It was also the beginning of Sara’s call to minister to military families, especially through the written word. In addition to A Greater Freedom, Sara has written dozens of articles for military wives and authored the book, God Strong: A Military Wife’s Spiritual Survival Guide (Zondervan, 2010).
“War serves as a reminder that we need God,” said Sara. “A lot of people have forgotten that.”
Lord, remind me how much I need you; help me depend on you alone.
“The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save.” (Zephaniah 3:17a)
September 6
WIVES OF FAITH
When Sara’s husband Cliff was scheduled to deploy to Iraq in 2007, she realized another benefit her trips to Iraq provided.
“My experience in Iraq helped me so much to be able to share and explain things to other military wives,” said Sara. “They ask, ‘Why does he have to leave and help these other people?’ I can tell them I’ve talked to Iraqis and know how thankful they are.’”
Sara understood that she needed more than that insider perspective to get through the upcoming deployment.
“God made it very clear that I must have other women to connect to during my husband’s absence,” said Sara. But she was four hours from Cliff’s drilling base and she knew no other military wives in her town.
Before Cliff deployed, an army wife living in Nashville while her husband was deployed saw a newspaper article about Sara and contacted her. The two met for lunch.
“We had the best time talking and laughing and realizing that neither of us were crazy; we related to what we were going through,” said Sara. “We wondered, Is there someone else in Nashville who would enjoy this fellowship too?”
Within a month, Sara created a website and an email address with the intention of finding other Christian military wives in Nashville. It worked. In December 2006, ten ladies from all branches came for their first meeting and began meeting monthly. Wives of Faith was born.
Soon, other military wives across the country heard about Wives of Faith and modeled their own groups after Sara’s.
“We have ladies who contact us all the time about starting chapters,” said Sara. “I’m in the process of putting a lot of content on the website (www.wivesoffaith.org) to help them along the way.”
Military wives have emailed Sara for help with marriage, family, and deployment struggles. “So many times all I can do is pray for them and point them in the right direction,” said Sara. “But when I walk beside another military wife, I am making a difference in ways I might not realize.”
No matter what challenges God allows us to face, we can all use those to support and encourage others in the same situation.
Lord, help me see my trials and springboards for ministry to others.
“By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35)
September 7
THE RIGHT PROMISES
When Cliff Horn, a Seabee, went to Iraq and was assigned to a special task force working with a special forces unit, communication between Caleb and his daddy all but ground to a halt.
The pictures stopped coming. The Web cam no longer brought Cliff back into Caleb’s world. When Cliff was able to call home, it was always late at night when the little boy was fast asleep.
“Kids see how we react and handle things,” said Sara. “I tried to be positive around Caleb about the deployment, but the first month that Cliff was in Iraq was really hard on him.”
In those first thirty days, Sara noticed that Caleb had two major meltdowns. He would cry despondently. “I finally sat down with him and asked if he was upset about his dad being away. He told me he had a bad dream that Daddy had been shot.”
Sara debated about what to do to make her son feel more secure. “The biggest tendency is to say, ‘Daddy is safe, he’s not going to get hurt.’ But you can’t guarantee that. I always said, ‘We know that God is looking out for Daddy, God is watching over Daddy.”
The next time Cliff called, Sara told him about Caleb’s dream and asked if there was any way he could send a picture of himself doing his job that wasn’t combat but construction. So Cliff got a photo approved by the unit of him in a bulldozer and emailed it home. Sara printed it out and had it ready when Caleb came home from school that day. Once he saw that picture, the nightmares stopped.
“We prayed for Cliff every night, but I had to be careful that I didn’t make promises I that I questioned if I could keep,” said Sara. “We’re at war. It’s a great time to emphasize the importance of prayer and trusting God, knowing God is in control no matter what.”
God doesn’t promise his children that life will be without pain, either. But he does tell us he won’t let us go through it without him.
Lord, help me find comfort in your promises.
“God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)
September 8
HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY?
On the Fourth of July, 2007, Sara Horn did not feel like celebrating. She sat on the couch alone, curtains drawn, while Caleb played outside. She stared blankly at the turned-off television in front of her, which stared just as blankly back.
I can’t go on, she thought. I am so done. Tired. Spent. This is too hard. I can’t do this by myself.
“It was the lowest point of the deployment for me,” Sara remembered. “Our close friends had disappeared. They didn’t check on me or email Cliff anymore. It was getting hard to do the ministry of Wives of Faith because I got caught up in my own struggles of deployment.”
But on that Independence Day, God told Sara she didn’t need to try to be so independent: You aren’t supposed to do this by yourself, she could almost hear him say. You have been trying to do this by yourself for the last seven months. But you need me and my strength is sufficient for you.
It was a turning point for Sara. “I realized I needed to turn it over to God and let him provide the strength I
