One proud sister....

Uncle Michael came down to visit this past weekend and we had a great time!! We are soaking up all the time we can get with him these days because he heads to Afghanistan at the beginning of December. There are so many emotions to be felt as you send a loved one,a brother, to war. The selfish side of me knows that I will miss him for a year and hates for that much time to go by without the fun visits and phone calls. The protective side of me hates to know that he will be in such a dangerous environment surrounded by men(terrorists) who have no respect for human life. There is also a part of me that feels anger as I see him preparing to leave and put himself in harms way knowing there are so many (including those who could possibly lead our country in the coming weeks) who are so unappreciative of the fact that he is willing to risk his life for their freedom. See, for those who completely rely on our media to educate them on this war, our soldiers are fighting for a greater cause then what is portrayed in the news. They are fighting for the precious children who are fearful to leave their homes, who are not given the opportunity to be educated, for the mothers and fathers who desire to give their children a safe environment to play and be loved in, for the men who simply want to be able to provide for their families. They are fighting for all of the things those uneducated protesters take for granted here in America. You see, those innocent lives will never have the chance to appreciate such things as we do with terrorists around that don't even respect their own life much less anyone elses. So, with this said, the majority of my heart feels joy and pride knowing that my brother is fighting for such a greater cause than self. I'm so proud of the decision he has made to honor his country and God. To not stand by and let this evil fall on deaf ears.

I pray that as Michael leaves in December he would have a peace beyond all understanding that can only come from God alone in the decision he has made to go and help build better lives for the generations to come in this part of the world. I pray that God would place a hedge of protection around him every day and night. I pray that those precious people would see something different in Michael...that they would grow to know the one true God that resides in his heart and seek Him in their hearts as well. I pray that God would surround Michael with soldiers and people that lift him up daily and to be a constant source of encouragement to him as I know he will be to others. I pray that he would feel the constant prayers we will be lifting up to God on his behalf!! And most importantly I pray that God would keep him safe and protect him from harm's way and bring him home safely to us next year!

We love you Uncle Michael and know that there are not enough words to express how proud we are of you and all the other soldiers who have left loved ones behind to fight for our countries freedom.