Engauged In This World

I am glad that that is over! Thanksgiving started off ok and became hard for me as the day progressed. I will tell you right now, and maybe I am setting myself up, but Christmas will be rough. Distance makes does make the heart grow fonder but whoever said that must have been just returning from their trip. Distance, with more distance to come makes the heart ache also!

It was nice that so many people were home and able to send notes via Face Book and email. That helped throughout the day to pass the time. I thank you all, those that sent something, for that.

Although my plans for yesterday were bleek they did turn around nicely. A few of us here in the tent were just going to cook and not go over to the DFAC. It just didn't seem appealing to me in the morning. I was down and I was having down thoughts so sitting here in this tent seemed like a great option. Thankfully, after talking to Catherine, crying a little, and working some of the loneliness out I descided that it would be alot better to go and experience my Thanksgiving in the DFAC then in a tent.

Now I will tell you all, that the US Army knows how to throw a party in the middle of the desert. I ate steak, turkey, pot roast, ham, sweet potato's, cranberry and greens. Washed it down with a Beck's N/A and followed it up with the first dessert that I have had in Afghanistan since I have been here. Now that is what I had and it was by no means the half of the choices. Thanks to all of the taxpaying citizens as they fed 3000 people like this. It was well worth the trip over.

In reading Bonhoeffer yesterday, at a pivital point in his life, his return to Nazi Germany on the brink of World War, he realized that God wants us to be fully human and fully engauged in this world. We are to be faithful and spiritual but not absent from the day to day events around us. Bonhoeffer sees that he is playing a role in a plot to remove Hitler from power before things get totally out of control and he struggels with the descision to remain in it. He is a Pastor and Theologian. He is the leader in the Church and he struggles with actively opposing the evil of Hitler or sitting back and doing nothing.

The point to this is that, as much as being here may be difficult. As much as being here causes a tare in my heart and emotional ups and downs, I must fully engauge in my soroundings. I must actively participate in this culture and in the running of the Camp and matters of concern. I can not ignore the world around me and think only that God will take care of me. He will, but He wants also for me to take care of me in the manner that is consistant with His Word. He wants me to be obediant not pias. He again wants us to be fully faithful and fully human.

How does this matter in the context of my Thanksgiving? I was in a sense depressed so I was going to sit around and do nothing. I missing my family so I would not look to find other fellowship. I was lonely so I was going to be alone. All of these the wrong reaction to the wrong thought pattern. What I really needed to do was embrace Thanksgiving here, in Afghanistan, with all of these Soldiers and people from around the world. I needed to apply the thoughts of yesterdays post to the entire day. I needed to be Thankful and give thanks to God for this moment that I am in, not wallow in the moments I was missing.

For me, for you, realize two things, one from this post and one from a previous post. First we are to put what we believe into action or we don't really believe it. So trust in God, trust in Gods Word, Love, Faith and fellowship, along with so many others, must show in our lives always. Second, that we must fully engauge, with the things that we believe in the circumstances that sorround us in the name of God. If we are not doing this then we should just do nothin

It would have been so easy for me to do nothing yesterday and with that nothing would have happened.

Lord, strengthen our faith and allow that faith to move in action. Don't let us hide from this world but bring each person here to a place where we can be fully Spiritual and fully engauged in that world which is around them. Praise you God for letting us live. Amen.