Home for the Holidays

October 11, 2024

home for the holidays

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your family...
I’ve been an instructor since January of 2018. I’m originally from Texas. I moved to Edmond, and got married to my husband 10 years ago. We have 4 beautiful children. Marshall (8), Owen (6), Silas (3), and Josie (1). I am a stay at home mom.

Tell us about your husband...
Dylan is my husband. He is a local paramedic and he is also a Captain in the Oklahoma National Guard serving as a Medical Operations Officer. He was mobilized with a field artillery unit in November 2022 to support Operation Spartan Shield in Jordan. He returned home safely in October 2023.

What were some of your greatest struggles while your husband was deployed?
Over the course of his deployment, there were lots of things I didn’t know would be a struggle. I think the hardest things for me were night time prayer time, celebrating our children’s birthdays, baseball and basketball games without him, and sitting at dinner without him.

What were some things that helped you cope during this time?
How did I cope? Lots of prayer. I distanced myself to survive. My family and my Body & Soul® class was a huge part of what helped me through that time. Knowing that people around us were praying for us, kept me going. Seeing my supportive classmates' faces and turning up the music and praising God together was so good for my heart. Every Friday, my class would wear red in support of those who are deployed and their families. My co-instructor, Krista, and her husband, helped take care of my lawn all summer long so I wouldn't have to worry about it!

Tell us about 'a God Thing' that you experienced during Dylan's deployment?
The Lord showed me a lot. Just when I felt alone, God would send a helper to comfort me. One of my God things would be that a family from the school we went to would send me home meals. The mom would send 3 meals a month for 5 months. I didn’t even know this lady, but she heard about my husband being gone and wanted to bless my family. Boy did that help! Let’s just say, we are really close friends now and I would consider her family. I don’t see how that would just happen on its own. Definitely a God thing!

by Hope Gerred
Instructor, OK