Training for Eternity: One of Those Days

Training for Eternity: One of Those Days

An amazing story of the sacrifice our soldiers are making

A New Beginning

It has been a long road getting here, and it is hard to decide where to start with this journey.  I guess I can say it began about five years ago when I felt the call to ministry.  From the beginning I felt like the chaplaincy was where it was all heading but I had so much school in front of me before I could get there, not to mention how out of shape I was.

Well the school happened, I earned my BS in Religion then went on to seminary, this past May I graduated with a MA in Christian Leadership and continued for my Masters in Chaplaincy which I will be awarded this December.  

The fitness level was definitely with God's help,  I began riding my bike about 18 months ago, I have since lost about 50 lbs and am in what I would consider to be pretty decent shape, but still have a little ways to go before I am at what I would consider Army shape.

The application process has been the most stressful.  I spoke to a recruiter last Thanksgiving and began what was to become a very long journey.  First I obtained an endorser, a Department of Defense approved religious agency.  The World Council of Independent Christian Churches (WCICC) was a perfect fit, I would have the freedom to serve all denominations and faiths but with a strong Christian support ministry.  I was ordained and endorsed in early 2009.

The Army application process was a little more difficult, having been prior service and with a knee injury and VA disability required a lot of paper work and trips to the MEPS (Military Entrance Processing Station) in Charlotte for physicals and evaluations.  My final doctors appoint occurred last month with an orthopedic specialist who declared me fit for duty  - Hooah!!

During this process I must admit I would have moments of discouragement and begin to think it was not going to happen.  Well the final step in the whole process occurred this past week.  The chaplain selection board took place on Tuesday and Wednesday.  We were told we would hear something either Thursday evening or Friday.  By Friday afternoon I had not heard anything so I emailed my recruiter, he said the results were sitting on the Chief of Chaplains desk waiting for his approval and he did not know when that would happen.

Friday evening at about 6:00 pm ( I guess I should say 1800 hours now ) he called.  I had played this over and over in my head, if he called me Rev Mitchem then I was sure it was a no go, but if he called me Chaplain Mitchem then I knew we were going.  I answered the phone and SFC Funneman asked to speak to Chaplain Mitchem, before he told me anything else I just knew it was good news!!  He congratulated me and said he was pleased to address me as Sir now.

Now we wait again.  Within three weeks I will receive my commissioning orders, find an officer to swear me in and take my oath.  After that the paperwork will go back to DACH (Dept of Army Chaplains) and then I will get my orders for school.  School is at Ft Jackson in South Carolina for three months.  Halfway through school I will get my orders for our first duty station and we will find out where we will be living for at least the next two years.

It has been a long road, many trials and times of almost quitting it all.  God has put us through a lot in the last five years but looking back it has prepared us and made us strong for this new chapter in our lives.  At church today our Pastor preached about the Israelites and their time in the dessert.  I just looked at Denise and we both new, we have been in the dessert and we are now looking across the Jordan to our new home.