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