hurry up and wait . . . . the army wife way.

Making persistent and increasingly exhausting phone calls.  Filling out, dropping off, picking up, scanning in, and emailing out endless paperwork.  Jumping through hoops -- and not the normal, circular kind, either; we're talking the abnormal, twisted, crazy, confusing Army hoops.  Waiting.  Sloughing through a waist-high medley of ten different answers to one single question.  All the while, never being quite certain that you won't run smack-dab into a wall, being forced to turn around and start all over again, simply because the person on the other end of the phone rattled off some half-baked answer instead of double-checking that they were pointing you in the right direction.

Just a few things I'm facing during this command sponsorship process.

Command Sponsorship:  "Command Sponsorship is a privilege granted by the Commander so that the Soldiers Family Members may accompany the Soldier.  When a Soldier obtains orders for Out of the Continental United States (OCONUS), he/she will have either Accompanied (with) or Unaccompanied (without) dependent orders.  In order for the Soldier to arrange for Family Members travel overseas at the Army’s expense, they must be Command Sponsored."  (http://www.bw.eur.army.mil)

After Jonathan got back to Afghanistan, he found out that he will be returning to Germany, rather than being stationed stateside, for the remainder of his contract.  Naturally, we wanted to get the ball rolling on this command sponsorship thing as soon as possible -- the sooner we started on those awful phone calls and headache-inducing paperwork, the more likely we would be approved.  As I stated earlier, this process is confusing and frustrating.  The fact that my husband & I being able to live together for the next year is resting on whether or not the various Army officials decide it's a good idea (and investment) is exasperating.  There are seriously flowcharts outlining the whole routine.

Ugh.

So, into the waist-high medley we sloughed.  On one hand, it feels like we have already done so much to push these papers through and get them verified by countless signatures from people in various states (and countries).  And yet, on the other hand, it seems like there is still so much to do, so many more signatures to obtain, and so many more days (weeks . . . .) of waiting.  Jonathan posted about all this on his Facebook, requesting prayers that God would bless us throughout the process with a timely approval.  Initially, I wasn't going to say anything about it until I knew for sure whether or not we were approved; but, I suppose there is something valuable in being vulnerable about our needs so they can be lifted up in prayer by many more than just us.

At this point, I have completed a medical screening according to EFMP (Exceptional Family Member Program) standards.  The paperwork has been signed by my doctor, as well as reviewed and signed by a doctor in Ft. Knox.  It is now on its way to Germany for further approval (this is pretty much guaranteed since it has received the Army stamp of approval in Ft. Knox).  Once they give the a-ok for my medical screening, we can officially request command sponsorship.  For this, Jonathan will get a packet together and submit it to his superiors to be approved.  From here, it still has to go through several channels before we know for sure whether or not we are approved for command sponsorship.

As you can see, it is a long, exhaustive process that requires a lot of persistence and patience.  We have been relentless in calling, emailing, and talking to people to make sure the papers are being pushed through; in addition, a couple of Jonathan's sergeants have been very attentive to the paperwork that needs to be completed and submitted quickly and efficiently.  It is a slow process, but I feel blessed even that things are moving at the rate that they are.

Thanks for taking the time to read all that.  Both Jonathan & I would be so grateful if you would keep us in your prayers throughout this process.  Pray that the paperwork will move smoothly, that we will be approved, and that we will continue to give our stress and anxiety to God.  He ultimately calls the shots, so I am content to know that whatever happens, He's got it all planned and under control.

And for now, I'll just hurry up and wait.  :)