The Death of Joshua Eddy

Hi, this is Hannah again. 12 days until Caleb comes home!! YEAH!!

A couple weeks ago, a young man who lived with his family in Oregon - but had been in Caleb's Basic Training Unit (of 51 guys) - went home to be with the Lord. He was taking pictures near a river and fell in, and they still have not located his body. Prayers would be appreciated for the family, and I would STRONGLY encourage everyone reading this to click on the links below. This young man really loved the Lord and his short life has been an inspiration to many!

http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/to-live-and-die-well/

Also, here are two links to some posts on his blog that he wrote before he died that really touched me. I hope they are a blessing to you as well!

TO DIE WELL

Joshua's Last Two Posts (scroll down to read the second-to-last post on surrender)

I know you're probably thinking, "I don't have time to read these . . ." but I really encourage you to. Life is short, and if Joshua's last words can inspire people to live fully for Christ then it's worth a few minutes of your time! "Only one life, twill soon be past, only what's done for Christ will last." (I think that was said by Jim Elliot?)

Prayers appreciated for Caleb as well as he finishes his last couple weeks at ERT! Thanks!

ALERT Videos

This is Hannah writing again . . . here is a video of Caleb Advancing from Basic Training! He's at ERT right now and is doing well! If you'd like to see more videos that mom and dad took when they visted Caleb in March, go to my YouTube Channel. Enjoy!!

Update - 6 Weeks Finished . . .

 . . . And 3 more to go! :-) We found out that Caleb passed his Physical Test, which is tough. You have to get in so many sit ups, push ups, and run 2 miles in a certain amount of time to pass. Also, we heard that Caleb's squad won a River Crossing Competition (not easily won!) and we are so proud of them! Over the past few weeks, they've also had to do a 12 hour hike, Survival Days, a solo hike, and a 24 hour hike (with no sleep). Check out the ALERT blog to see lots of pictures of what his platoon has been up to lately - if you look carefully, you may spot Caleb in a couple pictures!

Just today we received our second phone call from Caleb. It was so good to hear from him! It sounds like things are going well and he's hoping to continue on to phase two after advancing from basic in mid-March. One thing that Caleb could use prayer on is his physical health - he said that he's had some really bad poison ivy (from the Survival Days). It started on his arm, and then spread to his legs and back and it sounds like it's getting better, but it must be pretty miserable for him. Also, pray that Caleb feels better from any kind of cold/flu (he said he was sick for a while). Thank you for your prayers!

ANSWER to poll on Hannah's blog: Eating!

ALERT blog 2

http://www.alertacademy.com/alert/blog/

Check out the blog for more pictures! Caleb is in the second one. :-)

Letter ONE!

Here is an excerpt from the FIRST letter we received from Caleb!! We were SO excited!!


"Hello Family,


How is it going at home? It's been really busy here. When I got here on Monday we raked leaves for 4-5 hours waiting for the rest of the recruits to arrive. R night (the first night we were here) was very interesting which is about all I can say about that right now anyway. The next day we got up early for PT which is Physical Training Exercise. It hasn't been too hard as of yet but I'm sure it will get harder. We are learning the basics such as: how to stand at attention, how to press and starch our BDUs, how to address authority, etc.

We have seven recruits in our squad. We are the Third Platoon Bravo Squad. Our squad Cadre is S. D. - he's the best squad leader, firm but fair. There is a booklet filled with regulations that if you don't get right you'll hit the deck and do from 7-17 push ups or flutter kicks depending on the infraction and circumstances. I've had to do a lot but we are getting better. I got your letter today. Thanks for all your nice notes!

Caleb"

Keep up the prayers . . . thanks everyone!

ALERT blog

Check out the ALERT blog (below) to see pictures of Unit 47 - see if you can spot Caleb anywhere! We noticed him in 4 pictures . . . but you will only spot him in 3, if you look VERY closely. In the one of them doing push-ups, we noticed the color of his sock and shoe - he's the second to last person!

We are looking forward to receiving a letter from Caleb later this week (he writes one every Sunday) and if there's anything newsworthy - which I'm sure there will be - I'll be sure to post it on here!

http://www.alertacademy.com/alert/blog/

-Hannah, for Caleb

At Alert!

Hey everyone! This is Caleb's sister Hannah writing. Caleb's down in Big Sandy, TX now so I'll be updating the blog every now and then with pictures and information (as we recieve letters from Caleb). So, for now, check out my blog to see a few pictures of Caleb leaving at the airport! www.gloryandgrace-hannah.blogspot.com.

If you'd like to write Caleb, here's the address:

Caleb Kenney
Alert Academy
One Academy Boulevard
Big Sandy, TX 75755

alertmen@alertacademy.com PLEASE WRITE "Recruit Caleb Kenney" in the subject line!

Your prayers for Caleb are appreciated! Thank you!