06 Nov 08

Well it’s been a little while since I last posted.  It’s been busy these past few days, and when it hasn’t been busy I’ve been sick.  I’m finally getting over my cold, I just have a really annoying cough now, but even that seems to be clearing up.  We haven’t had anything big happen, just a lot of annoying tasks that had to get done.

Halloween was kindof fun.  Halloween is actually one of my favorite “holidays,” just because I LOVE to dress up.  I was a little disappointed I missed it this year.  A lot of other people at the aid station dressed up, but I didn’t plan well enough in advance to do anything.  Some people just wrapped themselves in guaze, but I decided not to waste medical supplies.  We had a baked potato (she wrapped herself in one of those foil emergency blankets), “Snyderman,” a princess, and the scariest one was a pimp.

That night we had a mascal rehearsal.  I didn’t do anything for most of it.  I was assigned to drive one of the HAGAs.  So for most of it I was just sitting in the drivers seat getting ready to go.  When I actually got to drive it was kindof cool to think if we had to have a convoy they might actually have me drive.  I’m looking forward to switching out shifts and working in the aid station tho.  That’s where all the action happens.

Church on Sunday was fun.  I got to play the keyboard.  Unfortunately it doesnt have a music stand attached to it, and the chapel doesnt have a music stand anywheres.  So I went in Saturday evening to practice and ghetto-rig a music stand.  It worked perfectly.  I put a sign on the keyboard to please not take it down because I need it to play for my service.  Well I came in the next day, and someone had taken it apart.  I didn’t have time to fix it, so someone had to hold my book up for me.  I was sad.  I have to come up with something else now.  Before church we took a group picture, with everybody who was there that day.  I have it posted on facebook.

Monday night we had a movie night.  They have an FHE night planned every Monday.  Luckily it’s being held at the aid station in a spare rec room we have, so it will be easy for me to go, even if I am on shift.  I just hope they don’t move it.  We watched The Other Side of Heaven.  It made me want to read the book again.  Our group leader asked me to speak in church on Sunday.  I’m looking forward to it.

Between then and now, not much has happened.  We had a lot of nothing to do during the day.  We had a few evacs.  This morning we were woken up at 0515 for an urgent evac.  A soldier from another battalion was on a convoy and stepped on a pressure plate mine.  That group was hit 3 times, but only the second had injuries.  His leg was pretty messed up, but he will be fine.

Right now we’re getting ready for another mascal rehearsal.  All these rehearsals are mandated by our brigade command.  They apparently don’t have faith in us, so we have to keep practicing and practicing and practicing while they watch over us like Greek gods or something.  This one we know is going to happen tomorrow (Friday), but we don’t know WHEN.  It could be any time between midnight and midnight.

Sis. Stauner, my Relief Society president in Alaska, wrote me an e-mail a few days ago that I have been thinking about lately….  She said our V.T. message explains that we were females before we came to earth.  We are not here to compete with men, or the role they are to perform, but to complement each other.  She said that The question regarding whether the value of a woman depended basically on their role as a wife and money was asked, and I’ve just been thinking about that a lot.  I have been thinking about the difference between me and other sisters, and my role as a woman in the church, especially being here.  I don’t want this to sound bad, but I actually feel like I fit in a lot more here than at home in Relief Society.  I think because there aren’t so many reminders of what I want so badly, but can’t have.  But back to the question about the role of woman… There is no doubt in my mind that this is where I am supposed to be right now.  This is the role my Heavenly Father wants me to fill.  and I challenge anybody to tell me otherwise.  I carry an m4   Ironically for being in a warzone, I have a peace here that I have been looking for, and I know that it is because I am doing what the Lord wants me to do.