Prayer today on this Wednesday of Pain:

Almighty Father, Thank you for your love, grace and mercy.
I pray that my discomforts will turn to comforts, my pains to gains,
my deprivation to more blessings, my losses to profits,
my tears to smiles, my sorrows to pleasures, my illness to wellness,
my debts to credits and my dreams to realities.

As the scripture says:
"The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit."
And he "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3

Jesus by your power, relieve the sharpness of my pain and tiredness,
my tingling and shaking, the ringing in my ear and equilibrium imbalance,
and help me through my turmoil; but above all, Jesus,
heal the wounds of my soul.
And even though I find it hard to pray, yet shall I ever say:
Thy will be done. Amen.

Lord send the healing hands of Jesus down
and heal my ear ache and imbalance
as I wait for the VA to get an appointment; give me the strength.
Amen!

23 Years of Marriage!

23 years of marriage:

Married at the Stanwood Apple Orchard in Stanwood Washington

on August 3^rd 1991. 

It was a simple country wedding;

Yet beautiful.

I was an insulator then and a BM2 (Boatswainsmate Second Class)

in the Naval Reserves working for CHB5 (Cargo Handling Battalion 5).

In 1992 I became a cook and went to duty as a cook for a boarding team on the

USS Underwood FFG-36 and did boarding ops as well,

during the Counter Drug Operations in the Caribbean.

In the mean-time my wife, Jill, was moving all of our household goods to

Charleston South Carolina.

In 1993 I was assigned as a pantry cook on the

USS Richmond K. Turner CG-20

where I did a Mediterranean deployment.

My first son Timmy was born during this deployment.

It was one of my biggest joys to see him for the first time after the deployment.

In 1994 I was in operations in Bosnia;

Called Operation Provide Promise

And Operation Deny Flight.

I missed my son Timmy’s first birthday

And we celebrated it after I returned.

In 1995 I was assigned to LEAP (Light Exeo Atmospheric Projectile) test 3.

This was in San Juan Puerto Rico.

In 1996 I was promoted to Second Class Cook

And assigned as a Stateroom Supervisor on the

USS John C. Stennis CVN-74. 

In 1997 I was away from my family again on a Shakedown Cruise.

My wife was stuck at home taking care of the kids,

taking care of the finances,

And preparing for each move from ship to ship…
I know this was hard for her to do and my hats off to her. 

In 1998 I was assigned to the Auxiliary Security Force

in Newport Rhode Island. 

Finally some shore duty and family time.

My second son Kenneth was born that same year.
I was actually present at his birth.
This was a precious moment for me. 

Two years of well deserved shore duty.

In 2001 I was assigned as a Speed Line Supervisor on

the dreaded USS Belleauwood LHA-3.

In 2002 I was assigned as a Master at Arms for a roving patrol

during West Pac 2002.

That same year I helped build an orphanage in Africa,

during Humanitarian Ops.

In 2003 I injured my shoulder when a cabinet fell

during the dry dock maintenance period.

In 2004 I was promoted to Master at Arms first Class.

I worked as a Cell Block Supervisor in the Brig.

And I worked as an Acting Lieutenant during

Prison Escort and Detainee Ops in Kuwait and Iraq

and worked as a Security Officer during West Pac 2004.  

In 2005 I went to rehab at Great Lakes

and worked doing administration duties.

That same year we, my family and I, bought a house in Moline Illinois.

My dad, mom, Uncle Gary, brother in Law Kent, and Sister Tammy

All helped us move in.

In 2006 I temporarily worked as the Lieutenant

with the Naval Sea Cadet Core.

 

In 2007 I was at home awaiting retirement orders.

and happy to be settled down with my family finally.

In 2008 I went to work to make ends meet at Per Mar Security.

I only worked a few months and went back to college instead.

The GI Bill and the Illinois Veterans Grant was a big help in making ends meet.

In 2008 I received my AA Business Administration Degree from the

American Intercontinental University.

In 2009 I applied for disability for my knee, neck, right shoulder, tingling, shaking,

and equilibrium imbalance I have from injuries I have acquired over my Naval Career.

From 2008-2012 I taught private karate classes in my in house dojo;

The Kerofsky Family Dojo.  

In 2012 I earned my BA in Arts from Western Illinois University.

In 2013 I became an Official Sea Cadet Lieutenant

and worked as a Training Officer at Great Lakes Illinois.

In 2013 I earned my Masters in Arts from Regina University.

It is 2014 now and my wife and I are on our 23^rd year of marriage,

There was sure a lot of moving, transferring,

lot of time away from my family on deployments,

lot of hardships, but lots of fun times as well.

Fun times most remembered with my kids were at Disneyland

and Knott’s Berry Farm in California.

Going on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and

going on the Viper Roller Coaster.

This year my son Tim moved out of the house

To pursue college life with his girlfriend Rachel,
My wife got a medical coding certificate
and is now pursuing her degree. 

I retired from the Sea Cadet Core,

I honorary received a 7^th Dan rank promotion from Master Stevens

due to my community involvement in helping children,

I went on a trip to Cartagena Colombia to visit my sponsored child Jackleth

through the Children International and the Fundación Amigos de los Niño’s,

We got our roof repaired on our home, my dad, uncle and brother in law

fixed the kitchen ceiling which still needs plastered.

We are having some ups and downs this year, but will get through it.

Over the past few years since I have been retired from the Navy;

I have been trying to make up lost time with my wife and kids.

Especially my youngest son, Kenneth, who has taken things hard.

What a life together so far.

What will the next 23 years bring?

My uplifing experience at the Templo!

Today my family and I went to the water park at White Water Junction in Rock Island.
While there I met this tattooed christian man named Marcus: He prayed for me.
He invited me to a Christian concert at his church called the
Templo Elim Spanish Assembly of God.
The concert was from 5PM to 8PM. And half of it was in Spanish.
It was loud in the church with the music echoing throughout 
and I did get a head rush a couple of times.
My friend, whom I just met at the church, got me a drink of water. 
I had to calm my head for a bit. So I sat in the back room. 
Then we went out into the church. He did a Christian Rap.
My friend, Marcus, whom I met at the water park read a poem. 
And another guy did a rhyme. 
The pastor was a 25 year old man named Joe from Chicago. 
He asked what our pet peeves are; I shouted "people who do not use their turn signals".  
He agreed with the pet peeves and said, "give up your worries to god."
His testimony was uplifting. He talked about his father and how he was mistreated. 
And how at the age of 18 he spoke at a church and his father was in the back of the church;
he looked and saw him and forgave him then. 

The bible scripture was from Mark chapter 2:

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man 

 

A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, 
the people heard that he had come home.  

² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, 

not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them.  

³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them.  

⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, 

they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it 

and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.  

⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! 
Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, 
and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things?  
⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ 
or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’?  
¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” 
So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”  
¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. 
This amazed everyone and they praised God, 
saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

 During the last part of the sermon people in the front stood with letter 
and it all spelled out the sentence; 
"I have issues." 

He talked about the root cause of sin; which is really us. 

Then he took the "I"s away and rearranged the people in front;
the sentence now read:
"JESUS SAVES!"
  
What made this service uplifting to me was toward the end we all went up to the front;
where everyone prayed for us. We prayed in a line. 
I do not know what God Yahweh has planned in my life,
but I do know there is something left for me. 

Rather it be working with more children, teaching karate again, mentoring, 
or whatever he has planned;
I will do!