Pastor Kirsten

“I thank my God every time I remember you, Constantly praying with joy in every one of my prayers for all of you, Because of your sharing in the gospel from the first day until now.” Philippians 1:3

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Dear People of God at Calvary,

Grace, mercy, and peace be with you all, and Merry Christmas to you! Once again, I cannot thank you enough for the love and generosity that you showed to me and to my unit this Christmas. Thank you for all 320 stockings that you sent! It is truly like the love of God in Christ, there is nothing I can do to repay you, there is no way to properly thank you. We are all deeply grateful, and it is so wonderful to see people who were once suspect of “the church” to be now actively involved in worship and bible study here in this place. Some have even asked about how to find a Lutheran Congregation when we return from the desert.
read more....

Friday, November 20, 2009

Grace and peace to you from muddy Iraq! Right now we’re in the rainy season, and we’re battling mud like I’ve never seen. It’s somewhat of an annoyance to many, but I am trying to remember the waters of our baptism as my boots sink through muddy puddles. It’s a continual dying and rising! So much has risen since I’ve last written. I took a trip to the Iranian border last month. I was visiting some of my soldiers who are working out there to train Iraqi mechanics. The colonel out there was very hospitable. He prepared lunch for me and for some of the officers who came with me.
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Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Dear People of God at Calvary,
I cannot thank you enough for the care packages that you sent to our unit in the past weeks. Some of the soldiers are so impressed by your generosity that they want to come to Calvary when we return to personally thank you for your kindness. These packages not only sustain us, they also show us who and what the church is. They show us what the church does. They remind us in a way that we can touch, and taste, and smell, that we are united to Christians throughout all time and space. You are truly a witness of the body of Christ to me and to the whole unit.
read more...

Monday, September 21, 2009

From: Hedlund, Kerstin L CPT RES USAR FORSCOM
[mailto:kerstin.l.hedlund@us.army.mil]
Sent: Monday, September 21, 2009

Our medics are starting up a new Troop Medical Clinic here (TMC). They have soldiers coming in who need to be medically evacuated or taken to the hospital and need personal items. The medics have requested baggies of:

• travel-sized shampoo
• conditioner
• toothpaste
• toothbrush
• shaving cream
• razors
• lip balm
• 45 spf sunscreen
• baby powder without talc

. That way they can send the soldier with a bag of hygiene items and they're set .

Thursday, September 3, 2009

From: Hedlund, Kerstin L CPT RES USAR FORSCOM
[mailto:kerstin.l.hedlund@us.army.mil]
Sent: Thursday, September 03, 2009

Ok, so I've arrived! ~Also know that I am tired and this is a random email~

We had a few delays in Kuwait that could have been so frustrating, but I just found them comical. It was like National Lampoon's Kuwaiti Family Vacation. Perhaps I'll try to call you later, if I can find a phone. Right now we have 10 computers for 310 people, so my access is limited. The rumor was we would have internet access in our quarters, but that might not happen for another 3 months. So, we'll see.
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Operation Sandbox (A.K.A. Care Packages to Chaplain Kerstin)

Chaplain Kerstin’s congregation within her unit has almost doubled. At their last worship there were 36 people. In addition, she has baptized one soldier and another soldier’s infant daughter!

• We are going to collect crosses and crucifixes (7 are Catholic) for her congregation that they can keep in their barracks. Please limit the size of the cross to about 6 inches tall.
• We are also collecting “pocket crosses” for the unit as a whole.

read more about Operation Sandbox>>>

90th Sustainment Brigade

The 90th Sustainament Brigade will be stationed in Iraq over the next year. The 90th is a new military group which is made up of 300 soldiers from 25 different states including Arkansas.
CLICK HERE to read more and view photos from the Deployement Ceremony on Wednesday, July 8th at the Statehouse Convention Center.

The red on green shoulder patch was designed during World War I when most of the men were from Texas and Oklahoma, thus the “T-O”. At that time, the division’s nickname was “Alamo Division”, but during World War II when men were assigned to the division from all over the country, it came to symbolize “Tough ‘Ombres”. Then, it was re-organized as part of the U.S. Army Reserve and a new nickname was added, “Texas Own”.

Captain Hedlund's Prayer Requests
August 5, 2009

This is a time of waiting for Pastor Kerstin and her soldiers with little or no rhythm to the schedule. Although things are getting down to the wire, no one knows exactly when things will begin to happen. The unit will eventually fly to Kuwait and then to Iraq, perhaps within a couple of week’s time.

• Please pray for the commanders who are experiencing lots of stress as they prepare to deploy.
• Pray for the soldiers who are becoming restless with so much idle time to become focused and positively channeled.
• Pray for the 39-year old soldier who will be baptized before he heads out.
• Pray for the time that will be set apart as Pr. Kerstin looks forward to a 4-day pass, her last before deployment.

Pastor Kerstin’s Schedule
Pastor Kerstin has completed her assignment at Ft. McCoy and is in transition. She will be in church on Sunday, July 5th. for the morning services; she will then leave to join her unit in Arkansas before they board buses and head to Ft. Hood; from there she will be deployed to Iraq.

Pastor Kerstin’s Prayer Requests
Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Uplift Pr. Kerstin with her concerns:

• that soldiers will come to worship
• that she will have more time to prepare
• that people will have more patience
• that worship will be conducted as properly as we can.

The next steps for Pr. Kerstin are a return to Arkansas, travel by bus to Fort Hood in Killeen, and from there an eventual flight to Balad in Iraq.

Pr. Kerstin will send a mailing address once she gets to Fort Hood and hopes to be in better cell and email communication while there.

The 90th Infantry Division’s World War I service in France is represented by the vertical arrow shaft, while the head of the arrow and the golden lion behind it are derived from the coat of arms of Normandy during World War II. The white star denotes the Texas origin of the unit and the five points further represent the campaign credits for World War II service in Europe. Awards of the French Croix de Gurre and Meritorious Unit Commendation are represented by the crossed bayonets.

April, 2009

Dear People of God at Calvary,

Words cannot describe my deep gratitude towards each one of you. I thank you all for your encouragement and for your partnership in ministry. Your outpouring of love, your hospitality, your encouragement, and your support during my last weeks at Calvary were (and continue to be) invaluable to me. In the past few weeks, I’ve visited with some of my classmates from seminary. As I’ve listened to their stories and their experiences, I am even more thankful for the first call I was given. I pray that I will continue to carry this first experience in ordained ministry with me wherever God leads me. I also pray that when I face challenging times ahead, I will remember Calvary & what parish life can be like. Looking toward the past will give me strength for the future, as it already has.

Your gifts will also help me look toward the past and to the future. I’ve already had the opportunity to use the communion set with my unit. Our celebration was much smaller than Eucharistic celebrations at Calvary, but that same vision of the future day was present with us as we gathered. People from across the country (all 10 of us), from all different traditions and cultures shared the body and blood of Christ. A Roman Catholic even volunteered to help with distribution… now there’s a glimpse of the future! I hope that our shared meals will not only give us a glimpse of the future, but will also transform us into the Body of Christ and will continue to unite us with you and with others who are separated from us across time and space.

Although I miss you all deeply, I look forward to continuing our ministry together in a new way. I also look forward to a day when I may see you face to face. In the close of his letters to his dear friends, St. John wrote, “Although I have much to write you, I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face, so that our joy may be complete. Peace to you. Greet the friends there, each by name.” (3 John 13-15). Thank you all for your faithfulness, love, and witness to the gospel. I remember you in prayer and look forward to hearing about the continued ministry at Calvary. I also look forward to sharing with you the joys and challenges of ministry in a new setting. Thank you for your presence in my life and for your prayers. You remain in mine.

Peace be with you,
Your grateful,
Pastor Kerstin

Statement of Our Faith