So one of the ways I want to take this blog is to provide people back home some sort of feel for what I do on a daily basis. Seeing how I can't relay all of the conversations I have with my Marines for a number of reasons, I'll just provide some highlights of where I go each week with the Marines to give a small glimpse into the wonderful world of a Chaplain to an infantry battalion.
Monday was a day off for the most part as we were getting back from the Thanksgiving liberty period. We reported in at 1800 just to make sure we were all still alive and doing well ready to start the week. Being new to the USMC way of extended liberty periods, I assumed that the civilian organizations on base would be open on Monday. I was wrong and spent a few hours driving around trying to do errands to no avail. I'll just take the time off and relax next time.
Tuesday was a long day, it started at 0445 with a muster at the barracks for a 9 mile hike with all of my gear. It was only one company doing the hike, but they invited me and I need to get back into shape seeing how we have a battalion wide 18 mile hike coming up in a few months. I survived and didn't fall out. Unfortunately the 10 or so Marines that did fall out got some ribbing about how the chaplain kept up. Perhaps the funniest moment came when I saw the Marine variety of inter service rivalry. While we were doing the hump, some Marines from the logistics group were doing a run of some sort and one of them couldn't keep breakfast down. From our ranks came one unrelenting voice harassing him for his inability to keep up with the rest of his PT group. Infantry making their dominance known. Later that day I had lunch with a senior chaplain of my same denomination and got some great advice on how to be an effective chaplain.
Wednesday was moving day for me as my stuff arrived. Still haven't had time to open more than 5 boxes. Had a meeting with the family readiness team later that afternoon and learned a great deal about how to best connect with the families when we deploy.
Friday I flew out to San Luis Obispo to officiate a wedding for a former Junior Officer of mine back in the submarine days. It was a beautiful town and a great time for myself. I got to meet some great people and had some great food and laughs as well. I have an airline I would rather not fly again on my list, but other than that it was a great weekend. Got in late last night and still made it to work and through the whole day without much problems.
Those are just a few highlights of why I love my job so much. Good laughs and ministry with my "congregation" at an intimate level. This week will be my first night out in the field and of course I picked the coldest night of the year to head out there. We'll see how warm the gear they issue really is.
2 comments:
Yes, SLO is a beautiful town. I love that central California coast area.
BZ on the 9 mile hike. Hope you had warm enough gear for your night in the field.
@Blunoz--Sorry for the delay in responding to the comment. SLO is a place I could spend a great deal of vacation time in. Next time I need to visit some of the wineries. As for the cold, I still need to buy some good gloves and socks to keep the extremities warmer. Everything else was pretty toasty, especially once I got into the sleeping bag.
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