Letter from Afghanistan

Dear Liberty,

Greetings from Afghanistan. The views expressed in this note are my own and do not represent those of the U.S. Government or any of its agencies.

Writing home — Sgt. Larry Provost is currently serving his third overseas deployment. It is his second time in Afghanistan. Photo provided

I miss home but sometimes in life you have to do things you would prefer not to. Your support is essential to what we do, as there are few things more disheartening than fighting for a nation that does not support what you do or having a body of your fellow believers convinced that what you do is contrary to what the Lord would have. I am thankful that Liberty supports the military.

Wars are won on the battlefield but as our world gets smaller and more together through digital media, the battlefield has changed. Wars have always been, and are even more so today, contests of wills between right and wrong. If the people back home do not support the war, then the war will be lost and the enemy knows that. Then our children will have to return to the same land 20 years later. I am back in Afghanistan for that very reason. We left here in the late 1980s. If we leave again, I shudder to think at what we will be going through down the road. We need your support for the mission and our profession.

I don’t think the Good Lord prefers His precious children killing each other, but am convinced, based on experience and on God’s Word, that military force is not only justified but an honorable and Biblical way of dealing with the evil that exists in today’s world.

A few weeks ago, I met my old interpreter and I asked him about one of the children I knew when I was in Afghanistan in 2002. The Taliban were also interested in this boy. They burned him alive not too long ago when they found out this boy liked the Americans. This is the evil we are fighting against.

Any one of us would defend our families. “No greater love hath he than to lay down his life for his friends.” Only the most fanatical of people would allow an innocent to be killed and not do anything. Likewise, the people we are fighting against want nothing more than to kill us and our families. I would much rather be a target in this war of self defense, over here, than to have my entire family be a target at home.

Our service members need your support and are thankful for it, especially this day and age. In World War II, nearly every able-bodied young man was fighting in uniform for righteous causes. Now, there are only a few, rendering service members and their families often to be misunderstood and worse, forgotten.

Our Lord is fond of calling people out from their professions, but nowhere in the Bible is it found that soldiering is against Christ’s teachings. The commandment thou shall not murder has been twisted into thou shall not kill under any circumstances including self defense, even though the Lord allowed, and even commanded, killing in special circumstances, after the giving of said commandment. In fact, soldiering is given a place of honor, far beyond just rendering unto Caesar. Jesus told Peter to buy a sword. Saul killed his thousands and David his tens of thousands, including the Giant Goliath.

In the New Testament, the very first person who became a Christian after the Crucifixion was more than likely the Roman soldier who fell to his knees and said, “Surely this man was the Son of God.” Moreover, the very first Gentile to earn the title Christian was the Roman Centurion Cornelius. It was never suggested that Cornelius resign from the military in order to become a Christian. In fact, he received a great honor by being the first Gentile to accept Christ. Further, the Lord continuously used Cornelius’ profession as an analogy to putting on the Armor of God or to endure hardships in Timothy like a good soldier of Christ.

To all of you, thank you for the items you have sent to us here. Thank you for your giving, your service, your support of our service. Thank you for what you will do. I have great faith that, from this cloud of witnesses, you will be able to continue to educate your churches and charities so that servicemembers are not only ready to come to their physical home, but more apt to hear and accept the message of their eternal home through Christ.

I miss you all greatly and look forward to seeing you again. Thank you, and God Bless you.

Sgt. Larry Provost
Director of Commuter Affairs
laprovost@liberty.edu
Southern Afghanistan

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