There are a few things of serious nature that are on my list to blog about. With celebration of Independence Day tomorrow, I think it's the perfect time to tell you about my brother, Allen. He will be leaving for Iraq in just a few months, after his training is complete. He just finished his first month of training & his wife, Laila is out visiting him in Arizona.
When Allen finished HS, he joined the Army & signed for 5 yrs, as was the protocol for someone going into Military Intelligence. After a few changes and soaring through his final program of study, he became an Electronic Warfare Signals Intelligence Analyst. He was stationed for the remainder of his time in Owahu, Hawaii. Of course we went to visit him there...
When he finished there, he came back to GA to finish school; he went to KSU, where he met Laila & fell in love. They are the cutest couple, the perfect match. Chad & I kind of get along by picking at each other & playing around, whereas Allen & Laila are all mooshy-gooshy & serve each other, love on each other, etc. Reminds me I should be that way to Chad sometimes but that is another story. Anyways, they have had sort of a "Romeo & Juliet" sort of relationship as her dad was determined that she would not be in a serious relationship until she finished her Doctorate. She ended up finishing her undergrad & moving to Tallahassee for graduate school at FSU (in December of 2006).
Allen moved in with us at the time. As soon as he graduated in December of 2007, they secretly eloped & he moved down to FL to be with her. (A lot went into that decision; it was totally God at work.) I forgot to mention that he joined the Reserves. That's what brings us to where we are now. The second weekend in April, he learned that they were asking for volunteers from his unit to transfer to a unit that was going to Iraq & he was a candidate for being volunteered if no one else did. And that's what happened. He left June 1st to begin his training in AZ. He can be gone up to Dec 2009 but maybe as soon as Sept, if I am correct.
Pray for my sweet family, if you will. We are very fortunate that Allen will be at Camp Victory working at a computer. We realize, though, that no matter where in Iraq he goes, if it is where the Lord led him, he is as safe as he could be here with us. My personal prayer for him is that he will have a passion for his mission & a peace about Laila. The Army is such a great match for him; he is able to plug into the mindset & strive for excellence. I can't begin to tell you how many awards he has won. Aside from that, though, we're ready for him to be done serving for our country when his time is complete. I say that because I'm selfish for his home life, his wife, future children, etc. And I am so proud of all he has done for our country.
And for sweet Laila, I pray for purpose while he is away, that she can plug into God & let Him lead her to new places in her life where she can apply herself (other than just at school), learn about God's amazing peace & to trust Him in ways she never thought possible. And I pray for peace. Peace that God is protecting Allen, that Allen is making good choices, & that the time will go by quickly but productively.
They were going to have a real wedding this December.
But on the up-side of all these things...they get to be Newlyweds over & over again. They get to trust in and lean on our Heavenly Father for things I can't even fathom thinking about. They are building character, memories, & love for one another. I am so excited for them for all that.
They are my heroes.
You can totally tell how chilly the pool is by the look on their faces!! The pic below Allen is wearing Neena's "bug" hat. Hehehe; if his head wasn't so big, he could pass for a leprechaun.
When Allen finished HS, he joined the Army & signed for 5 yrs, as was the protocol for someone going into Military Intelligence. After a few changes and soaring through his final program of study, he became an Electronic Warfare Signals Intelligence Analyst. He was stationed for the remainder of his time in Owahu, Hawaii. Of course we went to visit him there...
When he finished there, he came back to GA to finish school; he went to KSU, where he met Laila & fell in love. They are the cutest couple, the perfect match. Chad & I kind of get along by picking at each other & playing around, whereas Allen & Laila are all mooshy-gooshy & serve each other, love on each other, etc. Reminds me I should be that way to Chad sometimes but that is another story. Anyways, they have had sort of a "Romeo & Juliet" sort of relationship as her dad was determined that she would not be in a serious relationship until she finished her Doctorate. She ended up finishing her undergrad & moving to Tallahassee for graduate school at FSU (in December of 2006).
Allen moved in with us at the time. As soon as he graduated in December of 2007, they secretly eloped & he moved down to FL to be with her. (A lot went into that decision; it was totally God at work.) I forgot to mention that he joined the Reserves. That's what brings us to where we are now. The second weekend in April, he learned that they were asking for volunteers from his unit to transfer to a unit that was going to Iraq & he was a candidate for being volunteered if no one else did. And that's what happened. He left June 1st to begin his training in AZ. He can be gone up to Dec 2009 but maybe as soon as Sept, if I am correct.
Pray for my sweet family, if you will. We are very fortunate that Allen will be at Camp Victory working at a computer. We realize, though, that no matter where in Iraq he goes, if it is where the Lord led him, he is as safe as he could be here with us. My personal prayer for him is that he will have a passion for his mission & a peace about Laila. The Army is such a great match for him; he is able to plug into the mindset & strive for excellence. I can't begin to tell you how many awards he has won. Aside from that, though, we're ready for him to be done serving for our country when his time is complete. I say that because I'm selfish for his home life, his wife, future children, etc. And I am so proud of all he has done for our country.
And for sweet Laila, I pray for purpose while he is away, that she can plug into God & let Him lead her to new places in her life where she can apply herself (other than just at school), learn about God's amazing peace & to trust Him in ways she never thought possible. And I pray for peace. Peace that God is protecting Allen, that Allen is making good choices, & that the time will go by quickly but productively.
They were going to have a real wedding this December.
But on the up-side of all these things...they get to be Newlyweds over & over again. They get to trust in and lean on our Heavenly Father for things I can't even fathom thinking about. They are building character, memories, & love for one another. I am so excited for them for all that.
They are my heroes.
You can totally tell how chilly the pool is by the look on their faces!! The pic below Allen is wearing Neena's "bug" hat. Hehehe; if his head wasn't so big, he could pass for a leprechaun. 
(I chose NOT to include the one where I zoomed in on his hicky so as to keep it a secret & not embarrass anyone.)
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