Dedicated to Derek

I have a brother who's in boot camp right now.

He writes letters to his girlfriend about what he does each day, and she posts them on a blog, which I read faithfully.

What Derek is going through sounds like torture to me.

He wakes up at the dawn of ridiculous. He gets punished for stupid things that he didn't do. He has to constantly push himself to his physical limits. He sweats all day long. He has very little contact with the outside world.

Meanwhile, I'm writing in my blog about eating cake and going to the beach with friends! The irony is not lost on me.

Derek in uniform before he left home.

I'm so proud of my (big) little brother.

He's involved in something extremely challenging, but rewarding, and he's handling it like such a trooper.

In his latest journal entry, he wrote about praying to God for strength. It seems to me like this experience is drawing him closer to God, which is awesome. His journals have a positive vibe to them, even though they are about the tough situation that he's facing daily.

To end his journal entries, Derek often requests prayers. I want to end this one the same way...

Please pray for my brother, that he would continue to have the stamina, determination and positive outlook to make it through.

And please join me in praying for all of the men and women in the armed forces--who are separated from family and friends, in conditions that are far from fun--that they would perservere as they serve. Praise the Lord for them!

Thank you.