Friday, April 18, 2008
God's presence in Iraq
There are new photos at the bottom of the blog. One is of me praying with the battalion before we flew out to our mission. The other is my recent promotion ceremony. Our first service in our outdoor chapel was on Palm Sunday. We dedicated the chapel also. Since then, we've torn it down and built another one. This one is a tent with some sturdy walls. That is the video. Barring the Commander's approval, we proposed that the chapel be named "Cornerstone". Like the cornerstone of a building, and Jesus for us; without the Cornerstone Chapel where we can hear God's Word and receive His Sacraments, we will crumble.
Check out an article from the WSJ "U.S. Begins Freeing Thousands Of Captives In Iraq" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120848406669625219.html?mod=googlenews_wsj). It talks about detainee operations, the primary specialty of our MP battalion. The article mentions Ramadi...where we are! I'm surprised, but at the same time glad, that the public has this much detailed information. The more we can educate the public and the Iraqis about returning rehabilitated terrorists to their communities, the quicker we can get out of here.
In His Grip,
Ray
Check out an article from the WSJ "U.S. Begins Freeing Thousands Of Captives In Iraq" (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120848406669625219.html?mod=googlenews_wsj). It talks about detainee operations, the primary specialty of our MP battalion. The article mentions Ramadi...where we are! I'm surprised, but at the same time glad, that the public has this much detailed information. The more we can educate the public and the Iraqis about returning rehabilitated terrorists to their communities, the quicker we can get out of here.
In His Grip,
Ray
Monday, April 7, 2008
Worship in Iraq
Hi there friends and family!
We have entered our 5th month of the deployment. I try not to count the days, since the number is too high. The Army rule of thumb: count months until 60 days are left, then count days. I prefer to count pay periods--a much more manageable number (by the way, there are 14 pay periods left until we re-deploy)!Thank you all so very much for the tremendous Easter blessings you have sent our battalion. On Palm Sunday, we dedicated our outdoor chapel, held Holy Week services, and celebrated Easter under a shadscreen draped between "T-wall" barriers. God is good, even in Iraq. It is such a relief every week to worship, to gather, and to pray with these soldiers. The stress just seems to melt away with God's Word and Sacrament.I know I have been slow to enter this blog with updates, but the communications have been so poor here. We have to travel a bit to find computers and telephones. We're hoping to get a satellite (me and 8 other officers) so we can have internet access from our hooches. Hopefully, that happens soon.I want all of you to know that we are all doing well here. The Lord is protecting us, I'm confident of that. Please continue to pray that He does. I've learned so much about how to communicate with 18-20 year olds who are full of life and at times, scared. I thank God every day for all of you "prayer warriors" whom hold us up.That's it for now. I'll try to post some pictures soon.
In His Grip,
Chaplain Ayers
We have entered our 5th month of the deployment. I try not to count the days, since the number is too high. The Army rule of thumb: count months until 60 days are left, then count days. I prefer to count pay periods--a much more manageable number (by the way, there are 14 pay periods left until we re-deploy)!Thank you all so very much for the tremendous Easter blessings you have sent our battalion. On Palm Sunday, we dedicated our outdoor chapel, held Holy Week services, and celebrated Easter under a shadscreen draped between "T-wall" barriers. God is good, even in Iraq. It is such a relief every week to worship, to gather, and to pray with these soldiers. The stress just seems to melt away with God's Word and Sacrament.I know I have been slow to enter this blog with updates, but the communications have been so poor here. We have to travel a bit to find computers and telephones. We're hoping to get a satellite (me and 8 other officers) so we can have internet access from our hooches. Hopefully, that happens soon.I want all of you to know that we are all doing well here. The Lord is protecting us, I'm confident of that. Please continue to pray that He does. I've learned so much about how to communicate with 18-20 year olds who are full of life and at times, scared. I thank God every day for all of you "prayer warriors" whom hold us up.That's it for now. I'll try to post some pictures soon.
In His Grip,
Chaplain Ayers
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Support our troops
Hello Friends & Family,
Thought it was about time for an update. Ray is doing well and has arrived at his destination in Iraq with his Army Unit. Many of you have asked what Ray's mailing address is. Letters and packages may be mailed to the following address.
CH (CPT), Ayers
327 MP BN Camp Ramadi
APO AE 09367
The post office now has new flat rate boxes that are perfect for shipping items to soldiers. As you can imagine, real mail is as good as gold. Regular postage is all that is required for (normal) cards and letters.
He can also be reached at his email address raymond.ayers@us.army.mil
Many of you have also asked for ideas of what to send. Here is a list of recommended items.
Throat lozenges, cough drops
Frisbees and Nerf balls
Tea, hot cocoa mix
Candy NO CHOCOLATE
Peanuts, trail mix sm. bags
Power bars, protein bars, nutritional bars
Breakfast bars, pop tarts, granola bars
Canned nacho cheese dip and salsa no glass
Tuna salad lunch kits, tuna in a pouch
Beef slim jims
Batteries, 9 volt, AA, AAA
Anti itch ointments
Bar soap
Hair conditioner
Cotton balls
Dental floss
Foot powder
Hand sanitizer
Icy Hot
Listerine sm. bottles
Maalox tablets only
Nasal spray
OFF
Pain reliever allergy sinus tablets
Petroleum jelly
Q-tips
Saline mist
Shower shoes
Sun block
Toilet paper sm. packs
Tums
Visine
Sm. pads of paper
Deck of cards
Tang drink mix, Gatorade POWDER
Lifesavors, mints
Pringles all sizes and flavors
Jalepeno velveeta cheese
Crackers, flavored snack crackers
Beef jerky USDA grade A
Canned sardines, smoked clams
Acetaminophen
Anti Diarrhea
Baby powder
Body wash
Shampoo
Cough syrup
Earwax removal
Gold bond
Ibuprofen
Lip Balm
Hand and body lotion
Nasal Decongestant
Non aspirin gel caps
Pepto Bismal
Pseudorphedrine HCL
Razors men and women
Shaving cream
Silicone ear plugs
Kleenex sm. boxes, travel
Tooth brushes and paste
Deodorant
Baby wet wipes
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
-Camille
Thought it was about time for an update. Ray is doing well and has arrived at his destination in Iraq with his Army Unit. Many of you have asked what Ray's mailing address is. Letters and packages may be mailed to the following address.
CH (CPT), Ayers
327 MP BN Camp Ramadi
APO AE 09367
The post office now has new flat rate boxes that are perfect for shipping items to soldiers. As you can imagine, real mail is as good as gold. Regular postage is all that is required for (normal) cards and letters.
He can also be reached at his email address raymond.ayers@us.army.mil
Many of you have also asked for ideas of what to send. Here is a list of recommended items.
Throat lozenges, cough drops
Frisbees and Nerf balls
Tea, hot cocoa mix
Candy NO CHOCOLATE
Peanuts, trail mix sm. bags
Power bars, protein bars, nutritional bars
Breakfast bars, pop tarts, granola bars
Canned nacho cheese dip and salsa no glass
Tuna salad lunch kits, tuna in a pouch
Beef slim jims
Batteries, 9 volt, AA, AAA
Anti itch ointments
Bar soap
Hair conditioner
Cotton balls
Dental floss
Foot powder
Hand sanitizer
Icy Hot
Listerine sm. bottles
Maalox tablets only
Nasal spray
OFF
Pain reliever allergy sinus tablets
Petroleum jelly
Q-tips
Saline mist
Shower shoes
Sun block
Toilet paper sm. packs
Tums
Visine
Sm. pads of paper
Deck of cards
Tang drink mix, Gatorade POWDER
Lifesavors, mints
Pringles all sizes and flavors
Jalepeno velveeta cheese
Crackers, flavored snack crackers
Beef jerky USDA grade A
Canned sardines, smoked clams
Acetaminophen
Anti Diarrhea
Baby powder
Body wash
Shampoo
Cough syrup
Earwax removal
Gold bond
Ibuprofen
Lip Balm
Hand and body lotion
Nasal Decongestant
Non aspirin gel caps
Pepto Bismal
Pseudorphedrine HCL
Razors men and women
Shaving cream
Silicone ear plugs
Kleenex sm. boxes, travel
Tooth brushes and paste
Deodorant
Baby wet wipes
Thank you all for your continued prayers and support.
-Camille
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