Dear Church Family, I received this email from a member at DFUMC. The following letter is written by one of her best friends, whose husband is overseas. If you can find it in your heart to write a letter to our soldiers, and help ensure that EVERY soldier gets a letter for Thanksgiving, God Bless You!
In Christ,
Lisa Wahle

Hello Friends and Family, As most of you know, my sweet husband, Jason is an Infantry soldier in the United States Army and was deployed to Afghanistan in February of this year. His expected date of return is May of next year. Fortunately, for Jason and me -we are lucky enough for me to be able send him all kinds of fun packages and letters. And we have been blessed with fantastic family members that are also constantly mailing him things. However, not all soldiers are as lucky as Jason. In fact, within his own group, people he works with on a daily basis, he has witnessed the fall of their faces when mail call comes, and they receive nothing. At some time or another, all of us have felt what it's like to be excluded or let down. It's not hard for any of us to imagine how that might feel.

There are over 1 million people serving this country-between the Marines, Air Force, Navy and Army. 375,000 of those are overseas-not just in Afghanistan or Iraq, but in places that you or I may not even be able to point to on a map, much less pronounce (ever heard of Djibouti??). Troops are spread as far as Europe, Asia, the Western Hemisphere...the list goes on and on. So what's my point? I'm getting there-be patient!

A local radio station here in Atlanta ( www.allthehitsq100 ) has decided to do something about it. For Thanksgiving, their goal is to put a piece of mail in every deployed service member's hands ... that means one radio station is working to collect 375,000 letters! With your help, I know it can be done. I wouldn't normally ask or send something out like this. And it's not even really for Jason that I send it on behalf of. I'm sending it on behalf of the lonely soldiers-ones that joined because they wanted to serve and now they find themselves amidst grief, danger and death at 18 or 19 years old...those soldiers who's families DON'T have the financial means, or just don't care enough to send a package or even a letter...the soldiers who left behind their wives, only to find out half-way through the deployment that no one will be there to greet them at 'Green Ramp' when they arrive home from a 15 month deployment, because their wife is divorcing them. These are some of the stories I've heard while Jason has been away...of people he knows and the heartaches they've had to overcome while sacrificing their own freedoms to protect ours.

So please, sometime in the next 7 days, take 10 minutes, sit down and write to a service person. Express your thanks to them for their sacrifice (after all Thanksgiving is right around the corner!). Tell them about the weather, your family, your job, the hottest new music, movies or tv shows....anything. Make it your mission in the next week of your life, to give a service person a much-needed piece of the country they are most proud to call home. Most importantly, make sure to thank them for what they do.

For additional information, you can visit the website of the radio station if you'd like (www.allthehitsq100 click on The Bert Show, and than click 'The Bert Show's Big Thank You') or I will paste their instructions below. They are asking that you personalize each letter-don't type one and photo copy it 100 times! If you are a procrastinator, like me, STOP whatever you are doing and write a letter now. It doesn't have to be long, it costs you nothing-just a bit of your time.
When you have your letter completed, you can mail it to me at:
Joyelle Horton
2605 Links End
Roswell, GA 30076

Letters are due to the station's collecting spot by 5pm on the 26th of October. This means that the I need the letters NO LATER THAN OCTOBER 25th . Plan accordingly, and get your letter here! They have asked for large groups to get involved. If any of you are involved in clubs, churches, organizations, schools, businesses, etc. etc. PLEASE consider doing this project. Also, please forward this email to anyone and everyone you can think of! No telling how far our nets will reach! Regardless of your political views or your thoughts on our political leaders, or the war, this is a way that you can say 'thank you' to an individual that sacrifices on my and your behalf. You may or may not agree with the situations we, as a country, find ourselves in today-but it's a necessary commitment- someone has to sign on the dotted line and stand up for our freedoms. It is because of the brave men and women of today AND those that have come long before them that have sacrificed and served, that we are able to enjoy the lifestyle we lead today.
Again, MANY thanks in advance to those of you who participate. If anyone needs any additional information, I can be reached at joyellehorton@hotmail.com
Sincerely,
Joyelle S. Horton
joyellehorton@hotmail.com

INSTRUCTIONS FOR LETTERS BELOW-VERY IMPORTANT-if you are participating, please READ AND FOLLOW DIRECTIONS!!! (DIRECT FROM THE Q100 web site!) Each letter should be heartfelt, handwritten, original, and free of any political statements . The purpose of the letter is to express thanks to the military personnel serving the United States. We reserve the right to eliminate those messages that are political in nature and that do not reflect a positive message in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Those letters will be destroyed.
All letters must be on 8.5 X 11 paper or smaller.
Do not use glue, tape, staples, cardboard, glitter or otherwise attach anything to the paper.
Decorate using crayons, pencil, etc.
Use both side if you like, but use one page per letter only.
Do NOT send anything except letters.
We cannot accept donations of any kind, and they should not be included or attached to letters. Our deadline is Friday October 26.
All letters MUST be received by 5pm on this day.
Letter received after that deadline may not be sent to the military and will not be returned.