Last month was a significant milestone in our family as we saw both of our boys graduate and commission on consecutive days over Memorial Day weekend.

It was definitely a crazy itinerary that required lots of intellectual flexibility and some strategic planning. I’m still not sure how we managed to shove all of our luggage plus 4 years of Jacob’s stuff in the back of his car while driving up and down the Northeast corridor.

After all the ceremonies were over, we all managed to make it home, where we were looking forward to about a month together as a family. Quite honestly, this was going to be the longest extended time together since early 2020 when our boys were forced to finish the school year online because of Covid.

A few days after we returned, Joshua started experiencing some stomach pain. At first, we thought it might have been due to something he ate that didn’t sit right but after about 2 days, it got so bad that he could hardly move. I ended up taking him to the ER where we learned that he had appendicitis and needed an emergency appendectomy.

Joshua recovered fairly quickly but was limited early on in what he was able to do physically. We’re grateful that he’s doing better. The circumstances could have been much worse in terms of the timing and location.

Last weekend, we all drove to Monterey to drop Jacob off and help him move into his new apartment. Most of the few days we were there were spent scavenging the area for cheap items to furnish an apartment for 3 guys who literally had nothing but the clothes on their back and a few uniforms. Their apartment is not likely to be featured on an HGTV home show but they’re in a decent situation now. It is truly a bachelor pad.

Joshua has about a week left at home before he flies to the East Coast where he’ll spend 3 months at Fort Jackson in South Carolina to be trained as a finance officer. After that, he will report to his first duty station in Vicenza, Italy.

It all sounds very exciting and adventurous but we’re learning very quickly that the life of military families is complicated and filled with hardships that non-military families don’t usually experience.

Military personnel are constantly moving and there is a lot expected of them. They don’t have the same freedoms that others do. Even taking a weekend to get away often requires approval from the chain of command.

For the last year, Jen and I have been thinking and praying about how we can help serve those in our military community. We are especially interested in ministering to those who are Young Adults, since that is our primary audience of ministry already.

Last spring, we reached out to some folks in the Military ministry of Cru to see what it might look like to collaborate and serve those who serve.

It turns out that the largest Marine base in the country is just 30 minutes away from us. Of course, I’ve been aware of Camp Pendleton for years as any time we we trek south down the 5 Freeway, we drive right by the base.

But there is not much of the base that is visible from the highway so one might not realize just how expansive it really is.

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to take a tour of Camp Pendleton with a new friend of mine who does some volunteer ministry with Cru there. I was amazed at how big the base is and how many people are stationed and live there. I was told that Camp Pendleton serves about 100,000 Marines. Many are not unlike our two boys – thrust into a new situation, feeling out of place, knowing nobody while experiencing the weight of expectation that comes with military duty.

We are not changing jobs, but simply looking at ways to serve a community of young people who live near us whose vocation also happens to be “military”.

Please pray for us as we move forward to see how we might minister to Young Adult military personnel in the same way we continue to serve Young adults in the civilian community.

And please pray for our boys, Jacob and Joshua, as they transition to young officers. Pray for them to adjust well and find strong, spiritual connections that can help them navigate the challenges that await them.