“Someone told me that we may be able to send mail tomorrow because we are letting some people who were riding with us off. So maybe they can take the mail like the other guy did…” December 11, 2003

What you just read was an excerpt from a letter in a prayer box written by my husband to me while he was on deployment for six months. I must have placed it in my prayer bin accidentally. I forgot about it. It brought a smile to my face. All kinds of good feelings welled up in me as I thought about how much my hubby loves me.

My husband heard that he could get mail to me. It wasn’t a guarantee, it was a possibility. In spite of that, the first moment he had was after he finished getting ready for bed for the evening, he wrote me a short letter. He stated he didn’t want to miss a possible opportunity for me to get a handwritten letter from him since those opportunities didn’t come often at that time while he was on deployment. It was clear from reading the letter that throughout the day he kept on his mind the focus of writing me a letter and hoping I get it. He could have waited for delivery to be guaranteed but he didn't, he wrote and hoped.

“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrews 11: 1 NIV

The Keepsake that God gave me from reading my husband's letter is: It takes faith to pray and hope to not give up in the unknown. Some prayers will not be answered in my lifetime. I need to trust that God who makes all the deliveries knows when and how he is going to deliver his promises. That I can hold on to!

To God be the glory!