Pre-Deployment Advice for Military Couples

“What advice can you give for Christian military couples preparing for deployment? What are the most needed things for them to focus on while the husband is deployed?”

Here are five things to focus on, in order of priority.

1. The husband and wife should be in the Word daily, perhaps on the same texts. Write down your blessings from the texts.

2. The husband and wife must keep short accounts with the Lord and with each other (confession of sin).

3. Even if mail or email is not able to go out daily, the husband must write to his wife daily—even if it is just two sentences. Send the messages when you can. (If you are in a position to call her, do that when you can.) Do not write about the danger. The wife should write all kinds of news about herself and the kids. Do not write about problems, except to ask for decisions, wisdom, and prayer.

4. Husbands should regularly write separate notes to each of the children. This is very important, regardless how young the children are.

5. Husbands should be a witness in life and word to the officers and men and open to counsel men with family problems. The wife should be a witness to other military wives and be open to counseling them.

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