September 29, 2004

We got an email from Adam and were really encouraged about his spiritual growth so far while in Iraq. I am just going to quote some of his comments to us.

" As for my devotional life, it has been every bit as good as when i was at home. We have a strong center of faith amoung the marines of CharlieCompany. That has allowed us to have a bible study/devotional every wednesday evening and to attend the church services on sunday mornings. We are afforded every opourtunity to pursue our faith. a number of us have even joined the praise and worship team for sunday services.

Christian fellowship among marines here has been amazing. we have grown into a small body of christ among ourselves. we help each other with daily struggles because we are the only ones who truly understand what one another may be going through.

The thing I miss most about home with the exception of family and friends is life in the country. The feel of a fall breeze on my face, and a long day in the deer stand. whether or not I even see a deer.

So far I don't really think that i have changed that much. I still think of myself as a happy go lucky farm kid. I have learned more of an appreciation for family and friends. I miss them dearly."

We are very encouraged by his comments.

Please pray for
1. Continued spiritual growth. God has allowed this in each one of our Marines lives and in our life as parents. Help us to grow closer to Him.
2. For the reality of God's presence in chapel and everywhere they are.
3. Continued health and protection.

We are so thankful for each one of you and the role you play in our lives during this journey. Thank you for your prayers on our behalf - our family and Adam. It means a lot to us all.

Trusting in Christ's love and protection,
Jill

September 26, 2004

Thanks for praying! We had a great conversation with Adam yesterday. We talked for about 20 minutes. The connection was great and he sounded good. He said that he has received packages and phone cards from different people and says “thanks”. One comment on the phones cards - they have to be AT&T, that is the only kind that will work on their base. He was able to give some of the other cards to another Marine from Metamora who is headed home. This Marine will be able to use them from other places. Also, if the cards don’t have enough minutes, he can’t even get a connection and the time is gone. He suggested at least 500 minutes per card. That will give him about 30 minutes of phone time.
He said the weather is cooler! It was only 100 yesterday and only got to 126 this week. He is thankful for some relief. He had the afternoon off and was just thinking about home. He would rather be working, the time goes faster and there is less time to think about home. He is thinking a lot about fall and the change of seasons. We sent him some pictures of deer and he has them tacked up above his bed.
Thank you so much for your faithfulness and prayers. We appreciate you

September 24, 2004

Heard yesterday from my nephew Jeremy that the many in the company are on missions. We haven't heard from Adam.

Please pray
1. For safety - they will be on convoys to and from the mission
2. For alertness of all the Marines as they travel
3. For leadership as they direct the missions

We so appreciate your prayers and know that God is listening and answering.
In Christ's love and protection,
Jill

September 20, 2004

We got a call from Adam about 3 am on Saturday morning. He sounded good and said that he AAwas healthy and OK. He is really busy and tired at night. Really no other news. He did let us know that he received several 800 minute phone cards - those cards gave him 35 minutes of actual time on the phone. Thanks to anyone that sent them.

Please pray -
1. For health and safety
2. For endurance with the heat
3. Praise for safety thus far

Thank you so much for your prayers.
In Christ's love and protection,
Jill

September 17, 2004

Rod got a call on his cell phone yesterday morning. Adam said that he was fine, just really busy. He is in charge of much of the building now and he has nightly and morning meetings with the Colonel and other officers. He is really busy and tired a lot. Since he does enjoy construction, he is glad to be doing that. He really didn't say much else, but it is great to hear from him.

Please pray for his health and give thanks to God that he is staying on the base right now. It is much safer to be on base than it is to travel in convoys.

Today is his birthday - pray that he won't be too homesick and will be busy.

We are so thankful for all of you and appreciate your prayers and thoughts.
In Christ's love and protection,
Jill

September 13, 2004

We haven't heard from Adam, but my sister's son Jeremy mentioned him in an email to her. Jeremy said that Adam was OK, just really busy and no time to email or call. He is building on the other side of the base. I'm glad that he is busy.

I am attaching a list of items that the hospitals in Iraq need for our soldiers and Marines who are patients there. Also, the address to send those items. Maybe some of your churches could send a package for the wounded and ill.

Pray for our leaders and the upcoming election. Please vote when you have the opportunity.

Pray for the health and safety of our troops.
In Christ's love,
Jill

<>1. Shower shoes
2. Tooth paste
3. Mouth wash
4. Lotion
5. Magazines
6. Books
7. Candy
8. Cookies
9. Tooth brushes
10. Soap
11. Razors
12. Microwave pop corn
13. T-shirts
14. Underwear / Boxer Shorts
15. Nuts
16. Peanut Butter
17. Crackers
18. PJs
19. Cards – any occasion
20. Writing Materials
21. Trail Mix
22. Newspapers<>

Please mail those items to

<>Richard W. Osterman
AECOM CPA-PMO
APO AE 09316

September 12, 2004

No news since Labor Day. Just keep praying for safety and health.
I host a prayer group once monthly for military moms. We meet tomorrow night. If you think of it, pray for us as we meet.

God answers our prayers and will bless you for your faithfulness.

In Christ's love and protection,
Jill

September 10, 2004

We got an email from Adam yesterday and he said he is feeling better. He is much more active now in his missions. Please continue to pray for health and safety and alertness. I am enclosing a list of suggested items for care packages if you are interested. Thank you so much for your care and concern. We appreciate you all In Christ's love and protection - Jill

September 9, 2004

Just wanted to let you see a letter from the Chaplain at Adam's base. Here is his letter. It helped me to understand more of where the guys are at and gave me Chaplain Benson's name. Please pray for Chaplain Benson and his guidance and direction with our troops at Al Asad.

Thanks for your faithfulness.
In Christ's love,
Jill

Letter from Chaplain Benson

Whenever I move into a new area, I like to learn a bit about the local history. Here’s some information about our new “neighborhood”.

There is an oasis (natural spring) located on the base. In the desert, where there is water, there is life. And so a small village of Al Asad sprang up around the oasis. Local folklore has it that Abraham (the patriarch of both the Jewish and Arabic peoples) traveled through the area and stayed for a time at the oasis.

When Saddam Hussein came into power, he ordered the village to be vacated and the airbase built on the site in the 1980’s. Al Asad Airfield, the second largest airbase in Iraq, is located in northern Iraq approximately 180 kilometers west of Baghdad and 12 kilometers Southwest of the Euphrates River. Al Asad is protected by a 21 kilometers security perimeter.

During the invasion of Iraq, Australian Special Air Service Regiment troops captured the Al Asad Airfield on 16 April 2003. The enemy utilized sports utility vehicles (SUVs) mounted with heavy caliber machine-guns with mortar support to try and out maneuver and overwhelm the SF groups. They failed abysmally as the Special Forces, sometimes with close-air support, used superior tactics to devastate and defeat this determined enemy element. The key, it was found, lay in destroying the SUVs. With that done, surrender inevitably followed.

<>The coalition found scores of fighter aircraft, apparently undamaged and many still in flyable condition, hidden under camouflage. The discovery of over 50 aircraft at AL Asad Air Base and nearly 8 million kilograms (8,000 tons) of explosive ordnance was a major achievement. The MiGs escaped detection during the coalition bombing campaign. Some were buried, others were parked in date palm tree groves or tucked in dried out riverbeds and covered with camouflage sheets.

The air base has strategic importance because of its proximity to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The Marines of CSSB-7 are doing well. The new arrivals are adapting well, and performing superbly. Morale is high and we are ready to make the most of our time here. Thanks for your continued care and support of our nation and your Marine!

God bless you!

Chaplain Benson

September 6, 2004

<>Wanted to let you all know that we got an email from Adam is morning. It came at 5:16 am. He has been really sick with fever up to 103. He had to have IV's and he said lots of medicine and shots. He said no antibiotics though. He was out of commission for a few days. Said that he is feeling better now.

Please pray for his health and for those all around him. They all seem to get whatever the others have had. Thanks for praying. We appreciate your faithfulness.

In Christ's love and healing power,
Jill

September 4, 2004

We got a letter from Adam today. It was written a few weeks ago, but I thought I would share things with you. I'm just going to directly copy from his letters.

We drink so much water here. I drink about 6 water bottles that are 1.5 liters each by lunch. I still pee yellow, you can't keep up. We had P.T. (physical training) this morning at 0530 this morning. It isn't hot yet by then. It almost feels nice here that early. The desert is so calm in the early morning you can hear for what seems like miles. It's cool. So far no sand storms, but I'm sure they are coming.

< style="font-style: italic;">One of the sergeants here messed up and left his rifle unattended, it got picked up by some first sergeant. Anyway, now my whole platoon has to walk everywhere with our weapons tied to us. We look like idiots. Oh, well. It's funny, but not that funny!

< style="font-style: italic;">I have seen quite a few people I know here. Some from engineer school and also my Senior Drill Instructor (from boot camp). I didn't bother to talk to him though. He still has that Drill Instructor look, even in Iraq.

I guess it 's about harvest time there pretty soon. I sure will miss fall. It's my favorite time of year. I can't believe I will miss it for the second year in a row. (He was at Camp LeJune North Carolina from August thru November 2003). Hopefully Dad , you can send me some good deer pictures to look at. If you can take a camera into the woords and snap me a few pictures of any deer you decide not to shoot. If you can't, no big deal. November first will be a bad day for me. (First day of deer hunting season.) <> I don't think we are going to ??????? or ????. to soon, but I'm sure they will tell us at the last second. You know how that works. They asked us yesterday if we wanted to go and most people said No. I said yes just because our opinion doesn't matter. They will send us if they want to so you might as well be ready to go.


Well, I can still see his sense of humor in his letters. If anyone wants to send him any hunting magazines, he would probably love it.<> Please pray for all our troups and their safety. Pray for health and tolerance to the heat. Praise the Lord for air conditioning.

We haven't heard from him by phone or email since 8/31. Thanks so much for your prayers,
In Christ's love and protection,
Jill

September 1, 2004

We got 5 letters from Adam today! That was great, but reading between the lines, tells my mother's heart that he is homesick. Please pray for him as he adjusts to new culture, weather and lonliness. He did say that living with everyone makes you almost like brothers. Pray for his Godly influence on his buddies. It just made me sad to read his letters. Thanks for praying.

<> Knowing that God is right there beside him is very comforting. And knowing that you are praying is comforting also.

We were watching the Republican National Convention tonight and every time someone would mention our servicemen and women, my heart just swelled with pride for them all. I'm so proud of them and their willingness to fight for my freedom. In Christ's love,
Jill