May is military appreciation Month, and this is a time to honor our armed forces
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Hello and welcome to the Dr. Nurse Mama show, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families here on American Family Radio. Here's your host, professor, pediatric nurse practitioner, and mom of four, Dr. Jessica Peck. Well, hey there, friends, and welcome to my favorite part of the afternoon, getting to spend time with you, prescribing Hope for Healthy Families. And we are talking about men and women and families today who give us hope to live in a free country. We're talking about the military. May is military appreciation Month, and this is a time for us to honor the service and sacrifice of our armed forces. That is not something to be taken lightly. But you know, for me as a mom, as a pediatric nurse practitioner, as we salute those heroes in uniform, let's not forget the little ones who serve alongside them, their kids, their children. There are over one poor million military kids who face all of the challenges that can come with military life. There are blessings, too. But some of those challenges are the uncertainty of deployments or frequent moves or bit long separations from their loved ones. And that is where today's guest comes in. We have Dr. Andy Bunn. He is a West Point graduate, a Desert Storm veteran, and now he is director of Child Evangelism Fellowships, Military Children's ministry. Isn't it great that have this. I know many of you listening are probably thinking, wait, I've heard of Child Evangelism Fellowship, C, E, F. But I had no idea they had a military children's ministry. Well, now, you know, now they do. He's helping children of our nation's heroes really build lasting faith in Christ to weather the storms that can come with the uncertainty of the protection that's provided to us through the military. So, Andy, thank you so much for joining us. And thank you so much for your service.
>> Andy Bunn: Well, thank you, for the opportunity. I, really appreciate being able to talk about what the Lord is doing through mcm.
You have military service experience, but you're in ministry now
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: well, you have quite the background. You are a veteran. You have military service experience, but you're in ministry now. Can you just tell us a little bit about your own personal story and your testimony and how God has led you to where you're serving today?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, I professed faith in Christ as a child myself. It wasn't through Child Evangelism Fellowship, but it was at a revival at my small church that I grew up in, in eastern North Carolina. And, once, I professed faith in Christ. That was a wonderful experience, being a child of God. And he led me to being the army, which I served from 86, to 96 and I had a very strong call while in the army, to ministry. And due to several factors, being a senior captain in rank and other things, it wasn't, too feasible for me to go into the chaplain Corps. And so the Lord led me, to separate from the army and with what I thought was going to be a call, to pastoral ministry, to preaching. And I went to seminary, and the Lord had other plans. For the last 25 years, he's actually led me to be a part of four different evangelical ministries. And for the last three and a half years, I've had the great opportunity to be a part of Child Evangelism Fellowship, military children's ministry, and see what the Lord can do in reaching the children of military families with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, I'm convinced that God has a sense of humor. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord who determines his steps. And there are so many guests who have sat across the microphone with me like you have, Andy, who have said, I thought I was going to do this, but God. And thank God for those but God stories. I mean, thank God for those, because his plans are so much higher than our ways and higher than our thoughts. And I'm sure for you, working specifically with military families, having had that experience yourself, is really fulfilling and really just an awesome, fulfillment of God's plan for your life.
CEF focuses on helping military families navigate uncertain times in life
And so before we dive into CEF and the military children's ministry, what do you want people to know about what it's really like to live in a military family? I think there's, you know, some that would idealize it who would say, you know, like, oh, this is amazing. This is heroic. There's others who would just focus on the challenges. What does the reality really look like for serving as a military family in today's. In today's world?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, unlike, when I was serving, I did have the opportunity to, go to Desert Storm and be deployed. And after that, things changed quite a bit in our military. Such that Fast forward to 2025 and. Whereas when I was in, we might be deployed when a conflict came up, now men, and women, ah, serving can be deployed at a moment's notice to anywhere in the world. And it can be, one day they're with their family, and the very next day they are sent off somewhere. And so I would characterize today's family in the military as one of wonderful service, of course, but also of uncertainty, especially with the children, because they do not know, from one day to the next, if mom or dad are actually going to, be there for them, because they may be called, to go somewhere, to serve throughout the world, and they don't know possibly when they're going to be back. And so it is a very different environment in that way. And part of the mission of military children's ministry is to provide an anchor, just a steadfast foundation for these children and families, especially for something they can count on during these uncertain times.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, that's such a great point, really serving in a military connected family. The only thing certain is uncertainty and connecting them to the certainty that is Christ and that thing that doesn't change. That is such a great opportunity. And you know, Andy, I think about all of those videos that we might see on social media where, you know, kids have a parent who's deployed and they come, come and make that surprise, you know, reappearance, and maybe they appear at their school or it's a surprise. Oh, Andy, those make me cry every single time. It's so moving to see how grateful they are for their parents to be back in their life. And I can't imagine, you know, what that must be like, to, to just to be facing that uncertainty and to serve alongside them, to give that sacrifice, to have some pride in that, but also the difficulty. And I think there's families who are maybe in a community or a church and there's a military family who move in and they know that they're connected with the military, but they kind of don't know, you know, what to say or not to say. Like, how. How can people in their communities best serve families, especially those families with children who move into a church community or a neighborhood community who have military service. What are some good ways just to get started, just to have an outreach and just to show God's love?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, the first thing I would recommend is, as a part of being the church, just, reach out to them with love and care and do so by being willing to talk to them and embrace them as a part of the community of faith. First and foremost, that they desire to be at the church. And then, just like any visitor, welcome them with open arms, ensure they, understand and know everything that the local church, the community has to offer. Ah, to. To help them through the transition they're making. If they've just arrived or if they've just decided, to attend the church.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: That's great. Yeah, go ahead.
>> Andy Bunn: One thing that I have learned too, is that lots of times churches tend to have, if they are in military communities, they may have, separate, Bible studies or separate groups for the military community. And that's a very good methodology for embracing the community. But I would also encourage churches to immerse them in the entirety of the church with their involvement and their service and who they get to know such that they will be a true part of not only the church community right there, but the community as a whole.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: You know, I, I, I don't have military experience in my own family, but I certainly have been around a lot of families that have. And, and the average family is moving about every two to three years and there's always the possibility of an international transfer. And when those families come in, the kids are remarkably adaptive because they know how to do this. They've. And they know it's important for them to get connected and to get connected quickly because they're not going to be there for long. But they know they need that support. So you've given some great advice about some of those practical things.
Child Evangelism Fellowship serves children of military families through Good News Clubs
And with Child Evangelism Fellowship, it's my understanding, Andy, that you have 24, you have ministries on 24 bases in 16 states and the District of Columbia. So tell us about Good News Clubs and Child Evangelism Fellowships. And this is special ministry just for military connected families.
>> Andy Bunn: Well, first of all, the, the Lord has done even a greater work, since you received those stats because as of this Moment we're on 28 basis.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Congratulations.
>> Andy Bunn: And the Lord just continues to open doors. And we have, we have been around unofficially with Good News Clubs on bases really since the 60s and 70s. And we became a formal, very intentional ministry of Child evangelism fellowship in 2006. And I can share more with you about that history. But given, your question about the Good News Clubs, what we do, with Child Evangelism Fellowship in general, we offer three types of ministries. One's a party club, which is a one time event usually surround a holiday of some type like Easter, Christmas, Independence Day, something of that nature where we literally have a party. Everybody loves the party, especially kids. And we share the Gospel of Jesus Christ during that time as a means of introduction to Child Evangelism Fellowship as well as a means to give the children, just an outlet to have fun. And then we also have the traditional Good News Club as you ask about, which is an after school club that meets during the school year for about an hour to an hour and a half. And to be a part of the Military Children's Ministry. That club would be on a base somewhere and serving the children of military families. And then we also. And something that is being embraced quite often now by the military community in particular is we have a five day club in the summer. And the five day club is similar to Vacation Bible school and it is led by adults, but also by teenagers who are trained, to serve. And they lead this five day club that is, as it says, five days during the summer with the intentionality of sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ every day.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: I always love to see teenagers involved, especially in the summer. It's so great to have teenagers serving, especially in today's world where everything, if we're really honest, Andy, is catered to teenagers. Like everything. You can order a coffee exactly the way that you want it and you have your name monogrammed on everything. Everything seems so personalized, like made for you. It's always great to have them serve. So let's walk back a little bit and let's talk about the history like you talked about. You said it started in 2006. And actually we're coming up on a break here. And so when we come back we'll talk about that. But if you want to know, we'll hear more, for about this Child Evangelism Fellowships and about those ministries. And if you want to know more about the military ministry, the Military Children's Ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship, go to C E F. That's Child Evangelism, Child Evangelism Fellowship online.com CEF online.com and then you can do/ministries forward/ MCM Military Children's Ministries. And you can see some of the work that they're doing. As I'm looking at the website right here when I'm talking to you, you can see all of basis that they have programs on. And this may be a great resource for your own family or it may be a great resource to offer to a family in your community. If you know, especially if you're at a church where there is a ministry close by, this would be a great thing to connect them to. And CEF's Military Children's Ministry is serving really this often overlooked segment of America's military community. And in this Military Appreciation Month, we can appreciate the families who sacrifice so that we can live in a country that is free. We will have more when we come back with Dr. Andy Bunn, who's the director of CEF's Military Children's Ministry. And while you're thinking about it, hey, you're right here. Nothing is stopping you from saying a prayer for those families who serve. So I challenge you. Just take a moment right now. Pray for those families. Pray for the moms, the dads, the children who are working to serve our country. Say a prayer. And when we come back, we'll have more about child evangelism fellowship with Dr. Andy Bunn. See you on the other side of this break.
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You heal the brokenhearted. You set the captive free. There is no healer like the Lord our maker
>> Impossible Things by Chris Tomlin: You heal the brokenhearted. You set the captive free. You lift the heavy burden. And even now you are lifting me. There is no healer like the Lord our maker. There is no equal to the king of kings. Oh our God is with us. We will fear no evil. Cause you do impossible things. You do impossible things.
May is military appreciation month, and we are grateful to all military families
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back friends. That is impossible things by Chris Tomlin. And today we are talking about some seemingly impossible things that military families do to serve our country. And in this month of May, military appreciation Month, we are so grateful to all of the families who serve. And so if that is you, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the service that you provide for our country. We are so grateful. And we know that when a parent puts on a uniform to serve our country, their children carry the weight, the honor of that. But sometimes there can be some challenges that come along with that loneliness and anxiety and. And questions that children shouldn't face alone. Today we're joined by a man who understands this life from the inside out. We're talking to Dr. Andy Bunn. He is a West Point graduate, a U.S. army veteran of Desert Storm, and now he leads the military children's ministry at Child Evangelism Fellowship. He has a PhD in leadership and a heart for the gospel, and he is equipping military kids with the faith and resilience that they need to stand strong no matter where duty calls. And we're so grateful for him sharing about Child Evangelism Fellowship's military ministry.
Child Evangelism Fellowship helps military children when their parents are deployed
And, Andy, I want to ask you, what are some of the most common spiritual challenges that you see military children experience when a parent is deployed?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, as we, talked about, earlier, they face uncertainty. And so when mom and dad are deployed, their life literally can be turned upside down. Now, to a great degree, with deployments, there comes familiarity. And some children that have parents to do it on a regular basis may become familiar, with this happening, but yet they're still missing in their lives, just a solid foundation of something that they can truly count on. And so, therefore, what Military Children's Ministry of Child Evangelism Fellowship does is come along. These families come alongside the parent that may still be, on the base while the other parent is deployed and provide, our good news clubs and sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with these kids, such that regardless of all the different things that are going on in their lives week in and week out, they can count on a volunteer team of the same people, meeting with them, sharing with them, loving them, and just providing the wonderful gospel of Jesus with them week in and week out, such that they do have something they can always look forward to.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: M. What do you think that people outside the military community sometimes may just not understand, may not relate? Maybe they have good intentions, but they just don't understand about the needs of military families that you feel like you're able to come in through your ministry, through Child Evangelism Fellowship and be able to meet those unique needs?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, yeah, yes, to a great degree, there is some level of misunderstanding, on the outside versus the military. But the main thing I would like to share is that the first thing that we can all do, and I appreciate you mentioning that before the break, is that everyone can pray for those serving and pray for the families, the spouses that are sometimes left, on the basis while their spouses deployed, and especially the kids, lift them up, on a regular basis. And what's interesting is, military children, children of military families are indeed quite resilient because they go through so much uncertainty. But what I've learned is that kids are kids and their environments may be different, but their needs are quite similar. And providing the need to children of military families of the Gospel of Jesus Christ excites them. And it becomes infectious, such that once we start on a military base, it might be with just five to 10 kids, a few families who want to learn about who we are and what we do. And within a few months, it's grown to 25 or 30 kids and even more. And so. So I would also ask that those families who may not understand the life of military person, to also pray for child Evangelism fellowship, military children's ministry, and that the Lord will open even more doors than he already has. And he has just been so wonderful in opening, the gates, I should say, as opposed to doors, the gates of bases. but, my prayer is that we will be on every base in the United States as soon as possible, and we will be able, in God's timing and his leadership, to extend to the international military community where we have bases throughout the world.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, I, can see how that would be so comforting for children if they're involved in a program on one base and to move and go to another base and know that they had that program to go to and provide consistency in that.
Child Evangelism Fellowship started on military bases in the 60s and 70s
So let's talk a little bit more about child Evangelism Fellowship and what you do you had talked about, we said right before the break, we talk a little bit about the history and how it started and how you've gotten to where you are today.
>> Andy Bunn: Well, yes, we have had good, news clubs, Child Evangelism Fellowship, ministry on bases in an informal capacity since really the 60s and 70s. And how that would come about is we would have local directors throughout the United States that had a military base in their area, and they would just desire to be on the base, and so they would coordinate it themselves to do so. And that was quite, it was quite good in and of itself. But in 2006, we had a local director, Washington State. And her name's Georgine Bandera. She is now with the Lord. And she was sharing about child evangelism, fellowship and good news clubs with a group there in Washington State. And there was a chaplain, an army chaplain, who saw her and heard her presentation. And he walked up to her afterwards. And Georgina had no military affiliation whatsoever, had no one in her family, did not know anything about the military. But he walks up to her afterwards, and he was the senior chaplain at what is now Fort Cavazos, Texas, used to be Fort Hood, Texas. And he goes, I need what you're doing at Fort Hood, Texas, and I need you there tomorrow.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, wow. And no pressure.
>> Andy Bunn: Yeah, none whatsoever. But just how magnificent the Lord is in his prompting, his leading, and his opening up for his gospel to be shared. Georgine didn't skip a beat. She knew nothing about the military, was very comfortable in having served with CEF for many years prior to that. She had unfortunately lost her husband a few years before. And so in. All she knew was this chaplain was calling her and therefore God was calling her to Fort Hood, Texas. She purchases an RV and drives. And she was in her 60s at the time, by the way.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Wow.
>> Andy Bunn: And drive from Washington State and stays at Fort Hood, Texas for two years, establishing the first Good News clubs there and the first intentional official military children's ministry. And word got out through the chaplain Corps. She spent time at Fort Hood. Then she drives back to what is now called Joint base Lewis, McChord up in Washington State and served there. They learned about it at bases in Alaska.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Wow.
>> Andy Bunn: And she went up to Alaska and served there a while. And then she came back. She was the first m official military children's ministry missionary, as we call, them. And she was responsible for the initial establishment of military children's ministry on seven different bases. And from 2006 through Covid, we served a total of 30 bases at any given time throughout that time frame. And so what would happen is, depending on leadership, we might lose our ministry at a base, and then we'd pick up others. And so it was a, very fluid ministry as to how many bases we were serving, but the Lord was still growing it. But then Covid hit, and we went effectively to zero because, of course, you couldn't go on base. And we had many wonderful local directors throughout the United States who still wanted to serve the children of military families. So some tried to do zoom clubs, which was very difficult, but to some degree, it worked. But then when Covid waned, near the end of, 2021, the opportunity to get back on base, serve the children. The Lord just threw the doors open. And as I mentioned earlier, from about December of 21 to this moment, he has opened the gates on 28 bases in the United States that we're serving on right now.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: That is really encouraging to hear, Andy. You know, and it's encouraging to hear about a woman in her 60s nearing or at retirement age. And there's a lot of people who think, okay, what do I do in retirement? I don't know that there's a lot of people who would think maybe I could drive an RV from Washington state to Fort Hood, Texas, which are about as far apart as you can get, you know, geographically, the weather, like, the food, everything, you name it. And it reminds me, I have a friend who is approaching retirement age, and she told me the other day, jessica, I'm not retiring. I'm refiring. God is refiring the message and the mission that I have. And so I can't help but think there might be people out there who are thinking that they're going to retire. But, you know, God has a sense of humor, and maybe he is refiring you for a new season of ministry. I love that.
I like it that you brought up Covid, because I think
I also love that you brought up Andy, and probably a lot of people, people don't like that you brought this up. I like it that you brought up Covid, because I think, you know, there are so many people, we say the word Covid, and it just kind of gives us all a collective PTSD in a way, you know, because, it is so important for us not to forget the loss that children experienced during COVID They experienced such a loss of their social, emotional. Social networks, their emotional network, support networks, their physical, you know, social networks. All of those things were really, really, tragic. And I'm so glad to hear that that is coming back now. Because kids need to be in fellowship with other kids. They need to have that social, emotional outlet. And I'm so grateful that you, that you have that.
Some bases have three different types of ministry depending on the base
So what does that look like now? You're setting. You're on 20 back on 28 basis. So what does that look like? Practically? Give me some logistics of what that would look like for a kid who was engaged in the program. What does that look like for them?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, for them, it's depending on the base. Some bases we have, as I mentioned earlier, the three types of ministry. Some bases we actually have all three. We have party clubs, the five day summer clubs, and also the good news clubs. In some variation of those, the children Are first and foremost with every time we meet, regardless of the type of ministry, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is being shared with them. And so most are actually doing good news clubs, which are throughout the school year. So the children at the end of the school day either go to the chapel, which, the chaplains have opened up for their purpose. They may go to a rec center, and then they have for about an hour and a half a meeting of, a good news club, party club, where, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is shared. They have snacks. Kids love snacks. I love snacks. they play games. But ultimately they learn a Bible verse, memorize it very quickly and easily, they hear the gospel and they get an opportunity to respond. And that is week in and week out. And what's even better, ah, for them is that the typical volunteer team that's put together for a ministry on a base, traditionally those outside the gates of a base, you would go to your local church, recruit, ask for volunteers called to serve, and then they would serve after school in the community somewhere on, the base. We try very hard to recruit the traditional folks that may be a part of a church outside the base, but also military retirees. Military retirees in the community, first of all, love military. They love to still serve in some capacity the base that they have retired close to. And they just make, a great, wonderful volunteer and resource for these kids. And then for familiarity with the children, we know that their parents are going to be deployed or going to move at least every two to three years. But we still want to try to have an active duty, parent involved in some capacity. The children will have someone they're familiar with. So you have three different types of, of roles or folks that are fulfilling the roles of the volunteer team, ah, with these type of ministries on base. And I can tell you from experience that I picked this up myself, that one meeting that these children go to, it becomes infectious and they want to come back.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: I have more questions about that. Andy. We're already at our second break, but I have more questions about that and I'm sure that you out there listening might have a question of how can I get involved. Well, we will tell you what you can do to support this incredible ministry when we come back. Stay with us. We'll be right back.
Dr. John Oswalt says God speaks to humans because of his character
On the other side of this break, Dr. John Oswalt from the American Family Studios documentary, the God who Speaks.
>> Dr. John Oswalt: When you think of God speaking to humans, that is necessary because of his character. He is not this world. Yes, the world of nature reflects him. And Paul can say that we have no excuse. The world has shown us there is a God and that he rewards those who believe. But if we're really to know this God who is not this world, the only way he can do it is by speaking to us. And that's the great character of the Bible. It is speech. Visit thegodwhospeaks.org
>> Too Good To Not Believe by Brandon Lake and Cody Carnes: All the glory to the only one who cares Jesus is Jesus Oh, I believe the wonder working God the wonder working God all the miracles I've seen too good to not believe the wonder working God you heal.
Child Evangelism Fellowship is reaching military children through Christian outreach
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Welcome back, friends. That is Too Good to Not Believe by Brandon Lake and Cody Carnes. And something that is too good to not believe is what God is doing through Child Evangelism Fellowship in their Military Children's ministry. Now, I shared with you already that There are over 4.6 million Americans who are connected to military life, and more than 1.6 million of those are children. And as we've been discussing, these kids face unique stressors, maybe from long parental deployments to constant relocation. But who is reaching them with hope? Well, that's Dr. Andy Bunn. He is the Director of Military Children's Ministry, a, Child Evangelism Fellowship. He's a West Point graduate at Desert Church Storm veteran, a seasoned leader with advanced degrees in theology and leadership. And we are talking about how faith is the essential anchor for military children in the midst of life's biggest disruptions and how CEF is making an eternal difference one young heart at a time. So, Andy, thank you again for joining us. And we're right in the middle of talking about how to get involved.
Child Evangelism Fellowship needs volunteers to help with military children's ministry
So let's talk about serving. You talked about military retirees. I bet there are some people listening who think I could do that. If there's someone who wants to serve, how would they get involved? And how would they contact CEF to, ask more questions about that possibility?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, I'm probably going to share something that's not typical, but that's okay. First of all, I will share that if there's anyone out there listening, I would just tell you that if the Lord is prompting you at all to consider serving, to please indeed contact us, the easiest way is go online to cefonline.com/mcm and that'll lead you to the Military Children's Ministry page of our website, and you can send an email that will come to me and I will respond if you are already located. Once you go to that website, next to some of those bases we're serving, send me an email as well. And let me know where you're serving, and I can connect you with the local director who would love to get your phone call or email saying that you would like to volunteer to, help out. And then there's. There's one other way that you can also reach out. And, and that is I love talking to people about God's work, and I especially love talking to people about God's work with military children's ministry. And so you can call me direct on my cell phone because that is my primary, number with Child Evangelism fellowship. And it's 469-600-4541.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, I'm telling you, Andy, it's convicting. I feel like I need to pick up my cell phone and call you right now. I mean, that is quite an invitation.
>> Andy Bunn: if. If I don't pick up, please leave a voicemail. I will get back to you within 24 hours, if not sooner. Because I, I believe in the ministry the Lord has called me to. I believe in the military. And these children need volunteers like yourselves out there. And I will just do everything possible to help you out such that you can serve.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Oh, my goodness, Andy, you got me all choked up here. I mean, really, that is. That is such an invitation. And I'm looking at the website and I see Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, Washington, D.C. and Wyoming. That's going to cover a lot of people. There are a lot of people who could serve in that way. And what a compelling invitation. So I would encourage you, if you're listening and you feel that tug of conviction on your heart, like maybe this is something Lord has for you. You've got Andy's cell phone number. Just pick up and call. Or you can go online. I think that's beautiful. Another way that people can help is by giving. They can give financially. So I would love for you, Andy, to make an invitation to those who think, well, maybe this isn't my call to serve, but I certainly could give.
>> Andy Bunn: Yes, that same, website, cefonline.com there's a tab for giving. I would encourage you that if you desire to help out in that way, to please do so. you can give online very easily. You can also put in the designation for military children's ministry, and the monies will be delineated accordingly. We do need all the financial support that, we can get, not only with military children's ministry, but Child Evangelism Fellowship being an International ministry, reaching millions of children a year. we're glad to have, your support in any way. The Lord is calling you to do so.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: And the other way that people can, get involved is they can go, they can take their kids. And so I think this is really important for everyone in every community to know about whether you're in a church community or a neighborhood community. If you have a military family who moves in and you have a program, it would be great to be able to share that with another family and to be able to connect them in that way. And so what if you, We've got parents listening who think, hey, I didn't know that this ministry was there. How do I get my kid involved? How do we do that, Andy?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, if you go online and you see that the, base that you're at does have a ministry, then you can also email me and I can connect you with the local director that's in charge of those clubs there. Or what you can also do is contact the chaplain's office at the base, because everything we do falls under the authority of the chaplains. And they will direct you to how to connect with the club when it's actually meeting who, the contact is.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, that's absolutely excellent. And maybe you have a teenager who could help with a five day camp this summer. There are so many possibilities. And you know, Andy, you and I have talked about this already, but I think it's so important to say it again. The other way that people can help, whether through serving, through giving, through going, is through prayer. And we just cannot overemphasize the importance of that and what a gift it would be for these military connected families to know that people are out there praying for them. And maybe, hopefully you prayed during the break when I challenged you to do that. But if you are a person of prayer who prays a lot, praise regularly, who keeps a prayer journal, put these families in your regular prayers. Pray for them every day. Pray for them every time you see the flag of our country flying. Pray for them every time you pass a military base. What would you specifically tell people to pray, Andy, when they're praying for families who are serving?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, first of all, I would encourage them to pray for their safety. These families, the parents, mom and dad, both may be called to serve, and they could be in harm's way at any moment. So I would encourage you to pray for their safety. Also a prayer of thanksgiving for their call to serve their country. But then also I, urge you to pray that through military children's ministries. There's other ministries that are serving the military and sharing the gospel that all of these ministries God will use to reach the military community and the children with the gospel of Jesus Christ and change their lives forever.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: I'm so encouraged by the conviction of your faith, Andy. And when I listen to you talk, you know, I see how military service has changed. You shared a little bit of that. And I see Generation Z, that this current generation of kids that are reaching adulthood and generation Alpha, who are up to about 15 years old now, Generation Beta is coming behind them. These are all generations that were born post 9 11, who were born with a view that the world is very unstable, that it is unsafe, that they get, just as you said, their parents, their families could be called to international deployment at any time. And we see such a divisive political environment and a lot of narrative that's just heated. Andy, how do you maintain your own personal faith? How do I hear that smile in your soul still and still just so sure of the hope of the gospel? Where does that come from for you?
>> Andy Bunn: It comes from Jesus Christ. That's, And I can tell you that for whatever reason, in his sovereignty and providence, he has chosen to give me a peace that indeed surpasses any understanding that I would have. And so when I view issues, when I see things going on in our world, I just fall on him with everything. And I know that it's all in his hands, and I trust that completely. some days are harder than others, as you expect. But let's just say through the sanctifying work of him in my life, that, he has given me the opportunity to trust him more and more every day.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: That is really encouraging to hear.
This month is Military Appreciation Month
And I would love to give you the opportunity, Andy, to talk to those military families who are living, listening. I know there are families who are listening who serve. This is Military Appreciation Month. What message of encouragement would you give to them? As someone who has served, who is now serving? Those families who are currently serving, what message of encouragement and appreciation would you give to them?
>> Andy Bunn: Well, personally, I would just want to tell them all that I love them, I thank them for their call to serve, their dedication to serve. I would tell them that if they were here in front of me, that I would just want to wrap them up in my arms and just, hug them for all they are and all they're doing. And I would also encourage them to just continue to forge ahead despite whatever the circumstances are, the uncertainty, and just to know that there are Many out here in this country that appreciate who they are, their call, what they're doing, such that we can indeed, be free and exercise our freedom as Americans.
>> Dr. Jessica Peck: Well, thank you for that. I think that is really important to know and to express that appreciation. So I would challenge the listeners out there whether you. You think about serving the military, children's ministry through child evangelism fellowship, whether you're praying for them, whether you are giving financially to support their work, whether you are connecting a child there. It's so important for us to express appreciation. And so maybe that is buying lunch for military people that you see our military, servicemen and women who are in, that. That, cafeteria where you're going for lunch. That would be so good to see. And, you know, I think my. My husband's grandfather served in World War II. Andy. He was a World War II veteran. And one of the most powerful things that I saw was when we would take him to events like the Houston Livestock show and Rodeo. And he was very physically limited later in his life. He lived to be in his late 90s, but he would stand and salute to his fellow servicemen and women and just such a sense of camaraderie there. And.
As we celebrate Military Appreciation Month, remember the entire military family
And as we close up today's conversation, I just want to thank you, Andy, for joining us and for sharing your heart and vision, for reaching this incredibly resilient group in our. In our nation, those military children. And we often hear about the bravery and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. But let's not forget that those sacrifices don't end with the service member. Let's remember today that their children, over 1.6 million of them, they walk their own battlefield of frequent moves or missed milestones, long deployments, emotional uncertainty, the absence of their parent. But these kids are full of strength and potential and purpose. And they inspire me all the time. And that's what makes the work of child evangelism fellowships, military children's ministry, so vital. And I'm so grateful to been able to. To feature it today, because it's not just about giving children something to do while their parent is away. It's about planting seeds of faith that are going to anchor them through change and disappointment and fear. And introducing them, as Andy has said over and over again, to a God who never deploys, never relocates, never leaves. God is always there. And what strikes me most today, Andy, is that you're leading this ministry not just from a theoretical place. You have lived it. You have trained soldiers, you've been deployed, and now you're training the next generation of spiritual warriors. And these are children who are going to carry the gospel into their homes and schools and communities. So as we recognize Military Appreciation Month, I challenge you to remember the entire military family and find a way as a family to support another family. Not just with kind words or bumper stickers or a salute, although those are nice, but with prayer and presence and practical help. So if you're wondering how can you get involved, go to cefonline.com and learn how your church or your family can support military kids in your community or even around the world. And if you're a military parent listening today, know that you are not alone. There is a network of believers who care deeply about your family, and there's a God who sees everybody every sacrifice and walks you every step of the way. May the Lord bless you and keep you and make his face shine upon you as you serve. Jeff Chamblee The views and opinions expressed in this broadcast may not necessarily reflect those of the American Family association or American Family Radio.
