July 10th2011

I just recently was able to track down a unit to transfer to after almost a year of being pin balled around and not really training anywhere.  I did a weekend with this new unit I would be in and really enjoyed it.  We had family day and a great time.  One of the Chaplains was leaving getting out of the Army, not sure why but sounded like he had enough.  The other Chaplain was transferring to a unit to mobilize; when I first was talking to him it was great to hear his excitement with this.  He knew that it was a huge deal and a hard thing but he was truly excited for the opportunity.

August 3^rd 2011

My new Chaplain asks me if I would like to mobilize as his Chaplain Assistant, I told him I would have to talk it over with my wife and get back to him.  I talked to her and we decided that Yes this was the right thing to do for three reasons

1)      I have not been mobilized as a reservist and I joined in 2008

2)      I knew whom I would be working with and general location of where we would be going.  Chaplain said part of the reason he wanted me to be his assistant is because he knew I had ministry experience and his main goal would be to provide Bible studies and worship services while deployed

3)      I could graduate and land a sweet job then have the Army call me and tell me I am going, possible to a hotter War zone then I would be going

I called my Chaplain the next day and told him I would be honored to be his assistant and mobilize.  It was a hard decision but once it was made I felt much better about it.  Then came the long talks with family and friends and of course all the if questions.

I first after my wife told my brother, he has been a great sounding board in the past and I wanted to let him know what was going on and how it was shaping up.  After that I told my best friend, who replied, “If we have a county in a couple months.” Joking of course.  After that I waited to hear more details and get some kind of rough timeline to tell my employers.

I decided to tell the Church I worked at next and cut ties with them first.  It was hard but I knew with all the training and uncertainty it would be better in the long run.  It was difficult to be leaving because I knew I would probable not be returning to that Church when I got home.  I was going to be finishing my degree and hopefully looking for a full-time ministry spot when I returned back home.  I had worked at this Church for about a year and a half and just started to see some progress in the programming and the students getting excited about what was going on.  They did have a good lead on a new worship member wanting to be involved in Youth Ministry so I really hope that works out for them.

My job with ANOVA was easier because they told me I would have a position when I got back if I wanted it and I could work until I left for training, of course that wasn’t without issue as well.

My Mom ended up finding out by accident I had left a paper I took notes on during my conversation with the Chaplain and she found them.  We talked about it at that point I didn’t really know what was going on.  The next weekend my father and I were going on a short trip together so it was a good time to tell him about it.

August 29^th my orders officially go in for the unit I would have stayed with if I were not mobilizing with the new unit in Southern California.  Since then I have had a difficult time getting information past what I had from before which was Oct 1^st we start training and middle of December we mobilize with a break possible at Christmas and leaving the country sometime in January to a location that I am not sure of yet.

So here I am September 6^th 2011 in my office trying to figure out the next step, unfortunately it is out of my hand at this point, I did some on line training today for a government card woo…. and I electronically signed my orders and was on phone with my Chaplain walking him thru how to sign his orders, tomorrow I’ll be back working at trying to get us orders and lodging for as training this weekend we are suppose to be going to in Sherman Oaks. 

So far I have had to really rely on the fact that this is the right thing for me to do right now and that so many things have fallen into place in my personal life that the Military just takes a little time to catch up.