by
Chaplain Kathie
There are many stories that apply to this. These are some of the top ones.
Fallen Marine Sgt. William Stacey's last letter, "it was all worth it"
"My death did not change the world; it may be tough for you to justify its meaning at all. But there is a greater meaning to it. Perhaps I did not change the world. Perhaps there is still injustice in the world. But there will be a child who will live because men left the security they enjoyed in their home country to come to his."
Michael Cooney a six year old boy with Cerebral Palsy walked into the arms of his Dad just back from Afghanistan after his family worked with him so that he could walk across the floor for the first time.
Marine Lance Cpl. William Kyle Carpenter, hero Marine honored because he threw himself in front of the grenade to protect his best friend in Afghanistan, Cpl. Nick Eufrazio.
Kyle Hockenberry, 19, lost both legs and his left arm in the blast. On his body were the words "For those I love, I will sacrifice"
Nadia McCaffrey’s dream was to set up a group home there for veterans plagued by post-traumatic stress disorder after her own son was killed in Iraq in 2004.
And in a way, it applies to me.
Chaplain Kathie Costos has produced this video on "Point Man International Ministries" (PMIM). We who are in PMIM want to Thank Chaplain Kathie for her heartfelt gift. She has told us to use the video wherever we can. Be blessed Chaplain Costos and may our Lord use the video to reach many...!I wrote this a long time ago when I made a video for Point Man.
Below the video link is some text that Chaplain Kathie wrote regarding PMIM. Please direct your comments to her here: Namguardianangel@aol.com
God Bless,
Mike Harris
Point Man Int. Ministries Is There
04:41
No matter what war, Point Man is there help you heal.
One of the greatest blessing in what I do is coming into contact with people from all over the country and in many other nations. People who work on PTSD do it for one reason and that is to help people who have survived trauma. Some do it because someone they know was wounded so deeply they developed PTSD, as in my case with my husband. Some do it because they survived trauma and felt blessed they did not develop PTSD. Others simply do it out of the goodness of their hearts. Whatever the reason, all of us agree that each part that makes us human has been wounded and needs to be taken care of to heal as well as possible. The mind, body and spirit are all connected. This I know very well and so do groups like Point Man International Ministries.
There is a lot of talk in the news about the soldier who is an atheist being treated badly because he does not believe in God. As a Chaplain it is not our duty to convert anyone or force anyone into anything. We are supposed to be there to help as humans. Oh, sure our faith is the basis for what we do, but Chaplains come in all faiths. More on this later.
For most who offer their spiritual guidance and support, nothing else matters but the need for help, healing, forgiveness and compassion. That is what Point Man has been doing since 1984.
Chaplain Kathie Costos
It has been 30 years of a lot of crying for me trying to help our veterans heal because I know what it like when they do just as much as I know what it is like when they suffer. I know because I also live with it everyday. My husband is a wonderful example of grace after agony. He is involved with veterans groups trying to help others in whatever way possible including calling out Bingo numbers at the Community Living Center. While he'll be in therapy and on medication the rest of his life, he has arrived on the other side of the darkness. I want all of them to heal instead of suffering.
I usually end up being contacted by family members when they are suicidal or have already lost everything they had. It has also been 30 years of rejoicing for them when they have come out on the other side of darkness.
We read so many reports of them getting into trouble but what we don't read about is how amazing they are when they have carried so much pain deep inside but would still go back into combat to serve side by side with a "brother" or when they they turn that pain into trying to help someone else.
How is all of this possible? The answer is a plain as the day of the week this is. Today is Sunday. The day we remember the sacrifice of Christ, hear stories of the men he traveled with but all too often not reminded of how they died for the love of God. Christ was beaten and His hands were nailed to wooden beams. So much pain yet His last words were about the people standing there after they pounded the nails into His hands and feet. He was asking His Father to forgive them. They hated Him and thought He was worthy of death but He had only given love, compassion and mercy. He healed them, fed them and prayed for them. He was willing to die for the sake of people who hated Him just as much as those who loved Him.
Some saw what happened that day and figured Christ was a failure but look what happened out of all that.
There are a lot of people in pain today but because others have suffered, more will heal. It is because of the love they feel is stronger than the pain they felt. They are filled with the grace of God after the agony they went through just as much as God was sustaining them during it.
Jay Magee Outpost Leader in Colorado helps Fort Carson troops and veterans as well as Crawford House offering emergency housing and rehabilitation for homeless veterans, help for substance abuse and PTSD. He does it out of love just as everyone else with Point Man International Ministries.
Out of agony these men and women across the country remember their own pain well but because they also know the grace of God, they want to make sure they share that gift. When we suffer it is easy to overlook the fact that God sends others to help us. We keep wondering where He is in all of this yet never seem to notice someone showed up in His place.
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