MTTM Support Responses

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go." - Joshua 1:9

Here are portions of emails and letters from Service members showing their appreciation for the support received from the Heritage Ministry to the Military (MTTM):

Some Thank You's from deployed chaplains:

"2/07/06 Thanks so much for the gifts of love. My female soldiers really loved the bears and I enjoyed the Pez and Jerky and other items. I am going to give the clothes to some Local National workers who are on this FOB. I am sure they will enjoy. God Bless, Tim Chaplain Staggs

2/09/06 I wanted to thank you for the box I recently received. The toys will be greatly appreciated by the children here in Mosul, Iraq. Thank you for your prayers and support of the military around the world. Blessings, Stephen Sexton Chaplain (CPT) 709th MP BN

2/08/06 Thank you for the box of stuffed animals and toys. I know the children who receive them will be very excited to get them. Blessings, Stephen Sexton Chaplain (CPT) 709th MP BN Photo1 Photo2

Just a note to say thanks for the care package I recently received. May the Lord continue to Bless you and all that you are doing for the Kingdom and for the military around the world. I have attached a picture of the Nergal Gate in the walls of the old city of Nineveh. The walls and some of the gates are all that are left of the old city. Hopefully one day the nation of Iraq will be able to allow visitors to see the Biblical history this nation has. Blessings, Stephen Sexton, Chaplain (CPT), 709th MP BN"

Email/Letter 1:
Hello,
I wanted to wish you a happy Christmas. I hope that all is well and your Christmas wishes are granted. I want to report to you on the wonderful progress of the Santa Helper Program here in Iraq. It has been a wonderful surprise to get such an amazing amount of support from everyone back in the states. We have received support from every state in the Union. It grew to an unexpected size in a short amount of time. Here is some data to help you understand what has occurred. I have tried to respond to the over 500 emails sent my way. I hope I didn't leave anyone out. We received over 900 packages from small items to very large boxes. All have been logged with the sender's name, date of arrival, items sent, and senders address. We were able to decorate our Mess Hall, Morale building, & chapel and made sure that everyone at our location received a gift. But, due to the overwhelming response I had to give the soldiers more than just one. I don't think they will complain. I received such great support that I was able to package large amounts and send it to other camps. It has been a very busy two months. But I would have to say that it was a very successful program. I will continue to try and spread the generosity as far and to as many soldiers as I can while here in Iraq. Your generosity in helping with this program is much appreciated. I am sure that this is one Christmas for many of the soldiers here fighting the War against Terrorism and the remaking of a new government. Thank you and God Bless!

Email/Letter 2:
"The soldiers here appreciate your care and consideration. Like soldiers everywhere we are always amenable to any type of care packages sent to us. Our every day needs are met so there is nothing on the "we really need this" list. But any special goodies are greatly appreciated. If you would like to send any care packages, send them to me and I will ensure soldiers who are not receiving any mail or goodies get anything you send. Again, thank you for thinking about us and caring about all of us."

Email/Letter 3:
"Thank you so much for sending care packages to us over here. It's nice to know that people back in the states are thinking about the soldiers. I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your support." "I wanted to thanks you for the boxes that you sent to us it is appreciated and it was very nice of you thank you and have a bless and wonderful Christmas and new year and may God bless you." "Thanks for your e-mail and all of your great support! I know that the soldiers over here truly appreciate it!" " Many thanks for all of your support! The soldiers really enjoyed the cards and gifts that you sent. David really had a smile on his face when he saw the NASCAR card." "We really appreciate everything you do for us! You are a great American!"

Email/Letter 4:
"Thanks for the great packages! We just received two more tonight. Young David's eyes were beaming when he saw the caramels!" "Thanks so much for all of your great packages and support! We really appreciate all that you are doing to support the troops!"

Email/Letter 5:
"Good morning,
The box arrived yesterday. Everything seemed to be in order. Thanks for the card, notes and song because they were all encouraging. All of the troops enjoyed and shared all that you sent. We are truly thankful for what you're doing. We truly have some brave young men and women here and I'm glad I gotten the opportunity to serve along beside them. In light of everything that goes on over here they continue to do their jobs at the best of their abilities. I've been in the military now for almost 28 years, and most of the soldiers are not even that old but they continue to impress me. They do their best to make it through these tough times because I know if it were not for the good Lord we wouldn't be here. Things are really picking up around here but we continue to pray and believe in the Almighty God. Take care and God bless you and your family."