T-Minus One Week and Couting

Really? A week already? Because I remember just 11 weeks ago, I was a mess.

My sister whom I talked to every.single.day went and decided to join and leave the Marines. How could she?  Didn't she understand the hurt it caused us all?  Didn't she understand that things just wouldn't be the same without her?  The answer is, no.  She didn't understand a lot when she first left, but today, today, she is a different girl. A different sister, a different daughter, and a different kind of civilian.  

Today, my sister is enduring a 3 day 48 mile hike, which is called the Crucible, for those that do not know.  Basically, its the last hoo-rah of hoo-rah's in basic training. And all recruits must pass this final test in order to hold the title of a US Marine.  Asking everyone to please keep Chelsey in your thoughts and prayers as today was/is her first day of the 3 day test.  I only wish I could be there with her to see the look on her face when she completes it.  Everything they have learned, and engraved into their minds and spirits will be tested in and around this course, and all they have been through before will come down to this specific point in time.  

You think back to when she first arrived...

Can you imagine arriving on Parris Island (its really an island, btw. surrounded by swamp) in the early hours of the morning?  You're tired from the night before due to lack of rest, due to the nervous and anxious hours that await you.  You say goodbye to your loved ones, and you're suddenly already on the plane headed to South Carolina. You board your final bus full of complete strangers. Your heart is pounding and the adrenaline is rushing.  Just then, a US Marine Drill Sergeant steps on board... the next thing you know, you're on the two yellow feet that will mark your beginning of this long and excruciating journey.  Just when you think you're already in hell, the eerie sound of the bus driving away sends a panic into every fiber of your being. 

And in that very second, the process begins. 

You're beginning to know and truly feel what fear really is.
And in that very second, you begin to adapt and overcome.

You begin to reach deep inside your soul, and you hunger for the Lord as you never have before.

You cry out to Him, and beg Him to carry you through the next 13 weeks. 

You begin to mold into what you're soon to become...

The Few. The Proud. The Marines.

I will see you soon, sissy!

I love you and at this point, words can't even begin to express how very very proud I am of you!

OORAH!

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Faith and Love,
Casey