Saturday night has just turned into Sunday morning of my first week on rotation. Outside, all is quiet as the ground is blanketed with 8 inches of snow. I will be worshiping solo in the room this morning, since all chapels on post are closed due to weather. At least I have my guitar so I can lead worship for myself.
My first week at Fort Campbell has been one of humble beginnings. The MFLC program is extremely well developed and operating on all cylinders here, but I am on the first-ever PFC rotation on post. We are under the direct oversight of Art Jones, the head of Army Community Services (ACS) at Fort Campbell. However, Art was gone this past week, so we've been embargoed from going live with our services until he signs off on our plan. So, the PFC team has spent this week putting together a game plan to present to Art on Monday, with hopes that we can get to work right away.
I enjoy my PFC colleagues. John Gann is our lead. Interestingly, he lives in North Fort Worth and has a son who's a senior at Fossil Ridge. Every day we talk, we find more places where our paths have crossed. He's a few years older than me, and reminds me a lot of Bill Cruise, although not as bombastic. He has a curious sense of humor to which I'm still trying to acclimate. Vivian Gentry, my other PFC cohort, is a charming Southern matron from Bowling Green, Kentucky. With every new person she meets, her first query is to discover if they're from Kentucky, and if so she begins tracing lineage until she finds an intersection. One fascinating aside is that all three of us are heavily involved in church music; John is the worship leader at Heritage Church of Christ in Fort Worth, and Vivian sings with the Kentucky Baptist Women's Chorale. It makes for some great conversation in the slow times, and a lot of common experiences to share.
I started out the week at the Best Western in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, which was about as remarkable as it sounds. Still, it was better than the Days Inn in Newton, Mississippi. I have now set up more permanent residence at the MainStay Suites in Clarksville, Tennessee, which puts me less than an hour from Nashville. MainStay is an extended stay hotel, which means it has a full kitchen (if you can call it that). I have a two-burner stovetop, microwave, toaster, and a full-size fridge. There is one skillet, one small sauce pan, one mediocre knife, and two place settings (if I want to cook for company). I can't wait for my care packages to arrive this week. I'm well-stocked with food. I decided to cook sausage and eggs for breakfast today, and quickly made an important discovery. It seems the stove vent doesn't actually vent outside, but rather filters and recirculates the air into the room. My sausage set off the smoke alarm in my room . . . twice!
The hour is late and my letter lengthy, so I'll save some thoughts for my next note. I love all of you and miss you terribly, but the more I'm in the presence of soldiers, the more I realize I'm doing God's work here. Thank you all for being willing to let me be part of something so vital at Fort Campbell.
Love,
Pops
My first week at Fort Campbell has been one of humble beginnings. The MFLC program is extremely well developed and operating on all cylinders here, but I am on the first-ever PFC rotation on post. We are under the direct oversight of Art Jones, the head of Army Community Services (ACS) at Fort Campbell. However, Art was gone this past week, so we've been embargoed from going live with our services until he signs off on our plan. So, the PFC team has spent this week putting together a game plan to present to Art on Monday, with hopes that we can get to work right away.
I enjoy my PFC colleagues. John Gann is our lead. Interestingly, he lives in North Fort Worth and has a son who's a senior at Fossil Ridge. Every day we talk, we find more places where our paths have crossed. He's a few years older than me, and reminds me a lot of Bill Cruise, although not as bombastic. He has a curious sense of humor to which I'm still trying to acclimate. Vivian Gentry, my other PFC cohort, is a charming Southern matron from Bowling Green, Kentucky. With every new person she meets, her first query is to discover if they're from Kentucky, and if so she begins tracing lineage until she finds an intersection. One fascinating aside is that all three of us are heavily involved in church music; John is the worship leader at Heritage Church of Christ in Fort Worth, and Vivian sings with the Kentucky Baptist Women's Chorale. It makes for some great conversation in the slow times, and a lot of common experiences to share.
I started out the week at the Best Western in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, which was about as remarkable as it sounds. Still, it was better than the Days Inn in Newton, Mississippi. I have now set up more permanent residence at the MainStay Suites in Clarksville, Tennessee, which puts me less than an hour from Nashville. MainStay is an extended stay hotel, which means it has a full kitchen (if you can call it that). I have a two-burner stovetop, microwave, toaster, and a full-size fridge. There is one skillet, one small sauce pan, one mediocre knife, and two place settings (if I want to cook for company). I can't wait for my care packages to arrive this week. I'm well-stocked with food. I decided to cook sausage and eggs for breakfast today, and quickly made an important discovery. It seems the stove vent doesn't actually vent outside, but rather filters and recirculates the air into the room. My sausage set off the smoke alarm in my room . . . twice!
The hour is late and my letter lengthy, so I'll save some thoughts for my next note. I love all of you and miss you terribly, but the more I'm in the presence of soldiers, the more I realize I'm doing God's work here. Thank you all for being willing to let me be part of something so vital at Fort Campbell.
Love,
Pops
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