From Rev. Vanessa Sims:
My son, Captain Anthony L. Sims Jr, is an Iraq Veteran. On September 18, 2008, seven members of the 2nd Battalion, 149 Aviation, 36th Combat Aviation Brigade lost their lives in a helicopter crash when they were en route to a Logistics Support Area Anaconda in Balad,Iraq.
My son’s CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew was one of helicopter’s that were in an aerial convoy with the helicopter that crashed. Words can’t express the agony me and my husband experienced while waiting to hear if our son was among the crew that crashed. Praise be to God, it wasn’t his helicopter crew.
Unfortunately, it took that incident for me to fully understand and appreciate the sacrifice of the men and women who are serving and those who have served in the Armed Forces. Since that experience, I try to honor those who serve and their families. This year ,I was led by the Holy Spirit to honor military spouses. These unsung heroes provide significant contributions, support, and sacrifices to help keep our country safe.
As you might know, I am the founder and Executive Director of Thou Art My Sister Ministries. Thou Art My Sister Ministries is a mission oriented Christian service and non-profit organization. We hope to transform lives by demonstrating our faith through love and action
In 1999, Congress declared May as National Military Appreciation Month. That declaration encourages US citizens to observe the month of May in a symbol of unity for those who are currently serving and for those who have served. Since Military Spouse Appreciation Day is a presidentially-approved holiday, we decided to put our faith and love in action by honoring military spouses
To honor military spouses, we held our 1st Annual Hope, Honor, and Help Military Spouses Appreciation Brunch at the Denton Woman’s Club on Saturday, May 9. Since, National Military Spouse Appreciation Day is celebrated on the Friday before Mother’s Day in May. I requested the City of Denton to join me, Thou Art My Sister Ministries, John Czapko and friends to join us in honoring military spouses. On May 8, Chris Watts, Mayor of the City of Denton declared May 8 as National Military Spouse Appreciation Day in the City of Denton.
This year, our special honoree was Trinity’s member Louise Mealing. Louise was our fist honoree. We are blessed and thankful by her gifts and service to our country and our church. In the spring of 2012, I shared a dream about the military with Louise. To my surprise, Louise gathered together Trinity Crafters and made a beautiful military quilt.
In cooperation with Growing In Faith Sunday School Class and Trinity UMC, I co-sponsored a special worship service with Morse Street Baptist Church on June 30, 2012. Because this special worship Service for Hope and Healing was dedicated to veterans, the beautiful military quilt made by the Trinity UMC Crafters was unveiled during the service at Morse Street Baptist Church.
Finally, at our 1st Annual Hope, Honor, and Help Military Spouses Appreciation Brunch, we enjoyed listening to special piano music provided by Dewey Christian.
A gallery of photos from the Brunch, held at the Denton Woman’s Club building on Saturday, May, 9th 2020 can be found on Trinity’s Facebook page!