Journey of a Lifetime - Part Two

CPT James W. Ware, USA

It is amazing to sit back and witness just how wonderfully God works through His people. We have all been blessed by their generosity. Cadet Susan Kennemur, Clemson University .

Planning to take a group of cadets to Rocky Mountain High, COL Kerry Parker and I weren't daunted by the fact that we had no funding, transportation, lodging, or interested cadets. COL Parker had just finished the Blackaby and King study, "Experiencing God," and had shared his insights with me. We were anxious to experience a "crisis of belief" that would bring us closer to God. God's purpose for us was clear-we just needed to join His team and make room for Him to act.

The first problem we tackled was interested cadets. Tom Hemingway spoke at our Annual Commander's Conference and he mentioned RMH. Later, I sent an e-mail to every professor of Military Science on the east coast, outlining the RMH program and the tentative dates. The responses poured in, despite the fact that the final cost was still an unknown factor.

Our funding problem was solved through a small miracle, when the Fort Bragg Chaplain off-handedly mentioned to us that a designated offering for RMH could be taken up later in the year.

Three months later, over $6,000 had been set aside for RMH-all through the generosity of churches in and around Fort Bragg. Some additional scholarships made it possible for every interested cadet to attend RMH-at no cost to the cadets! We don't have chaplains in ROTC so we arranged for coverage from the Fort Bragg Chaplain. We now had the use of an ROTC van for transport.

One of the biggest miracles was finding lodging. We had our eye on Fort Knox and Fort Riley because they were evenly spaced between Colorado and North Carolina. A week before we were to leave for Colorado, I called OCF contacts at each post and they replied overwhelmingly. One chapel and numerous homes were opened to us at a moment's notice. Food, shelter and welcoming smiles were waiting for us at both stops.

A journey of 3,500 miles, spanning fifteen days, was the end result of having faith in God; however, it wasn't just the faith of a few people, but the faith of hundreds.