Tour of Duty

In April of 2007, my husband came home with news I never expected as an Army National Guard wife; He was deploying. Pregnant at the time, I was in disbelief up to the very moment he left. Military wives all over the world go through this scenario on a daily basis, maybe not in the exact same circumstances, but definitely with the same end result, deployment. Sara Horn, a military wife herself, is one of those wives. Out of her own experiences with deployment, and the lessons she learned, she has created a Bible Study. Tour of Duty: Preparing Our Hearts For Deployment is her new book designed to help military wives who face this challenge.

Tour of Duty is a Bible study for a group or just an individual seeking help going through a deployment. In Tour of Duty, Sara doesn’t just offer up empty advice, but sends the reader straight to the source of all help, God. With chapter titles including “The Road Less Traveled,” “Walking on the Water,” “Facing the Giants”and“This Is Your Time,” Sara takes the reader on a journey with God from preparation for deployment to reintegration as a family. Using Biblical examples, Sara encourages military wives to trust God, grow in their faith, and rely on God as the source of all strength and to meet all daily needs and/or challenges while you travel through the journey of deployment. My favorite chapter was “Facing the Giants” because it covers so many things I struggled with when I went through my husband’s deployment.

Each individual chapter of Tour of Duty contains a variety of activities to engage the military wife in her own journey with God through the deployment. Portions of each chapter includes “Tips For Military Spouses,” and “Help For The Heartstrings,” both tidbits of natural advice to aid you and your soldier during the time of separation. There is a section called “From the Homefront” where Sara shares some of her experiences during her own time of separation from her husband. Most importantly in each chapter are scriptures, scriptures to eidify the military wife and stories from scripture that demonstrate God’s faithfulness when we place our faith in Him.

In the form of extra helps this seven-week Bible study also includes a leader's guide and a listing of the spiritual and emotional stages of deployment. The leader's guide is composed of eight sessions, the first being a get-to-know-you introductory session. Lesson preparation and questions are also provided as part of the leader's guide. The listing of the spiritual and emotional stages of deployment gives the wife both spiritual and natural support in the stages of deployment from “Anticipation of Departure” to “Reintegration and Stabilization.”

I highly recommend this book to all military wives, in any stage of military life. Deployments are always a possibility and it is an excellent resource with which to prepare you. The Bible study can also be used as a tool to equip you to reach out to other military wives. If you have a desire to be used by God to minister to others this Bible study will give you insight into the heart of a wife going through deployment. As I read the book, I was so blessed by the insight Sara has into the life of the military wife. Not only has she experienced a deployment herself, but as you read you become sensitive to the fact that she is compassionate toward all military wives and has done her research.

Tour of Duty by Sara Horn is a book beneficial for a military wife serving alongside her husband at any stage from a brand new military wife to one whose husband might be nearing retirement to those going through deployment to those who are in a time of stabilization. In just being a military wife you can glean knowledge and encouragement in your walk with God through this Bible Study. I connected with this book because I am a military wife and this is my life. God has a plan for me as a military wife. One word of advice I would like to offer is to read it slowly, so as to absorb the Godly wisdom and encouragement Sara has to offer. “Now thanks be unto God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”-1 Corinthians 15:57 Many Blessings!

You can purchase this book at Lifeway Christian Stores or www.lifewaystores.com.

*To enter to win a free autographed copy of Tour of Duty, please comment below. One winner will be drawn at random on January 1st, 2011.



Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the prize copy free of charge from the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”