Mail Call

This mess is a blessing.

It may look like just a mess to you, but trust me, it isn't. Okay, well maybe it is a mess, but it is a very encouraging mess.

Let me explain.

As many of you probably already know, our second son, Josiah, recently graduated from Marine Corps Boot Camp in Parris Island, SC (if you want more details about that, check out our most recent letter on the newsletter page). While he was there, he was forbidden to use any form of "modern" communication. No email, no Facebook, no internet (he wasn't allowed to even have his laptop with him); no telephone calls and certainly no personal cell phones. His only means of contact with the world beyond Parris Island was through snail mail letters and postcards.

We, of course, wrote to him often; among the eight of us here in Maryland, I'm sure we averaged at least one letter per day, at least for the first few weeks. Josiah's girlfriend, Catherine, also wrote to him fairly regularly (I'm not even going to venture a guess as to how often!), as did his grandparents on both sides. So those letters make up a sizable percentage of the letters he received during boot camp.

However, we also shared his situation with everyone we could think of, asking for two things. First and foremost, we asked people to pray for him. Second, we asked people to write to him and encourage him during his time down there.

And this mess is the result. These are all the letters that Josiah received while he was on Parris Island, so many of them from our friends, people in the church and others, many who only barely know us as a family (and some who have never even met Josiah). These letters are a testimony to the love and support that the Lord raised up around us and around Josiah to help encourage him through the difficult trial of boot camp. This mess is a tangible representation of what it means to be a part of the Body of Christ, always loved, always cared for, always provided for.

Josiah with Lori and Kevin right after Boot Camp Graduation

We want to thank all of you who helped contribute to this blessed mess. We are so thankful for your love and support for our family and for Josiah as he went through boot camp, and we praise God for all of you!