The Family Letter

I was telling you about over the weekend. I did study, but not in a way where I could post anything here. I might still be able to say what sorts of topics we're covering, should people want. I'll need to be vague, though, because I signed a paper this morning promising never to reveal anything about the exam itself to the outside world (that's all of you!). Since the material we're studying is essentially also the test… Subject areas, I'm sure, are no problem, but specifics are out.

At any rate, remember the exam? I passed! That was the hardest multiple-choice test I've ever encountered. Now I see what they mean by "graduate level multiple choice!" Very challenging. I received an 87.5%! Passed! Phew!¹

We've moved into the "second block" of instruction, which is about the tools we need as chaplains. Today, for example, we started in on pastoral counseling. There's a book we're using that looks to be quite impressive IMHO. Solution-Based Pastoral Counseling, by Charles Allen Kollar. The method he suggests takes focus off of the counselee's problem and on the solution, and assumes the counselee has the God-given tools to get there. The counselor doesn't need to be an expert, just a guide through the process. That may be a simplistic summary, but seems pretty close from what I've read and skimmed thus far. At the least it is worth a read through for all of you pastors out there.

I'm sharing a copy of the book with another student, so need to pass that along to him now.

Back! At any rate… Other significant issues. Ran two miles on Monday morning. Not huge for runners, but for someone who practices to 1.5 miles that's something new. And the Protestant worship service on Monday morning was lead by yours truly. We did a spoken service of Morning Prayer, Rite II, with the propers for Mary Magdalene, complete with responsive psalm, choir-style seating, and nice silent periods. Some, I think, were more comfortable with it than others, but it was mainly well received. For contrast, up until Monday we've been singing two or three contemporary songs (stuff I know and like, so don't take that wrong), and hearing a sermon by one of the other chaplains.

Okay, I need to get away from the keyboard for a bit! Later!

1. I don't think that constitutes "discussing the test," right? I'm not revealing content, specific questions or answers. Just that it was hard! If future students here happen across this post, all they'll know is this: WHEN THEY TELL YOU TO STUDY HARD, BELIEVE THEM! [back]

It's official! The hotel will accept mail for guests, so if you want to mail me something while I'm in Alabama¹ you can use: Mark R. Juchter, Guest Room 109, LaQuinta Inn &Suites, 261 Interstate Commercial Park Loop, Prattville, AL 36066.

1. Yeah, right. [back]

This morning I drove down to Shinbaum's, a local uniform store (off-base) that also rents outfits. I paid, in full, for the rental of a mess dress uniform for the final graduation ceremony. It cost me around $60. The uniform itself, to purchase new, is about $360, maybe a bit more or less depending. When I go to return it, I can opt to buy it for another $140. They'll even ship it back to Hawaii.

On the one hand as a reservist how often will I need this… Not much. There again, it would be nice to have it so that I didn't have to dash out and buy it suddenly some day.

So I'll wear it to graduation, see how this one fits and feels and maybe buy it at the end.

…is The Family Letter Guy?

I know you're all used to long silences on the blog, but that question isn't about blogging. I am, literally, not geographically where I normally blog from. One week ago I boarded a jet plane at the Honolulu International Airport and took flight. Last Sunday morning I landed in Montgomery, AL, where I'll be in residence for the next five weeks (six total), participating in the Basic Chaplain Course at Maxwell AFB. This is the first school for chaplains and is designed, as one of the instructors said this past week, to fill our tool box and equip us for worldwide ministry in the Air Force. It should be a good time, good learning, but also hard work. Most days I'm out of the hotel at 0630 and getting back around 1800. At which point I whip up some dinner and begin working on homework.¹

That's the summary. Here's some specifics:

Sunday
0900 - Landed at airport in Montgomery. Retrieved major amount of luggage, and picked up rental car.²
1000 - Explored Maxwell a bit, stopped at the BX and Commissary to buy things, food, etc.
1100 - Arrived at hotel in Prattville, AL. Tried to check in, found out that you technically couldn't until 2 p.m. Hung out with other chaplains (some I knew from years back) until they got us in rooms around noon.
1200 - 1900 - blur of sleep deprived semi-consciousness
1900 - met the course director at the hotel for some last minute details
2000 - sleep

Monday
0530 - Wake Up
0630 - Depart for Maxwell, specifically CSI, the Chaplain Service Institute… Our department of Higher Education.³
0730 - Social time
0800 - Classes begin

I will do a separate post on the classes from this week just past. I want to do that in conjunction with studying for the first test, coming up Tuesday. So look for that either this evening or tomorrow (Sunday) some time. I might even "blog" my study session. It'll be way too much information, but you can read it or not.

1150 - 1300 - Lunch (Chinese with my seminar group⁴

1300 - 1630 - More class time. 1630 we were released

Okay, so that's one average day. I won't go too much more into detail, except for this: On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from hence forth we will have PT in the morning (Physical Training). We meet someplace on base in our PT uniform at 0700 and do some sort of workout. On Wednesday we took a mock PT test (push ups, sit ups, timed run) to see where we stand. I've been a slacker, so while my run was still under 15 minutes, it wasn't as good as April. My sit ups had suffered slightly, and push ups a lot. On Friday we me at the gym and jogged to the base golf course in two groups, fast and slow (I'm in slow). We then did stations, jogging between them up and down this hill. At eac