Saturday, January 12, 2008

Back to Iraq...

Wednesday afternoon, Jon and I were enjoying a leisurely lunch in our front room. He often comes home for lunch, but I hadn't expected it that day- what a welcomed surprise!

Then, it came. I don't even know how he told me, what he said- looking back, I remember the words "home for Christmas" and "bad news" mumbled together with something about August... he looked at me with that "I-have-something-to-tell-you-that-you-won't-like" look.

"I'm deploying in March."

"March 09?" I asked- this was a bit earlier than anticipated, but not much.

"March 08..."

(Possibly February. We'll see.)

I stared at him in shock. And not the good kind of shock that I experienced when he told me we were going to Leonard Wood. But you know- I immediately had peace.

I started crying, and he asked me what I was thinking-

"It's only 6 months," I said. "You're leaving in 2008 AND coming home in 2008? I can handle that!"

Believe me, I'm far from happy about this. I have experienced several waves of emotion over the past few days, and I'm sure they will only grow more intense. But really, right now, it's okay. Most of my friends are going through 15-month deployments right now, and Soph will still only be 8 or 9 months old when he gets back. Plus, he will more than likely be in a much safer place this time than last. How could I complain about that?

There is a battalion whose chaplain had to come home for medical reasons, so Jon is replacing him- hence the abbreviated tour. Jon excels at battalion ministry (well, he excels at most things he does, but he misses being in a battalion), and we are both excited about the opportunities this will bring.

People have asked if this is "for real"- the Army has changed its mind regarding Jon so much that y'all are learning not to trust it! :-) In my experience, Uncle Sam will retract good news- rarely bad. So, yep, this is pretty "for real."

Please keep us in your prayers as we prepare for this next leg of our journey...

4 comments:

plasticmind said...

We prayed for both of you tonight in church. Please let us know if we can do anything for you and your baby!

Lori McDonald said...

You three are always in our prayers... but you know if you need anything at all - I we are only a phone call away!!

Lori and Mac

Monica said...

I'm so glad I stumbled upon your blog today. I'm a Chaplain's wife as well. We're stationed in Germany now and are preparing for a deployment around the same time as your husband's.

I just wanted to thank you for being so supportive of your husband.

Jake said...

Sara, I so admire the love you have developed for military life and how you have embraced Jon's calling as your own. As I sit here waiting to have our babies, I can honestly say that I would be in a different state than you are if Jake told me he was leaving for six months. God has very evidently been blessing you and Jon and your service to Him and it is so wonderful to hear. I will be praying for you guys as you prepare for this time apart and look forward to the time you will be back together again. Love, Megan