August 22
ONLY SIX MORE MONTHS!
June 26, 2009.
Military life is all about counting down. Either you are counting down to the next deployment, to the homecoming, to the R&R, or to the end of R&R. There always seems to be some sort of countdown. Well, one of my countdowns ended today when the kids and I dropped Will off at the airport. Our R&R had ended.
There are so many thoughts going through my head right now. I am not even close to being as emotional as I was when he left back in December, but I am still pretty bummed. We had the best two weeks! Having him home 24/7 for two straight weeks was awesome. We had such quality family and couple time.
I am incredibly thankful that Will’s battalion will not be extended, and that we only have six more months to go. We are halfway done with our year. Some of you reading this are laughing, thinking “ONLY SIX.” Some of you think there is no way you could go without your husband for so long. Let me reassure you, you can.
I miss my husband terribly, and he is not even out of country yet. However, I am even more convinced than ever that Mosul is God’s will for him. Being in the center of God’s will is an extremely peaceful thing, and Will and I have both learned that such peace is precious. We rest in knowing that we are obeying God and fulfilling his plan. It’s not always easy or enjoyable, but it’s right. As always, we are thankful.
When thrust into a situation like this, we are forced to rely on the only thing not influenced by emotion… that is our faith in God. Regardless of how happy or sad we are, God remains the same. He is unchanging and we find our strength and stability in Him.
Lord, help me place more trust in your unchanging character than in how I feel with my own changing emotions.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)
August 23
PARTING GIFT
More than anything else, Leah and Chris Dubree wanted a child. They dreamed of growing their family and bringing a precious new life into the world. In April 2006, after three years of trying to conceive, they learned that Chris would soon be deployed to Iraq, so they decided to put their plans for expanding their family on hold until he returned. God had other plans.
On June 7, 2006, Chris was sitting in his office when the phone rang.
“Criminal Law South Specialist Dubree speaking, how may I help you sir or ma’am?” he answered.
“Hi Daddy,” Leah said with a smile.
Though this timing wasn’t what they had planned, Chris was ecstatic.
“I lost all control of myself. I looked like a little kid who had just found his missing, most favorite toy in the whole world,” said Chris. “I knew that this was a sign from God. He had placed me on a path that may not bring me home, so he wanted to fulfill our wish of being parents.”
By the time the Dubrees discovered they were expecting, the baby was seven weeks along which meant that the little life was already growing by the time Chris and Leah decided to stop trying until after deployment.
“I had so many mixed emotions about this because my husband was leaving and would miss so much,” said Leah.
On August 23, Chris headed for Iraq. “I kept as close a contact as I could throughout the pregnancy. Leah sent LOTS of pictures for me to see how she was growing with our miracle inside growing as well,” he said.
Chris and Leah did not choose for Leah to be alone for her pregnancy. But they recognized that if this was God’s plan for them, then he must also have a plan to help them through it. God often interrupts our lives with unplanned circumstances. However, if we look closely, even trials can be avenues of God’s blessing.
Lord, show me the blessings you have in store for me through the situations I did not choose.
“Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” (Proverbs 19:21)
August 24
IT’S TIME!
Leah and Sgt. Christopher Dubree, Iraq (2006–2007), Afghanistan (2009–2010)
Chris had scheduled his R&R leave around the baby’s due date, January 21, 2007, to make sure he was there for the birth. This time, it was the baby girl who had other plans. On January 3, Keesley (which is the Celtic female form of Christopher) decided it was time to move.
“My whole family was there and everyone was excited, except we were missing someone really important,” said Leah. “I kept telling my family that I missed Chris and couldn’t do this without him, but my mom just kept telling me that God would help me through this.”
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world in Iraq, Chris was on edge. “I called about every fifteen minutes, anticipation and adrenaline coursing through my body,” he said. “Finally, on the fifth phone call, I heard the enthusiasm in the air before I actually got the news: I was a father now as of 1:56 a.m. January 4, 2007.”
Ten minutes later Chris received his first picture of Keesley via email. “When I saw the picture for the first time I started to tear up of course, and all my friends could say was, ‘How can that be? She is beautiful, but she looks just like you.’ They were trying to get me out of my emotional phase, but I was too deep into the miracle God had given my wife and me.”
When Leah and Chris finally got to talk that evening, they cried tears of both joy and sadness together on the phone. “He told me that he was proud of me, and I answered him with, ‘I need you home!’” said Leah. “We were both so happy with having her and being parents.”
Sometimes God’s timing doesn’t make sense to us. It isn’t what we would have chosen, or how we would have planned it. During these times, may we simply trust in God’s sovereignty rather than dwell on what we cannot control ourselves.
Lord, grant me the courage to trust in your plan for my life.
“‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)
August 25
