Earlier today Pam and I went to Roanoke to do several things – both church and personal.  One of the things that we wanted to do was visit our friends at the recruiter’s office and deliver them some cookies.  We wanted to go down early to catch everyone in the office. Unfortunately some of the recruiters that we knew better were either sick or already out doing their jobs.  The recruiter we talked to was nice – but not as chatty as some of the others that we’ve talked to.  We dropped off the cookies and left.

Our next assignment was to stop at Joann Fabrics and pick up some royal blue cloth for our altar table and the Advent candle display.  The store had moved so we had to find its new location.  That was easy enough.  We looked it up on our phones and called the store and the answering machine gave great directions.  We got in the store and looked for our fabric.  We quickly found what we were looking for and then had some questions.  All of a sudden things went down hill quickly.  Apparently the store has started a new procedure to get your fabric cut.  We approached the table – looking like we needed help.  The lady sort of ignored us and I got ready to ask a question.  Immediately she said, “Pull a number.” I wasn’t sure what that meant.  She repeated and pointed in the direction “Pull a number.” Apparently now you had to pick a ticket number and wait until your number was called – even though there was no one in line.  She proceeded to keep working on whatever she was working on and then after about a minute or two responded, “Number 46” – our number.  I had a simple question and she responded gruffly, “No, all of our stock is out.  If you need more, you’ll have to special order it.” Being that we drove 75 miles, I didn’t want to do that.  I just dealt with what I had.  I got some great, although a bit more expensive fabric.  In retrospect, it presents better than the cheaper fabric.  Somehow someone forgot to tell this lady that customers or guests are golden.  She made every part of the transaction difficult.  Unfortunately, there’s not many places to buy fabric, so we were stuck.

As we drove out of the parking lot, I left shaking my head and thinking to myself, Chick-fil-A has really spoiled me.   I would never treat a guest like that.  In fact, we often trip over each other trying to help our guests.  At this point, I said to Pam, “It can only get better from here.” Unfortunately I was wrong. During our Minister and Spouses Gathering back in September, we got a gift card for Carraba’s. The closest one is in Roanoke and we thought that we would take advantage of this and go there.  Well, what we didn’t know is that Carraba’s doesn’t open until 4 on weekdays – another strike on this day.

Fortunately the day did finally get better.  We went to Firehouse Subs and had a great lunch and then drove home and I went for a run.

I guess the point of all this is to remind everyone that whatever we do, where ever we are we need to do the best we can at serving those who we are working for, especially if we work in the public sector.

Here is a great verse that I preached on recently from Colossians 3:16-17:

¹⁶ Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts.¹⁷ And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

Post office warns overseas military Christmas mailing deadline is near: December 3, 2012

By DAVID HODGE

Stars and Stripes

Published: November 2, 2011

RAF MILDENHALL, England — The deadlines for sending gifts for the holidays are fast approaching, and postal officials caution that mail service could be busier than usual this year with U.S. troops withdrawing from Iraq and Afghanistan and shipping  their belongings home by mail.
To help those mailing packages to the U.S. ensure they are delivered in time, the Military Postal Service Agency has released its annual mail-by dates, which take into account the expected increase in mail during peak season.

The dates are merely a guideline, said William Hossack at U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s Postal Operations Branch, and they vary slightly from the Pacific to the Middle East to Europe. But postal service officials say the earlier, the better.

“We’re saying, if you use these dates for the particular class (of mail), they’ll almost assuredly get there by Christmas,” Hossack said. “The only thing I recommend is to mail early and avoid the rush.”

Packages coming from the Middle East have the earliest dates due to the logistical challenges of moving mail from far-flung outposts and the unpredictable nature of a war zone.

This holiday season could see more delays due to the complete withdrawal of U.S. troops in Iraq and continuing troop reductions in Afghanistan. Many of the returning troops will ship personal belongings home through the mail, said Army Lt. Col. Edward Bayouth, Postal Operations Division chief of the 14th Human Resources Sustainment Center in Kuwait.

“There will be an exceptionally heavy volume of mail for those two locations this holiday season,” Bayouth said.

The U.S. and military postal services will stop processing mail to and from military post offices in Iraq starting Nov. 17 in light of the withdrawal there.

In general, there are four classes of mail to choose from when sending packages internationally. Space-Available Mail is the cheapest option, but it takes longer to get to its destination. SAM is followed in price by First Class, then Priority, up to the most expensive option, Express Mail. Military post offices in Iraq and Afghanistan do not offer Express-Mail service.

Priority is the most commonly used service among troops, according to Lionel Rivera, USAFE’s postal public affairs representative. Priority offers various sizes of envelopes and boxes at a fixed price, as long as the packages meet weight and size restrictions of 70 pounds and 108 inches. Measurements are calculated by adding the object’s length to its girth.

There are more than 500 military post offices in the world, and many overseas locations may extend business hours or open additional days during the holidays. Check with your installation post office for information on holiday hours.

Mail classes
• Express Mail Military Service: expedited delivery service. Not available from military post offices in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• First Class: used for items weighing less than or equal to 13 ounces. Flat-rate packaging available.
• Priority: weight limit of 70 pounds, length-girth limit of 108 inches. Flat-rate packaging available.
• Space-Available: weight limit of 70 pounds, length-girth limit of 130 inches on mail to the U.S.  Packages sent low priority take longer to reach destination.
• Parcel Airlift Service: limited to 30 pounds and a length-girth limit of 60 inches.

Extra services
• Certified mail: provides proof of mailing along with date and time of delivery or attempted delivery.
• Insured: coverage against loss or damage up to $5,000. Fee based on value of item.
• Registered: most secure service offered. Monitors movement of mail from beginning to end. Insurable up to $25,000. Fee based on value of item.
•Delivery confirmation: provides tracking number to see when item was delivered to address. Nominal fee of 70 cents.
• Other services: return receipt, signature confirmation, certificate of mailing, restricted delivery and others.

Hints and tips
• Take the time to wrap items correctly.
• Choose a sturdy box that’s appropriate for the size and weight of the item.
• Allow room for ample cushioning; use foam peanuts, Bubble Wrap, newspaper or shredded paper.
• Print names and addresses clearly on the package.
• Place an extra label with the shipping and return addresses inside the package in case the original labels get damaged. Also include an itemized list of contents.
• Use adequate amounts of tape to secure the opening and seams of the box.
• Write “fragile” or “perishable” on boxes, if appropriate.

December 3 is the deadline this year.