Convoy

Tuesday

Today started out pretty normal. I was up at 4:30 spent some time doing my devotionals. I Went off on foot to breakfast at about 5:45. It's about a 15 min walk to the Dinning facility. It takes even longer when were wearing all of our body armour and helmet and all. I got back from breakfast at about 7am then walked over to the motor pool in time for the 8am formation. It was at breakfast that I learned that we were doing a convoy mission today. Apparently some individuals need to be tranported to the main hospital some distance away. It was our mission to take them there in our ambulances. Let me back up and tell you about Sunday. Sunday I woke up and went to work out at about 5:30. It was still dark out. Our unit was planning to head out to another base and swim in the pool and spend the day there. In the morning I was debating whether I should go or not. And God spoke to me and laid it on my heart that I shouldn't go. I wondered if the warning was really from the Lord or if I was just worried about leaving the protection of the camp. The Lord again laid it on my heart that I would get opportunities in the future to visit the other base and swim and enjoy myself but today wasn't that day.And on this particular morning I became somewhat aware that Iraq's enemies were at work mortoring US positions throughout the area. It's not uncommon to hear a mortor go off occasionally in the distance. But they seemed to be coming frequently and pretty close at that. A staff member over at the workout facility said here camp, not too far away, had been hit by a mortor that morning. And the loud booms were noticeable. So were the sounds of the attack helicoptors at work chasing down the purpetrators. You may have heard about the escalated violance on CNN or such. So I was still trying to decide whether to go or not. So I decided at about 9 am that I would lay down and take a nap. If I woke up in time to go I would go. And if I slept through it than I would just go watch a movie. So I ended sleeping through the departure time. I learned the next day that it had been cancelled, good thing too. Another group had left around the time we were planning to leave. And a vehicle with explosives had pulled up along side and blown up. Two people were killed in that incident and three had been injured. Later on throughout the day as I watched CNN at meal times and so on that I learned more and more about what was taking place around me. I learned later that over 40 incidents had taken place that day. I saw a map that was peppered with x's where Iraq's enemies had struck in the vicinity. I'm so thankful that the Lord had given me a heads up and our leadership also the information they needed so that none of our team was involved in any such incidents. Well today we were going to be heading out on the road to fulfil our mission of transporting some soldiers to the hospital. And we suited up, full battled rattle. Our weapons were loaded, our vehicles manned with gunners on top and each vehicle in close radio contact. We also conducted a briefing to talk about the what ifs and we were off. Racing down the highway is a little frightening when you consider that at any time a vehicle can race up along side and detonate. We especially grow weary when we approach a traffic jam of any sorts. We came across a few but the traffic always made way for us to ride past. The Lord once again watched over us and protected us and we completed our mission with no incidents.