
In my experience, Soldiers of faith understand that their safety is in the Lord’s hands and that His perfect will ultimately will be carried out. As far as the Soldiers who did not exercise their faith, they, too, believed that there was a Higher Being that controlled their destiny, and as crazy as it sounds, I truly believe Soldiers, when faced with a life or death situation, during that moment believe that they will come out of it fine.
During my year in Afghanistan my eyes were opened wide to the immense amount of problems that U.S. Soldiers deal with on a daily basis. It was very hard for Soldiers to hide their problems, and in fact it is highly encouraged for them to talk to someone about their problems. Some of the young Soldiers that were married dealt with their spouse leaving during the deployment along with spending the money that they had made while deployed. Many of these Soldiers were told while deployed that their spouse had not been faithful to them. Many of the Soldiers that had families dealt with a large amount of guilt for leaving their family. This was a major issue that burdened me while being deployed. You can make the most educated decision you want to when joining the military and go over every hardship in your mind that you will face, and still no one is prepared to face the pain of leaving their family for a combat zone.
It is also a great idea when praying for Soldiers that you pray for the Christian Soldiers to be strong Christian leaders. Never once can I remember not being able to make a decision in combat (right, wrong, or indifferent) as a leader, but many times I questioned my Christian leadership – was it effective at all?
Pray that Soldiers will have a clear mind from all of their problems while out on missions so that no other Soldier’s safety is compromised.
Pray for Soldiers to have the strength to admit when they need help upon returning home. The Department of Defense has come a long way over the years and offers tons of help to the Soldiers if they will seek it.
Understand these are just a few examples of what Soldiers go through during deployment. Some are lucky to come home to great families that have waited for them, and some come home to worse situations than they went through in combat. Please pray that the Soldiers can come home and their life remain as normal as it was when they left. Most of all thanks for your prayers!
