NORTHERN IRAQ (ABP) — In Iraq, Army Chaplain Joe Moffitt sees himself as a spiritual medic who offers healing to souls in trauma.
“I have found that pastoral care here is oftentimes more like triage, as compared to that in the church. There are times when you experience the traumatic in the church, but I am inundated with it here,” said Moffitt, pastor of St. John's Baptist Church in Virginia Beach, Va., who has served since last November as troop chaplain with the 463rd Engineer Combat Battalion north of Baghdad.
“The decisions these soldiers make on a day-to-day basis can get themselves or someone else killed or hurt. They deal with death and the possibility of it. They are separated from their families. And when their families are hurting, most often, there is nothing these guys can do about it.
“It is triage, helping these guys so they can continue to function in a combat setting. In the local church, for the most part, it is systematic growth with some trauma thrown in; here, it is mostly trauma that I am dealing with.”
Moffitt offers no easy answers. Rather, he offers to join the soldiers on the journey of discovering God in the middle of tough times.
“In a dry and weary land where there is no water, I try to help them find water. I give them permission to say what they feel. I help them articulate their thoughts,” he said. “Together, we look for God in the midst of the pain, and God is never far way.”
Moffitt, a graduate of Wayland Baptist University in Plainview, Texas, and Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va., believes the common thread running through pastoral care — whether in a church in the United States or a military unit in Iraq — is building relationships.
“If you have a good relationship, if they know that you care about them and love them, they respond,” he said.
Deep relationships with soldiers that can lead to meaningful spiritual discussions grow out of common experiences, said Moffitt, a Cooperative Baptist Fellowship-endorsed chaplain who served three years active duty in the Army before college and has continued in the Army Reserve.
“I share the danger with these guys. I live with them, I eat with them, I miss sleep with them, and I have earned the right to ask them about anything I want to ask them about,” he said.
“I have earned their trust, and because of that, I have had soldiers approach me with spiritual questions — and I have been surprised at some who have.”
Certain moments of spiritual and emotional intimacy have left a profound impression on Moffitt: “Holding a soldier while he clings to me and weeps because his world has fallen apart. Standing in a group of my soldiers, touching one another, grieving for one of our comrades who was killed. Holding the hand and praying with a kid while waiting for a Medivac helicopter — a soldier who has just had half his foot taken off by shrapnel, and he is angry because he never had a chance to fight the guys who did it.
“Rejoicing with a kid who has missed having his head taken off by half an inch. Holding a 3-year-old Iraqi girl who has had terrible things done to her and her family by insurgents. I will never forget her face. Being thanked by a teenage Iraqi boy for giving him a future. Having my cheeks kissed by an old man for being here.”
Soldiers wrestle with fear, doubt and the pain of being separated from home and family, and Moffitt has found it helpful to let troops know their chaplain shares the same feelings.
“They are tired, and I am, too. They have problems at home; I can relate. They are lonely; I am, too. At times, they struggle with fear. I struggle with that, as well, at times. They are angry and confused. I am oftentimes feeling it with them,” he said.
“I am a spiritual friend to these guys, and I walk with them through their pain. Often, I am experiencing it with them, and that is why it is so important that my relationship with God is right.”
In particular, Moffitt has found it difficult to be separated from his 2-year-old daughter, Jordan, and his wife, Kelli, who is expecting their second child in November. He last saw them in February when he was home on leave.
Moffitt feels grateful for the ministry his church provides to his family while he is serving overseas, and for the way deacons and retired ministers in the congregation have served in his absence.
“I cannot say enough for them, but because of them, I was able to focus on my duty, my soldiers, my calling because I knew that my family was in good hands,” he said.
Moffitt's call to active duty in Iraq came at a difficult time for St. John's Baptist Church, which had just started a $3 million building project. But Moffitt made it clear he was in the Army Reserve when the church called him as pastor.
“So, they knew the chances were high for me to be called up,” he said. “I have a great church, and they are very supportive. We live in a Navy town, so many of my parishioners are currently in the service, retired or prior service. They view this as a calling for me and for them. This is their way of supporting our nation.”