Jean DeVries
Gold Member
- 445
Hey all!
I received the following from a friend of mine who is a chaplain in the Navy. If you are willing/able, this is a great opportunity to support the troops.
If you cannot donate at this time, but would still like to contribute, I'll be sending boxes off, and need pictures/drawings from kids. That's the only thing I can't contribute. If you want to have the kiddos draw something and send it to me, I'd be happy to throw them in one of my boxes.
If you belong to a group who may be interested in sending boxes, please feel free to forward to them.
Thanks in advance for your consideration!
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Kuwait! I sent this same request to many of you and was hoping to complete the process using FB mail. However, I continue to run into technical issues. So I decided to post on my wall. Please click on the title to see the whole post.
I am now four months through a six month deployment supporting the mortuary affairs effort. All of our fallen service men and women from Iraq (and some from Afghanistan) come through the mortuary here before flying back to the States. I am in the room as the remains are opened and processed, offering prayers and a ministry of presence. If you have not already seen it, you can also read an article online to get a feel for what I do at: MILITARY: Two Navy chaplains have very different missions : North County Times - Californian. Another aspect of my role in Kuwait is to track and visit all Marines who come here for medical attention. Pastoral care in this environment has definitely been intense, somber, and challenging; it has also been powerful, joyful, and rewarding. The service men and women I serve – whether patients or staff; Marine, Soldier, Airman, or Sailor; alive or fallen – are absolutely amazing people. I have seen the best in dignity, honor, respect, dedication, and sacrifice.
Now that the major holidays are finished, there is still great opportunity to let our service men and women know that they are loved and remembered. Would you and your organizations (work, school, church, social, and other) please consider and commit to sending care packages? My goal is 600 packages – one for each person I directly serve. That is a big number. I am trusting in God’s abundance and your generosity and creativity. Will you please also forward this on to others who you know would love to serve this way?
What to put in a care package, you ask? I have found that people really like snacks like homemade cookies and brownies, special store bought snacks (fancier stuff), hot cocoa, beef jerky, “good” toilet paper, playing cards, pictures/cards/notes drawn and written by children, coffee, and the like. The only items I have really found to avoid are DVDs and CDs (unless really popular) and magazines. The main rule of thumb is to put together whatever is on your heart. Every person will receive the package that is perfect for him or her.
As for care package size, I normally receive care packages using the US Post Office's “Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate Box”. Information about the box can be found online at http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=13354&productId=36604&langId=-1. This may or may not be the best option for you depending on how much you send and how much each box weighs. I do know that the boxes offer space enough to fit the various items I mentioned.
The care packages can be sent directly to me, and I will distribute them. I am targeting distribution for Valentine’s Day, so they should be mailed no later than February 1, 2009. My address in Kuwait is:
Chaplain Scot Sroka, LT, USN
Patient Administration Tracking Team
MARCENT Camp Arifjan
APO AE 09366
Will you please email me and let me know the following?
- How many packages you are committing to send.
- By what date you will send them.
- You and/or your organizations’ contact information so I can mail an official thank you letter.
Thank you so much for your consideration and support.Thank you also to those who have already responded. If a man is measured by his friends, then I am doing awesome. I am truly blessed!
I hope you have a wonderful, powerful, and happy New Year!
Grace and peace be to you.
I received the following from a friend of mine who is a chaplain in the Navy. If you are willing/able, this is a great opportunity to support the troops.
If you cannot donate at this time, but would still like to contribute, I'll be sending boxes off, and need pictures/drawings from kids. That's the only thing I can't contribute. If you want to have the kiddos draw something and send it to me, I'd be happy to throw them in one of my boxes.
If you belong to a group who may be interested in sending boxes, please feel free to forward to them.
Thanks in advance for your consideration!
Dear Friends and Family,
Greetings from Kuwait! I sent this same request to many of you and was hoping to complete the process using FB mail. However, I continue to run into technical issues. So I decided to post on my wall. Please click on the title to see the whole post.
I am now four months through a six month deployment supporting the mortuary affairs effort. All of our fallen service men and women from Iraq (and some from Afghanistan) come through the mortuary here before flying back to the States. I am in the room as the remains are opened and processed, offering prayers and a ministry of presence. If you have not already seen it, you can also read an article online to get a feel for what I do at: MILITARY: Two Navy chaplains have very different missions : North County Times - Californian. Another aspect of my role in Kuwait is to track and visit all Marines who come here for medical attention. Pastoral care in this environment has definitely been intense, somber, and challenging; it has also been powerful, joyful, and rewarding. The service men and women I serve – whether patients or staff; Marine, Soldier, Airman, or Sailor; alive or fallen – are absolutely amazing people. I have seen the best in dignity, honor, respect, dedication, and sacrifice.
Now that the major holidays are finished, there is still great opportunity to let our service men and women know that they are loved and remembered. Would you and your organizations (work, school, church, social, and other) please consider and commit to sending care packages? My goal is 600 packages – one for each person I directly serve. That is a big number. I am trusting in God’s abundance and your generosity and creativity. Will you please also forward this on to others who you know would love to serve this way?
What to put in a care package, you ask? I have found that people really like snacks like homemade cookies and brownies, special store bought snacks (fancier stuff), hot cocoa, beef jerky, “good” toilet paper, playing cards, pictures/cards/notes drawn and written by children, coffee, and the like. The only items I have really found to avoid are DVDs and CDs (unless really popular) and magazines. The main rule of thumb is to put together whatever is on your heart. Every person will receive the package that is perfect for him or her.
As for care package size, I normally receive care packages using the US Post Office's “Priority Mail APO/FPO Flat Rate Box”. Information about the box can be found online at http://shop.usps.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10152&storeId=10001&categoryId=13354&productId=36604&langId=-1. This may or may not be the best option for you depending on how much you send and how much each box weighs. I do know that the boxes offer space enough to fit the various items I mentioned.
The care packages can be sent directly to me, and I will distribute them. I am targeting distribution for Valentine’s Day, so they should be mailed no later than February 1, 2009. My address in Kuwait is:
Chaplain Scot Sroka, LT, USN
Patient Administration Tracking Team
MARCENT Camp Arifjan
APO AE 09366
Will you please email me and let me know the following?
- How many packages you are committing to send.
- By what date you will send them.
- You and/or your organizations’ contact information so I can mail an official thank you letter.
Thank you so much for your consideration and support.Thank you also to those who have already responded. If a man is measured by his friends, then I am doing awesome. I am truly blessed!
I hope you have a wonderful, powerful, and happy New Year!
Grace and peace be to you.
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