Daniel bought a book for me called "So this is Ranger School" and it has a detailed description of each of the 62 days at Ranger School. It is my goal to update the blog every day (or every other) so you can imagine Daniel at Ranger School and also so you can pray for him through the hours. We covet your prayers and are so thankful to know there are so many of you on your knees for our family.
Yesterday morning we dropped him off at Camp Rogers at 9:45 am. I tried to hold back the tears; we had spent the night previous crying together and I wanted to be strong for him as we said goodbye. Didn't exactly happen that way, but I was able to smile through my tears and offer my excitement. He is, after all, going for his dream! So he closed my car door, grabbed his bags, turned his back, and walked into Camp Rogers. He did exactly as Stu Weber encouraged him to do: to "Set your eyes on the King and your jaw to the task."
I held it together pretty well as I drove away, until at the first stop light I pulled up next to Meredith. We rolled down our windows and asked one another how we were doing... bad mistake. The floodgates opened. And for the remainder of the day, as Anna described it, I was a faucet: turning on and off. But Renee arrived yesterday afternoon, praise the Lord, so going to get her from Atlanta gave Tirzah and I great purpose in those first few hours by ourselves. The hardest part of the day, the part that I was dreading absolutely, was bath time and bed time. I started crying as I walked up the stairs to give Tirzah her bath. Thankfully Anna and Renee were both there to help me and keep me going through the tears. And thankfully, Renee was able to carry the song How Great Thou Art, for it seems my crying voice is not the best singing voice. Yet sweet Tirzah, the little JoyBug, went to sleep so well and slept through the night, even in her Daddy's absence.
So far today with Auntie Renee we have enjoyed a run at our favorite trail and a dip into the pool. Tirzah is in her morning nap now and when she wakes we are heading to the Commissary. Tonight Anna and Meredith are coming over for Red Pepper Risotto and Rootbeer Floats!
Here is the outline for Day 1 of Ranger School:
School started off with the RPFT or the physical test for Ranger School. The events in order are: 2 minutes of push ups, 2 minutes of sit ups, a 5 mile run, and chin ups. Later today, he will complete the Combat Water Survival Assessment. This consists of an equipment removal and 15 meter swim, the beam-walk (like high dive height over the water) and rope drop, and the zip line. After this is the packing list inspection (this is semi stressful because if you are missing one item, say a toothbrush, you can be dropped from the course automatically). After this, they move into the barracks. As the book says, "As a final thought, this day will seem like it never ends". Today, Daniel will receive 1 hot meal, 2 MRE, and 3 hours of sleep.Please pray:
*Over Daniel in the beam walk (he was a bit nervous, albeit funny nervous, for this event)
*The he would be humble
* That he would desire to glorify and honor the Lord
*That he would rely upon the Lord for strength
*That he would represent Christ
*That our hearts would be steadfast in trusting the Lord (Psalm 112:7)
*That Daniel would "have steadfast love and faithfulness written on the tablet of his heart, to find favor and good success in the sight of both God and man" (Proverbs 3:3)
*That I would have sound wisdom and discretion as I Mother Tirzah today
*That we would "learn the art of giving thanks in all circumstances"
Amen
My thoughts are with you both during this challenging time. I hope it goes quickly!
ReplyDelete