Mercy Stories
Stand Down Military Outreach
July 11-13, 2008
My daughter, Kim, and I were at Stand Down yesterday morning too. In the early morning hours we assisted with the check-in process. The participants were a little shy and disoriented when they first arrived after spending the night sleeping in a very long line outside the gate. All it took was a smile and a “How are you doing this morning?” to get an amazingly warm response in return. So many vets thanked me profusely for being there. The Harbor t-shirts were a great conversation starter. Participants, volunteers and staff were all interested to hear about Harbor. The shirts also opened some doors to talk about the power of God as a replacement for our own puny efforts.
Later in the morning Kim moved to the children’s tent. What a great set-up that was! They were expecting about 50 children. The idea of the tent was to keep the children happy and safe so that their parents could “take care of business.” Kim met a family of six kids who, sadly, were there for the 7th time. Nonetheless, these kids were wonderfully well-behaved, funny, and fun. There were two inflated jumpers, lots of toys, games, books, and crafts for all ages.
I spent the rest of the morning on trash patrol. While I circulated through the camp replacing trash bags, I got the chance to see the entire operation and visit with many of the participants and other volunteers. Most encouraging of all were the volunteers who were once participants in Stand Down. Although many of these men and women come back year after year struggling with poverty, debilitating injuries and illnesses, and drug and alcohol abuse, many others have been able to turn their lives around with the help of people who understand and care and have found practical ways to provide for their physical, emotional, mental, legal and spiritual needs.
I hope Harbor will be at Stand One again next year. I, for one, would like to commit more time than I was able to give this year.
Let’s keep remembering these men and women in our prayers. They and those who support them need God’s wisdom and strength to overcome the horrific obstacles they face. What I learned more than anything else is that once changed they become God’s greatest warriors in the fight to help others.
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If you would like to share a story from one of Harbor's Mercy Ministry events, please contact Scott () or Laura Brewster ().
