Volunteer Vets, Photo number W03085, Accompanies UMNS #541
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Stewartstown
(Pa.) United Methodist Church sent over 100 pounds of Twizzlers candy
to Chaplain Jerry Sieg (left) and his unit stationed in Iraq. UMNS photo
courtesy Chaplain Jerry Sieg. Photo number 03-436, Accompanies UMNS
#541, 11/10/03
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As Americans mark the 50th anniversary of Veterans
Day, Nov. 11, United Methodists are being invited to reach out and touch
a soldier serving in Iraq with donations of phone cards.As Americans
mark the 50th anniversary of Veterans Day, Nov. 11, United Methodists
are being invited to reach out and touch a soldier serving in Iraq with
donations of phone cards.
The United Methodist Board of Higher
Education and Ministry, the agency that oversees military chaplains
endorsed by the church, is calling on United Methodists to consider
sending long-distance phone cards to soldiers in time for the holidays.
"Many
of our troops are missing critical events in their families--births,
deaths, serious illness," says the Rev. Greg Hill, a director with the
United Methodist Endorsing Agency, a unit of the board. "Phone cards
would show how much our troops and their families are appreciated."
The agency will collect the phone cards and send them to United Methodist chaplains for distribution to the troops.
"The
chaplains can use the phone cards to assist troops in time of need,
especially for hospitalized soldiers who want to call home," Hill says.
Care
packages sent from home have been a welcome and needed moral booster
for the troops, say chaplains at Fort Stewart, Ga., who recently
returned from Iraq.
United Methodist Chaplain Jerry Sieg received
more than 100 pounds of Twizzlers from the Stewartstown (Pa.) United
Methodist Church in the Central Pennsylvania Annual Conference, because
of a casual comment he made to his wife about the red chewy candy being
able to hold up to the intense heat.
"It was a powerful thing to
know the people back home were behind us and supporting us with
prayers," he says. "It was made evident with cards and letters,
life-saving kits and care packages that came. I will be forever
grateful."
Capt. Michael O'Neill, also serving at Fort Stewart,
talked about how important it was to the troops to receive mail and
packages from home.
"When the war started the mail could not keep us with us, there was a time when there was little or no mail," he says.
When
the troops reached Baghdad, they were running out of food and didn't
know when they might be attacked, but O'Neill says the mail was the only
thing they were really worried about.
"The mail is what grounded us. The Christian love of families and friends." Chaplain
Jay West with Fort Campbell, Ky., asked churches in his conference to
participate in "Operation Desert Care Package." During a family day
gathering on the post in Sept., the "home team" gave certificates of
appreciation to those who had sent care packages to the soldiers. "I
thought it would be wonderful if we received 50 packages," he says. "I
was overwhelmed when I was able to deliver more than 500 care packages
to these men and women. This is truly an example of sharing God's love." Phone
cards can be sent to: United Methodist Endorsing Agency, General Board
Higher Education and Ministry, P.O. Box 340007, Nashville, TN
37203-0007. # # # *Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer in Nashville, Tenn.
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