Flashback - Small car and Typhoons - 16 July 2007

friends:

greetings from the far side of the sea. not only did i arrive safely in okinawa on friday, july 6, but i survived my first typhoon which registered a direct hit on the island. weather reports said winds reached gusts of over 100 mph (luckily not the 140-170mph gusts that were predicted), and the typhoon lasted from thursday evening until saturday afternoon. what a way to be welcomed.

my mailing address is as follows:

2nd Lt. Steven Haack
MWCS-18, 1st MAW
Unit 37181
FPO AP 96603-7181

not that i'm expecting anything, seriously, but just in case... do not send anything larger than a shoe box and do not have the outside be extravagant. either brown or something else simple. this is my work mailing address and is the one that i will use until i get a place in town and maybe even after that since it is u.s. mail. thank you.

i've been assigned to marine wing communication squadron 18 (MWCS-18). i will be the communications data platoon commander, which means i will be responsible for all of the data services provided to the commanders of other units so they can tell their troops how to fight the fight. services like email, video-teleconferencing, secure interent (SIPRNET),etc... i'm very excited about this opportunity. another cool thing is that i am going to be deployed to korea for a joint exercise in early august; that will be for about a month.

i got my driver's license this past week and got a japanese car this past weekend - a nissan cube; i kind of think it is hillarious. i've also gotten to meet up with a fellow lieutenant who i met in virginia who became one of my best friends out there. his name is caleb and he is a solid Christian brother. pray for us to be salt and light as young officers in our beloved united states marine corps.

thank you for the reponses that i get to these emails. i appreciate each one of them. that's it for now. take care until next time, and "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." - matthew 5:16.

semper fi,
2nd lt. steve haack
usmc

Flashback - Departure and Arrival in Okinawa - 3 July 2007

Dear family and friends:

Hope you are well. This afternoon I fly to Seattle, WA, followed by a flight to Okinawa, Japan, on Thursday morning. I'll be in Okinawa for 2 years with intermittent deployments to areas in the south Pacfic as well as places I dont' know of yet. I do not yet have a mailing address but will be sending that out upon establishing a residence.

There are many people on this email list, and I realize I haven't talked to some of you in a long time. As I am going to be keeping in touch every now and then with an update email, I would love to hear from you about what is going on in your life, and I'll do my best to keep up with you too. The reason you're getting this is because you've been an important part of my life at one point or another, and I'd love to maintain that contact as we continue to "press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called [us] heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:14). Email will be the best way to do this, as well as a VOIP phone program called Skype which is free to download and have an account with (go to skype.com). My username for that is steven.haack.

Many of you are aware of the recent events in my life, and I want to let you know that I appreciate the outpouring of prayers, support, emails, phone calls, etc... Whether or not you're aware of what I'm talking about, know this... I am going to be ok because there is One who sits on the throne of my life who is far above all the troubles and trials this world and this life have to offer; His name is Jesus Christ. I've even got His promises to go along with it. "In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world" - Jesus (John 16:33). "...we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces endurace; endurance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not dissapoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts..." (Romans 5:3-5). Pray for God to give me strength and wisdom as I go to fulfill my orders in Okinawa. Until next time, "store up for yourselves treasures in heaven" (Matthew 6:20).

In Him who is able to do immeasurably more,
Steven Robert Haack
2nd Lieutenant - USMC

First things First

Greetings from Okinawa. So I'm here as part of Marine Wing Communication Squadron 18. I got moved here in July and will be here until July of 2009. I've already been to South Korea and the Philippines on exercises, and will be returning to Korea in February. After that it is Thailand, followed by another trip to Korea. There is going to be so much that happens in between all of those trips that it is ridiculous. A whole year of my life almost that will move so fast because of the extremely high operational tempo. But hey, that is how we do it over here. If it wasn't that way, we wouldn't be Marines. If it wasn't that way, we wouldn't be doing more with less.

I love this Journey that I'm on. It really began 5 years ago (November of 2002) when I realized, by the grace of God, that this life isn't about me or living to fulfill my desires. Rather it is about Jesus Christ and living a life for Him. I love to testify to the fact that when that decision was made in my life 5 years ago, I had no idea it would take me to Okinawa, Japan, serving as a Marine Corps Officer. And I have no idea where it will take me next, but I can't wait to find out. I know because of the promises of God that it will be good because He will be with me. It might actually take me through tough times, which most people would not see as good, but because Jesus will be with me during those times, then dang it, that will be enough. Amen.I think this blog will turn out to be more for me than anyone else... a place where I get to write about doing life where I'm at, a recorded history of me working through what God is teaching me in my everday walk with Him. I think it is a cool way to stay in touch and to let people know what I am doing, but everybody is busy with their own lives. It is tough to find the time when we all have people actively involved in our lives and in relationships where we are actually at. But please read and comment at your leisure. Hopefully this will be another tool I can use to stay in touch with you whom I know and love. Until next time, take care. Keep the Faith. Press onward toward the Goal. - Philippians 3:14.

ONE,
SRH