Handmade Card Ministry Seeks To Bridge The Miles Between Military Kids And Their Deployed Parents

Friday, June 05, 2009

Ministry Inspired To Bind Families Together Through Cards

In 2009, thousands of military children ages 12 and under in the Fort Hood, Texas, military community alone will say goodbye to a deployed parent with the possibility of being apart from them for up to 18 months at a time.

To help bridge the many miles and time that will separate military families, Cadence International spearheaded KidsLink Downrange and collaborated with MOPS International, to create a ministry of bringing families together through handmade cards.

“The troops have everything they need—the necessities have been taken care of—what’s missing is their connection to their family,” said Todd Tillapaugh, vice president for field ministries for Cadence International. 

First KidsLink Project: Fort Hood

For the first KidsLink project, Cadence put out a call for handmade card kits, and over 150 MOPS groups answered, creating over 2,150 KidsLink Card Kits. Each kit contained 8 handmade cards for special occasions, such as Father’s Day, Mother’s Day and Birthday, along with envelopes and postage stamps.

Destined for Fort Hood, also included in each kit was a resource card detailing ministries on or near post, such as Good News Clubs, Military Children’s Ministries and Cadence hospitality houses, along with information about MOPS and Military MOPS. The creator of the kit also provided a self-addressed response card in hopes the child recipient would reply with prayer requests.

“We love the military families and anything we can do to help support them during this difficult time, great or small, that has lasting impact is our true desire,” said Peter Remmes, director of advancement for Cadence International.

The kits were received at Cadence headquarters in Englewood, Colo., and through a partnership with Penske truck rental, they were delivered to Fort Hood the week of May 18th. 

Distributed through Fort Hood chaplains, Family Readiness Group leaders, and on-post events, military children and their families came in droves, swamping the card kit tables in hopes of getting a promising box.

Hearts Captured By Card Kits

Some asked for several, gathering card kits for other families and neighbors. One woman said of the 10 families on her block, six have a deployed loved one.

“This soldier has received cards in a combat zone,” said U.S. Army Chaplain Lt. Col. Ron Leininger, with tears in his eyes.

Thoughts from home, he said, inspired him to persevere while away from his family. “That makes it easier to go through another day in 120-degree heat, sleeping on a cot or on the ground for another night, defending this nation’s freedom.”

Wife of a deployed U.S. Army soldier, Rebekah Young, said she really appreciates that women took time out of their busy schedules to create cards for military families that they don’t even know.

“They could be spending time with their own children and families, and yet they chose time to spend on my family—that blesses me so much,” she said.

Card kits that were not handed out in May are at Fort Hood Comanche Chapel where chaplains and the Military Children’s Ministry will give them to Family Readiness Groups as needed.

Media Coverage

Besides capturing the hearts of the military community, the card kit project piqued the interest of the media as well, gaining coverage in the Killeen Daily Herald in Killeen, Texas, and a K-LOVE radio news story, drawing national and international coverage.

Cards Across The Miles

Though the first mission of KidsLink Downrange is completed, the ripple effects of the some 17,000 handmade cards contained in the kits will cast across the miles for some time. Military children fill them with heartfelt messages and home front news, and then seal them with kisses and send them to their deployed parents in hopes of staying close in heart.