Beautiful Sunday morning with some slight rain today. Decided not to wear my ear plugs last night, so I was up early due to the noise. This way I was able to get up, get ready and prepare my everything bagel with cream cheese and cup of coffee.
I grab my daily devotionals and sit down to read and find myself a great message. “Beauty From Infirmity” is the topic in the “Our Daily Bread” devotional booklet.
“As you know, it was because of an illness that I first preached the gospel to you.”
[Galatians 4:13]
I liked this one because through many hoops in which God put me through, I never got His message. I feel like he kept hitting me with stronger messages as the years went by. Run over by a car in 2013, then diagnosed with a stage 4 lymphoma in 2015, I survived it all, always looking for God in those worst of times, but never realizing the path He was putting me in, and I always pulled myself away from Him. Here I am, where God allowed for me to be pulled away from “the world” and on the path to follow Him, and I couldn’t be happier to end up closer to God. Each and every day He builds my faith, and gets me back on track.
I get ready for the first move. Christian service today at 1pm but the worship group will be getting together in the chapel before lunch to practice before services. In the English service we sang, “What a Beautiful Name”, and we sang the same song in Spanish for the Spanish service, “Hermoso Nombre”. The services went great, and this evening we have a baptism of my buddy “Porky”, and I offered my help to the chaplain to set things up with him, he accepted and thanked me.
At the 3pm move, we all headed back to our units, and waited for count. Dinner tonight according to the menu is “beef tacos”, but since I will be helping the chaplain with the baptism, I got with my roommate to make a meal for our dinner. We used one bag of rice, one ramen soup, one beef salami log, one pack of pork cracklings, one bag of chili beans, and some seasonings. He put it all together and we put it to warm up in boiling water. Mr. Rivero will be having dinner with Mr. Campos, so I know he is okay.
We go to commissary on Tuesday so we need to drop off our lists by tonight. I quickly head to the phone to call dad and say hello for the day. I prepare my list, and get Mr. Rivero’s and on the first move I go around the lake to drop off the lists in the box with our unit letter over it and find the chaplain had setup the baptism pool by the outside worship area, but the water connection was broken, so I helped him carry it back to the chapel. We set it down by a drain, and I connect the water hose to fill the pool. It is a personal sized, rectangular pool plastic liner on a metal base. Mr. Boodman shows up to help, then walks with me over to the commissary are to drop of our lists, then straight back to the chapel. By 6pm, the rain starts to fall, and the thunder and lightning start crashing. The chaplain mentions to the group that the compound will be closed, so we need to get the baptism done.
“Porky” steps into the pool, and the chaplain begins the small service. I have the digital camera in hand, and am taking pictures of the group watching the chaplain dunk Porky into the pool, and we all celebrate his baptism. Porky gave me a little background of his lifestyle and I am happy he has also found a way through God, which has helped him get through his most rough of times. We complete the service, and the Lieutenant says we need to go; I am not able to stay and help the chaplain put things away, as we were all sent back to our units.
Back in the unit, looks like the evening is over for the compound. Time for me to shower, watch television, until it is time to call mom.
Showered and ready to go call mom. My roommate was able to get his hands on a bag of “Nacho Cheese Doritos”, so I am going to sit and share with him as we watch “American Idol”.
I pray this evening, thanking God for the life He has given me.Thank you oh Lord for the path you have put me on, thank you for allowing us the opportunity to have our Christian services today, thank you that we have such a caring chaplain that is there for us. I ask Lord that you provide us a safe and excellent week, full of positivity and greatness. Thank you God for my family, friends and loved ones; please don’t ever stop guiding us and showing me You are here by my side. Amen.
Eduardo Luis Valdes
02499-506
March 30, 2025
20:25
