Welcome! If you are visiting this site to find ideas to encourage...a neighbor, a friend, a family member, co-worker or someone atyour church who is going through the hardship of a deployedspouse, thank you for caring. We hope our stories will help youto understand what we are going through and give you someideas in how to encourage the military home front.Every family's situation is unique, and there is no common scenario of a deployment. Some families are on or near a military installation that provides a Family Readiness Group (FRG) or other resources. There are many, however, that are removed from such resources. What's more, being away from a military installation creates the added struggle of loneliness...that there is no one who really understands.
There are other factors that make each deployment unique. The Soldier may leave behind a girlfriend, a fiance, a spouse, younger children, older children, grandchildren, parents. Sometimes the spouse left behind is the husband, and sometimes both spouses are deployed. The family may have health issues to deal with in addition to coping with the deployment. That's why at Operation We are Here we have done our best to include a variety of stories.
If you are a loved one going through a deployment...
we hope that in this site you will find an understanding of your situation...you are not alone.
Many of you are not near a military installation and the resources it might offer, and for those who are, perhaps this will provide added ideas or resources that you could share with your friends and members of your FRG. There are a lot of resources out there, but who has the time to search for them during a deployment.
If you are on your own in a community that is not near a military installation, you may feel very alone in what you are going through. It is our hope and prayer that this website will give you some feeling of connection and also help you to easily connect you to resources that may better equip you through the deployment.
If you are new to the military community...
we hope that these resources and stories will help you to not just cope with the military lifestyle, but to thrive.
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- to create an awareness of the challenges of families/loved ones of deployed military personnel
- to offer practical suggestions to churches, communities and individuals on how to support and encourage the military home front
- to provide a comprehensive list of resources for families/loved ones of deployed military personnel
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We are a non-denominational Christian ministry that adheres to these fundamental Christian beliefs:
- The Bible is the infallible written Word of God relevant for all times.
- There is one true God, eternally existing in three persons -- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
- Jesus Christ is God.
- Salvation is through faith in Christ alone.
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Kristin Hofman - Kristin became part of the military community through her college sweetheart Peter. Peter was an Army Reservist at the time. They married in September 2001. The attack of the Twin Towers happened during their honeymoon. As the news reports switched from “sudden accident” to “purposeful intent” to “someone has declared war on our nation” Kristin was immediately introduced to what it was like to be married to someone who was also “owned” by the military, a commitment that would cause sacrifice in all other areas of life, but that would bond them together in great purpose and pride as well.
In 2006 Kristin’s husband became an active duty Army chaplain and continues to serve in that capacity today. Kristin and Peter have moved nine times in 10 years of marriage. They have four children, ranging in age from one to nine years old. Kristin’s husband has deployed twice, for 14 months in 2007 when they had three young children, and for nine months in 2010 when their fourth child was just 3 weeks old. Together they have learned that human strength is insufficient, but “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26). God has upheld them and constantly affirms to them their call to ministry in the military community. Sometimes they have soared and sometimes they have trudged, but even in their weakness and inability, God has remained faithful and given strength for each new day.
Currently they reside in Fort Bragg, NC, ministering to the families of the Special Operations community, staying active in their local church, and homeschooling their children.
Kristin holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Kuyper College in Bible and Pre-Seminary.
Contributing to Operation We Are Here with their gift of writing are:
Patti Katter (Christian Military Wives, Voice of Warriors VOW to Make a DifferenceContributing to Operation We Are Here with their gift of photography and photo editing are:
Kristi HofmanJessica HedrickNicole VandeventerSpecial thanks to Jess Terpstra for creating the Operation We Are Here logo and offering website layout expertise and insights!
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Benita Koeman (Founder) - Benita Koeman has been married to Scott, an Army Chaplain, for 16 years. They have three children, ages 8, 10 and 12.
Benita, a Canadian, met Scott at Reformed Bible College (now Kuyper College) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. At the time Scott served with the Michigan National Guard, which meant not a whole lot to Benita except that he was gone one weekend a month, and two weeks in the summer.
As they prayed about joining the active duty Army in 2002, Scott mentioned to Benita that they should be prepared for one or two deployments in his Army career. Incidentally, a few weeks before his report date in January of 2003, they got the call to hold off on the move to El Paso, TX because after his arrival he would be deploying to the Middle East a week later. And so, all of a sudden the fact that Benita hadn't had time to check out the hospital at Ft. Bliss during their house-hunt didn't matter anymore because baby #3 would be born in Michigan while Scott was gone. The war with Iraq was big news, and, as awkward as it was, Benita received a lot of encouragement and support from church and family. It left such an impression with her that when there is a need, the church community steps in.
Two years later Scott deployed to Qatar/Afghanistan for a one year assignment. Benita and the children, then 2, 4 and 6 moved back to Michigan for the year. Scott's unit comprised of Soldiers from all over, so there was no cohesive base or core group which formed a support system for the families in any way. "I started the year with a strong "I can handle this" attitude, but as the months passed the single-parenting situation on my homefront was overwhelming at best, and eventually I was struggling so much to get a grip that I didn't even know how to begin to ask for help. The cold Michigan winter set in my heart as well...it was the most difficult year of my life. I had resolved that I was on my own in my struggle to make it through the year. They say "one day at a time"...There were days, days that in their own right should have been good days, but I was so "down" that I felt like I had to hang on for "one breath at a time."
Benita's husband returned home from his third deployment (Afghanistan) in the summer of 2010.
Cindy Kreider - Cindy Kreider is married to Matthew, who is currently an active duty Army Chaplain. They have 3 children, ages 10, 9, and 5. Seven of their 12 years of marriage has been spent serving soldiers and their families in the U.S. Army. During their 7 years of service Matthew has deployed twice to Iraq. The first deployment was from a state side duty station, and the second while stationed in Germany.
Matthew and Cindy found it essential to have a healthy, personal support system of family, friends and neighbors in place during a deployment or extended separation. Having a support system makes the difference between just surviving or thriving during these difficult times. Involvement with in the military community has been another asset to thriving during extended separations. Cindy has been actively involved in equipping and assisting other spouses through the Army’s Family Readiness Groups, Chapel ministries such as the Protestant Women of the Chapel, and a resource as a military spouse and mother to both military and non- military organizations.
Rhonda Mann - Rhonda Mann is a civilian dedicated to the military world. She is on staff at East Leesville Baptist Church, as the minister to military at Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Months after moving back to Louisiana from Oregon, Rhonda was called into military ministry in November, 2001. In February, 2002, Operation Embrace was up and running to meet the needs of deployed military, their spouses and children. Walking alongside the Family Readiness Groups, assisting in the emotional and spiritual side of deployment, discipleship and counseling, personal one-on-one prayer time, she has watched women excel during deployment, deepen their personal relationship with God, and become more Christlike.
Rhonda is a speaker at retreats and conferences. She has written adult Bible Study curriculum for her church, is a Ladies Bible study teacher on Sundays and on Wednesdays. She is a wife, mother of two, and "Nanna" to her grandson. Her son-in-law is deployed to Iraq for a 15-month tour, due to return in February, 2009.
Kristen Rietkerk - Kristen Rietkerk’s passion is to discover, inspire and equip individuals to impact their communities around the world. Kristen has been deeply involved in military women’s ministry for the past 10 years as both a small group facilitator and ministry trainer. Her greatest joy is listening to people share their stories about life, love and the eternal search for meaning.
Kristen and her husband Tim have been married for 20 years and have 4 children, ages 17 to 5. They have spent the past 13 years in Army ministry, with Tim serving as an Army chaplain to infantry soldiers both stateside and abroad. Tim’s Army career has afforded the family interesting stories spanning the globe from Australia to Afghanistan. Through it all, the family has remained relatively upbeat about their unique military life. Always eager to share with civilians the benefits of military life, Kristen loves living off-post, listening and learning along with others. The Rietkerks love to travel and have made good use of the military Space-A program.
Kristen holds a Bachelor’s degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, MI and a Masters Degree in Organizational Leadership from Azusa Pacific University in Southern California. Her specialty is curriculum writing and developing leaders in non-profit ministry.
Victoria Robinson - Victoria Robinson became a Christian in 1971 and was discipled by the Navigators in college. The emphasis on in-depth bible study, scripture memory and discipleship has remained part of her ministry with women.
Victoria has been involved with Protestant Women of the Chapel (PWOC) since 1983 and has served on local boards as well as on the PWOC-USA National Board as 2VP of Traveling Training (2000-2002). While Victoria lived in Germany she was President of PWOC-Europe (2004-2006). She was a Titus 2 for PWOC International and coordinated the first Traveling Training for PWOC-Europe.
Victoria now lives in Sierra Vista, Arizona. She is an often requested speaker for women's retreats in churches and for PWOC retreats and conferences since 1989. Victoria has presented workshops at the PWOC-USA National Conferences since 1994.
Some of Victoria's Workshops or Retreat topics are:
Hearts Set Free-Overcoming Spiritual and Emotional Hurts
Glorifying God with an Unoffendable Heart
Falling in Love with Jesus Again
Ministering to the Wounded Without Wearing Out
Proclaiming the Hope of Forgiveness
Jesus in the Midst of My Storm
Victoria's life verse is PS 119:32 "I will run in the path of Your commands for You have set my heart free." Victoria is the wife of Chaplain Fred Robinson who is the Family Life Chaplain at Ft Huachuca, AZ. Together they have 4 grown children and 2 grandchildren.
Malinda Smith - Malinda Smith has been married to Bill, an Army Bandsman, for 18 years. They have 2 sons, ages 11 and 15.
Malinda met Bill in a singles Sunday school class in Hinesville, Georgia. Bill was assigned to the 24th ID Band, and Malinda was employed as a Home Economist with the Georgia Extension Service. They’d been married for 6 weeks when Iraq invaded Kuwait. Bill deployed to Operation Desert Shield/Storm with a month. The wait that followed was lonely, scary and tough. “I all but quit going to church. It was so painful; I’d stand and weep though the singing, and sit and weep through the sermon. I was clinging to the Lord, and doing a lot of praying, but participating in public worship was excruciating. I tried attending a couples Sunday school class, but one visit was all I could muster. No one seemed to notice.”
When children came along, Malinda became a stay-at-home Mom, and was introduced to PWOC by another Army Band spouse. Malinda’s adventures include living in Korea and Germany, punctuated with tours in some of the most beautiful places in America.
Her 6-year sojourn in Germany included Bill’s deployment to Iraq with 1st AD. There she discovered that deployment survival was easier for her in the overseas location, because of the intense community support that she had not experienced back home in America. “Everyone was in the same boat – so we ministered to each other. We opened our doors and lived like hippies in a commune. We traded off cooking balanced meals and caring for one-another’s children. We cleaned each other’s homes when husbands were expected back for R&R or redeployment. We all missed our husbands and worried for their safety, but we were never alone. It made everything so much easier, and when our spouses came home we all had good stories to tell.”
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Operation "We Are Here"
"Make every Who Holler! Make every Who shout! Make every Who scream!
We are here! We are here! We are here! We are here!"'
In 1954 Dr. Seuss penned "Horton Hears a Who". The story begins:
On the fifteenth of May, in the Jungle of Nool,
In the heat of the day, in the cool of the pool,
He was splashing...enjoying the jungle's great joys...
When Horton the elephant heard a small noise."
The noise came from a small speck of dust, and on that speck Horton discovered another world...Who-ville. Horton's friends thought he was crazy talking to the speck and did not believe that Who-ville existed. Horton quickly discovered that without his help, the citizens of Who-ville would be in grave danger. So he told the mayor of Who-ville to rally all of the citizens together and to join with one voice, "We are here! We are here!"
My friend is struggling to get her church to support and sponsor their Soldiers and their families. She equated the military to the citizens of Who-ville...another world that civilians hardly know exists or care about.
I became a citizen of Who-ville in 2003 when my husband joined the Army. I have already experienced three deployments in that short time. I am not alone. My desire is to create a link between the civilian world and Who-ville. We in Who-ville need your support and encouragement. We are here! We are here!
Horton Hears a Who
Copyright 1954 Dr. Seuss
"Encouraging" the Military Home Front
For the most part, we are not looking for "support". But we really could use a little encouragement along the way, signs to tell us that if and when we hit a wall, there are people that will be there for us.
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The inclusion of the resources on this website does not necessarily mean that we as a Board of Directors endorse these resources. We have done our best to include resources that would contribute to the ministry of this site in conjunction with our Statement of Faith. We reserve the right to monitor the content of this site, and regret that some resources suggested may not be accepted.
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"Let us know if you need help!" Benita Koeman came to realize firsthand how shallow these words, spoken with sincere intent, could be. The year her US Army Chaplain husband was deployed to Qatar/Afghanistan was the most challenging she had ever endured. She began the year with an "I can handle this" attitude and she kept busy single-parenting their 2, 4 and 6 year old children. She tried to get plugged into her church and stay involved in other activities. A few months passed and the cold West Michigan winter set in. Her energy began to drain. The demands of single-parenting made her weary. It also didn't take her long to determine that well-intentioned offers of support had fallen by the wayside and that she was pretty much on her own for the rest of the deployment.
But, looking back, how could they know what my life was like? Only those in the military community who have experienced a deployment can truly understand how to encourage a fellow spouse going through a deployment.
Operation We are Here was formed with three distinct goals in mind: to create an awareness of the challenges of families/loved ones of military personnel, to offer practical suggestions to churches, communities and individuals on how to support and encourage the military home front, and to provide a comprehensive list of resources for families/loved ones of military personnel.
Copyright Benita Koeman 2008 - 2012
resources
Military supporters, churches
Military chaplains
Organizations that support
Resources for
Encouragement
Military life
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