Welcome Home

About a year ago I posted (See "A Life of Service" in March 2009) about our friend and neighbor, John, who was deploying for a year in Iraq. I am so happy to write a post to let you know that he is home! On Friday we were able to go to his welcome home ceremony and greet him with his wife Kelly and two kids, Johnny B and Reagan.
I was such a sweet experience to see so many families reunited. There were so many tears of joy and daddies holding their children and wives. I really loved getting to experience something so meaningful. I am also grateful that I will never have to experience it anymore than being an observer! I never wish a deployment on any family. They are trying and difficult on so many levels. One thing I have certainly learned over the last year is that while deployments may be necessary for war, they (like so many other things) were NOT God's original plan. He did not design marriage and family to be separated. Families that endure these deployments and come out on top are to be praised and admired. They have accomplished much and deserve recognition. The reality is that many families do not make it through the deployment and end up broken. I am so happy to say that for the Brocks, family life is looking good! They are back under one roof and Kelly says that they have really picked right back up where they left off. Here are a few pictures I got during the ceremony.

The kids made a Texas flag with their hands and feet.
With all the American flags around, this made it easier for John to find his family in the crowd.

Waiting Waitng Waiting...

Kelly & Reagan all dressed up for Daddy!

All American Girl

Our first glimpse of the soldiers. John was one of the first ones in.
He is to the right of the guy carrying the flag.

The soldiers came running in once they were announced.


There was a prayer and a few words from the Col.
"Blah blah blah! Let us at 'em!"

Reunited and it feels so good!

I don't think Johnny B has stopped talking since his daddy got home.
He apparently had something very important to tell him right away.

The Brock family.



This family (whom I didn't know) was so sweet. The little boy, who looked just a little younger than Connor, just clung to his daddy. The mom just watched with tears running down her cheeks. It was so precious I had to take a picture. (A lot of kids that young don't remember their daddies because they were so young when they left.)

A Life of Service

While we have been in Copperas Cove for 8 months now, the reality of living in a military community reached a new level for us this week. We have seen soldiers come and go from their deployments (which are mostly 12-15 months)and seen the families deal with transitions to some degree. It became considerably more intimate this week for the Moore family, however. To back up, let me explain that since we have been here on of the first couples that we connected with were John & Kelly Brock. John is a Captain in the army and they live across the street from us. I first met Kelly at church but we quickly discovered that we lived very close to one another. She was pregnant and due (with her 2nd child) about 6 weeks before I was. We discovered not too much later that John does not have a relationship with Christ and we began praying immediately that we would be instrumental in the work God was already doing in his life. Thankfully Kelly has a solid walk with the Lord and works diligently to show her husband how rewarding it is to know Him.
Anyhow, over the last 8 months we have spent a good deal of time with the Brocks and Matt has even gone as far as to say that John may very well be why the Lord has us in Cove. He is certainly why we are in the house we're in. John is an honorable man who loves his family and loves his job. He talks all the time about the army and you can't help but recognize his dedication to what he does.
This week it was John's turn to deploy. Matt and I were blessed to be at the departure of his unit. John is a Commander over a unit of about 100 soldiers. We ran late, of course, and arrived just before they loaded the buses. As we were pulling in my eyes began to burn with tears as I took in the scene. Among the sea of camouflage uniforms were families with red eyes and wet cheeks. There were young couples, families with new babies and others with teenagers. I even noticed a few family dogs waiting their turn for one last belly rub. It was like a scene from a movie. John's unit gathered into formation and he spoke to them about what it means to go to war. He inspired them and gave them a bigger picture mindset about what it means to protect your country.
If you're anything like me, this war our country's in has not really affected your life. Sure we hear about it on the news and I even drive by an army base every day but that is the extent of it. My life has not been inconvenienced in any capacity. That all changed Saturday. My friend John left for Iraq to fight for my safety. That's service. In the gospel of John (ironically) Jesus says, "Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." While John Brock may not know Jesus the way I do, Jesus knows him and my prayer is that one day John will see that just as he is willing to lay down his life to save others, Jesus did just that for him. Please join us in praying for John's salvation.

Here are some pictures of the Brock's.
Johnny B wanted his daddy at his birthday party, so we celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese a month early.

It was Connor's first birthday party to attend.

This is Kelly & Baby Reagan. (Connor's girl.)

John, Kelly & Reagan at John's going away party.

The soldiers waiting to hear from Captain Brock.

A shot of John talking to his unit.

Making their way to the buses.