Best Friends

Lucas taking in the beauty

Preparing supper

Campsite by the water

Now in Norfolk

Well time keeps marching on. I am now based on camp Allen. It is great to finally be in some sort of permanent base. This is to be a base of operation for the next two years as long as I am not over seas. Life for the last week was all bases around preparation for the change of command ceremony from Lt. Gen. Weber to Lt. Gen. Natonski. This ceremony took place yesterday. It took a lot of marching and drilling to get ready and every one was a little stressed out about it as the Commandant of the Marine corps ( Gen. Conway) and the Sgt Maj of the marine Corps was present, Sgt Maj Kent, as well as close to 30 other flag officers. The ceremony went fine with just a few mess ups and with my chuck getting soaked with sweat as it was over 90 deg. and we had to stand stationary in the sun doing rifle manual for close to an hour. Any way this is all part of the job even though it is not the fun part. I would much rather be out in the field shooting and sleeping out under the stars then drilling and doing rifle manual.
you can pray for me as I continue looking for a church in the area. It is a hard balance to find the "Perfect" church and spend the next 2 years looking or to just find a church with good doctrine and just try to fit in with it even though it might not be Lutheran or exactly what I am looking for. I will try to keep you posted!!!

Christ's Marine
David Pillman

Summer Beauty

We had a thunderstorm roll through and the lighting was beautiful afterwords. Perfect for pictures...

Strawberry Daze

Here are some pictures from our 4th of July. Strawberries were in full swing, but this didn't keep us from celebrating. We just celebrated at the strawberry patch. Most of us guys wore American flag ties and feathers in our caps. It was a fun time. Below are some pictures.

Strawberry Daze2

Strawberry Season Pictures

Strawberry Season 2008

The 2008 strawberry season began on Wed. June 25. We had Josue Gomezcuello from Ecuador with us for a few days. He was a good picker and enjoyed doing it. He also went along with Lucas to sell berries several days.

Hello from Hot VA,
It is summer here, that is for sure. It has been sunny here with temperatures 90-100 degrees every day. To add to the heat it also tends to be humid with periods of smoke every day due to the fires that are still burning in the great dismal swamps. I am pretty well adjusted to the heat so it does not tend to bother me to bad and I can go swimming in a pool on base every day if I find time so that makes the heat a lot of fun. I am now part of 1F4. This means ever day after work I can do what I want. I have no more curfews every night and no more formations. Due to the over full barracks at Camp Allen we are still stuck here at the NW annex. We had another PFT Friday but I only had to do it to motivate the slow runners as I had the highest PFT in my platoon.
The only other activity I have been involved in is helping out with VBS at the Southern baptist church I have been attending down the road. It was fun to be with kids again and to just be a normal human for a little bit. One exciting thing is 13 of the 58 kids accepted Jesus so it is neat to see the Word of God not returning void. I helped with the final program Friday and it was also fun to talk to the parents and one parent even asked me if I wanted to help him with landscaping and yard work. It would be nice to have a job on the side that I can do in my extra time while I am still here. Any way that is my life. Please pray for the 13 kids that accepted the Lord. Pray for my plt mates as I try to witness to them and get them to come with me to church this Sunday.

Christ's Marine,
David

Dear Friends and Family,

It has been a very busy time here at the NW annex. The end of last week we did what is called the finex which is the culmination of training for security forces. During that time we hiked about 9 miles through woods and swamps and attacked and secured an "embassy" in a fake town made to practice urban assault. Next we hiked about 2 more miles and secured and captured a compound with buildings and a ECP (Entry Control Point) set up. The next hours from 1430 till 0300 Friday morning we ran the ECP and set up security around the compound. During this time about every hour aggressors would come and try to break into the compound and smuggle weapons into the compound. They ended up being able to smuggle 2 M9 pistols into the compound and we had a battle with paint bullets. So it was a great time during which we made mistakes but generally we learned from them and moved on as thankfully we were only using paint bullets this time.

At the end of it all we ran 2+ miles back to base with packs and weapons and then it was found the the aggressors had lost a pistol. So back we went back out to the range and thankfully it was found at about 0930 and we were finally able to hit the rack after we had been awake and hiking for over 28 hours. So training has basically been completed at MCSFT Co. (Marine Corps Security Force Training Company). This last weekend I went to Virginia beach and played some sand volley ball till it stared raining and then went back to base. Sunday I attended Lake Drummond Baptist Church for the last time before I move. It was great having a Christian church I could plug into so near my base. Sadly the chaplain here on base would not let me start a Bible study with the Pastor of that Church here on base as SHE said it would make other churches in the area jealous. Any way that was the death of that vision.
Monday I ran a PFT and I praise the Lord for his strenth as I was able to do 20 pull ups, 112 Crunches, and ran the 3 miles in 17.34 minutes. So I got a 300 PFT again. Praise the Lord. Since then all I have been doing is de-issuing gear and doing grad practice. You can be in prayer as I have been chosen to do the opening prayer in the graduation ceremony in front of the Company commander and every one else. I consider it an Honor, but I pray that I can glorify God as I pray to him. Well I got to go finish packing as I leave to Norfolk tomorrow to 1st FAST 5th Plt. Thanks for your prayers.

Christ's Marine,
David Pillman

Pictures from David

David sent us a couple pictures today. Here the are....

Dear Friends and Family,
Training continues here at the NW Annex. Last Friday we trained with paint bullets all day in a training town. That was really fun. The day started with a 2 mile run out the range with weapons and packs. Then we practiced patrolling and capturing houses and got killed by the instructors who were acting like insurgence every time. then in the after noon we patrolled back to base about 4 miles through woods and swamps. It was really one of the best training days as it was practicing what we have been studying the last 8 months in a realistic way.
Saturday I got a new cell phone and watched movie and hung out at a mall for way to long. I hate malls and all they stand for. Any way the next day Sunday was much better with church in the morning. The fathers day service was on Moses from Hebrews 11:23-27. Then Sunday afternoon I went for a 4.5 mile run and studied about Terrorism all evening.
Today we ran for about 3 miles for PT and then we went to class and took the terrorism test and every one but 4 people passed. I got about 92.5% on the test. Praise the Lord as it was a very confusing test and it was easy to over think the questions. Our training down at Red range with paint bullets was canceled for to day do to smoke caused by fires in North Carolina. It was considered dangerous to exercise in all the smoke. So we all got off at 1500 and so I had time to post this post to day. Life continues to be exciting, but pray that I can continue to be a real light to the marines a work with every day and pray that my quad will heal from being pulled during lunges to day in PT.

Christ's Marine
David

Coates twins update

The Coates twins are now moved to a different hospital. Ellysa wieghed 3# 10 oz. on Mon. and Austin weighed 3# 14 oz. on Mon. Ellysa is now in a basinette and her mother, Ashley can nurse her. Austin is still in an incubator as he is still recovering from a staph infection to the lungs. They actually begin to look a little chubby in the face. Ashley is able to bathe Ellyssa and to hold her whenever she wants. Austin still has some restrictions because of the incubator. Thank you for all of your prayers on their behalf. Praise God for His wonderful works to the children of men.

From the North West Annex, Chesapeake, VA

Hey this is David in person!!
I have figured out how to post. You got to love the weather here at security force training. It has been over 100 Degrees F the last 4 days. Finally today it was a high of only about 85 Degrees. Today we did Physical Training (PT) in the morning as we do every morning. It lasts about 1 hour which is long enough in 80 degree weather with high humidity. Then I took a test on Guard Mount and I got about 94%. I should have done better but I made stupid mistakes. Anyway I passed. We then had classes all afternoon as normal. This is basically what my life has been like. I get off between 1600 and 1800 and then do PT on my own.
Now on to a more long term subject. I am to be stationed in Norfolk, VA in Camp Allen as part of the 1st fast team either 4th or 5th squad. This means I am going to be in a force that is stationed over seas the next 2 years to be ready to help in case of emergency such as to defend an embassy or if some other emergency situation arises overseas. I am graduating from this school on the 25th of June to go to 1st fast.
In the spiritual side of my life, I recently read through James and it was a great reminder to live out my faith amongst so much immorality. I am also trying to start a Bible study with a Southern Baptist pastor here on this base. I am working on setting up a meeting with the chaplain assistant to see if I can use the chapel for these services. The sad part is that I am going to be leaving in two weeks so I will not be able to oversee these services. Till later.

Christ's Marine,
Lcpl Pillman, David

Family Picture

We got this family picture when we were out to see Lucas at his graduation from Patrick Henry College in Purcellville, VA. David was able to come up from his training at a small base in southern VA for the one day. We thoroughly enjoyed being all together as a family for the first time since the Christmas of 2006.

David in Marine blues

 

David surprises us with a visit home

David surprised us with a visit home for ten days. He and Tony flew into Chicago and David came by megabus to Mpls. A friend, Jonathan drove him home. What made the visit extra sweet was that David was able to be home for his 21st birthday on May 1st. That was also the National Day of Prayer and he dressed in his dress blues for the local event in Menomonie.

Prayer Request- Coates Twins

The twins are doing well. They doctors determined that they were actually 26 weeks along instead of 22. They have a very good chance of survival. They are both doing very well, but are still very delicate. Both have pneumonia, but that is considered not out-of-the-ordinary for children born so young.

Elyssa had to have surgery to close the hole in her heart. She is doing well recovering. They tried to take her off her ventilator, but her one lung started collapsing, so they had to put her back on.

Austin is doing very well. He has been able to eat some, and the hole in his heart closed on its own.

The parents are keeping up a journal as well. You can keep more up-to-date here. Thanks for being in prayer!

Saturday Adventures!

What do you call squiggling like a worm, through narrow, low corridors on muddy, rocky floors? You got it, caving or spelunking, depending on your experience. Do you always have to slither on your stomach in caves, not necessarily, but ours normally you do! Yesterday caving, I found a new cave that was pretty good. Some places it was quite big, maybe 12ft high at the highest, but still very narrow. We went in only about 100 ft, I'd guess, but hey, not bad for a hole in the rock! Here are some pics from our adventure. (Notice, David has been home for about 10 days, and just left actually today. It was great to have him home on this surprise visit!)

April Flowers

When I opened my eyes this morning and peeked out around the window blinds, what should I behold, but almost an inch of snow on the ground! I had to double check to make sure it was really April 26th.

It ended up snowing on and off for most of the day. In spite of the snow and wind, we did get out for a walk as a family. When we got into the woods, we found we weren't the only ones braving the late April blizzard. Spring flowers were poking through the wet leaves reminding us that warmer weather is just around the corner.

Here are a few of today's pictures...

David Flies to Chesapeake, VA

David received only a 265 on his PFT so that was a little disappointing. His buddy Tony did a little better. They both graduated from School of Infantry training. We are so thankful these guys can be in the marines together. Both flew out of San Diego last night around 10:00pm. They are on different flights, but will re-connect in the airport in VA somewhere this morning. Then, they report for duty to find out what is next and what their schedule will be. Thanks for praying for these guys.

Lance Corporal!

David has just received another meritorious promotion. He is now a Lance Corporal. We really thank the Lord for his goodness, and graciousness that he has shown to David.

David is graduating from School of Infantry tomorrow. He has done well, and has really enjoyed himself. He was assigned a M249 SAW for much of his time at SOI, and has had the "privilege" of carrying that around most of the time. He was scheduled to run his PFT today. His goal would be a perfect score, but his arm is still swollen from giving blood, so he is not sure how it will go. We expect to hear from him on Tuesday to hear exactly what his next orders are, and how he did on his PFT. Your continued prayer are appreciated!

Update: After talking with a person who has much experience drawing blood, it sounds like they hit a nerve in David's arm. If that is the case, his arm will be very sore for at least a week, so continued prayers are appreciated!

Prayer Request!

We have friends who just had their first children, twins, at 22 weeks along. They are at the Children's Hospital in Minneapolis right now. They were born emergency c-section in Eau Claire, and airlifted to the cities. The chance of survival is about 10% for children of that age, and there is a high possibility of disabilities. These first few weeks are very important! You can be in prayer for them. Their names are Austin and Ellyssa, and the parents names are Jesse and Ashlee Coates.

With God all things are possible!

Sugaring off

We've been a part of the first harvest of the year: harvesting maple syrup. What fun to get outside and learn how to make this sweet treat.

The Thank You Letter

This is the letter sent to David on 2/3/08. Names have been left out for their protection as we did not know how to get permission from the writer to post the letter.

Dear Sir:

Perhaps you do not remember me, but it matters not. My name is_____ and my brother introduced us on family day in the museum at the recruit depot in San Diego. I am writing this letter because I must describe to you my deep and profound gratitude for who you are. Had I but known who you were when we were introduced I would have taken the opportunity to express myself face to face, but as it is this shall have to suffice. You must think this the oddest letter ever written by now, but I pray you bear with me for a few moments and I shall make all quite clear.

My brother, I believe was in your platoon during boot camp and like most of ya'll, was infinitely changed for his time there. My entire family, even back a number of generations, is very devoted to Christ and thus my brother and I were taught from a very young age to love and serve Him. While I sought and found the Lord early in life, I am grieved to report that 'twas not so for my brother. Throughout our teenage years he continuously turned his back on the Lord and us. I say this not to speak ill of my brother, indeed, I love him tremendously; but to show you how you have been the answer to my prayers in a very significant way.

The marines was sort of our last hope for him, we knew not what else to do. I cannot even begin to depict for you the numerous nights I spent in tearful prayer for my beloved baby brother. When he left for boot camp my most fervent prayer was that in his platoon would be at least one man who would know the Lord and be not ashamed to live the gospel out for all to see, even in such situation as boot camp offers to forsake the teachings of Christ. I prayed that such a man would be an example to my brother and that he would yearn to be such a man himself.

Here, I come to the part where you fit in. As we were eating lunch that day and my brother began to tell us of the guys in his platoon, he spoke with great respect in his tone of one who wanted to be a missionary. He talked of how you deserved his respect not only for your high physical training scores but also in lieu of the fact that you were the one in all his platoon who was not a hypocrite. You earned his esteem for living a blameless life in front of him. Thank you. It took tremendous effort on my part to keep my eyes dry during his speech for indeed, I knew that you were a direct answer to my prayers on his behalf.

I know what it is to be in an environment that does not foster the kind of attitude and lifestyle Christ calls us to, thus I wish to thank you from the depths of my heart for remaining faithful and being not ashamed. It is not often in such times that we know the impact we are having on the lives and hearts of those around us and it can be easy to become discouraged and like Elijah, think we are the only ones. I do not know if you struggle in such a manner, but I wish to dispel such a notion on my brother's life therefore my own also! For this I thank you and praise God that others may see Him in you. I am afraid my vocabulary falls piteously short, but I pray the Lord reveals to you the depth of my gratitude and that he blesses your life infinitely as you continue to walk in His ways and let your light so shine before men. Until He does so I shall let Paul's words speak for me.

Philemon 1:4-7
"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith (thank you for having been so), so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you,brother,have refreshed the hearts of the saints."

Most gratefully and sincerely,
Signed

a letter received

In the School of Infantry, David is able to have some hours of liberty each weekend. He is able to call us by cell phone. This has greatly aided our communication with him. He did also receive both packages we sent him, one with his cell phone charger that got left behind and the other with dress clothes for church.

Last week, David received a perfumed, flowery, pink letter. It was from an unknown name and was four pages long. The letter was written in a classical style. Finally on the last page, David realized why it had been written. It was a thank you note written by the sister of a Marine who had been on the rack beside David in boot camp. The sister is a Christian and had been praying that someone would be able to witness to her brother that he might return to the Lord. David had been that witness. The brother had returned to the Lord and was attending church. The sister wrote to thank David for being an answer to her prayers. How we praise God. David says, "you never know what is happening behind the scenes." Thank you to all of you who have prayed for David. Keep up the good work.

David back to School of Infantry training

Early Tues. morning, David flew back to San Diego and was to go to Camp Pendleton for School of Infantry training. This training will last 8 weeks. From there he will go to Virginia for six more weeks of Security training. While David is at Camp Pendleton, communication should be a little easier as he has a cell phone and will get some weekend days off.

We were so thankful for the 17 days David had at home. It certainly was winter weather and he took full advantage of it playing hockey and skating, sliding and going skiing and cutting and splitting wood to keep people warm. It was interesting to see the various uniforms and outfits he had acquired and to learn the protocol of wearing them, etc. Some were made to look neat with shirt stays and collar springs. Nothing could be worn in the pockets as that made things look bulky. Instead, wallets, cell phones, etc. were worn in the socks.:)

We do thank each person who prayed for David. He did get a perfect PFT score of 300. PTL!

Almost a Blizzard...

This is about as close as we got to a blizzard this year...

A few more...

David's graduation from boot camp

David's Jan. 25 letter

Dear Family,

I am a Marine! I survived the crucible. It was a challenge. The 50+ miles of marching was not bad. The obstacles were fun but the cold and rain was horrible. We got a total of 8 hours of sleep for 3 days.

It was actually less sleep because I had fire watch one night for one hour. The worst part of the day was night time when they were trying to keep us awake and we were freezing. The last day we got up at 2:00 put on wet camies because it rained constantly on and off for the 3 days of the crucible and started hiking toward the reaper - a big, steep hill which we earn the title marine on. 4 miles of hiking through rivers of water and we arrived at the base and sat on our packs for a 1/2 hour. It poured rain. The hill was completely muddy and it was 40 degrees and all we had on was soaking wet camies. Then we slid up and down the hill and down the other side and then had to hike 6+ miles back to the parade deck and receive our EGA. Then we had warriors breakfast! Then a hot shower.

It was a miserable 3 days with 3 MREs but it was worth it. Our packs weighed over 100lbs due to the rain water. It was said that ours was the hardest crucible any one has had for the last 10+ years due to the rain and cold. You know you appreciate more what you earn.

Got to go.

Christs MARINE,
David

David's Jan19 letter

Dear Family, Jan. 19,2008
Well, test week is done. It all started Monday with final drill. Platoon 3271took first! So, we now have three trophies and that with a brand new Sr. D.I. Then, Tuesday, we had the martial arts test and so i am now a marine tan belt. It was a very easy test. The rest of the day was spent studying for the written test and getting uniforms. The Wed. we did more uniform stuff and took the written test. I got 94% which is not too good because I knew all the questions but it was a pass. Everyone in my Platoon passed. Then, we practiced for the oral medical test. Thursday was a busy day. First thing, we ran the final PFT. I did 27 pullups, but I was told only 24 counted. Then, I ran the 3 miles in 17:45. Then I did 117 crunches in 2 minutes. Praise the Lord! A 300 PFT! I was the only recruit in MIKE Co. to get a 300 PFT on the final PFT. Anyway, I might get iron man as long as a recruit who was on light duty and got a 300 on the series PFT does not get it. Anyway I praise the Lord for His help and strength. We had the oral test in the afternoon, but before that I had to go to medical for a shot that I had to get because I have never had chicken pox. It was given in the thigh and this was the first of two. So I passed the oral prac. with 100%.

Thank you for all your letters and pictures. I enjoy see what you have been doing. Also put a thank you to all the people who have been sending me letters. I love getting up to 19 letters a mail call. It is still hard to find time to read my Bible, but I have had opportunity to witness to 3 or 4 recruits when they ask why I am so different.

This is probably my last letter or 2nd to the last. Please don't send me any more letters after next Wed. The Crucible--here I come. You know my schedule as well as I do. I know it is supposed to rain the next 3 days. So, we will have a muddy, wet Crucible. I don't care--it will make it all the more fun.:)

Christ's soldier,
David

Pic of David

Thought you all would like to see this picture of David pulled out of a group shot of his platoon.

David's Jan. 13,2008 letter

Dear Family, Jan. 13, 2008
Boy, do I have a lot to write to you all about. First of all last Friday, we had the 2nd clothing fit. Then, everything began happening. It all goes back to a few days ago when we had a few fights. E. got punched and then J. got punched for no reason. J. was punched in the jaw and the Sr. D.I. tried to cover up the fighting. Then, it was found out that J.'s jaw was broken. He called home from the hospital and his mom got the Sr.D.I. in trouble for lying. So, D.I. Sgt. J and D.I. K. were UCMJ and relieved from being D.I. So, three weeks from graduation we got a new Sr. D.I.-Lewis and a new kill hat, Kaaiwi. Now we have to learn to drill with new D.I.s 3 days before final drill. It is going to be a miracle if we do well on final drill, but I believe in miracles. So over this all 3 recruits were dropped for fighting. Anyway that is the excitement around here.

Last week was PT week. Monday, I was gear guard. then, Tuesday we did the circuit course and Wednesday we did a tough combat course which was martial arts and body drags.

This week also I was I.T. about 3-4 times and had probably the toughest I.T. session ever just before the D.I. left. Thursday we ran 1/2 mile 6 times and those were sprints! Then, we did max. pull ups, ,push ups and crunches. That was probably the toughest P.T. I have done. I found out this week that I am going to be made Meritorious PFC because I guess I have the highest PFT score in the series. Continue to pray that i do well on my final PFT so the Sr. D.I. is not sorry he gave me rise in rank. My rank mate also was one of the few Meritorious PFC because he was the Platoon high shooter.

You can continue to pray for my rack mate Hill and also our guide Espinoza. He was just appointed series honor man so he is pretty happy, but he has a lot of stress. Thank you for all the letters! I love hearing from everyone. Thank you Smiths! You have really been great in sending me all the letters. It helps me feel like a human being here.
Nineteen more days!

Christ's soldier,
David Pillman
Col. 3:8-10

David's Jan. 6 letter

Dear Family,
Sorry for my poor communication. We are limited in our free time so I only really have time to write on Sunday. Anyway, last week was team week. We got measured for our suits and fancy clothing. That was ALL day Wednesday. Thursday, I went to dental and had my first cavity filled in. :( That is what happens when you don't have time to brush teeth for 2 months. Actually, for the last two months, I have been brushing my teeth every night. The rest of Thursday, I cleaned house and was given I.T. two times for no reason and then tore apart the whole house.
Fri. I had a meeting in the morning and was disqualified from Presidential Security for being home schooled, but I am appealing that. Then I went and worked in the Armory for the rest of the day. Talk about a lot of weapons: around 3,300 M16A2, 400 shot guns, 40+ grenade launchers M203, 200+ shot guns and probably around 100 pistols. 9mm Beretta M92.* So that was fun. I missed class, but it was all on rape and homosexuality.
Saturday, I got to call home! Also we had class in the morning on sexual responsibility and military social services. It poured rain all day. Next we had a class on alcohol abuse and drug use from our D.I. Finally we did our initial PFT. I did 22 pull ups, 116 crunches and ran a 18:20 three mile. So I scored a 298--two points away from perfect. :( Praise the Lord for strength. It was the best PFT score in our series, but I need to get under 18 min. on the final PFT. Finally, we did a lot of drill and hit the rack.
On fire watch I was in the duty hut calculating PFT scores. Church today was pretty lame. The sermon was a message on the wise-men. Basically a history lesson.
Continue to pray for our Platoon. Pray that I can still get Presidential Security.
Christ's soldier,
David

P.S. My favorite thing last week was a team obstacle course which ended with climbing a rope in full gear.

*Probably these are Beretta M9's not M92's, as the military issue is the Beretta M9.

David"s Dec. 25-Jan.1/2008 letter

25 Dec. 2007
Dear Family,
Christmas Day! Happy Birthday Jesus! Yesterday, we did 4 prac. tests, did a lot of drill and played "games". Then, finally in the evening, we had a Christmas Eve service and sang Christmas Carols and had two messages in two hours. My favorite message was relating how our being in a tough place is a good place for Christmas. Christ was born in a tough place to save people in a tough world. It really hit home here how Christ came in a tough place. We had chow which was: 2 slices of wheat bread,1 bagel, cream cheese & jelly, peanut butter, eggs, bacon, scalloped potatoes, 2 waffles, oatmeal with syrup, an orange, raisin bread, cantaloupe, and yogurt. Then a glass of milk and a glass of juice. That is my normal breakfast. At least I am not starving! :) And I forgot coffee cake.
When we got back to the house, we cleaned for 1/2 hour. Then, I celebrated Christmas by opening presents--no it was 78 MREs.Meals Ready to Eat We took all the extra stuff out of the MREs so they could fit into our packs for field week. It took close to 1 1/2 hours to do that. Then we added two sheets and a blanket and piled all our stuff on the quarter deck. Then, we sorted it out and went to Church at 0930. It is amazing how much you can get done when you get up early. Now we are on free time till 1130 and Tony, his rack mate and I made a chess set--hope we don't get into trouble for it.
Yesterday I was on the quarter deck for eating a candy cane. We were given them in the chow hall and I was not told what to do with it, so I ate it.
Now for lunch, we had a special meal. Dinner rolls, bread, turkey, beef roast, baked potatoes, canned corn, chicken noodle soup, dressing, gravy, mixed nuts, shrimp, apple pie, deviled eggs, a big salad, oranges, 2 big slices of water melon, and a glass of chocolate milk and apple juice.
Dec. 30,2007
Field week is done. It was fun sleeping under the stars, but fire watch was very cold.
Jan. 1, 2008
I got to send this letter. I have been carrying it in my pocket for the last week.
(It looks like it too!) My addition.
Please pray for my rack mate Hill. He does not believe in absolutes and is a professing non-Christian.

Christ's soldier,
David Phil 4:13

David's phone call

Today, Sat. Jan.5, 2008 we received a 15 min. phone call from David. He was slightly hoarse from all of the yelling he has to do, but otherwise in good spirits. He is finished at the shooting range and is back at the original camp. Paul and Josie (Mom and Dad) were the only ones home for the call. We were able to pray together. David had a couple of prayer requests:

1)Pray for salvation of his rack mate Hill and for Elim a missionary kid who needs the Lord.

2)Pray for his buddy Tony Ward who has times of homesickness.

3) Today, David is having another PFT test. Pray he can do his very best and even make the 300 mark!
Thanks for your prayers and support for David.

David's Dec. 11 letter

We received the following letter on Jan. 2, 2008. It was written Dec. 11-16, 2007 so this letter was actually written before the Dec. 23 letter previously received.

Dear Family,
Well, we are up North. It is cold here in the morning... like 45F. Since we do not have coats we can wear we freeze at "snapping in". All it is, is aiming at a barrel and practicing dry firing in different shooting positions. So we have had 2 days. All we have learned is the prone position and how to sight in our M16 H2 rifles.
Today, we had a 3 mile hump with about 30 lb. packs. Well, got to go to church Bible study.

16 Dec. 2007--Sunday!

I have been really busy. All day we would practice shooting positions and shooting techniques. Wednesday, we went to the range and shot at 30 yards to sight in our rifles. I failed but my sights were so far off so that is why. Every evening, we play stupid mind games and rip off tags that we have sewn onto our bags. So I am getting quite good at sewing little X's to connect tags to bags. Meals up here are probably better than down south. Also, everything is dirtier. We are cleaning constantly in free time. We have been preparing for field week. (like practicing setting up our 2 person tents. Everything about shooting is leading up to next week. This week, we shoot every day and we practice till our shooting test next Friday. In the test, everything is done without resting the rifle on anything.
(Then David includes a fairly detailed chart of the test and diagrams of several targets.)
Each score is with a max if 5 points, so a max. of 25. 220+ is expert. 210+ is sharp shooter. 190+ is marksman. 189 and below is a fail.
So now you know what shooting I am going to be doing. It is tough. So you can pray I pass. I would like to shoot expert, but we will have to see how well I shoot. If I fail, I am dropped back a week and I will give you a phone call.
Now we do not receive mail as much here, but it is exciting when we get some. Let me tell you what happened last night:
All Platoons in MIKE Company marched to the chapel. Then, we went into it and had a contemporary praise service. All of MIKE Company! It was led by Calvary Chapel of L.A. Next an older gentleman who is a marine who fought in WW II Pacific Iwo Jima, Okinawa...and then fought in Korea and was one of the frozen chosen of the Chosen Reservoir. Then a pastor spoke on Hell and the need to accept Jesus. A great Salvation message! Finally, they had an altar call and probably 80 Marines went forward. Praise, the Lord! Then, they passed out dog tags with Joshua 1:9 and "Marines for Jesus" on it. This was something everyone was "forced" to go to! Christianity is still alive in America. Anyway, I had better go. Please write back! I love getting your letters and hearing what you are up to.
I have found a little time to read my Bible, but it is still a challenge.
Christ's Soldier,
David
James 5:7-9 (the passage for the message today)
P.S. Yesterday, we did a 5-8 mile hike with 50-60 lb. packs and combat gear-up and down hills. It was fun except I had to scream out knowledge the whole time.

Send David a letter of encouragement!

Just so everyone has Davids' address readily available, and to encourage everyone to send David a letter, I thought I would repost his address. Once again, please don't send him any packages, and realize his responses may be short as he is pressed for time. If you haven't sent him a letter yet, I would encourage you to do so! If you have previously sent him letter, I would encourage you to send another. He really appreciates hearing from everyone!

PILLMAN, DAVID, P
3rd RTBN M CO Plt. 3271
39003 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3274

David Letter #11

Dear Family, December 23, 2007\
Merry Christmas Eve Eve. :) Sorry for my poor communication. I have been so busy that I have not had time to do any thing but read my letters and clean the house. Last Wednesday we thatched a movie. It was OK. Other wise I shot all of last week. I did not shoot really well. I ended up shooting a 212. 250 is perfect so I dropped 38 points. All we have now is table II. Table II is moving targets. It should be fun. I can pick up another 10 points so I can move from sharp shooter to Expert. Other wise we did the 8 mile hike yesterday. It was fine except that I was the knowledge recruit and I had to scream for the whole time. I am hoarse today. I think that our platoon will take range as we had 2 recruits who shot 240s and 239 as well. There are a lot of experts. That is most of the news. Next week we are camping out for 3 nights. WE are not going out till Wednesday. So we are staying here till after Christmas. Camping should be fun. It is still cold here. Probably about 40 every morning and getting up to 65 or 70 every day. It rained one day last week so that was a little cold and muddy shooting. It is still hard to find time for devos as our square away time is cut down to 45 minutes instead of 1 1/2 hours. In that time we have to fit equipment, clean the house, and shower and shave. I still have opportunity to talk to recruits about the Lord. It is neat o see the interest in spiritual things. I cannot believe the immorality in America. I think I see the worst of it here at boot camp. You can pray I keep my language clean. It is still a challenge as I hear dirty language constantly.
Today the Church service was good. The sermon was on Joseph from Matthew 1. It was given by a retired chaplain that was LCMS. He preached the word. Well I had better go. Merry Christmas!

Christ's Soldier,
David Pillman
Prov. 4:24

P.S. Thanks for all the letters from friends and family. I love them. Please send me pictures!

No new Letters

If you are wondering we have not received any letters from David for a few weeks. We will make sure that as soon as we get another, we will post it.

Christmas Cookies

Here are a few Christmas cookie favorites:

Spritz Cookies

1c. sugar
1 ½ cup marg.
3 egg yolks
1 tsp. almond extract
3 c. unsifted flour

Put through a cookie press. Bake at 300F for 20 min. 7 doz. pressed cookies


Mexican Wedding Cakes

½ cup marg.
2 T sugar
1 c. flour
1 c. walnuts, chopped
1 tsp. vanilla

Roll the size of walnuts. Bake 350F for 10-12 min. Roll in powdered sugar while hot. Roll again in powdered sugar when cool.

Peanut Blossoms

3 ½ c. flour
2 tsp soda
1 tsp salt
Cream 1 cup butter and 1 cup peanut butter. Add 1 cup sugar and 1 cup br. sugar. Cream. Add 2 eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla. Blend dry ingredients together and add. Roll into balls. Roll in sugar. (May use red or green sugar). Bake at 350F for 8 min. Take from oven. Put choc, kisses on top. Bake another 2-5 min. more.

Here's what's cooking in our Kitchen! Ed. 3

Another one of our Christmas traditions. This cookie is Swedish, but is very similar to an Italian Biscotti.

Rusks

½ c. butter
1/2c. marg.
2c. sugar
2 eggs
4 1/2c.flour
½ c. nuts
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
2/3 c. milk

Cream butter and marg, add sugar cream again. Add eggs and beat. Mix dry ingredients and add to the rest. Form into four logs 12’ long 2’ wide and 1’ tall. Place two logs on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for 35-40 min. Logs should be slightly browned and not sticky or raw to cut. Let logs cool slightly. Then, using a bread knife slice each log on a slight angle into ½” pieces. Lay each slice onto its side and spread all over cookie sheets. Place back into oven at 200F. to dry. They will be crisp. Can turn oven off and let dry over night.

Here's what's cooking in our Kitchen! Ed. 2

One of our traditional Christmas cookies.

Rug Cookies 350F 10-12 min.

1 c. butter or marg.
1 ½ c. sugar
1 Tbs. corn syrup
1 egg
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp. cloves
2 ½c. flour

Cream butter. Add sugar and syrup. Add egg. Mix flour and spices. Add to creamed mixture. Put through a cookie press or roll into balls, roll in sugar and bake. When we use a cookie press, we make the shape of a rug in strips down the cookie sheet. We cut them into desired size as we take them off the sheet. They must be removed from cookie sheet immediately as they will stick badly if allowed to cool.

Here's what's cooking in our Kitchen!

This is one of our favorite unique Christmas cookie recipes. Enjoy!

Finnish Cookies 375F 15-20 min. Makes 3 doz.
1 c. butter
1 c. small curd cottage cheese
¼ tsp. salt
2 c. flour
¾ c. br. sugar
1 beaten egg yolk
¾ c. finely chopped walnuts
2 Tbs. water
icing sugar for rolling
½ tsp. cinnamon
melted butter

Cream butter with cottage cheese; blend in salt and flour. Shape into ball. Divide dough into thirds. Roll each piece into a 12” round. Brush with melted butter. Combine cinnamon brown sugar and nuts. Sprinkle 1/3 mixture over each round. Cut into 16 pie-shaped wedges. Spread at wide edge, roll towards point. Place point down on greased cookie sheet; brush with combined egg yolk and water. Bake. Remove from pan immediately and sprinkle with or roll in sifted confectioners sugar.

David's Dec.6-9 Letter

Dear Family, 6-9 Dec.,2007
Today we went to the pool and were sent back and so I basically cleaned the "house" and took a knowledge test all morning. Then, after chow, we went to the combat course. It was a course in which a team of 4 ran through with a rifle and flack jacket and helmet. Then you had to crawl under barb wire and use your bayonet. It was a lot of fun. Then, we competed in the thunder dome and did pugle sticks. I won all three matches and our plt. got first in it also. Anyway that was my day.
Friday, I had to go to med. and get 5 shots (ouch) and then I got to call home.:)
Praise the Lord! The rest of Friday, was spent standing @ attention, getting our pictures taken and going to the PX. Of course we also got I.T.ed and cleaned the house. I probably swabbed the house 8 X. Otherwise, we just packed up all our stuff.
Saturday, we played stupid games all day with our rifles and loaded all our stuff in the morning. I am sore from holding our rifles above our head for a LONG time. After chow, we stood for about an hour and I yelled out knowledge the whole time. Then, we were loaded into buses and taken to camp Pendleton. It rained most of the day so we got fairly wet. Once at Pendleton we moved into our house. Then, we had chow and cleaned everything.
SUNDAY Today, we had a great breakfast and cleaned the house and went to chow. Then we went to chapel. Church was great. Finally, we had a chaplain who preached the Word and knew the power of prayer. Finally God's Word was really preached. The sermon was from Psalm72 and Matthew 3:1-12. It was the fruit of repentance and the grace of God. Now it is free time till chow and then we get all of our gear for up here. You can pray I do well in range week--next week.
Christ's soldier,
David Pillman
Gal.6:9-10

David Letter #9

Dear Family, December 4, 2007
Well, it is swim week! Monday I qualified for swim 4. It was easy. You had to jump off a 10 foot tower with camies on and tread water for 4 minutes . Next, I had to swim 25 yards 2x with camies. Today I qualified for swim 3 it included getting on all our gear- including boots- jump off the tower and swim 25 yards.Next, we had to get on packs, guns, helmets, and flack jackets and 5 yards in chest high water, swim 25 yards with the equipment, and jump off a 8 foot tower and swim 25 yards. All the swimming with packs we had to swim toward our feet. That is a little tough. Got to go do devotions.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
to day I qualified for swim 2 it was not tough. All we had to do was have on a Kevlar, a flack jacket, and a rifle. Then, we had to swim 20 yards. Lets just say the equipment slowed me down a bit, but I made it. Then we had the buddy tow. We had to tow a buddy 30 yards and then switch. Both my buddy and I passed. Tomorrow we have one last swim day. Today we also packed for up North, got our debit card, a hair cut, and practiced for our oral and written tests. Those tests are on T 51- today is T 20. Anyway, time continues to pass. We also had to make our racks about 15x today and I spent time on the quarter deck. Praise the Lord for his strength and for a fun time here. I am feeling great! Pray that I stay healthy and can continue to witness to recruits.

Christ's Soldier,
Pillman, David
Is. 40

On out side of letter: P.S. I run in New Balance shoes. Cards are fine.

David Letter #8

Dear Family, Dec. 2,2007
Today was church again. Church was really disappointing as we had a Woman Chaplain for the first time.:(...a very poor sermon on the end times.
Anyway on a more positive subject, yesterday my platoon #3271 got first in initial drill. Then we did a mini grind (a little drill inside the house). Then, we went to chow after a lot of standing at attention. Then we had chow. After chow, we did more mini grind and then had P.T. It was the circuit course and then had a huge tug-of-war. 3271 lost, but it was still a lot of fun. Tony is home sick somewhat.
Finally, we got ice cream in the evening as s treat and watched a movie as a reward for getting first in drill. You can continue to pray that I can be a light in word and action. I am making a lot of friends here. They are a rough crowd, but I can handle teasing because of my innocence. I am glad I have been protected my whole life. Thanks Mom and Dad! Well, got to run. Next week is swim week. Next week, we go up to Camp Pendleton. This address will remain the same.

Christ's soldier,
David Pillman
Rom. 13: 11-14

A Phone call from David!

We just got a ten minute phone call from David! It sounds like he has been continuing to be doing very well. He got first in the swimming and his platoon got first in the competition between all the platoon in his Mike company. He doesn't have much time to witness, but continue praying for those opportunities. He says people think that it is kind of funny that he can have high-energy, be up-beat and positive the whole time, so praise the Lord again for giving him that spirit.

We'll continue to keep you informed.

David Letter # 7

Dear Family, November 30, 2007
Well, life continues to be busy. Yesterday I had a hair cut in the morning and did a lot of drill. then we had chow and did a lot more drill. We are building up to the initial drill competition tomorrow. After chow we had a fake full PFT test. I did my best and did 15 pull ups. (Pull-ups here are hard because you have to go all the way down and up) Then I ran the 3 mile run. I came in first out of 200 recruits at 18:30 minutes. It was not that good, but I did my best. Next, was crunches and I did 100. I scored about a 275 on the PFT.
Today I was called up to our Series commander and they said I was one of the few recruits they think could make a 300 PFT. My Sr. Drill Instructor said that he has never had anyone get a 300 PFT out of the 4 plt. he has had. Praise the Lord for His strength. Pray that I can do well on the initial PFT next Friday so I don't get in trouble. Today was the first inspection which meant that DIs from another plt. looked us over and asked questions and of course yelled at us. Then we did more drilling inside. It rained all day today so we were outside only to walk to chow and back. We did a lot of drill and cleaned our rifles. Then we did PT inside our house, which included push-ups, pull-up, and crunches. I did a total of 1050 crunches, 75 pull-ups, and innumerable push-ups and dips off of foot lockers. My record was 300 crunches at one time. I also got put on the quarter deck for something my rack mate did. That was OK, but tiring. (I was 7 times on the quarter deck) :). Continue to pray for Cordinez- he seems like he will accept the Lord soon-Pray!
Christ's soldier,
David Is. 40:28-31

P.S. Please continue to write letters

David Letter # 6

Dear Family November 26-28, 2007
Today was probably one of the best days at boot camp. It was tough but fun. In the morning we did the confidence course which was a lot of climbing over obstacles like rope ladders, towers, and huge monkey bar type things. Then we practiced falling and leg sweeps. this all took about 5 hours in the morning. Then we had a class on History 5 which was the Vietnam war with Capt. John Repply and Carlos Hethckock. Then we had a class on mentorship. During it one of the recruits asked why DI swear and as it was the first Sargent of the corps he got in trouble because no swearing is allowed. Anyway, the DI keep saying how easy boot camp is now and basically I can agree, though it is still mentally and physically challenging.
Tuesday they played mind games all day and tore our whole house apart and then made us run up and down stairs. Then we got a dummy grade for initial drill and we did very well. We had our last first aid class and our log drills. That was tough as I was one of the tallest recruits and had to be up front. I had a lot of weight, but it was a good work out. My shoulders are sore today.
Wednesday we had a GI bill class all morning with more signing of paper work. Next we practiced with rifles and I was forced to rough up a weak recruit by the name of Bailey, but he took it pretty well. Then we had Pugle sticks and I won once and lost once. Then we drilled more and got another dummy grade. Everything is building up to Initial Drill Saturday.
Pray that I can continue to witness to more recruits-especially Cardinous.

Christ's Soldier,
David

P.S. Everything is said to be easier here because of our female Commander General Salinous.

David Letter #4 & #5

This week we got two more letters from David. The following are the last two:
Dear Family, 25 Nov. 2007
Well today is Sunday! The church service was shallow as usual. Anyway yesterday was a tough physical day. It started out with a rough mini grind which is basically: hold our guns out at different angles as punishment till we scream with pain. Then we had 2 hours of class, chow and P.T. P.T. started with warm up exercises and then more push ups, crunches, weight lifting, jump rope, stair climbing with weights, dips, pull ups, monkey bars, and more crunches and weight lifting. Then we did agility training for 1/2 an hour and that was a lot of sprinting backward and forward starting on your belly every time. Then, we had another 45 min. of strengthening exercises like diamond push ups. We then showered and did more marching and had chow. Then we did more marching and rifle handling. Finally we c.eaned our rifles, had a Sr. drill chat and cleaned up everything. That was my day! A long 1 hour of fire watch last night. You can pray that our Plt. (3271) MIKE does well in initial drill test. It is all a competition between platoons. Also, pray I find more time to read my Bible. I have started reading it during fire watch.
My health is doing fine. I still have a cough, but I can handle that. Let me know how many deer you shot. Tony is doing well. Nathan is in another Plt. and I talked to him yesterday and his knee is bothering him. Also Tony has shin splints--you can pray they go away.
Christ's soldier,
Pillman, David Col. 1:13
On back of envelope: P.S. Thanks for the letters. I got 3 so far---all from you.

Dear Family, Saturday,Nov. 24. 2007
Life has been crazy . They keep us running and drilling every day morning till night. Lately, the D.I.s have been throwing all of our stuff in one pile in the middle of the house and we have to clean it up and sort our stuff in free time. Thanksgiving started out with going to the pit (I.T.) before breakfast and then we had class and had a bad time at drill--a lot of time holding our M16 A1 service rifles at arms length. then we had a "Thanksgiving" dinner and it was O.K. The food was not home made and I only had 5-10 minutes to eat it. Then we did more drill and our Sr. Drill Instructor let us watch a Movie called "shooter." That was nice. The day ended well. Wednesday I did pugle sticks and I beat my opponent. I couldn't remember if I told you that yet. Anyway today was a tough day. We went to the pit and then went to P.T. and did a lot of push ups and crunches. We came back and had to make out beds 3X and then we all got our water bottles dumped out and mixed up. After lunch, we did hard martial arts and 3 hours of drill and another 2 hours of drill after supper.
I gotta go. Pray for my bad cough and slight sprained ankle.
Love, David
Still Christ's Soldier
Pray for my new rock mate, Kovach--a home schooled boy from Texas.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving season. Lucas and his roommate Ryan Akers arrived around 2:30 on Wed. afternoon. They had driven 18 hours straight through from Virginia along with a fellow classmate from Eau Claire. With three drivers they arrived relatively rested. We went to a Thanksgiving service and Lucas delivered his bumper. He sold it to a couple in the church. Uncle Noel, Lauretta and Phyllis were with us for Thanksgiving Day. Jessica and others made lefse and pies. The boys did several hunts, but did not get a deer. The Olsons gave us two of their deer for venison. We appreciate the Lord's provision. With much help from Matthew, Peter and Dad, we got it cut up on Mon. Tues. we took 50 pounds over to our neighbor, Al, to get it ground into hamburger. The temps. have been down to 5F with winds. It feels quite cold. I put straw on my tulips and tried to cover my hybrid roses with tarps. Hopefully they will survive the winter. Most of all we are thankful for a joyous Thanksgiving. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so. Ryan and Lucas are safely back at Patrick Henry College in Virginia.

David's next letter Nov. 20

We received the following letter in the mail on Tues. Nov. 27. So far, we have no indication that David has received any of our mail. They may save it for a few days before he sees it. We thank each one who is praying specifically for David.

Dear Family, 20 Nov. 07
I have basically got into routine. Monday, I had a MCMAP class which is basically martial arts. Probably the toughest thing is all the bad language and dirty talk. We have a talk every day with our Sr. Chief Drill Instructor Jones. His talks are practical and we talk about Honor, Courage, and Commitment. Class is about History and First Aid. I have been used by the First Aid Instructor for a lot of silly examples, but at least it keeps it interesting.
Tuesday, we had pugil sticks. I defeated my opponent and then I went to a class on WW II History. Well, I gotta run. Pray for endurance through the monotony of drill.
Christ's Soldier,
David Pillman
P.S. Please send me a schedule.

David's second letter

Dear Family, Nov. 16,2007
Well today I did the obstacle course. It went well. Also my rack mate is going to be kicked out due to a knee injury. His name is Marrs and he is going back to Texas. You can pray for him as he is a nominal Christian. This is a big blow for him. You can also pray that I get over the bad cold I have. Otherwise I have just had a lot of classes.
Nov.18,2007
Well, this is Sunday and I finally got time to finish this letter. Yesterday, we had PT which included a lot of push ups and then sprints and more sprints.Then we had about four hours of class lecture on History and Courage. Otherwise it was just chow and more marching drill and we learned how to take apart our M16 A1 service rifle.
Today, we got up normal time, had chow and then I went to church with Tony Ward. It is an ELCA liturgical service, but it is still good to read from God's Word. We also have a communion every Sunday. Otherwise everything is pretty monotonous. The biggest thing they stress is keeping clean, both ourselves and the house (barracks) and bathroom (head).
I have pink eye so you can pray I get over it. Everyone is sick here.
Anyway let me know how everyone is doing and say "hi" to Lucas and Ryan. You can also send me Lucas' mailing address.
Christ's soldier,
Pillman,David Prov. 18:10
P.S. Please keep these letters as they are the journal I have. Also you can pray I don't get in too much trouble as I am one of the squad leaders.

Our First Letter from David

Nov.15, 2007 Training day 3
Dear Family,
I finally found time to write. They keep us running around from morning (0500) till well after sundown (2200). it is great but some times a little brain racking due to all the yelling and time on the quarter deck (I.T.). I have had a little time to talk to recruits about God, but not much because we are not allowed to talk to each other. Basically we yell all the time and if you don't scream you get punished. Sadly the D.I. (Drill Instructors) have leanred my name but they do not use it too much. I have only been to the quarter deck 4X. You can pray I can find time to read the Bible as it is really hard to find time to do any thing but what the D.I.s say. I got to see recruits graduating today. That was cool. I also started.
Training on hand to hand combat. The first week all we did was walk around and wait in lines. We had to stand at attention for up to 8 hours at one time and some time all night and the DI would not let us sleep for the first 48 hours. Since then I have gotten plenty of sleep. Every other night I have five whach in which you have to be awake for 1 hour doing nothing but cleaning and marching here. The food is great with salad, apples, oranges, BBQ ribs and vegetables for supper today. You only get about 5 min. to eat it, but thankfully I am a fast eater. I finally got my ugly glasses, so that was nice as my other glasses just broke. Another thing that takes some getting used to is going to the bathroom only when told. One night the whole platoon was almost wetting themselves and then the DIs only let two go to the head at a time. Anyway you will have to let me know what you are all up to. Got to go.
Love, David Pillman
Rom. 5:3
Phil. 4:13

P.S. I am in MIKE company. Look it up. It is said to be one of the toughest companies.

David's Schedule

Here is a general schedule of what David is doing. As you can tell we have been keeping close track of the days! :-)

David's Address

We got a form letter today from David with his address. Once again I would like to emphasize: absolutely no packages of any sort, no pictures, and no money; only letters. His address is:

PILLMAN, DAVID, P
3rd RTBN M CO Plt. 3271
39003 Midway Ave.
San Diego, CA 92140-3274

Please make sure you copy it exactly as written. Realize he is very pressed for time, so his reply correspondence will be limited, but he will certainly enjoy letters of encouragement. The letter was not a personal one, he only signed his name, so we don't know any more than this. I will post his schedule so you can have a general idea of what he is doing each day! Thanks again to all who have shown their support!

No word yet

We are waiting to hear word from David. We expect to hear from him during this next week. We'll post anything we hear. In the meantime we pray for him as he has completed his week of orientation and begins the first week of boot camp.

David leaves for the Marines

As David left for the Marines, he did not need to take much time packing. He wore the clothes on his back and carried with him a Bible, an address book, $20, his social security card and drivers license, and contact lens solution. He will be issued new glasses and personal effects and all of the necessary clothes and shoes needed for boot camp. Even the clothes he arrives in will be put into a bin until he returns home. He will be given a physical and his head will be shaved. That is boot camp. Sat. we went through shoes and clothes tossing the most worn. Although he plans to be back for 10 days in Feb., in essence he is gone for five years. We will miss him. He will miss many special days including Thanksgiving and Christmas and birthdays. At present, Jessica and Matthew and Uncle Noel plan to attend his graduation in San Diego on Feb.1
The Lord will strengthen him and help him and uphold him with His victorious right hand.

Off to Marines

David left at 19.30.00 hours for Marines boot camp. He is going to MEPS in the morning (the physical) and leaving around 4.00.00 hours for receiving in San Diego. We will miss him. We will keep you posted when we get his address. Thank you for all your support!

A Word or Verse for David

I would like to give you all opportunity to give David a verse, quote from a poem or song, or some other advice or direction. Together as a family we had a time tonight where we shared verses and song songs with him, and I thought it would be special if others could contribute verses as well. He leaves tomorrow, so if you can post by then, that would be great, but we will forward on to him any that are posted after he leaves. I know there are many of you who have had a special part in his life, and I thought it would only be appropriate to allow you to give him a special word of encouragement. Feel welcome to comment on this post to support him as he leaves! We appreciate the support!

Pillman Cuisine--Raccoon!

We are always game to try any new food as a family. Sometimes we come up with a delicious cuisine, and this just happens to be one of those occasions. We were out Raccoon hunting with our neighbors last night, and ended up with 9 coon. We figured we wouldn't let all the good meat go to waste, and brought home some legs to eat. We used this recipe, and it turned out great. Everyone greatly enjoyed it. They did not taste at all "gamey," and were very tender. My mom called the meat like a mixture between pork and beef. For all of you to have the opportunity to try it, I figured I post the recipe here.

You first start by acquiring your coon. You skin and take off the quarters. (the rest of the coon is edible as well, but most of the meat is on the quarters, so it is simplest to just eat the quarters) Bring them home, and remove all the fat you can (you can actually do this anytime before you start cooking them), and let them soak in salt/soda brine for about 6 hours (longer is fine). Take them out of the salt brine, and put them in a pot to boil. Boil them with salt (and onion if desired) until thoroughly done.


mix together:

1-cup ketchup

½ cup cooking oil or butter

¼ cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp. garlic powder (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. onion powder (or to taste)

1 Tbsp. salt

¼ cup lemon juice

1 tsp. pepper

pour over coon, and let sit until ready to grill.

Place on grill, and apply sauce to meat as it is cooking.

Grill until browned as desired.

Eat with relish, forgetting the species it came from. (which is not hard considering the exquisite taste)