Sarah With the Truck

Sarah came into our group when we had two or three Sarah's. She drives a truck so she became "Sarah with the truck".

Sarah had the last name Abdella when we met her. It's now Lowe. She married a wonderful man who, shortly after their wedding, was sent back to Hawaii where he's stationed. Sarah came back to Jacksonville, NC where she's stationed. They're both Marines.

Tomorrow night we're going to her battalion to bid her farewell as she deploys to Afghanistan. She's learned how to speak Pas cu (sp?) a difficult language and now she'll be one of few in her group who has mastered this language so, off she goes.

Upstairs in our apartment complex is an 18 month old little girl named Audry. Everyday my life is brightened by the pitter-patter of her little feet followed by her cheerful, "Dadeeeeee!" It happens every time her Daddy comes home. Her Daddy leaves tomorrow for a 14 month deployment to Afghanistan. He has to be there that long because there are too few trained to do what he does.

Bryan and Reba, part of our YSA group, just got engaged. He's in the same group as "Sarah with the truck".

My whole point in this is that sometimes we complain about things like the cost of gas going up, the lady in the store was soooo rude or how hot/cold it was today. We are surrounded by many, MANY military families who aren't thinking about those things today. Tomorrow their loved one is leaving.

As we've studied the Book of Mormon, it's noticeable that much of it would film like an "R" and sometimes "R" plus movie. Its pages are filled with war and bloodshed. Why, then, do we spend so much time studying its pages? Have you noticed that two of the book's greatest figures, one of them adorning every temple in the world, were military men? Mormon, by the spirit of God abridged the history of the people of the South America's. His son, Moroni, as a resurrected being, delivered them into the hands of Joseph Smith who translated them for us. Both men saw and were part of some of the worlds most atrocious battles. They were SOLDIERS of the bravest kind! AND they wrote of what they saw because they knew that we would live in a world that surrounded us on every side with the same kinds of wickedness. They wrote for us!

It's not all doom and gloom though, for, woven in every story is the message of compassion, love and a testimony of the love that our Heavenly Father has for His children. And with it, is the message that you can go on with life after war. We share that message each time we meet with our Marines. It's a really tender message...

So, "Sarah with the truck", Bryan and Kyle (AKA Dadeeeeee), Godspeed! We'll still be here when you all get back and we can joyfully hear once again, "Dadeeeeee"!