Dear Team,

Please join with me this week in praying for the situation at Ft. Hood. The Ft. Hood military community, including dependents, numbers 100,000 people. That’s a lot of people who’ve been impacted by the shootings.

Cadence International (the mission I’m serving with) has a Hospitality House there. The Cadence team works with the chaplains to minister to soldiers and their families by leading weekly Bible studies, discipleship groups and organizing retreats throughout the year. There are also Cadence workers who minister with Child Evangelism Fellowship. They do children’s ministry on the post there. I’ve received a few e-mails the past few days with updates from the Ft. Hood team. They’re all accounted for and doing well, considering the circumstances. They’ve shared some prayer requests, which I’m passing onto the Key Club this week.

It’s unclear to me if any of the victims were a part of the Cadence ministry. However, it’s highly likely that people who regularly attend the hospitality house events knew some of the victims through work or deployments, and some may have known, or been seen by the shooter (for counseling evaluations, as he was a doctor on post). Please pray for wisdom, strength and endurance for the Cadence team as they minister to their shaken flock. Also, please pray for their health, as some have been a little under weather recently.

They’ve opened up some of the rooms in their house for family members of the wounded to stay in, while they’re visiting. Please pray for wisdom for the team as these guest will present many ministry opportunities.

The schools on base were locked down for several hours during the shootings. Many children are still shook up from it and being separated from their parents during a scary time is impacting them. Please pray for the children’s ministry team as they help children process the events and seek to share the peace of Jesus with them.

The team has asked that we pray for the Ft. Hood chaplains. Many will be called on for counseling, opening up the opportunity for spiritual conversations. Last week, we prayed for chaplains, so let’s continue that this week, praying specifically for those ministering to the Ft. Hood community.

In closing, here’s a clip from one of the e-mails I received from the Ft. Hood Cadence team... “I’m hoping for tender hearts in the soldiers. Right now there seems to be a certain numbness. There are people that want to do something - anything to help - and feel very helpless. A mini-9/11 or mini-VA TECH, but same effect. There are “behind the scene” things that need prayer. There have been some high level military involved in this. There will undoubtedly be some “readjustment” at Darnal Army Hospital and other places. Please pray this does not negatively impact the Fort Hood community and especially the hospital patients including those in the Wounded Warrior Program."

Thank you for your prayers this week for our military community at Ft. Hood. The Cadence team covets your prays this week, and I'm thankful we can lift them up before our Lord. Thanks friends.

In Christ,

Beth