Can Veterans Day Come Early?

This was not a post I planned to make.  I will NOT get into politics here or play a blame game.  Frankly, what is about to occur in this country is something we ALL need to look long and hard at and figure out where we can put our noses to the grindstone.

My husband is a disabled veteran.  We live in the flux that is military retirement.  Thankfully he also has a job.  But check out some of these loose statistics:

(credit goes to Veterans Day: Census Facts)

• There are 21.5 MILLION veterans in the U.S.
• 9.2 MILLION vets are over age 65 (read: beyond typically employed age, relying on retirement income)
• Florida, Texas and California are home to over 1 MILLION veterans each
• 3.5 MILLION of these vets have a service-connected disability.  This ranges from simple issues to men and women who will never be able to re-enter the work force.

And finally: Only 9.1 MILLION of these 21.5 MILLION veterans are gainfully employed.

What does this mean?  If the goverment does not figure it's shit out SOON, how many of these men and women will go hungry?  How many will end up homeless?

I've heard lots of veteran families say, "We are hoping it works out by the time we're supposed to get our checks."  Look, I think that's a pretty dangerous assumption, but hope is all they have.

I've heard some people in the community say, "We are all just thinking it will be fixed by the 1st."  Look, I think that's a pretty dangerous assumption and hope is NOT all WE have.

I am crying out to the people of this nation and to the CHURCHES-RALLY FOR THE VETERANS!  Most of these people will not stand up and cry out for their own benefit.  They NEED US.  Write your congressperson, but beyond this, DO SOMETHING.  The churches I've been involved in have complained that the government is forcing tax payers to do the job of the church-well, this is our chance to STAND UP and take our position as caretakers of the weak back. 

What does that look like?  It could be as simple as churches putting up signs that every veteran can come get bags of rice and beans until checks come or it could be as elaborate as opening homes or giving 3 square meals per day.  Really, there is a lot of room for creativity here and there is a vast NEED.

This is not some pie-in-the-sky issue that *might* come to fruition...these are our fellow Americans facing rent deadlines that will not be met and landlords who don't understand.  This is our brothers and sisters facing the prospect of being hungry and not being able to bring enough food for their families.

Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) and USAA are both putting their words to action.  I am linking to both of them in the event that veterans stumble upon this post and can benefit from these services.  Please link other organizations in the comments section so that we can serve as a small corner of the internet that HELPS instead of points fingers at a certain political party or another.

WWP is giving checks to anyone registered as an Alumni as of October 14 if pension checks don't come on time.  If you are registered with them and haven't been in contact for a while, make sure your address is up to date. http://www.wwphighcap.org/

USAA says this: "USAA Bank remains ready to offer a zero-interest, 0% APR payroll advance loan to affected members if the next federal budget issue — the debt ceiling — disrupts pay to active-duty service personnel.  Affected members whose federal payments are delayed by such an impasse and who have existing direct-deposit arrangements at USAA Bank for active-duty military or military retiree pay, or VA or Social Security payments, may be eligible for the loan."  https://www.usaa.com/inet/ent_logon/Logon

PLEASE think on, pray about, consider and decide what you will do, or what you will inspire those in your circle to do if these checks are not sent on the 1st.  Don't wrongly assume that if this is sorted out by the 1st of November that checks will be on time; they will not.  What if your paycheck were 2 weeks late?  How would that affect your family?  Most Americans live paycheck to paycheck and that is representative of most veterans, as well. 

Let's be the solution to this problem.  Let's stand in the gap the government has created for those who have served and sacrificed.  Our family is prepared to help in any way that we can.  Will you join us?  Share this post and let's create a network of resources around the nation for those who need a safety net.

If you are a Christian, CALL YOUR CHURCH and find out WHAT they WILL be doing.  Do not be the people who walked past the battered man in the ditch.  Let's show the world what our faith really means with a biblical response.  This problem is NOT too big.  We can be the change. This won't require a mission trip or fundraising-it only requires a willing heart.

Edited to Add: I know enlisted personnel stand to see a loss of payment, and I feel for them and their families.  However, the sad fact is that veterans have nowhere near the network that enlisted personnel do.  My focus here is on vets, although I recognize this shutdown affects far more than just them. 

More than just a trip

I want to get a little more in-depth with my explanation of just *why* Allan is going on this mission trip to Haiti. After the earthquake, I felt a particular pull for the Haitian people. I would like to say I'm a fairly compassionate person for those who've been struck by disaster, but this was different. I felt an intense need and longing and a pressure on my heart to DO something for these people. GraceAnne started a change drive at the school she attended at the time, and they raised over $900. I was so proud of her, of course! After that, I thought of them and prayed for them frequently, but was at a loss of what else to do. I wondered if God would call us to Haiti in some form of ministry-but honestly, it scares the bejeeses out of me for a number of reasons.

In January of this year, Jeff-a member of our small group, a great friend and now our pastor-told us that his best friend was involved with a group who went on mission trips to Haiti. He expressed his desire to go in March. We encouraged him, but didn't think much else of it until a couple weeks later.

At that time, Allan had been out of work for 2 months. He wasn't exactly sure why he'd been called away from the VA, but we both *knew* he had been and finally heeded that call. Through a lot of prayer and WAITING, God pressed on Allan's heart that our disabled veterans have organizations that help them go on physical expeditions, help them rehabilitate to civilian life and give them all kinds of funds/opportunities to help them move forward after their losses, but many of them still feel...well, LOST. Allan and I know first-hand that Christ is the only thing that has catapulted us from "making it" to thriving. We have heard so many stories of men with the same injuries (physical and mental) as Allan, but they were falling through the cracks, going so far as to beat or even kill their families and even more frequently, themselves. These men just can't seem to move past the "making it" phase into a better life.

So Allan realized that these men need the love of JESUS and they need to see that there are people out there who are less-fortunate than they to remember that life is worth living, even if it's different now. They need to know that *because* of the differences, life can be more beautiful. So was born the idea of taking disabled veterans on missions trips to foreign countries. It only took us a few minutes to connect the two ideas--Jeff's idea of GOING on a trip and Allan's idea of TAKING people on trips. Of course, Allan should have an idea of what a mission trip will involve for a disabled person.

So more than just a good deed, a mission trip, a fulfilling of the Great Commission, this trip is also a fact-finding mission. It will be part of our foundation for building an organization that can truly help disabled veterans move past "making it" into thriving. Allan will be keeping a detailed log of what kinds of set-backs he faces. How long can a man with one leg work without a break? What kind of mental stresses will this kind of environment place on a man who suffers PTSD? What kinds of emotions are unleashed after "re-entry" that will need to be addressed and dealt with? How can we be sure to connect every dot back to Christ for someone whose understanding might be weak at best? I'm sure many other questions will be posed and answered that we haven't even thought about yet.

This is SO EXCITING!!! I pray the excitement is contagious. The trip has been post-poned once, but I know that was God's will. He knew Jeff wouldn't be able to go in March and He made it so Allan couldn't go without Jeff. As I've said before, the trip is now scheduled for June 24-July 2 and both men are on track. Allan's deposit is paid and we have about $400 toward Jeff's deposit. We have a great friend and another fellow small group member working on finding more donations, but we only have 6 more days! Please, if you feel God tugging on your heart to help, know that every dollar will be going toward these missions and also, if you wish, we can get you a tax deduction for your donation. If you cannot help financially, please PRAY-first and foremost-because God DOES answer prayers. We are living testimonies to that! And please also pass this blog post along to other people. God uses all kinds of people and He is the God of the little things so that no man can boast. He will make sure that a $5 donation here and a $10 donation there adds up to a great sum so that the Blessings may be spread to many.

God Bless you all. We love and miss you!!