We had a great visit with Ross. He made it home just fine. We didn't know until an hour before he landed in Tyler when he would be here. Kyle stayed home from church for the phone call because Ross only has our home phone number memorized. I got a text in the middle of class that he would arrive at 10:30!! I'm afraid I caused an interruption in class but no one minded- they have been so faithful to pray for Ross! We had several families miss worship with us (sorry) to greet him! The Beairds- their son Robert is Ross's best friend since birth, The Myrick gang - they used to babysit Ross and the Keele's - his aunt,uncle and cousins! The 2 weeks he was here flew by and he got very little sleep as he tried to see everyone he ever knew, I think. He drank GALLONS of chocolate milk and took LOTS of long, hot, showers. He even thanked me for the nice bed and clean sheets! What a luxury - even though it is the old twin size bed he has been on since he was 8 and he barely fits!
The first few days Kyle and I were able to spend alot of time with him and he talked almost non-stop. He is very frustrated with alot of things but overall is doing fine. His airborne unit is under NATO law and his main frustration is that they can do little to defend themselves. He doesn't mind the hardships of the army but the laws that seem to do more to protect the enemy than our soldiers are very difficult to deal with. We are thankful that God has protected him though. I won't put details here and I don't even know alot of what happened- he saved those stories for his Dad! For that, I am thankful.
He does say THANK YOU to all of you who send packages-he may not be able to tell you personally but they are appreciated! I kept asking him what he really wants and the only suggestions I really got were socks, razors-good ones that won't cut his face!, chips and hot sauce!! He said the homemade cookies were fine and nothing goes to waste. He will not be in the same camp now. He will actually be at Fort Boris where he will have more civilized surroundings as far as a real bed and showers. I don't know if the danger level will be higher but PLEASE keep all our soldiers covered in prayer. That is the best thing we can do for them. We heard from him this morning and he has been in Bagram since he returned but will go to Boris at some point. If anyone reads this, his birthday is tomorrow so send him a facebook message if you can!!
One of the richest experiences we had was taking him back to DFW. We spent alot of the day waiting in the USO. They have a wonderful place for our military and it is all provided by volunteers and donations. They welcomed him- and us- so warmly and took care of our every need. They provide food, TV's, computers, phone cards, supplies and basically pour out blessings on the military and their families. They paid for our parking and fed us, encouraged us and loved on us!! Most of them have family members serving. It was a sobering day with many tears but the USO makes it so much easier. There were 285 men and a few women leaving on the chartered plane with Ross to Kuwait. They will either be in Afghanistan or Iraq. Watching these young men and women kissing their children goodbye was heart wrenching. They are sacrificing so much. There were some with newborns and everyone there is thinking the same thing - some of them may not be back. This has just been another way that I see God's hand at work though. This war is the work of Satan but God is sovereign.
