Noted – Navs Military

Eternal Impact in a Short Time

Saying goodbye is a regular part of military ministry, but sometimes as Marines move on to their next assignments, the results of time invested in discipleship become clear.

At a recent community send-off party, we gave the Marines who were leaving a chance to share what they had learned. James, who was leaving for an assignment in Japan, said, “Acceptance! I will always remember being accepted and loved here, which is causing me to embrace that God really does love me. Believing Psalm 139:15, I’m learning to embrace God’s design of who I am.”

We also received a letter from Dan, who was part of our community for only eight months during pilot training. He had a tough relationship with his father. I gently challenged Dan with questions of how he could honor his father regardless of how he feels from his life experiences. Dan said, “I didn’t expect to be discipled while here, but I’ll always remember beginning to understand the Father’s love for me from this time.”

80% of officers come through ROTC rather than through the military academies.