LoveBoxesForOurTroops.com

Love Box Mailbag Chirstmas Edition

john — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 20:12:01 +0000

Dear Friends,

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ, it provides an opportunity to reflect upon the past year and make an accounting of all the blessings our gracious Lord has bestowed upon us. The letters below should all be added to our tally as we celebrate this day with our families, in our own homes, at peace.

Now to the mail:

I just received 17 Boxes!!!!!
I wanted to thank you and everyone at Operation Love Box for this wonderful gesture.
I distributed them among the staff that I work with in the Hospital and it put a smile on everyone’s face.
Once again, thank you SO much! Hope you all have wonderful holidays.
Take Care,
Nydia Ortiz

Thank you so much for the care boxes that you sent. A few of them arrived this morning and the sailor who received them was kind enough to share with the rest of us. After reading your letter and the story behind “The Love Box” project, I am once again amazed how great our God is. I thank Him for people like you that are such a blessing to all of us. May you and your family be blessed and have a Merry Christmas!
Gratefully,
Dessi

Thank you so much for the boxes, they are arriving 10-15 per day for the last 3 days so far. I took 12 over to the 1835th Combat Stress Control Clinic and a 1LT Lynnette Moore was going to wrap them up an put them under their Christmas Tree. They get soldiers in that are having stress issues whether it is marital or combat stress or depression or sleep disorders related to combat and they go thru therapy there,
I took 12 over to the hospital today and they will be giving them out to soldiers who come in wounded and are recovering there for a time frame. I am going to go to Bashra tonight and take another 1o down there with me to give to the Chaplin down there to distribute.
The efforts of your group are heart felt over here and I cannot tell you enough the thanks that come my way to be relayed to your group.
Thank you all
In this time of giving, we must remember the gift of Jesus Christ.
Barry

Thank you Sooo much for the LOVE!!!! These boxes came at a great time as several were full of decorations that arrived just in time to make this place more festive for the holidays. Thank you and everyone back home for the extraordinary effort put into this. It is deeply appreciated. We had a great Thanksgiving meal here and now this early Christmas present. Thanks Again!
V/R
MAJ Thomas Lutz

My name is SPC Kimberly Martin. I currently serving in Afghanistan , with SFC Leo Dudek. I would like to thank you for the lovely box that you sent him. He shared your kindness with me, since I work with him. I love you all for your support. It means the world to Soldiers serving over here. You never know how much you miss the United States until you leave it for awhile. I also work at the Post Office at Camp Alamo with SFC Leo Dudek. I was wondering if your organization could send some Christmas decorations. As a Postal employee, I would love to bring cheer to our office. We will see a lot of troops and they love the Post office. It is a big morale builder. I would love to decorate the Post office. I will leave you with my address of Line one: Kimberly Martin, Line two: 502nd HR Company, Line three: Camp Phoenix / Post Office, Line four: APO AE 09320. I thank you for anything you could send . I shall see you upon the return of the troops to America . Sincerely, Kimberly

(Ed. Note: We sent about 60 boxes her way with several packed full of Christmas decorations.)

I am remaining in country until April 2009. We are on a Fifteen month rotation. I do not mind the distribution of boxes to Soldiers. You should see how happy it makes them, when they receive a package. I thank you so much for your support. You are making a bigger difference then you know. We are enjoying this deployment more, because of the support and the supplies that arrive in. People are doing alot of smiling and the spirits are high. I don’t know anyone who stays upset long, because you feel the peace, warmth of others and you adopt their way of thinking. I will send you some pictures. I think Finance, the PX, on line shopping and the Post Office, have the the easy job. All we have to do is stay open longer hours, smile and help wrap boxes. God Bless, Merry Christmas. You have made a lot of souls very happy. You have also made me very happy with my promotion. I am only a Specialist. I will however turn your letter over to finance and see if they will honor the raise in pay. (smile) Kimberly

(Ed. Note: We had addresses an e-mail to her with the prefix of SFC-Sergeant First Class rather than SPC- Specialist. We would love to promote her!)

i want to thank you all for the wonderful packages and letters you have been sending. as y’all know i am coming back soon so please hold any packages from now on. please pass on to any friends or other mailers that after today they should not send any more mail my way. thanks again!!!
sean Johnson

I just received one of your packages in the mail. Thank you so very much for thinking of us during this holiday season. Many of us here at Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait are in receipt of your consideration. Please tell all the volunteers who make this gift possible that we are all very grateful and appreciative of them as well. Wishing you all a very merry holiday season…
LTJG Andrew Weiss
This is Allison Hermsdorf. My mother, Laurie, had previously contacted you about the Love Boxes service project. I just wanted to let you know that we packed five boxes and are hoping to send them this next Monday, December 8. Thank you for the imformation and inspiration for this activity. I really enjoyed it and so did my fellow clubbers at Stayton High. Thank you again. God bless you in this ministry and God bless our troops.

Sincerely,

Allison Hermsdorf

(Ed. Note: Thank-you Allison. We are never too young to send our thanks.)

When our family gathers on Christmas Day we decided that, for the first time, we want to pack boxes for the US troops. We will start small with about 12 boxes. Your photos and descriptions of how to do it will make it easy. I didn’t have much luck finding an online source for California deployed troops. Do you have any suggestions on how to find current addresses? Are the ones on your list still good?

Thanks for what you are doing!
Sue

(Ed. Note: Thanks Sue. This shows the power of the internet. This family lives in California )

This morning started off as just another busy day. Then a shipmate stopped by and placed a care package on my desk. I was about to tell her that it didn’t belong to me or that she shouldn’t have, when I saw her carting many of your boxes down the hall and giving them to every office in need of cheer. We immediately began opening them. Although we know they are goodies from home, each box still gets a “ooooohhhh twinkies” or “Cool! Socks!”. There is always something for everyone and everyone has a favorite. The cookies and cards are wonderful. Thanks to these normal goodies from home, home doesn’t seem so far away. Than you so very much for all you do and all you have sent. God Bless and have a Very Happy Holiday Season.

V/r LN1 Sherry Hoffman
Expeditionary Medical Facility Kuwait

We here at EMF Kuwait are very grateful for the time and effort that were put in these boxes. It really isn’t what is inside it, but rather the thoughtfulness, love and care that is being sent over here. It is nice to know that the American people still care about their troops. Thank you very much. Have a Merry Christmas!
v/r

YN3 Valenzuela, Ray

I wanted to drop you a line and say thank you, and let you know how much I appreciate what you have done for our Soldiers and Marines. I am not sure if you happen to get my name from someone we both might know, or if it is just a coincidence, but none the less “Thank You”. I too happen to be from the Salem area, actually Dallas , so I was surprised to receive something from home. It is because of people like you, we do what we do. I am truly grateful! Thank you again for all you do in support of the troops, and especially the ones that can’t be home with their families this special time of year. From all the Marines and Sailors of the USS San Antonio. Thank you and God Bless.
If there is anything I can ever do for you please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Respectfully,

Sgt Justin A Crauder
Asst Ops Chief

Thanks so much for your support while I was deployed to Afghanistan . I really appreciate what you and your wonderful group of volunteers continue to do.
Please remove my name from the deployed troops web page. I have been replaced by Joel Aldrich.
Thank you again for your support. It’s good to be home.
Sincerely,
LCDR Will Holmgren,

Today I received another 4 boxes from you for a total of 30! My crew and I thank you a thousand times. I really enjoy giving stuff to those guys and girls who never seem to get any mail. It always seems they can find one their favorite treats in your care packages. I also read the Love Box Story. That’s a very touching story. It easy to forget about the rest of the world when we are out here in the middle of nowhere surrounded by nothing but water and impoverished countries. But your package really make me feel like you care about us. Thanks again and Happy Holidays to you and your family.

Very respectfully,
LT Kevin Peters

I am First Sergeant (1SG) Wagenbrenner. I am the 1SG for A Company, 3-159th Attack and Reconnaissance Battalion. My company is an attack aviation unit located on a very austere post in the country of Iraq . For many of my Soldiers this is their 2nd, 3rd, and 4th combat tours. Many of us have been deployed all over the world defending/ providing freedoms that we as Americans tend to take for granted on a daily basis. These Soldiers leave their families and friends at home while they face hardships that would not be accepted in any American community. They eagerly volunteered for these challenges because they are American Soldiers. I read an article about a month ago that suggested if someone took every living American that has served in any form of America’s defense forces; Active, Reserve and National Guard, past and present, we would make up less than 2% of our current population. It has been said that our Soldiers represent and uphold what is best about America : freedom. I state my opinion of our Soldiers only to enhance my opinion of those who support us.
You chose to write these letters of thanks and appreciation to personalize your thoughts and prayers to those you support. You gave freely to others that you have never met. You have donated your time and money in support of those unknown Soldiers. By doing so you have demonstrated to us that we are not alone. It is not just our families that await our return, who want to hear of our activities, who want to see our exhaustive efforts achieve a near impossible goal. You represent America as SHE should be seen. Not as the most powerful nation this world has ever know with a military that knows no equal but as the most compassionate, loving and giving. Our country gives more to foreign aid than any and you continue to give.

Mail day is a pivotal day in the moral of ALL Soldiers. To receive a letter from anyone is a big deal. A small box with treats, tools, books, photos, drawings, sundry items, etc… makes a Soldier feel appreciated and important. I hope this letter conveys those very feelings back to you. You have made an impression and filled a void. Thank you for your support. You are America at HER best. GOD bless you.
1SG Wagenbrenner

Thank you so much for having Shiloh ‘s name on your Love Boxes website! He has received so many boxes over the past few months and all the guys have been so grateful for everything. I am happy to say that Shiloh isn’t going to be gone for too many more weeks and he has asked me to have you take his name off the website. He doesn’t want anyone sending more boxes to him and his guys that may not get there before they leave. Thank you again for everything you have done for our troops! Merry Christmas!
Sincerely,
Lindsey Butterworth

So, thanks for the Christmas care boxes. They were so well packed that I didn’t even want to take anything from them. The guys at Alamo received the boxes and somehow one slipped through the cracks and ended up at camp Phoenix – just sitting there waiting for me at our Headquarters Company. I will be hitting the road in a couple of days and should be back around the 20th, then on the road again on the 23rd. I wish you, your family and the team at Operation Love Boxes Happy Holidays and thanks so much for caring about us here in Afghanistan . You have touched many here – for I made it a point to distribute these boxes far and wide. So, British, Polish, Romanian and of course US soldiers have benefited from your generosity. Take care and be well.
Sincerely,
SGT Demar

I certainly will not forget all that you have done for us here and will cherish the pics you sent of you and your family and the Operation Love Boxes team. Please thank them all on my behalf and let them know that they truly made a difference here for us deployed. I hope the pics I sent you were shown to the team so that they could see the reward in the work that you guys do. Again, thanks, thanks, thanks from all the guys who benefited from Operation Love Boxes.

Sincerely,

SGT Wayne Demar

John

(Ed. Note: Sgt Demar sent this picture of himself waving farewell to all of us. Born in Jamaica, serving his adopted country, and now residing in New York, we made a friend with our ministry that measures 12 inches by 12 inches by 5 Â½ inches. His new assignment made it impossible for us to reliably send him more boxes. We hope to meet in heaven)

Merry Christmas to you all and God bless our troops.

John

Support from Home is the Greatest Gift a Soldier Could Recieve

John — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:17:40 +0000

I received the box you sent today and it was wonderful. I brought it into the section that I supervise and the box is about empty. Of course I grabbed a few goodies for myself. The soldiers in my section send their appreciation to Debbie and you. The box was a huge hit!

I have been in contact with the Church and Shannon gives me regular updates on the Boxes for Troops that you are spearheading. It is absolutely wonderful. The overwhelming support is incredible and is a huge morale booster for all the soldiers here. I am not sure how I can thank you but I will say that what you are doing will not go unappreciated. During this time of war, support from home is the greatest gift a soldier can receive.

Thank you so much and if there is anything I can do to assist you, do not hesitate to ask.

Stephen

Boxes Bring Smiles

John — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:15:27 +0000

Hello All,

My name is Steve Smith and I am the point of contact for the 41^st AG HHD Oregon National Guard (Salem) assigned to Kuwait. I have been communicating with John Baker regarding the Boxes for Soldiers and I have had an absolute blast! The response to this project has been overwhelming. The soldiers here have been taken back by the generosity and compassion that the members of Morning Star and our community have shown during this deployment.

The boxes I receive and hand-out always bring a smile to their face. No matter if the soldier is 20 or 50 the excitement I see in their eyes makes me think of a young child on Christmas. Each solider is truly thankful and appreciates all that is being done back home to remind us that we are not forgotten.

Just today a young Sergeant came by and asked me if there were any boxes. It felt so great to be able to give her a box and a second box for her “battle buddy.” The boxes had just arrived minutes before. The smile on her face as she walked away with the boxes was absolutely priceless.

I have made sure that everyone gets to experience the cards and kind words that accompany each box. Before the soldier takes the box, I make sure to get any cards or notes from the box. I then display the cards in a binder in my area for everyone to enjoy. Each day soldiers come by and sit for a few minutes to read the inspiring words written by all of you.

My wife, Shannon, and I still are brought to the brink of tears when we think about all that is been done for the troops serving all in the Middle East. I want to ensure you that your efforts have had wonderful affects on the each soldier that receives a box and your kindness will not be forgotten!

Thank you again and God Bless!

SSmith

Church Support

John — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:14:16 +0000

I think the program we have going at Morningstar for the troops in Iraq is outstanding. I remember how exciting it was to receive, “care packages,” from home.

God bless you in your efforts.

Doug

A Poem- The Soldier

John — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:11:50 +0000

I want to say thank you for all for your personal communications of gratitude that you have expressed for our effort. The thanks and praise really belongs to you and your families. I know that it may be difficult for you so in a poor attempt I want to offer this poem I write for all of you.

The Soldier

Does the desire for home begin

Under the threatening skies?

The bugle and the cadence call

Yearn not of the family ties?

How does the soldier endure the strain

On such distant lands?

Noble causes do not fill the heart

Of loved ones soft commands?

Reminded of my lovers thoughts

Can I bury them where

Only time can bring them back to me

United by my lovers care?

Nary an answer coming forth

To which I can make my peace?

Rallying to the flag I serve so…

Your Country can be at ease?

The only answer I can offer you is if you read down the first letters of each line. Thank-you for serving for us.

Good Morning from Kuwait!

John — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 16:08:37 +0000

I just wanted to take a minute and thank you and your congregation so very much for all of your prayers and support, it has been pretty hard for me over here, I am married and have two boys they are 16 and 11yrs old, they are staying at home with my husband who is also in the Oregon Guard, he was actually called to active Duty in August and September to the Hurricanes in Louisiana and Texas so my boys stayed with my mother, thank the Lord for family. I have really enjoyed the gift boxes that we have been receiving, I just got some really great shampoo and lotion and I know that when your in a combat zone you shouldn’t worry about what your hair looks like but let me tell you that as a woman I really appreciate anything that can make me feel feminine. I also got some wonderful beef jerky from Tillamook and a Kenney Chesney DVD, I was feeling really homesick on the day I got a package and I have to tell you that it really lifted my spirit to know that there are people that do not even know who I am but care enough to take time and the money from their own pocket and send me something, please thank everyone for me and please keep the prayers coming.

Katherine

From Stephen Smith, one of our soldiers in Iraq

john — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:58:11 +0000

Hi Joanne,
Thank you for the update. Is there a final count of Morning Star members who signed up for boxes beyond what was given out? Last week Janet Parshall, on her national talk show from Washington D.C., covered stories about servicemen in Irag. These stories were the positive ones that we don’t hear about from the national media. May I have permission to email Janet Parshall about Morning Star Church? The message and the story needs to get out! If there is a question about her or her program please take a look at Janet Parshall’s America on the web. If churches across America did the same thing, our service people would be buried with gifts from home and know how much we appreciate what they are doing.

Thanks,
Mike

Thanks from a soldier’s wife

john — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:53:34 +0000

You are truly amazing! Your kind words have touched my heart and once again have brought me to tears. I passed along all this info to Steve, and he’s so humbled and amazed, too. He sent an email to the church and I will be mailing out a card and letter tomorrow. I just can’t tell you how much this means to us and our family. Some days it feels like we’re forgotten, but you have restored our hope. I don’t know how to ever thank you. You are truly doing God’s work!Bless you!
Shannon

Two more boxes handed out

john — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:47:35 +0000

Dear Shannon,
I want to thank-you for your kind e-mail. I enclose below my report that I sent in to the Church that I hope will bring you some comfort. I was called today by the wife of a Vietnam Veteran. They had picked up 2 boxes yesterday and were going to the store today to shop for the soldiers. They want to make sure our Troops know they are appreciated this time-unlike when her husband served. Please let my wife Debbie or myself know if you have any needs whatsoever. My thanks are to you and your husband for your service.

Sincerely,
John

Report: Operation Love boxes for the Troops

john — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 15:40:27 +0000

Dear Jo,
I have the pleasure of reporting to you and the Board at Morningstar Community Church a summary of events from Yesterday. I would first like to thank the leadership of the Church and especially you for allowing this project to be offered to the members. I am thankful of your involvement in the mundane day to day issues of running the Church, unfortunately, you may
not always be a witness the positive impacts for Christ that you are making in the lives of our members.

I started out with 147 boxes and had asked our community group for prayers that all would be taken. I was hoping that 50-100 would be requested. I was not prepared for what happened. After first service, the boxes lasted for about 6 minutes and the project quickly became one of taking down names and number of boxes needed. By the time second service started, I had a list of 84 boxes needed. This was repeated in the second service and the booth was swarmed again with people anxious to sign the list. I am honored to report that I have in my possession box requests totaling 246 boxes!

I would like to share some examples: One community group has requested 20 boxes to have a group packing party. I will be receiving military addresses from 3 more soldiers. I was approached by the wife of a Navy special forces soldier who had been spending $50 to send packages to her husband and was unaware of the savings on using the flat rate boxes-she wants 25. I will also call the Oregon Military Public relations officer and pass that on so spouses can afford to send more packages to their loved ones. The leftover candy from the fall funfest is now dubbed operation “Sweet Tooth” and 4 boxes are being shipped today to Lt. Col. Bill Schutz in Bagdhad for the troops to distribute to the Iraqi kids in the field. The
more positive relationships the troops are able to make, the sooner our soldiers will be home.

I wish all of the Morningstar staff would have been present to receive the heartfelt thanks that was graciously tendered upon myself by Mrs. Jan Schutz and Mrs. Shannon Smith. While their husbands are away, these heroic wives have to run the household, work etc. and are often overlooked as to their day to day needs. (The Church may want to look into this). It was everything I could do not to breakdown in public.

One teacher is taking this idea to her school.I will be ordering 500 boxes today and have already made plans to return to Morningstar on Sunday December 4. This will allow us to provide the same Salem area troops with another round of boxes that if sent in a timely manner will arrive around Christmas. I want to thank again the Board for allowing this to happen. My only wish would have been for each soldier serving away from home to have been standing behind the booth, as I was, seeing the huge crowd of their fellow Americans patiently waiting to express their love and affection through these boxes from home to them for their service on our behalf. I am and will remain your most obedient servant,

John