Afghanistan - Day 10 - Refreshment

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This morning I slept in until 6:03am. (Yes, 6:03am - I remember looking at the cell phone.) Tomorrow I have to get up at 5:00am and I haven't heard may alarm clock go off in a couple of days. Oh well, I'm sure an F-18 or a convoy will do the job...

I went about my morning routine of having breakfast and checking e-mail. The joy this morning was going to the Enduring Faith Chapel, where the ChapelNext service was held at 10:30am. The singing is a contemporary mix, and the message was this chaplain's last as he rotates back home. He preached a powerful message from 1 Thessalonians 2 about the work of a pastor. As moved as I was by the message, I was more moved by his call for all the chaplains to come to the front and receive a blessing/laying of hands from any who were in attendance that were leaders in their church. What an incredible opportunity to pray for the only "unarmed" soldiers whose battles are fought with other than flesh and blood.

After a simple lunch I headed back to the tent for the laborious ritual of self-cleaning. Gathering my change of clothes along with all the cleaning supplies, I headed out of the tent over to the shower for a luxurious self-pampering under the hot water. Now with three blistered toes, I dried my feet and wrapped each toe with a piece of tape. It should help get me through the week.

I did some extra walking today, if only to justify eating at the BBQ DFAC at dinnertime. Today they had ribs that were rubbed, not drenched in sauce. They were fall-off-the-bone perfect. I haven't had good ribs in a long time, and I will gladly walk the 2.5 miles roundtrip on Tuesday and Thursday to have them again.

But the best part of the day was connecting with my home church via Skype to teach my Sunday School class. Although I had to sit outside at the only WiFi "hotspot" (it's currently 35 degrees here), it was special to feel as if I were there with them. By this time next week I'll be in Dubai waiting for my flight home.

Just as God designed this day to be: A day of rest and refreshment. Thank you Lord!

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