To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Major Ernie Carroll, director of missions for the Friendship Baptist Association in Alabama, returned this spring from a 13-month deployment to Iraq as a chaplain in the Alabama Army National Guard. He was stationed at Camp Falcon in Baghdad, Iraq, with the 231st Military Police Battalion.

"I am still in the process of discovering how this life-changing event has changed me," Carroll said in an interview with The Alabama Baptist after his return. In a question-and-answer session, Carroll talked about his experiences and those of the soldiers he serves.

Among the questions he was asked was, "What is the greatest need soldiers have, and how can Alabama Baptists meet it, and what were some of the ways churches ministered to deployed soldiers?"

His response: "Each soldier needs prayer and they need to know that you are praying for them. The prayers of Alabama Baptists were effective and used by God for me and my ministry. The corporate prayers of Christians are the greatest resource deployed soldiers have available. We need to remember in prayer the families of those soldiers who have given the ultimate sacrifice and not let their service be forgotten."

"The churches sent care packages, phone cards and prayer notes. We were all on the Wednesday night prayer lists, and we knew we were being kept before God by Christian people at Wednesday night prayer meetings," said Carroll. "It told the soldiers they were not forgotten and that they were supported back home. By taking the time and money to send care packages, the churches were saying, 'We remember you and we care.' It made my work as a chaplain more effective, because I had something tangible to place in the hands of the soldiers. It became a ministry of care and comfort."

When asked why he felt he was now a different person, Carroll explained, "I am a combat veteran. I understand what my dad experienced as a combat veteran in Korea. My deployment to Baghdad, Iraq, was a life-changing event. Probably everything in my life will be referenced to as that was 'before Baghdad' or that was 'after Baghdad.' I am still in the process of discovering how this life-changing event has changed me. I have a deep appreciation for freedom. Having fought for freedom, I view it differently than I did before."

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

'The Way, The Truth and The Life': Direct Descendant of Muhammad Now Follows Jesus

Food for Thought: The Rich Do Not Get Rich at Expense of the Poor [Video]

Mamdani Erases Little Italy ... and (Of Course) the Jews

A Lesson from King David, and a Call to Prayer from Give Him 15

Prayer Alert: Israel Has Informed the US of Another Specific Plot to Assassinate Donald Trump

Marco Rubio Steps in After Tim Walz Pardoned Illegal Alien Child Rapist before Deportation

Prosecutors Present Texts of Alleged Confession by Tyler Robinson in Hearing for Charlie Kirk Murder

'The Resurrection and the Life': Navy Vet Comes Back to Life After Family Prays

Are Weight Loss Medications Right for You? Pros and Cons of GLP-1s

Company Issues Voluntary Recall of This Specific Kind of 'Pedigree' Canned Dog Food

Prayer Alert: Hundreds of Thousands of Acres Burn as Fires Spread in West

HHS Announces $281 Million to Expand Addiction and Mental Health Programs

Results: In Turkey, Trump Ordered a Trade Halt with Spain, Now They've Suddenly Agreed to Boost NATO Payments

As Billboards Promoting 'Birth Tourism' Pop Up Along Border, Trump to Ask SCOTUS to Reconsider 'Insane Decision' in Birthright Citizenship Case

Charlie Kirk Conspiracy Theories Suddenly Disappear as Video Evidence is Shown in Court

Donnie Wahlberg: 'The Most Important Thing I Ever Did Was to Give My Life to Christ'

'Fourth of July Miracle': Missing 4-Year-Old Found Alive after Walking Nearly Five Miles Along Oregon Coast

Christian Hollywood Star Exposes the Perverse, 'Demonic' Fraud Inside Foster Care System

Brazilian Judge Sentences Parents to Prison for Homeschooling Their Daughters

Little Sisters of the Poor Return to Court Again over Obama Contraception Mandate

Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner

Aimee Herd, Editor