Testimony Tuesday: Life's battles, God's victory

This week's contributor is a family friend and sister in Christ who grew up in the same church I did (which means she grew up with my brothers ... I feel for her lol!), and though I have never met her in person, she has loved on me from afar and contributed immensely to my missions work. She has also served as a role model for me, as she is deeply involved in ministry with her husband, specifically to military families, as her husband is a military chaplain, and also women's ministry. Please take a moment to read Jacquelyn Adorno McCall's #TestimonyTuesday. 
____________________________________________

My Six Year Journey as an Army Wife

Make no mistake about it, I am an Army wife through and through, but six years ago when my husband first expressed interest in the chaplaincy program, I was the first to admit that I knew very little about military life. In order to calm my anxiety and multitude of questions, I spent hours researching military websites and reading online articles in Military Spouse magazine. 

Despite my abundance of information, I was unprepared for the emotional toll that my new role as an Army wife would entail. His journey to become an Army Chaplain took him through five years of seminary, countless months of military training and many missed special occasions that included our 20-year wedding anniversary. 

During these last five years, the Lord has also granted us numerous opportunities to minister together as a team. We have been blessed to meet and work with experienced ministry couples in all branches of the military. They have been there to pray with us, mentor and encourage us along the way. 

Today, we are preparing for a new journey, our toughest yet, his first year-long deployment to the Middle East. As we inch closer to his departure, I sit and pray and ask the Lord to fill me with the same clarity and peace that He gave me six years ago. I try not to allow his departure to consume my thoughts, but I will truly miss his physical presence in our home. I will miss seeing his unwashed bowl of oatmeal in the sink, watching his intense morning workouts, and hearing his Christian rap booming in the back room, but I will especially miss his morning kisses on my forehead and his warmth on those cold nights when I need to snuggle. 

Eventually it will get “easier”. It does not mean that I will miss him any less, but I will learn to move forward because remaining stagnant is not an option when you have three children and a household that still require your love and attention. 

I do not know the actual date that he will leave and perhaps that is for the best, but each morning I ask the Lord to equip him with the strength, wisdom and spiritual discernment that are necessary to sustain him for this mission and safely bring him back home to us. I know this year can either serve to break us apart or draw us closer together. I choose to stand on Philippians 4:13 and believe that we will come out of this stronger.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

Note from the editor: During this holiday season, please say a prayer for this family, and ALL military families who are not able to be with their loved ones this season; a prayer of protection, peace and joy. It is never easy to be away from your loved ones, but it is especially difficult to do so during the holiday season. Thank you for your intercessions and God Bless our military and 
soldiers. 

______________________

Jacquelyn Adorno McCall lives in New Jersey with her husband and three children: two girls and one boy. She is heavily involved in a ministry called "Not so silent ranks," which began October 2011 and services the community with volunteering in street feedings, soup kitchens, food drives, children's Christmas drives and much more. To find out more about this ministry, please visit their Facebook page.