an update finally

Well, sorry it has taken so long to update this blog. We only got the internet hooked up in our house a day or so ago. We did close on our house successfully. Our personal belongings were shipped from St. Louis about a week and a half later. We are now in the middle of unpacking and being surrounded by boxes. It will probably take us several more weeks to fully unpack, but Suzi is doing a great job of getting us settled in while I am at the base.

I have spent the last week inprocessing at 20th replacement company at Ft. Campbell. It consists of showing up for a 0530 formation, then waiting until around 0900 for offices to open so I can get various paperwork processed. It really is an exercise in "hurry up and wait." As of today, I still have some finance paperwork and some orders to get taken care of. It is frustrating that technically, I am not in the pay system (finance) or even really here (orders).

I am busy trying to get ready for a trip to Ft. Polk, Louisiana for an exercise with 4th Brigade Combat Team. We will be gone most of October so please be praying for Suzi as she manages the house and 4 kids without me. Believe it or not, Ransom, our youngest, has broken his leg again (this is the 3rd time in 2 years). He was playing with some other kids and a dog in a back yard. The dog was tied with a rope to a tree. The dog ran around and ended up tripping Ransom with the rope. The doctors think he fractured his ankle so he now has a cast for the next 2 weeks. He is a tough little trooper and has quickly learned how to walk around on his cast.

Asher and Kinsey are enjoying their new school and making friends left and right. Nouwen has been enjoying playing with Ransom and having extra time with mommy everyday.

Suzi has been getting involved in a bible study at our church as well as beginning to meet with PWOC (Protestant Women of the Chapel) on post. We recently purchased a new vehicle so that I have something to drive to the base and she has something to drive the kids to school and run errands. She has been enjoying driving the new car alot. I have enjoyed getting to know Chaplain Anderson, who I am replacing at 1-61 Cav. He will be coming with us to Ft. Polk next month so he will continue to be a good resource for me. I have also been blessed to have a good mentoring Chaplain in Chaplain Cabrera at the brigade level.

Please contine to pray for me and our family. We have enjoyed meeting some neighbors on our street and hope that we can be a redeeming influence in our neighborhood. I am being worked into a number of counseling situations at the 1-61 (even though technically, I am not even there). Our servicemen and their families desperately need your prayers (this is some people's 4th time to deploy). Pray for our finances, as we have yet to be paid (not in the system yet -- finance). We live by faith and God has always been faithful to us. But it really would be nice to get paid soon. Pray for me as I get back into the regular routine of Physical Training (PT) again. I am out of shape but am sure that will change soon (for the better!)

Here is our contact information:

Jonathan and Suzi Entrekin
566 Winding Bluff Way
Clarksville, TN 37040

suzi cell 314-346-7777
jonathan cell 314-346-4762

Pinpoint assignment figured out

Well, I found out today that I will be serving in the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1-61 Cavalry. Hooah! I meet with the Brigade Chaplain tomorrow morning to be introduced to folks and get an early lay of the land. While I am not being deployed to Iraq in the immediate future, I did find out that I will be gone for most of the month of October on a training mission with the Brigade. As the Chaplain said, "this will be somewhat of a baptism by fire for you." Nothing like getting your feet wet, right? Well, despite having to leave the family in a few weeks, we are very excited to now know who exactly I will be working with and how best to pray for them.

We are scheduled to close on our house tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. Unfortunately, the transportation office has told us that the soonest our personal belongings could be packed up from our storage facility in St. Louis is th 12th of September. So it will probably be over a week before we have furniture and pots and pans, etc. So we will have to make it a sloooow transition from army lodging into our new home. Actually, we are still just excited to have something to move into! Again, anybody travelling our way be sure to stop in for a visit.

Will keep everyone posted on news as it happens.

- Jonathan and the family