Samuel Update: Into the Wild Blue Yonder

Well, Samuel is now at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, just beginning his first full week of bootcamp. We got our first brief phone call from him Saturday night. I only had time to get his address, then Dad took the phone, and it was over. At least I got his address! Those of you who know us and would like to write to Sam can contact me by mail, phone, or e-mail ( I can't give it out publicly for obvious reasons). He needs all the support he can get right now. Keep it positive and encourage him to do a good job and make us proud.

He needs spiritual encouragement as well. Sam is in a crisis of faith right now. We hope and pray that the Lord may use this time as a springboard of faith for him. It's not what he knows, but Who He knows that counts.

We had a great week with Sam before he left for San Antonio. It took Lydia, Andrew, and I (Marcia) eleven hours to totally clean both the upstairs and downstairs apartments in Peoria, pack the rest of Les and Sam's stuff, and move it to Mom's in Minier. That was the worst part, of course. Then, we got to have fun. We even went to Omaha, Nebraska, to see Grandma Wilwerding. Once we got back to Holland there was a lot of bowling and bawling. I tried not to let him see too much bawling, however, since we wanted our last time together to be a positive memory for him.

There have been plenty of tears since then, however. Getting the call on Saturday really helped, and I've been writing letters every day just waiting for his address. It is difficult being apart from him, but I still have a peace in my heart that he is doing what he was made to do. He thrives on structure (which we rarely had in our "relaxed" homeschool) and knowing what comes next. He is a born leader and takes pride in a job well done. He also has a deep sense of patriotism and justice and isn't afraid to stand for what is right. I just can't weep for very long when I consider these things.

We covet your prayers for Sam most of all. I found a website called MilitaryMoms.net which has been helpful. If anyone knows of any other Christian sites for military families, we'd love to hear about them. Also, we'd appreciate any information you can give concerning our trip to Sam's bootcamp graduation the third week of May. If we can save enough to finance the trip, we'll go. (You wouldn't believe how much we can save when we have this sweet "carrot" in front of us! -- eBay and Half.com sales, saving pocket change and rebates, bottle and can deposits, stray bills in the laundry pockets, yard sale, you name it. When we get back, we'll start on a piano fund!) So, if you've ever been to San Antonio, let us know of any good places to take Sam for his town pass. Also, we'd like to know of any routes to take and routes to avoid between Michigan and Texas.

More updates to come.

--Marcia