I fought in the war Operation Iraqi Freedom from December 2002 to February 2004. During this time I spent many, many months inside a hostile country that did not want me there. I patrolled the streets of Baghdad. I witnessed death and destruction all around me. There were a few times when I had some very close calls with death. However, God had his hand of protection upon and around me. I left the battlefield in Iraq only to face a different battle on the home front. Where does one go when he is beaten, battered and trodden down? I felt I had been trampled on by the rocks of life. When I came home like most soldiers, I found life hard to adjust too. My friends didn’t know how to deal with me much less relate to me. I had witnessed so much death and destruction in the past year, I had changed. I was not the same person I was when I left home. House of Restoration became a place of refuge for me. It was here that I found restoration for my Spirit, Soul and Body. God healed me completely and gave me a new perspective on life. God taught me how to live, relate and adjust to life again. I have learned to trust and rely on the Lord in a new deeper way. I know without a doubt that God is my refuge and my strength, a very present help in times of trouble. He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” (Psalm 91:1,2)
Torry Powell