Remembering Our Soldiers

Christmas can be a lonely time for many. And it is especially lonely for our service men and women serving away from their families overseas. For the past two years, the Women of Redeemer Christmas celebration has hosted a room "The USO Cafe" highlighting and honoring the men and women who have served and are currently serving overseas. Last year, we collected 120 personally written Christmas cards to mail overseas. This year we plan to do the same, AND MORE!

This year our women's Christmas celebration is entitled "Celebrate: The Gift" with our hearts desire to express the 'lavish love of God'. We would like to lavish our soldiers this Christmas with the love of Christ and send not only cards but needed gifts/supplies. Starting in November these items can be brought to the church in the marked boxes by the Women's Ministries bulletin board. Photos can be picked up at the same location on Sunday, December 6.

Thanks to Dorie N. who steers this effort annually in rememberance of family members who haved served and are now serving. She has compiled a list of requested items:

1. If you have served in the military or have a family member who served/is serving in the military could you lend us a picture? Please include with the picture their name, branch of service and when they served. These will be displayed on our “Wall of Honor”.

2. We would like to send boxes of items that current deployed military personnel use to share with them the 'lavish love of God.' Items needed are: Toiletries: razors (good ones – not generic- most men deployed shave every day and the generic ones reportedly give them razor burn), shaving gel, wipes, soap (bar), shampoo, conditioner· Skin care – lip gloss, hand crème, foot powder· Clothing – black gloves (it gets cold in their winter too), black stocking caps, black /brown t shirts (Med/Large), Black athletic crew socks (Reg/extra large) ·

There are women deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan and aside from the things listed above they could use – body crème, hand crème, black ouchless hair ties, tampons, women’s magazines, chocolate hard candy (chocolate bars melt).

Finally and always, please be in prayer for our soldiers– for their protection, for the success of their mission, that their commanders will be wise and discerning about how to use them. Pray for our soldier's families – that they will have the support they need to manage the deployment of their loved one.

Thanks for helping to communicate to these men/women the lavish love of God of this Christmas! Your time and gifts do matter. One of the soldiers shared with Dorie: “Everyone has just been outstanding with the support to us as always. It's still so much more than just opening a package, it's a social gathering and gives us all that moment away from here (Iraq/Afghanistan).”