From: "Barb Kavouras (by way of Rev. Eric J. Stefanski, )" To: Subject: CLIMB: Chaplain Field Report 9/20/01 from Somerset PA Date: Friday, November 02, 2001 12:54 PM Many people have asked if they may share my husbands field reports with others. My husband asks only that if you pass the field reports on, that you do so in their entirety. Your continued prayers and messages have been an enormous source of strength to my husband and our family. I have passed on every message I've received. I also thank those who are keeping him in their prayers regularly but haven't sent a personal message. In Christ, Barb K Cleveland kavouras@multiverse.com Field Report 9/20/01 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, As time allows I will continue to send these reports, which I design to be both informative and faith-building, in that they clearly proclaim the rich mercy of the world's Savior, our Lord and our only Hope, Jesus Christ. It is at His pleasure I do what I do, and in Him that you and I have fellowship one with another. I thank Christ Lutheran Church for including these chaplain duties in my Call document, making this an important and recognized work of God's people, and not just the desire of Pastor Kavouras. The highlight of the day was the heavy rain which made sifting the sand for remains, impossible. This forced the recovery teams to stop their work, to rest and to come up to the command post. There I met many of them for the first time since Monday night when I arrived. In my usual fashion I mingled among them, greeting and chatting with them. The clerical collar was like a magnet to these weary workers looking for solace. After much banter and good-natured kidding about the Browns and Steelers, I asked if they'd like me to have prayers with them for their work. I didn't have to ask twice, their souls were very hungry. One agent spoke for all when he said that none of them have had a chance to think about this, or to grieve for our nation's tremendous loss. So Sunday morning I will go down to the dig, the "valley of the shadow of death", and *there* will proclaim that with Christ the Good Shepherd who laid down His sacred life for us, and who leads us beside still waters - we need fear no evil. He is with us. His rod and staff, His cross and His resurrection, His Word and His promises will comfort us and revive us, as no other power on earth can. I asked Pastor Hahn, my faithful assistant in the area, to see if he can dig up an organist and a (get ready for the K word, you know, a k,k,keyboard - but that it has to be a good one that sounds like an organ). I told him to call up some of the CW pastors in the area and inquire, which only goes to show, that even they! can sometimes serve God's purposes. And for this too your prayers are earnestly requested. The last group of family members was brought to the crash site today. I did not attend the "service" which allowed neither Christ nor Scripture; but I thank God that somehow the Salvation Army handed a New Testament with Psalms to each person there. I did talk with a few of the people returning to the busses, which would transport them to the main non-Service, also attended by the vice president' s wife. Again, I did not attend this caricature of Christianity where so-called Christian ministers allowed their witness to be silenced; and who withheld the precious gift of God's healing from people crushed by sin and death. One particular family member who sought out my collar, was a 17 year veteran of the NYPD who had lost his father in the crash - and who only a week before this crash buried his younger brother who had died in a car accident while on his honey-moon in California. Pray for these people my friends, that from Scripture's hallowed pages they may know the victory of Christ over death's bloody reign. "Oh death, where is thy sting? Oh grave where is thy victory.thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ?" 1 Corinthians 15:55ff. Or as we sing in the great Easter hymn: Jesus lives! The victory's won, death no longer can appall me. Jesus lives! Death's reign is done, from the grave Christ will recall me. Brighter scenes will then commence. This shall be my confidence. (TLH 201) In one more fascinating event of the day, I now relate to you the story told me by Master Sergeant John Mikolich and Staff Sergeant Ernie Nicholson of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. These two soldiers, normally in the recruiting office, were among others dispatched to the crash site within 90 minutes of impact. They told me of the huge crater in the ground, but because of the sheer force with which the craft hit, that all was nearly disintegrated and the crater all but empty. As they stood there frozen in disbelief they noticed the only moving thing, about 10 feet away, a book with its charred pages flapping in the wind. Upon further investigation they found that it was a Bible with a piece of debris keeping it opened to Luke chapter one. After a few moments of silence I asked Sergeant Nicholson: what, if anything, did that that mean to you? He said that even though destruction such as he had never imagined surrounded him, the Word of the Lord still survived. And that, he said, gave him great hope with which to carry on. In Matthew 24:35 Jesus says "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away", and thank God for that; for that mighty, true and life-giving Word which strengthens and comforts us, now and always. Pastor Hahn invited me to come to his church this evening and teach the adult Bible class. There we studied Psalm 46 "God (Christ) is my refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble, therefore we will not fear! *though* the earth give way and the mountains (order and strength) are swallowed up by the sea (chaos and death)" We sang and talked about "A Mighty Fortress" and found the message of the Psalm, thereby exquisitely delivered to our troubled hearts. Tentatively the FBI's role will be completed here on Sunday and I hope to return home at that time. Depending on how things progress in NY and Washington, I may at a later date go there to serve as well. If I may call on your help at this time, I have spent about $1400 of my own money since I' ve been here. Over $200 was for literature, the rest for individual things that personnel needed, for which no official money could be requisitioned without great effort. If you are *willing* and *able* I would greatly appreciate your tax deductible donation, see below for the address. Rev. Dean Kavouras, Chaplain Federal Bureau of Investigation "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, and He will exalt you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be sober and alert, for your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you! and make you strong! firm! and steadfast!" 1 Peter 5:6-10 Saftey Forces Chaplain Service, Inc. c/o Rev. Dean Kavouras 5948 W. 24th St. Cleveland OH 44134 + + + Confessional Lutherans in Missionary Boldness + + + The CLIMB e-letter brings you unedited, uncut reports directly from the mission field, whether in South America, Africa, Europe, inner-city, rural, or collegiate America, or military installations and battle sites around the world. It is our contention that those who truly hold to the ~Book of Concord~ as the pure exposition of Holy Scripture and the true confession of the Christian faith are also the most zealous supporters of the preaching of the Gospel in every corner of the world and, as such, ought to be kept thoroughly informed of how those endeavors are faring and shown how they may be rightly carried out without the destruction of orthodox doctrine and practice that some within the pale of Lutheranism now advocate. 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