Yes, Korea was great, and yes the exercise went well (actually I'm still here and will be home in about a week but I couldn't hold this email in any longer). A quick note on that... it was great to be on a deployment already. This exercise provided an opportunity to see our equipment being used, and more importantly, the hundreds of thousands of dollars (if not couple million dollars) of data gear that I will be responsible for in a few weeks. As Communication Squadron 18, we support the entire 1st Marine Aircraft Wing with regards to comm, and to see the Tactical Air Command Center in its fully functional mode during this exercise really put my job in perspective, especially with regards to the fact of how data-centric the Wing has become. Not long after I get back I'll most likely be headed to the Philippines for another exercise called Talon Vision. Seeing the world on a free ticket and doing what I'm able to do isn't a bad deal!
In other news, God has done great things in my life while in Korea. I encourage you to read on. I came to a conclusion recently, after a nice run that I had the morning of 16 August, and wrote it in my journal. Now this conclusion was aided by my friend Oswald Chambers, and of course, the Bible. It's not new, as the Fathers of our Faith have stumbled upon it in different ways, but it is new for me. I came to this conclusion after pondering my life verse (which I've adopted recently) because I realized that knowing Christ is THE goal of my life:"I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow to attain to the resurrection from the dead. Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 3:10-14).
It has become increasingly clear to me over the past year or so that I've been in the Marine Corps that life is not about what we do, or even, what we do for God; but rather, it is about coming to know him more. For example, "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation so that you may know him better," is Paul's prayer for the Ephesians in 1:17. Don't be fooled, however. Participating in God's work and sharing our Faith is still important, but look, even that acheives the end of coming to know God as well, "I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ" (Philemon 1:6, emphasis mine).
Look at this compelling example that Oswald uses on 16 August: "It is possible to know all about doctrine and yet not know Jesus. The soul is in danger when knowledge of doctrine outsteps intimate touch with Jesus. Why was Mary weeping? Doctrine was no more to Mary than the grass under her feet. Any Pharisee could have made a fool of Mary doctrinally, but one thing they could not ridicule out of her was the fact that Jesus had cast seven demons out of her; yet His belssings were nothing in comparison to Himself... The one sign of discipleship is intimate connection with Him, a knowledge of Jesus Christ which nothing can shake." Again, it comes back to knowing Christ. Amen.
There's more points I've got, but I can't keep going in this here email. Let me know if you'd like me to share with you. Also, I would love to hear some feedback about this so-called revelation. Thank you and thank God.
As I said at the beginning of the email, I will be heading back to Okinawa within the next week, and by the grace of God, moving into my oceanview apartment. I will send pictures of that when I get there to persuade those who've thought of coming to visit me in Okinawa to make it happen. Lastly, I just want to say thank you for praying for me. Your prayers are coveted. I know that some of you must be praying for me because I can feel it in the deepest part of my soul that I am being encoruaged by the Spirit of God because of the power of prayers being said on my behalf. Be ensured that they are not only being answered but that I'm doing the same for you.
Love in Christ,
2ndLt Steven Robert Haack
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