Destination: Ft. Hood Texas

Ft. Hood Texas is the home of the Army's 4th Infantry Division, the 3rd Corps, and in six months, the home of the Olson family. I received a call today from a chaplain in Washington DC informing me that God had great plans for me in Texas.

I never would have guessed five years ago that at the age of 39, I would uproot my whole family and run off to a distant country (Texas) to begin an exciting new adventure in my life. But one desire I have is to be where God is; to join Him in what He is doing; to bring glory to Him through the very obedience of my life. God is so good!!!
So, here is my schedule for the next six months:

Now through March 24th - In Florida working with my father
March 24th - 28th - Dayton, Tn. with my family
March 29th - April 5th - Jamaica Mission Trip
April 6th - April 30th - Back in Dayton with my family
May 1st - 14 - Back to Florida to work with my father
May 14th - 17 - Dayton
May 18th - Ft. Jackson South Carolina to see JR (a young man from my church) graduate from boot camp
May 19th - June 2 - Vacation with my family
June 3rd - August - Ft Jackson for Chaplain Officer Basic Leadership Course (CHOBLC)
September - Report to Fort Hood Tx. for the beginning of my first tour

There it is. I hope you will join me in prayer as God prepares my family and I for all He has in store for us. Here is how you can pray:

• First, pray for the soldiers I will be ministering two at Ft. Hood. Pray that even now God would begin to prepare the hearts of the soldiers there so that we might see a great three years of fruitful ministry.
• Second, pray for those who will have command over me, that God will help me to minister to them as well and to find favor with them as not only a Battalion Chaplain but as a personal chaplain.
• Third, pray for my wife and kids as they spend a lot of time separated from me over the next six months.
• Finally, continue to pray for my father as he battles the cancer within his body. As a matter of praise, we have seen the largest tumor, the one in his left lung diminish by as much as 50 percent. Pray that God would give him grace as he faces some of the toughest days of his life.

I want to thank all of you for all the care and concern you have shown to my family in recent weeks. It has meant more than you will ever know.