Currently Listening The Altar and the Door By Casting Crowns East to West see related

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Currently Listening Full Attention By Jeremy Riddle see related

COMING TO AMERICA!!! HEY HEY

Yeeee Hawww, I'm in Kuwait finally on the way home after entirely too long away from life! Thank you all for your prayers through out this year. I have learned so much this year and it is only by faith during many circumstances that I was able to stand again. God taught me a lot on my knees and though it hurt I'm better for it.

Prayer Request

Hello. Things are really tough right now and I'm not one to ask for prayer in this kind of way but if you're out there Texas, hook a sista' up

I lost a Marine to suicide not long ago and happend to be the first one on the scene and well it wasn't pretty. I put my EMT mask and did what I could but he didn't make it. The environment in my office isn't condusive to talking or healing in any way therefore I'm just struggling right now with my leadership and not knowing what God wants me to do or what He is using me for. I'm not even sure what to pray for anymore and that's not good.

Thanks for listening.

Hi Everybody, I know its been a while. Thank you for all the comments from my last post. I don't have a lot of time to write right now...more to follow. Here are some pictures from last month's mission. It was an amazing experience as a Marine to be out there embedded with an infantry squad (Alpha Company 1/3.) Thank you for your continued support and of course all of your prayers. My team came back uninjured and with wisdom you could only attain from experience and the fear of God. The above picture is my team. From Left to right...Cpl Elizabeth Prombo, Cpl Monica Sylvester, Sgt Noble (me), Cpl Sherri Anderson, Cpl Meghan Pleasant, LCpl Maria Graciano. This photo was taken on the last day of training at Al Asad Air Base. From there we pushed out to the city of Barwanah. Our mission for entire month was to search all women and children who came into and out of the cities Entry Control Points (ECP's.)

Local Iraqi family.  

If you know me than you know that wherever I go I'm going to find a pet (preferably a dog.) This is "Hesco" and he was the dog at the Combat Out Post (COP) where we lived. He protected the COP like it was his own and he was handsomely rewarded with many a pop-tart. Oh yea, we lived on Pop-tarts and cereal and whatever local food we could acquire for the last month. If I never see a pop-tart ever again I will be A-OK!

Eating with the Iraqi Police who we worked with everyday. Yes, they eat with their hands, it's just how it is. I was violently ill for two days...not certain if it's attributeable to this particular picture or the overwhelming amount of pop-tarts...

This is the picture that I love because most of my family and friends just can't fathom that I could look like this and actually enjoy the work I do. The greatest blessing of this picture is that I never had to use the weapon last month. Being a Marine is more than just a job, it's a way of life and a life I happen to enjoy though I struggle at times (more to follow on that one later...)

My hand is on a concrete barrier which reflects the damage casused when a suicide bomber dressed as a woman came into the search area and blew himself up. He killed one female Marine and a Sergeant Major and about 10 others were pretty serverely wounded. The month was rather quiet in terms of attacks for us which I am grateful for but the blast damage on this barrier was a constant reminder of what could happen at anytime. It kept complacency from ever being an issue with my team.

Well that's it for now. I have to run. If anyone gets bored feel free to write me a letter or send a funny card or basically anything. I'm totally out of the what's new in the Christian music world though I do have 3,000 or so songs from great artistis on my IPOD, if anyone would like to send me updates or even music that would be awesome! Thanks. Have a blessed day.

~Kellie

Hello...It's been a while I know, sorry. Life is good here. It's hot...If the heat doesn't make you a believer out here than I don't know what will. I am heading up a team of six female Marines and we are going out to an undisclosed location for the entire month of June. We will be searching women and children. Please keep us in your prayers as it is not safe out there as I'm sure you hear on the news. We have been through training and are very well equipped to handle whatever may come our way. I've got a bible in my pocket a weapon slung across my back and a couple of IV kits in my pack so no one is going down on my watch! It's been really awesome being able to lead Marines like this. I love having a small detachment it allows us all to become pretty close to one another because we really don't have a choice. This is what being a Marine and a Marine Sergeant is all about. I have lives that I am directly responsible for and my team has my life in their hands. It's pretty amazing...Would you trust the average 20 year old you come across with your life? Let alone your life in a combat zone?? It's a great feeling one of the few feelings that aren't so overrated to me.

I've been a lot more attentive to God lately. It's something that I've prayed about and for but you just know when He's speaking. It happens in the most subtle of ways but when it hits you it hits you like a ton of bricks; it stops you in your path. I'm reading this book called The Only Necessary Thing. It is about prayer, the importance of and need for prayer in our daily lives. I never new how important solitude was and that it should be treated like a gift from God and also neds to be protected and guarded. Solitude isn't an easy thing all the time though because when alone you are faced with yourself, iniquities and all. Sometimes the silence can be louder than a crowd of elephants in the jungle. Not that I've ever heard elephants in the jungle but you know what I mean I highly reccomend the book. There is another book by the same author that I just finished reading called The Wounded Healer, buy it read and share it with everyone you know.

That's about my life in a nutshell as of right now. Learning about God each day and leading Marines...Does it get any better than that?

Leading Marines is great but I sure can't wait to get back home. Not until the mission is over. Is it ever over? Hopefully soon it will be over for us here in Iraq.

Take care and God bless Houston

~Kellie