Camouflaged Families

My head is full and my heart is aching.  I just spent the better part of the day attending a seminar on ways to best minister to those in the military (put on by a local Chamber of Commerce).  What I learned has overwhelmed my heart and caused me to pray about what the Lord wants me to do with this information.
Before living in Kansas, military life was obscure to me, its only been in the last 4 years that I've even stopped to consider what military life would be like.  I have a friend that I met a few years back when she was pregnant with her 2nd child and was living on base.  About the time her husband was deployed, they bought a home and where moving off base to more of a civilian life.  She faced the move and the pregnancy all on her own without the convenience of being on base and having the support of their 'green family' that is available there.
Since that time her husband returned home the baby was born and then he was deployed again.  She kicked it in to high gear and now was living life (on all accounts) as a full time working mother of two with no husband to help.
When her husband returned home again, I remember her mentioning how difficult it was to let him 'lead' and she take the 2nd rank in their home.  Of course that would be difficult!  Over this past year, her husband has developed depression and been hospitalized on three separate occasions for PTSD.  My heart aches for her and their children and I've been praying for his recovery.
So now today, after attending this seminar, I recognize the deep spiritual need this young man must have and the lack of resources available to help him with the spiritual aspect of all that he has encountered in military life.
Being a part of the Brethren in Christ, and knowing full well our 'peace' position I am left grappling with what is the best approach to reach military families with the love of Jesus?  Don't we have a responsibility to ignore the 'elephant in the room' namely war and get down to ministry?
After hearing a lot of statistics on suicide (the military has a higher % than the national average) and the cycle of home life, training, deployment, returning to home life, training, etc... that families in the military face, I have a lot of questions on my heart.
So I will begin where I can... I plan to share the info that I learned today about resources that may help my friend and her husband.  Then I will continue to pray about what the Lord would have me to do.
Our church is within proximity of a military base and more and more military families are choosing to live off base.  I am not aware of any support within my county for those families.  I plan to research this more as well as ask my friend some pointed questions as to what would best help her family.
The "Pollyanna" in me wants to host a military appreciation supper in my community as well.  At least its a start...

how it all began

The other day a PW friend of mine called the church where I work to see if she could borrow the church's steamer cookers.  "Yes", of course, I said...
I was busy doing what I do best, which is truly a little bit of everything at the church when she arrived to pick up the steamers.  I almost missed her, because I was downstairs working in the basement.
I met her just as she was headed out the door.  I inquired about why she needed the steamers, it was for cooking and holding many pounds of pulled pork for an event that their church was having that coming weekend.  She said she had rounded up five of the big steamers and was hoping that would be enough...
Yes, she and one other person were solely responsible for preparing massive amounts of pulled pork to be consumed by the masses (all in the name of ministry).  We both giggled at the thought of pulling all that pork!  Does this sound like your life in any way?
Well, we got to talking and shared with each other how extensively involved we had become at our churches, especially in the children's ministry aspect simply because we were a) mothers, b) able bodied, and c) the Pastors wife!  Does that sound familiar?
It really got me to thinking about the needs we all may silently share in the role of being a Pastors Wife!  There is a lot of expectation placed on us by others (and ourselves at times).  Thus the idea of a safe (and private) environment for PW's to reflect and renew was born! 
So today marks the beginning for me, to put into words as I experience living my life for the Lord and my husband's calling.
Blogging seems to be an innocent way to share (what I hope to be) relative reflections with people like me who may be seeking a camaraderie of fellow sisters in Christ as we seek to live out our calling.
When I think about my life, it is truly humbling that the Lord saw fit to save me and then prepare me for ministry.  I am awestruck by that thought each day...

Good Morning!

Thus begins a new adventure... created for semi-selfish reasons.  It hit me recently that our BIC Pastor Wive's may be feeling similar to myself.  The need for understanding fellowship and friendship.  Being a Pastor Wife (PW- not POW!) is a challenging blessing to say the least.
This blog is being created and brought to you today as a source for encouragement, fellowship, and challenge to stretch and grow in our love for the Lord, our husbands, and those we minister to.
I read an article this morning that really sums up what I am trying to say... 'encouragement' is described as 'putting courage into' someone...http://blog.justbetweenus.org/ (September 23, 2013 message about "Calvary Love".