Opening Soon!

Dear All,
A very Happy Holiday to all of you! The pace is picking up around here as we gear up for the finishing touches on the USO Center. Workers are busily finishing up the final touches and we are waiting for flooring and furniture to arrive. The furniture is to arrive the earliest the 18th and we are trying to have a soft opening the 20th. Much of the furniture is IKEA so it will need to be assembled. We may need to have a “bring your own screw driver party” to get everything put together.

Well I started this blog three days ago and just can’t seem to find time to finish it. I either fall asleep trying to write or am going so fast I can’t stop to do it. I miss very much writing to you and sharing what all is going on. It will get a little easier once the center is up and running.

I will be moving again. This time it should be for good. We will put Internet in there. It has been Shari’s desire to secure real state that will forever remain USO property. When the different ones leave a new USO employee will come in and enjoy the already set up room. The room I am in now is equivalent to a single wide trailer that is divided into three rooms. My new room is the same but only divided into two rooms. It is as close to the bathrooms as you can get so that will also be nice.

I started this blog entry three days ago but both nights fell asleep typing and woke up a couple hours later with my laptop sitting in my lap.

We had a great two days. Our flooring arrived yesterday and they installed it last night and today. Then we got a call yesterday afternoon and our furniture was going to arrive this morning. We are thrilled and it was nice leaving there this evening with things starting to really look like a center. I have spent the last couple of days sewing! Those of you who know me, know how I love to sew so it has felt good to do my part making curtains and will do pillows next. The only hitch is our curtain rods have not arrived. We so hope to have them by Thursday for our opening. KBR did some builds for us in our lounge and they installed them today also. They are amazing and we are very proud and honored that they did that for the USO. Between now and Thursday there is lots and lots of little stuff that will keep us very busy.

I have received so many books and I appreciate them so much. Ya’ll have been fabulous to send so many. I am going through them fast and so it is always thrilling to open another books labeled books. Last Friday I was running out of the mini DVD’s and it bothered me so bad to turn troops away because I did not have the supplies I needed. As I was packing up for the evening I took a minute to open a care package that Donna sent me that I had not had a minute to look at much less open. When I got it opened I burst into tears as once again God’s almighty provision for my needs sat right in front of me and had been there all day. It was a box filled with enough mini DVD’s to last me a good two weeks. Different ones kept sticking their heads into see why I was crying and it was wonderful to tell them how great God is and how he cares about them. It was great to tell them how all of you in the states loved them and supported them and were the ones sending all these books and DVD’s. They were all very touched at your support.

The top of the box was filled with all sorts of sewing notions. Could not have done this sewing project without them! I am just so deeply touched by all the support I am receiving. It is so humbling and motivates me so much to make full use of my time here.

I will be sewing most of tomorrow and then doing United Through Reading all day Tuesday. I will take lots of pictures of the opening at eh center for you to see.

Again thank you so much for your support.I miss you all so much and I love you.
In His Mighty Grip,
Linda