Welcome to Gaia! ::

I'd love to hear a good story of God's work in the lives of others.
This is for members of this guild, though stories that have carried you that are about others are certainly welcome.

my praise report is in my journal's latest entery razz

aaaand it is a lot to post... T.T cause it's in chapter basically razz
(ecept the page, and 15. question quiz) O.< anywho

love, and God bless,
Styles

I have sort of a...unique testimony. Well, I guess I should start at the begining. My mom had me when she was 16 years old, and my dad took off shortly after. I was given up for adoption, and adotped into a very strict Christian family. My entire childhood, I had no idea I was adopted, I look a lot like my adoptive parents. When I was 12, my parents finally told me that I was adopted. I was fine and went on with life as normal. When I was 13, I started to hang out with a crowd that I wouldn't call "bad" but they certainly weren't the best people for me to be hanging out with. Well one night I was invited to a party and at that party I was raped. I went home and cried and took about 7 or 8 showers, not telling my mom until I missed 3 periods. She took me to the doctor, and I found out I was pregnant. My mom called me and the baby an abomination and disowned me. From then on I lived on the streets. I miscarried the baby, and I sunk into a very big depression. I started getting into drugs and alchohal, I was even a prostitute for about 6 months.I had 3 friends die in my arms as the result of gang violence and drugs, so the phrase "Been there, Done that" definatly applies to me. After getting more heavily into drugs and being raped twice more, I attempted suicide, but live. And by the grace of God, a friend who is still very special to me, finally saw enough potential in me to share the Gospel. I felt 200% better about myself. It was then I realized that even if all the people on the streets could look at me as was a sex toy and a way to get drugs, there was someone out there who cared and loved me enough to die for me, despite all the things I had done. I was saved in an alleyway. 2 1/2 years later I amLiving with a very good Christian friend and I am proud to announce that I am completely clean and sober and I am a full fledged member of the army of God!

Alright. I know its been a while on the war topic but my father has finished his experience report on the war and his views. For those of you who don't know what happened, I made a thread on other's views on the Iraqi Freedom war, or any other war in general. I also said I would add my father's views and some of the things he went through. Well, here it is!!!

Father's testimony.


I figure the best way to start this article about Iraq, is to give you a little background about myself. I have served in the Army as an Infantryman for 19 years. During this time I filled the positions of Rifleman, M60 Gunner, Team Leader, Bradley Gunner, Squad Leader, Bradley Commander, Company Master Gunner, PLDC/BNCOC Instructor, Drill Sergeant, Platoon Sergeant and have played Acting First Sergeant a few times. During my time in the Army I have been deployed twice to Iraq. First time for Desert Shield/Storm 1990-1991 and then for Iraqi Freedom 2003-2004. I have also deployed on a Peace Keeping Mission located in Macedonia. Guess this sums it all up quickly.
My daughter asked me to explain my experiences while deployed to Iraqi Freedom. A little more background… The first 3 months in Iraq the Bradley Company I was a part of was attached to the 82d Airborne located near Fallujah, Iraq. During this period of time my roll was more combat related. A majority of my missions were locating the insurgents that were waging war against both the Americans and Iraqi citizens. Conducting various raids on suspected terrorist locations we captured several of the “Top 50” targets listed on the cards/posters. We also secured the roadways in and around Fallujah clearing IED’s and any other dangerous items/situations.
IED sweeps were done on a daily basis a few times a day. Ten minutes into my very first mission, on an IED sweep on the highway along the east side of Fallujah we found our first IED. Or should I say the IED found us (as we came to term an IED detonated against us). I felt my men were ready for combat in Iraq and it was during this experience the reality of war hit my men. Myself and only 2 other sergeants in my platoon were combat vets from past wars but for the remaining 45 men this was their first time in a combat zone.
My men did their jobs the way I trained them, and they reacted the way I hoped they would the first time they experienced “war”. We learned a lot that day (the BIGGEST lesson for my men was THIS WAS REAL), and continued to learn more each day as we completed our missions.
As an infantryman we dealt with the enemy or insurgents the way we were trained to, we killed them or captured them if they surrendered. During these three months we also had three men from our company get killed in the line of duty. They were killed by an IED that they had discovered and before they could move away and stop traffic to protect both friendly forces and the Iraqi’s driving along the highway, it was detonated right next to their vehicle.
This event was a new element for the men to deal with. We learned to deal with having friends wounded but now someone we trained with, lived with, and fought with, was gone. Once again I was proud of how my men performed and how my NCO’s talked with and continued to mentor the men to deal with the loss of 3 friends and still remain focused on our missions.
We cleared over 60 IED’s during my time in the Fallujah area, four of which found us. Each IED we found and destroyed was another life(s) saved for both American and Iraqi’s.
Even though all my missions were combat related I had many opportunities to meet Iraqi people. The children were always happy to see us or any soldier for that matter. The adults were more reserved to talk to us but as they came to know us more they began to talk more. One of my soldiers was fluent in Arabic so when I was out on mission we were able to talk freely with many Iraqis. They trusted us if we were able to talk to them without an interpreter.
It was clear to us that the typical Iraqi was very happy that we had removed Saddam from power. We learned to tell if an Iraqi was pro Saddam by the way our talks went and we also learned when our Iraqi “friends” had been threatened by insurgents. They would stop talking with us, didn’t even want to be seen with us. The more determined Iraqi’s continued to talk with us and explained to us that the insurgent’s were threatening many people in and around Fallujah. This lead too many more raids to get rid of this threat.

After three months of missions in the Fallujah area I was moved to battalion to assume a new position. I became the NCOIC of the S5 section or Civil Affairs. In this new position I quickly had to switch gears from a combat (everyone is the enemy) mentality to one of a humanitarian mentality. For three months I was closing with and destroying the enemy and now I was to help rebuild Iraq.
To explain the specifics of my job in the S5 would take a few pages so I will just sum it up. Due to the dictatorship of Saddam the common people of Iraq were neglected as well as persecuted. Many establishments that we all take for granted were neglected and fell into severe disrepair. A few examples were schools, water treatment, electric, clinics, and hospitals to name a few. My job was to find and repair or even build new facilities. As a result of all the work we did Iraq will have future generations that will be educated, drink clean water, have medical treatment, and more are now experiencing electricity in there homes.
In the first few missions in this new job I noticed that not one home had TV, or a vehicle of any sort, unless you count the donkey drawn wagons as vehicles. By the time I completed my year in Iraq just about all homes I drove by had a TV Dish and more then 50 % of the homes had a car of some sort. The Iraqi’s enjoyed their freedom from the tyranny of Saddam.
You may wonder why so many young men of Iraq stand in the lines to join the new Iraqi military that is being formed or joining the police force. Why, when on a daily basis many are killed by cowardly attacks by insurgents, they continue to stand in line. Because the people of Iraq are free, they can choose to pick a life they want, not be forced in jobs directed by Saddam.
Below is a letter that I wrote to my pastor back in 2004 explaining much about Iraq and a request for some help so I can do more to help the people and kids here in Iraq. This also ends this article my daughter asked me to write…

(The letter from Dad to our old pastor)

Pastor Brad,

Hello, how have you and everyone been doing? Guess it's been a couple of month's since I last wrote. Time for me here has been going quickly as I stay busy. I joke about how the only day off so far was Christmas day but it's true. Just want you to know I've also received a few of the newsletters and want to thank you for sending them. The weather here is beginning to turn hot. Since I'm the north and the temps are reaching the upper 80's lower 90's already...IT'S HOT. In a month or so it'll be around 120 and the following month around 140... sad
Because of my job I have seen a side of Iraq that many people in the states will never see or understand. The Iraqi people are a proud people. It's hard to explain this because the opinion toward the people of Iraq is negative in the states. Many of the attacks you see and read about are from fundamentalists from the neighboring countries around Iraq. In the news I've heard them called Insurgent’s. Many of these groups do not want to see Iraq become a nation that can stand on it's own, let alone say they are friends of the United States. I have worked with many Iraqi's to rebuild this country and the citizen’s wish for peace as much as we all do. We have found fliers nailed to walls condemning many of the sheiks and contractors we work with. All that these individuals have done is help us (US forces) to rebuild schools, clinics, water treatment plants, roads, etc, and now they are listed on "death lists" by these enemy forces. These are the same forces that have continued to fight the US forces and have now begun targeting Iraqi's in their attempt to stop peace from ever happening in Iraq.
The main reason I'm writing is because I need some help with a Kurdish Refugee Camp in Al Tash, Iraq. Because these people are Iranian refugee's living in Iraq they are in need of any help that we can offer them. Over the past few months the team I work with have been receiving school supplies such as pen's and pencils, writing notepads, rulers, crayons, etc. Basically standard schools supplies needed for the start of a school year. We are always short of adequate supplies and are attempting to find ways of gathering needed materials.
I was wondering if it's possible for you to gather whatever school supplies you have in excess and send them to me here in Iraq. I honestly want to say I feel hesitant to ask this of you because some people may have negative feeling towards Iraq because of what is happening to us here as we continue to fight this war. I won't beat around the bush about it, it's still dangerous here and many people don't understand the willingness of the US to bring freedom to this nation. My personal opinions may differ from others, maybe even yours. But I have seen the side of the Iraqi's that many will never see. I have been invited into their homes, ate many meals with them, and discussed many topics with them from what life in the states is like, politics, hunting, combat, and even Christianity. Yes there is a small percentage of Christian Iraqi's. Mostly our religious discussions are about the differences between Islam and Christianity. One interesting fact I've discovered is that even in Islam when Jesus returns, evil will be conquered and that day we are all waiting for.
Anyway, I included a few photos I've taken while visiting the El Tash Kurdish Refugee Camp. I have about 500 photos of El Tash and would like to show them, as well as other photos I've taken to you when I come home for leave in April. The Kurds are an extremely poor group of people and many of the things they own are from donations from all over the world. I have made friends with many of them and my heart goes out to them each time I visit their camp. I find myself wanting to do more to help them each time I go there as I did today. It's been on my mind all day and now that it's after midnight for me I find myself sitting here typing this letter to you. I do hope you can help these people and me in even the smallest way.
I don't know when or if you can help but anything you can offer, even the knowledge that a prayer has been said for the peaceful people of Iraq will make a difference. I've told my wife that I feel I was put in this job for a reason. For the first 3 month's here I was in a job where I did nothing but combat (since I'm an Infantryman). I got in my share of firefights and have taken lives here in Iraq. Now I'm fighting in an entirely different way, more of a humanitarian way and I feel I'm accomplishing more for Iraq and its freedom then I did in those first 3 months.
Whelp, I've gotten everything out into this letter that's been on my mind. I hope that whatever I'm finding myself trying to accomplish or being led to, whether it’s God or just my heart leading the way, I hope I can accomplish it. Thanks for any help you can offer.

With that being said I would now like to share my story. I have been a Christian for a little more than a year now. I first met the person who led me to the lord at the beginning of my freshmen year, I immediantly started to hate Christiananity, because I didn't like her, and I didn't like her, because I could see this happiness shining through her, that I knew I didn't have. She kept trying to tell me about the lord, though, and I kept not listening to her. I started to really hate her, until one day it hit me... Hey, I could have that happiness that she has... I could be like that... I didn't want to give in to her, and let her know that I was jealous, or let her think that she won... And I was way too embarrassed to talk to her... So for months I went on living in this fear... Hoping that I was right and everyone else was wrong and that I wasn't going to die and go to hell. I was terrified... and I hated it. One day when she talked to me though, I just couldn't hold back anymore and on that day May 23 2004, I went to church with her and I got saved... and now I know that life has a different meaning to me... I love the Lord, I love being one of his children... I can't wait to see him, And I hope he can use me, the same way he used her.

THank you father thy lovingkindess is better thatn light...Thank you.....

wow..and..Sweet. you have persevered with God, and you both deserve credit.... god bless

Amen 3nodding