I still remember his pause as he thought through the question. He stretched out one finger at a time. “Seven,” he said.

I had just asked the 15-year-old across the table how many times his dad had been deployed for a year or longer during his lifetime. His answer didn’t include all the shorter stints of weeks and months when his military father was absent. Andrew’s dad had been gone for half of his life.

Just prior to asking my question, Andrew sat down and breathed a loud sigh of relief. “My dad’s okay!” Prodding from his friends and I revealed that the compound where his dad was deployed had taken enemy fire. His family heard that there were injuries, but for three days they had no contact with his father. Then finally the call came. He was okay.

This moment crystallized in my memory. In that moment, God began showing me the absolute necessity of ministering to military-connected teenagers. On top of all the normal adolescent challenges, these young people face moving every 2-3 years, changing schools and friends, parental separation, and parents returning home, forever altered by combat.

While our team has a limited amount of time with these teens, we still have the privilege of seeing God rescue and transform. Jesus becomes a constant presence in their lives. No matter where they go, or how alone they may feel, He now goes with them.