Dear Team,

With President Obama’s recent decision to send more troops into Afghanistan, many military families are preparing for more deployments. Stars and Stripes, a military newspaper, featured an article this weekend about a recent study regarding the toll deployments are taking on military dependents.

According to the study, “Multiple, lengthy wartime deployments by service members are taking an emotional toll on their children, who report being anxious or stressed at rates much higher than children nationwide.”

The fact that wartime deployments are resulting in added stress for children didn’t surprise researchers. However, they were “surprised to learn their problems deepened with longer or more frequent deployments. This challenged an assumption that children might, with repetition, get used to a parent being gone and later reintegrating with the family.”

The author reported that, “the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are creating an unparalleled time for military families given the strain of operations over many years on both active and reserve volunteers. The nature of these conflicts is different — in terms of the extended deployments, the multiple back-to-back deployments. So it’s hard to really [compare to] prior wars to what we’re experiencing now," she said

Studies like this are important because they provide great insight into some of the specific needs of those I’ll be ministering to. Understanding where kids are hurting helps me meet them where they’re at. Ultimately, I believe what these families need is Christ, and to experience His healing power and peace.

Would you pray with me this week for families impacted by deployments. Especially during the Holidays, it’s difficult for families to be separated, giving rise to more stress and anxiety. Pray that families would find rest in Jesus this week. Also, please be praying for wisdom and strength for those who are currently ministering to military families. This is often their "busy" season, as many families come to church during the Christmas season, providing opportunities to reach out and minister to new people.

As always, thanks for praying and journeying with me!

Because of Christ,
Beth

(Click here to read the article)
(To browse through the whole study, click here and search for “Children on the Homefront")