Go Guard!

Earlier this week, I prayed to my Lord... but this time my prayer was very different. I cried out to God. I told Him I knew we weren't worthy, and that maybe we didn't trust Him enough to take care of our situation. I didn't question why, I just begged that He take care of it, however He saw fit.

Hunter has been on a roller coaster ever since he left for basic. Riding on military promises of scholarships and the desire to return home, he and his family frantically worked to get him to Alabama this fall.
We have hit many potholes along the way. Somehow, a Tuscaloosa native was classified as out of state, and the promise of a military scholarship disappeared. Money was squeezed out of everywhere possible just to make it through the fall... $12,000, one semester. And best of all, there was 'no place' for him in the Alabama Guard.

If you can imagine, Hunter is now left with empty pockets, and no scholarship... There was no idea of what to do. Option one: go back to Arkansas and get deployed. Option two: Stay here, drop out of school and risk getting arrested if the Alabama Guard didn't give him a spot (he would be considered AWOL in Arkansas). There wasn't another $12,000 just lying around for him to go to UA next semester... but thankfully, many, many backup plans were devised.

So, I will spare you all the crazy details, but after many stressful nights and phone calls. Hunter was sworn in to the Alabama National Guard yesterday. There was just one catch, he had to re class. His MOS (military occupation specialty) would have to be changed. There was still no place for his job, a combat engineer, and he would have to change to get a spot. Unfortunately, there wasn't an MOS of his choosing, but he had to change to get in. There is the option though, in a few years, that he could change back... Here's hoping.

So, he is in, no more AWOL, and no deployment for now. He is going to enroll in the local community college for next semester, just so he can keep taking classes. To go there out of state is 1/3 the cost of going to UA out of state. He has another promise of in state tuition and the hope of a scholarship for next fall... But we shall see in time.

For now, we are just thankful to have a plan and a direction in which to work toward.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!