10/04/2026
Prayer request for my girl this week. 🤍🇺🇸💚
Natalee is heading into The Forge, one of the final and most demanding parts of Army Basic Training. For 96 hours, these Soldiers in Training will be pushed mentally, physically, and emotionally.
They’ll face a 16K ruck march carrying 35+ pounds of gear, roughly 45 miles of movement, night infiltration, obstacle courses, combatives, tactical exercises, mass casualty training, patrol operations, resupply missions, and finally a live-fire march and shoot.
They’ll be exhausted. They’ll be uncomfortable. They’ll be pushed well beyond the point where their bodies tell them they’re done.
So this mama is asking for prayers. 🤍
Pray for Natalee’s strength when she feels like she has nothing left. Pray for protection over her body and mind. Pray for endurance, courage, clear thinking, and for the battle buddies beside her. Pray that God reminds her in those hardest moments just how strong she is and how far she has already come.
And if you see green lights glowing this week, there’s a reason. 💚
Green lights have long been used as a visible symbol of support, appreciation, and recognition for our U.S. military veterans and service members. For me, they carry a little extra meaning this week. My lantern is lit green, and I’ve changed the lights on our house to green too. Until my girl finishes The Forge, those lights are staying on.
Her road through Basic Training has been anything but easy. She has been knocked backward, had to start over, and has spent far longer away from home than any of us expected. But she kept going.
At the end of these 96 hours, after everything she has fought through, she will earn the title she has been working toward since June:
U.S. SOLDIER. 🇺🇸
Lord, go before her. Walk beside her. Protect her. Give her strength when hers runs out, and bring our girl safely through the other side.
October 14th cannot come soon enough. 🤍
