Canoeing trip on the Brule

Canoeing the Brule (click here to see the whole album)

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!

Pic of David

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

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

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!

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!

David's Send-Off Pictures

Below is a slide show of pictures from last Saturday. We were thankful for all special people who came to David's send off.

David's Send-off

Thank you all for coming to David's send-off. Your support is a real encouragement. We had plenty of treats for everyone, thanks to the many people who were so generous and brought a variety of cookies, bars, and even milk! We estimated we had about 150-160 people present for the program, and there were a few more that either left before the program, or came after it was over.

We would especially like to thank those who shared, including Cpt. John Mueller (Navy), Pastor Les Johnson, and Bob Ebersprocher, who presented David with a Gideon New Testament on behalf of the Gideons. A big thanks goes to the Brown Family, Kurt, Sophia, Daniel, Sarah, Hannah, Bailey, as well as Brandon Marschner, Naomi Finney, Julia Osthus, Anna Alme, and Angela Lackey, who stayed around and helped us clean up.

We would also like to thank each and everyone who is praying for David as he prepares to embark on this new stage in his life. We pray that the Lord can bless him in this endeavor, and that David may be a bright, shinning example of Christ's love to all around him!

Send-off for David

You are invited to a SEND-OFF for

DAVID PILLMAN

David has enlisted into the U.S. Marine Corps with our blessing. He ships to San Diego Boot Camp on Nov. 5th. We desire to send him with a spiritual emphasis in the presence of friends who want to support him. At the gathering, David will share why he enlisted and how he desires to serve the Lord Jesus and his country in this way. The event will take place on

Sunday, October 28, 2007 2-4 pm with the program at 15.00 hrs. (3:00pm)

at

Christ the King Lutheran Church

located on Highway 128, 2 miles north of Highway 29 or 2 miles south of I94 taking exit 28. The church is on the west side of the road, formerly Cady Elementary School.

No RSVP is necessary, but if you have questions or need directions, please contact us at (715) 235-8076 or pillmansprogress*at*gmail.com. We hope to see you.

Because of Jesus,

Paul and Josie Pillman family