Chaplain Kay

This past week, I went to Camp McCain and obtained my military identification card. I must be honest and say that this was just plain weird. It was strange sitting in a chair and answering questions thrown at me by the sergeant across the desk. All in all it was a pleasant experience. I arrived at Camp McCain before the office officially opened and was able to get through the process quickly. I now hope to get some things squared away for my wife so she can get her identification card.

These little activities we keep participating in are adding up into something really big. Every time I check another box off on my check-list, we find ourselves getting closer and closer to June. Our last Sunday will be in three weeks and then we will move closer to my wife’s parents. From there, we will only have six short weeks together until I am supposed to report to Ft. Jackson.

I feel so very weak, but am thankful that God is so very strong. To God be the glory, great things He has done.

It’s hard to imaging that yesterday has come and gone. My wife and I have been looking towards yesterday for quite awhile, and not that it is over it’s mind-boggling to think it actually got here.

Yesterday morning, I let our church know of our new ministry in the US Army, and consequently the end of our ministry here. It was a difficult and emotional time. I have been preaching a sermon series on “The Will of God,” and concluded the series yesterday morning with a sermon entitled “The Cost of Obedience.” We examined Abram’s call by the Lord in Genesis to leave his country, his relatives and his father’s house and to go to a land God would reveal later. After the service I told the church I had a personal announcement and read my letter of resignation.

The people of our church were so gracious. They had nothing but wonderful things to say which makes the move all the more difficult. I am thankful for my time here. I have enjoyed the gracious opportunity by God to preach His Word week in and week out. I have enjoyed building relationships that I pray will last until eternity. I have enjoyed being the pastor of a great church.

But, the time has come to put on a different hat of ministry. I will still have the opportunity to preach at times and eventually might get to preach with some regularity. The Chaplain ministry, however, seems so different from pastoral ministry. First, I will not be connected to a church, but instead to a battalion. There will be a specific group of soldiers that I will be responsible for when it comes to their spiritual well-being. My job is not to convert all I come into contact with, but to provide for their spiritual growth as well as their right to worship however or whoever they want. Second, I will not only be tied to “ministerial” work. As a Chaplain I will serve as an “expert” concerning religious matters. To be honest, it is all quite overwhelming.

We will miss this church deeply. They have been our family for the past three years and will always remain in our thoughts and prayers. I rest in the truth that God is in control and while yesterday came as a surprise to many people, it did not come as a surprise to Him! Praise be to God!

I contacted Ft. Hood today and made an inquiry as to which unit I would be attached. To my surprise, the answer was not even close to what I was expecting. There are two major divisions at Ft. Hood: 4th Infantry Division (4ID) and 1st Cavalry Division (1CD). Therefore, when 1st Infantry Division (1ID) was the answer to my inquiry, I was a little baffled to say the least.

The news was so shocking that I struggled comprehending what the Chaplain was saying on the phone. For your information, the 1ID is not located at Ft. Hood; at least that’s what I thought. Come to find out, there is a brigade within the 1ID that is being stationed at Ft. Hood because there isn’t enough room at Ft. Riley. The future plans for this specific brigade within 1ID will be to move from Ft. Hood to Ft. Knox once room is made at that post. PCS, here we come!

So, I will be serving in the 1ID until the Army tells me otherwise. I am actually excited. The 1ID has a storied history and “is the oldest division in the United States Army.” The division’s motto is awesome: “No Mission Too Difficult, No Sacrifice Too Great-Duty First.”

What a wonderful motto for every Chaplain and person called to the ministry to take. God will call me to participate in difficult missions and the sacrifice might even involve me losing my life. Paul wrote in Philippians 1:21, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Despite the difficulties and required sacrifice, I will never quit because to serve God is the greatest calling one could ever have. Hooah!

As I shared earlier, our family grew from 3 to 4 this past Monday. This is monumental in a number of ways. As we have journeyed down this path towards the Chaplaincy, March 2007 as been our focal point. Our daughter was due in the middle of March (they brought her early) and we knew that our life would begin to encounter many changes with one coming right after another.

The baby girl was the first piece in the game of falling dominos. The next piece will fall in approximately one week when I announce the ministry change to our church. This will be a difficult day but prayerfully a God-honoring one. Four weeks after that Sunday will be our last Sunday. This too will be a rough day as we have come to love our church and those who attend. It will be hard to leave, but to stay would be erroneous. God’s will and path might be difficult, but it doesn’t compare to the calamity that follows blatant disobedience. The next week will be spent finalizing the packing of the parsonage and we will then be off to move our family closer to the wife’s parents. This way they can help with the kids while I am at CH-BOLC. Also, the wife, kids and I will have about 6 weeks together before I leave for Ft. Jackson. We are thankful for this time the Lord is providing.

Just typing out this chain of events causes my heart to beat faster. Eleven months ago, we began this journey down this path and the beginning is about to reach us. I don’t believe it could have gotten here any faster. CH-BOLC, once CHOBC, was the focal point for the longest time (that is until we found out about the impending birth of our princess), and now it is less than 3 months away. Hooah and “Heavens to Betsy.”

Despite the craziness of the next 3 months we are excited and continue to walk the path with faith: Faith in a God who provides all our needs and knows all our fears. Faith in God and not faith in the circumstance or event (I will expound later). That being said, ChaplainKay and family go marching along.

This past Monday, my wife and I welcomed a beautiful 6 lb 2 oz baby girl into our family . Now I understand that I’m biased, but she is the most beautiful thing I have ever laid eyes on and she already has me wrapped around her finger.

There was a scary moment right before she was born. Her heart rate dropped to around 40 beats per minute and the nurses had to “get her out.” Well, the nurses and doctor were incredible and God was gracious. Come to find out, my little girl had the umbilical cord in her hand holding it like a purse as the doctor said. She is already playing to role of a princess.

Words cannot express how much I love my little girl and my two year old son. It’s simply amazing how God instills within our hearts the capability to love our children equally. The Lord has blessed us beyond measure and we are eternally grateful. On Sunday we were a family of three and now we are a family of four. I am so blessed.

This past Monday, I took the Oath of Office. This was surreal to say the least. As I stood before a 1LT (commissioned officers must take the oath before a commissioned officer) and raised my right hand, I couldn’t help but feel proud and lost at the same time. I am proud because it is a great honor to serve the Lord in this capacity. But the lost feeling comes more so from the unknowns that are just around the bend.

I was blessed to have my wife present as I took the oath. I did not think she would be able to participate in this event since it used to be standard practice for incoming Chaplains to not take the oath until reporting to CH-BOLC. However, in January 2007 the rules changed and she was there. Afterwards she told me it was quite emotional to watch her husband take an oath which would result in my serving both God and country.

A funny thing did happen while preparing to take the oath. Within the Oath of Office, the individual taking the oath gets to choose a few ways he wants to state the oath (man I’m typing the word “oath” a lot). First he can either say swear or affirm when taking the oath, and he can opt to not say “so help me God” at the end of the oath. Well, the 1LT who swore me in asked if I wanted to say swear or affirm and then she started to ask me about the “So Help Me God” part and laughed. I had already told her I was going to be a chaplain and she thought this was funny as did I. It really helped lighten the air for such a serious thing. It goes without saying, but I did end my Oath of Office with the words “So Help Me God.”

It was truly an amazing thing. I will devote at least the next 3 years of my life to serving in this capacity. There is no such thing as deciding to walk away from the Army. To do so would be illegal. This has just been one more piece of the grand Chaplain puzzle. I will report to CH-BOLC in just over three months. It seems like yesterday that I talked to a Chaplain recruiter, but when I think about it was almost 11 months ago. Time sure flies when you’re having fun. Hooah!