Louis Urban
December 2011 – A Little Time at Home
Friends,
I was home on R&R for Thanksgiving with the family. Christmas will be here before you know it, and then around the turn of the new year I will be heading back home. It was nice to have a break from the routine over here. My typical day is at the office by 7 – work – back to my room to crash about 11. So my usual schedule is 16-hour days, 7 days a week.
The R&R travel time took forever. It took 5 days to get there and 5 days to get back; most of that time 
sitting in a holding pattern waiting to get on a flight. Chong was at the airport to greet me when I arrived. It was nice to see her again, but ever so difficult to have to say goodbye again. She told me that she had a surprise for me, but would not even give me a hint of what it was. Sitting inside the garage was a brand new Dodge Ram. Tracy has pretty much taken over my Jeep so I was going to talk to Chong about the idea of getting another vehicle. Well, she beat me to it, and got a much better deal than I probably would have been able to get. She has that talent to do the wheeling and dealing. And there is actually enough room for my legs. I should have been driving something like this a long time ago.
The truck was a nice surprise, but it was even nicer just to be able to be back with the family again for a while. It is hard to believe that 27 years ago on Thanksgiving day Chong and I met for the first time. It feels more like 27 days. It has gone by quickly (except for this year).
The 27th of Dec I am scheduled to move back to Leatherneck with my command. There I will be beginning the turnover with my replacement who is going to be running the chapel. By the end of January I should be on my way back to the states.
These are a couple of photos of care packages being distributed. The first photo is the dust off team. Yes, they are Army. These are the guys that are flying out there picking up wounded Marines making a life or death difference. The second one is of some Marines standing next to the Christmas tree in the chapel.
Thank you for all the care packages that have been sent this last year. I would request that you not send anymore packages; or if you do to mark them at the bottom of the postal form “deliver to any Chaplain”. RCT-8’s mail is being turned off as they prepare to head home. I am preparing to head back to MHG at the chapel, but all my mail has been in the process of being forwarded to here which would probably result in my mail being lost for some time. I am going to get my replacement spun up on sponsors and sure that he will have a solid support group in no time at all. With Christmas being just days away, it looks as though everyone is currently receiving an abundance of packages. It is an awesome testimony of the passionate heart of the American people.
I pray that all of you will have a blessed Christmas and I am looking forward to when I am able to sit and catch up individually on how God has been working in your lives.
God bless,
Chaplain Louis Urban LT, CHC, USN II MHG (FWD) Louis.Urban2@afg.usmc.mil Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.
October 2011 — Putting Greens for Troops
Dear Friends, 
I had the opportunity to visit with the Orthodox priest from Georgia. It was for the purpose of working on building our ministry team between the US and Georgian forces that are over here. He was a very friendly guy. The US has been working closely with the Georgian forces. Our guys are embedded with them. This has given me the opportunity to visit locations where a small number of our military are stationed to try to be an encouragement to them and to hold services.
The next couple of photos are of our putting green that we have built. My RP and I rode around the base picking up any scrap wood that we could find. Ping donated a number of clubs, putters, and golf balls. Another company donated some putting surfaces. It was being put to use the day that we finished it. We have it set up so that it can be used 24/7 (with a light on at night). Along with this we are working on building a screen so that they can drive some golf balls. In the next few weeks I might be traveling to deliver a couple of these putting greens to different locations so the guys there can set up a small putting area also.
Recently there was a rather large event that took place in country. I cannot write about the situation through this media, but there is a chance that you read about it in the paper or saw it on the news. This allowed us to put the chapel to a new use. It was converted into a court room where the trial was held. I can tell you this; it was not like on the TV shows.
It is hard to believe that we recently passed the 10th year of the 9-11 observance. I had the opportunity to have a small presentation at the base flag pole and then closed with the playing of taps on my trumpet.
At the homefront: My mom had surgery to remove some cancer that she was fighting. She is recovering well and it appears that they found all the cancer. My daughter just celebrated a birthday 29 Sept. I won’t put down her age here (seeing that can be a sensitive topic). It is hard to believe how quickly the time has gone by though. My wife is doing fine, but ready for me to be home. I will be able to have that opportunity for a few days at least next month when I go home for R&R.
The military appears to be entering into a downsizing stage. Recently they have put out that Chaplains who are LT’s and have been passed over twice maybe will be separated from the military within the next 7 months. The economy is tough, and it is also having an impact on the military. Please pray for these Chaplains who might soon find themselves out of the service. There are 3 chaplains over here with me right now that I have worked with who are in that situation. Thankfully, God is in control of all situations. May He be glorified even in a situation like this.
The rain season has arrived. For the last 4 days it has rained, and it is expected to continue now until about February. That has brought some cooler weather. 80 feels cold when you are used to 120+ temperatures. Please keep the guys over here in your prayers, even after I am back in the states. Thank you.
God bless
Louis
Chaplain Louis Urban
LT, CHC, USN
II MHG (FWD)
Louis.Urban@afg.usmc.mil
Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.
August 2011 — Ministry on a new base
Dear Friends,
Greetings from sweltering hot Afghanistan. Did I mention that it is a bit hot over here? It is hard to believe though that we are already into August. Before you know it September will be here and it is going to start cooling down again. When I first arrived in February, it was actually cold over here. I am hoping that there will be a fall season where the weather will be nice rather than just jumping from hot to cold; but I have heard that is what basically happens.
We have a small group Sunday at the Chapel in Deleram 2 but we still get together to praise God. I have been online with different music companies in an effort to get some musical instruments donated. As you can see in the photos, we have one keyboard and a couple of guitars. I am really looking at trying to get some drums for in here. We have a morning and an evening service on Sunday and two Bible studies during the week. Currently we are going through the book of John on Wednesday and on Friday we deal with marital issues.
We receive care packages from a number of different sources and are very thankful for every one of these packages that arrived. One of them recently was filled with freeze pops. So we threw them into the freezer for a few days. After they were good and frozen we headed out to visit all the posts on the base to bring the guys
a pop and spend some time talking with them. We ended up being out there for about 4 hours. It was hot, but everyone seemed to be appreciative that we were out there thinking about them. We were able to share some joy that was sent from home, and then to also let them know that we have other supplies in the chapel that they are more than welcome to come and pick up anytime. Several of the guys have been in since then. And even more importantly, I have been seeing some of them starting to attend services. We are going to try to do this weekly.
Thought that I would add one more photo for you before I send this off. Just the other day I was walking down the road and out of nowhere I found myself standing in a shadow, which was strange because I looked up and there was not a cloud in the sky. I turned around just in time to be plowed over by one of these dust cyclones. I see these usually every day. They can get pretty large (about the size of a city block) or so small that it looks like a string floating in the air. After you have been ran over by one (of any size) you are ready for a shower. Next time I find myself in a shadow I am going to attempt to get clear of its path.
This has been a busy month and whether it is against dust, camel spider, or the Talabain we are pressing the fight. I would like to thank each of you for your support and prayers to make that possible. You are a vital part of this battle.
God bless
Chaplain Louis Urban
LT, CHC, USN
Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε (Phil 4:4).
July 2011 — Five Month Mark
Dear Friends,
I pray that this will find all of you happy, healthy, and serving God well.
The 1st photo is me hanging out with some of our corpsmen at the back of their ambulance. It is HM2 Tuggle in the photo with me. She has been the recipient of some of the care packages that have been sent here. The 2nd photo is of one of our nice sunny days. You can tell that it is a bright sunny day by the light near the top of the photo. At the same time it might seem a bit murky, but that is just because of the daily dust that is in the air over here. 3rd is my new home.
I am moving to a new location. There are pros and cons with that. The good part is that it will be a smaller base of about 900 Marines rather than a base with 17,000. That will give me the ability to be able to get to know the guys on the base better, and not as many meetings that I will have to be attending rather than doing deck plate ministry. My command will still be down here though. Communication is tough enough on one base, but being separated from the rest of the command will mean extra diligence on my part to keep in touch with the CO so he knows what I am doing up there.
The first two pictures here are of the chapel of the new home that I am at. The 3rd photo is of a couple of the guys in LNK utilizing the care package shelves that are inside the chapel. As quickly as we put items out on the shelves, it disappears. We have the military, civilian contractors and local nationals come in. There are a lot of foreigners that work here on the base also. Many of them work in the DFAC, laundry, driving the buses, and construction. One gentleman who volunteers his time to help keep the chapel clean (when he is not driving one of the bus routes) is from India. He has been away from his family now for about 5 years. He is given 2 weeks a year to visit with his family, but that is it. The economy is hurting in the US, but in other parts of the world it is even worse. We have been greatly blessed by God. We need to remember that every day, and use our resources wisely.
My new address that I can be reached at is:
LT Louis Urban RCT-8/S-1 Unit 73915 FPO AE 09510-3915Today I finalize my packing and will be flying out. As far as I know I will still have the same email address. If it ends up changing I will let you all know. God bless and remember that God gives us strength to face our problems.
Chaplain Louis Urban
LT, CHC, USN
Louis.Urban@afg.usmc.mil
Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε.
June 2011 — Decisions & Baptisms in the Desert
Dear Friends,
This is a photo that was taken over at Bastion. That is the British base that Camp Leatherneck is connected to. Every Wednesday we have a short devotion time and then eat lunch with our fellow British and Danish Chaplains. This is not all of the chaplains, but those that are on the base this particular day. There are a number of other chaplains that are spread out through the country, and some who were not able to make it for one reason or another.
This 2nd photo is of some of the Marines that were recently baptized in a tank that we now have next to the chapel. It is a large wooden crate that a liner has been put in to hold the water. The sun outside beats it up some but we now have a place to take all these new believers that we have over here and get them baptized. Sun 12 June was our dedication ceremony.
The temperature is rising and the wind has picked up. You hardly dare adventure outside unless you have dark eye goggles on. The sun is very bright and glares off of every surface. And then you add the dust that dramatically cuts down on visibility, makes it tough. It looks like a winter blizzard but you can taste the sand, it gets in your eyes, and covers you from head to toe. You take a shower and then dry off with the towel that became covered in dust on your way to the head. Word is that the wind condition is going to continuously get worse for the next three months. I am just about to the point now that I am wearing my ski goggles with a gator covering the rest of my face. This makes some of us look pretty strange, but at least I can almost breathe. The best way that I can describe it is if you were to stand with a hair blower blasting on high, and then throw some dirt in the air. And then when you go to clean the muck out of your eyes make sure that your fingers are well coated so that you end up putting more dirt in your eye rather than getting anything out. Yesterday was the start of what is called “90 days of wind”.
Recently I had a wilderness experience. I was making a CD with Christian songs for the DFAC (Dining Facility) to play on Sundays. In the middle of this process my HD decided to not work any longer. On the drive was all my family photos, sermons, Bible studies, and other resources. Hopefully one of the computer guys will be able to get it up and running again, but from the feedback that I am getting – not likely. All the family photos are still at home. I just won’t be able to view them while out here. The tough part is that there is such a lack of resources out here and it takes a while to try to get something replaced. Yet the mission goes on. This so vividly reminded me of sitting in Dr. Fink’s class with him telling us that we will do every assignment or we have failed the entire course. His explanation is that when Sunday rolls around you have to have something, even if you are not completely ready. It looks as though my long days just became longer while I work on building my reservoir back up again. Dr. Fink, Thank you.
The services are growing in attendance, and we are seeing many young service members give their life to the Lord. There are hardships here and my preference would be to be back with my family. But I am so very thankful to be able to have a roll in events that are going to have an eternal impact. Many of you have been a great help. I am thankful that this gives many of you an opportunity to be involved in what is happening over here. Many care packages have been received which I then can pass on to the troops here. Clearbrook GBC in Roanoke VA has been an immense help with so many boxes and phone cards. Please keep praying for the safety of the troops over here.
The 19th of June made 26 years that my wife and I have been together. Regrettably I was not there, but I am pretty sure that she understands why. The positive impact that she has had in my life has been astronomical. I would not hesitate for a second to start life all over with her again, and I pray that we will have many more years together before this adventure is finished.
Three things that I see that top the list for prayer requests:
1. To pray for the salvation for these Marines. There have been so many that I have talked to that are not saved, but just do not seem ready to make that final step. Many have accepted Christ though, and this Sunday we are having a large baptismal service.
2. To pray for the safety of these guys out here. With warmer weather and the harvest of the opium fields just about finished the enemy is getting active again. We have taken some casualties over here. And pray for the enemy. So many of them are losing their lives!
3. To pray for the marriages. I have a number of guys that I am meeting weekly counseling them with their relationships. The devil is attacking these relationships hard. I have seen some victories, but I have also seen more divorces go through than what I would like. One divorce is too many. And many of the wives do not realize the impact that has on these guys while they are out here.
God bless
Louis Urban
Chaplain Louis Urban
LT, CHC, USN
Χαίρετε ἐν κυρίῳ πάντοτε· πάλιν ἐρῶ, χαίρετε (Phil 4:4).
May 2011 — Life in the Desert
Dear Friends,
It is hard to believe that Easter is so far behind already. There were over 150 individuals who were at the sunrise service. Then the other services were packed out during the day. At least 14 individuals gave their life to Christ. During the day we had a total of 11 services.
We are continuously getting requests for phone cards and can’t seem to keep them in stock. Other items we are doing pretty good on the base. We are receiving a number of care packages. Personal hygiene items always seem to disappear from the shelves pretty quickly still. Thank you for all the items that so many of you have been sending. It is a great comfort to them to know that there are so many people that are praying for them and providing in such a loving way.
"Outside the Fence"
Recently I had the opportunity to get out and visit some of the Marines outside the fence line. Most of the guys that I had the opportunity to talk to are in good spirits and thankful for all the support of everyone back home. Many of them have stories of how their dads served in Vietnam and the whole different response from the community. These are some good guys with each one of them having their own unique story. I was able to get out there and conduct some services at locations that have not had a chaplain visit for almost 2 months. There are just too many locations that we are at, for even the number of chaplains that are over here. Flight schedules, hot zones, and other requirements impact where it is that we are able to get to. The last location I visited what a hot zone. That meant that my RP had to be locked and loaded even before we started coming in. When we got there, our LZ was secured by a group of Marines and we were escorted into the secured perimeter rather quickly. I was traveling with Chaplain Davantes (Catholic priest) so that we could conduct Protestant and Catholic services at as many locations as possible. They were thankful for us arriving. I just had to tell them that I was the one that was thankful. It is because of these young guys standing on the line that we have our freedom that we do.
Thank you for all your prayers and support.
God bless
Chaplain Louis Urban
II MHG FWD Chapel
FPO AE 09510-3920
April 2011 — Happy Easter
Dear Friends,
It has now been 2 months since I have been in country. There is only 12 more months to go.
Please pray for these young Marines that are here. There are about 6 guys that I am currently working with on a weekly basis who are experiencing marital problems (for an assortment of reasons). Then there are the ones that come in for 1 or 2 counseling sessions. I am seeing marriages being attacked by the devil extensively over here.
Thank you so much for all the care packages that have been sent. I especially need to make mention of my home church, Clearbrook GBC in Roanoke VA and Mr. & Mrs. Robbins. Their sacrifice and support has made a huge difference in the ministry impact here. The word is out on the base that if these guys need razor blades, socks, suntan lotion, or just about anything else to come by the Chapel to see what they can receive. With them coming in looking for some necessities it gives me the opportunity to strike up a conversation with them, and try to get into their lives some. It would be wonderful to see each one of them come to a saving knowledge of Christ. I am patiently waiting and praying for that to happen.
I will try to share what life is currently like over here. Picture yourself running a church with minimal resources while catering to a congregation of approximately 1,000 members. About 6 other religious belief share meeting facilities with you and you are tasked with making a schedule to accommodate everyone. And you get to do this with a staff of only 2 people; yourself and an assistant. This covers only the one aspect of the ministry here. Welcome to my world. But praise God I get to serve My Lord every day in an environment where the Gospel message needs to be heard.
This is currently home for me. I am in POD 3, CAN 23. Maybe not the fanciest place, but life is pretty good here compared to the guys that are outside the fence. We usually have water to take a shower, and it is sometimes even hot.
Resurrection Sunday will be here before we know it, and it will be a busy day. We have 10 services scheduled for that day. I will be doing the Sunrise service at 530 am, assisting with some of the others, and be going until about 8 pm when our last service will end. God’s Word will be proclaimed. Let us together carry His good news boldly to the world.
God bless,
Chaplain Louis Urban
LT, CHC, USN
Louis.Urban@afg.usmc.mil
February 2011 — Safe Arrival
Dear Friends,
I have arrived safely and up and running in sunny, dusty, Afghanistan. It felt like it was taking forever to get here. When we left NC we flew to Germany. We were there only long enough to head to a hotel, shower, eat, and catch about 3 hrs sleep. From there we continued on to Manas (the gateway to Afghanistan). We were thrown into a nice big tent that holds about 250 service members at a time. To say the least, being in a tent with that many young Marines, I did not get a lot of sleep. Lights were on, video games and movies being played, groups sitting around talking; and it was freezing in there. The good point was that there was plenty of food; including chocolate bars. We sat there doing nothing for 5 days and were starting to feel the effect of just sitting around and eating.
There were a couple of false alarms as we all turned in our linen and headed to the terminal to be turned around and have to pick up new linen. It was good to have some clean bedding, but then we had to scramble to find an open bunk seeing others moved in and took a lot of the bunks we previously had. The time arrived though and we were able to load up the plane and arrive to Camp Leatherneck. I MEF was excited to see us because that meant they are on their way out.
Upon arriving I was put in a can with Doc and a Civilian. The rooms have just enough room for 2 bunk beds (and that is it). I am happy to inform you that after a couple of nights we were rearranged and I now have one of the rooms completely to myself. Now I do not have to worry about disturbing a roommate if I stay up late, or lights keeping me awake when I am trying to sleep. The extra bunks have become my dresser as I have spread my things across the surface and then covered them with my poncho liner to try to keep the dust off everything.
There is a brand new chapel that has been built here in two buildings. The main sanctuary is in one building and holds about 250 people. The second building is the same size but has two smaller sanctuaries and the offices for the RMT team. The one sanctuary is set up for Catholic services while the other is used for other smaller services, Bible studies, and meetings. Currently there are 22 services at the chapel with 7 of them being on Sunday. The scheduled work day is from 8 am to 10 pm. The only exception is on Friday, when we don’t have to be here until noon (unless something happens that we are needed).
Two days after arriving we had a memorial service for a young Marine who was killed by an IED. I am still doing my turnover learning the base. Today I am going to be visiting the hospital and the morgue. Sadly, I have been informed that there will be too many regular trips to these locations. Please keep these young Marines that are over here in your prayers.
I have had the opportunity to talk to my family back in the states. It is not easy, but they all seem to be doing well. I would ask that you would pray for us that we would have patience, as I am certain that there are going to be times that we would like to hit the fast forward button on the remote to make this year go by. God’s clock is always right, so we are praying that this would be a growing time for each of us, and that I would be able to be used by God to have a life changing impact on the lives of these Marines.
Thank you for all your prayers.
God bless
Louis M Urban
MHG FWD Chapel
Unit #73920
FPO AE 09510-3920
October 2010
Dear Friends,
Chong and I have arrived safely back to the states and are getting established. It feels kind of strange being back after having lived out of country for four years.
Chong and I have been looking at houses and believe that we might have found one. It is 13 miles from where I work at. With traffic coming onto the base I am looking at riding my bicycle (which will probably be faster than sitting in the car). The house is maybe 20 miles from the ocean.
We are sorry that we were not able to visit with everyone upon our arrival back to the states. In time we are looking forward to meeting again though.
There is one small Korean church which is in the area here. Sadly no Korean restaurants though, and Chong and I are both missing some of our favorite spots that we use to hit. For our friends still in Korea – don’t forget us while you enjoy all that delicious food.
The CO has informed me that I will be deployed. It is just a question of when. My work is cut out for me here. I have been informed that there is somewhere around 20,000 Marines that fall under my care. And on that note, I am closing out here in order to get back to work.
Thank you for all your prayers, and if any of you are in the area (once we get in a house) come on by for a stay and a visit to our local beaches.
God bless
Louis & Chong Urban
August 2009
Greetings,
Chong and I are back to Korea and busy at it again.
Today is the first day for Chong back to work, so our morning routine changed some. I am usually up and out on my bike getting some exercise, then come back home to get ready for work while she makes some breakfast. We will have to make some changes with both of us competing to use the bathroom at the same time in the morning again.
I had the opportunity to visit the Blue Ridge yesterday. I am in the middle of the photo and next to me is RP1 Ruthemeyer. She is my RP and we make up the RMT (religious ministry team) for Korea. Next to me is Chaplain Puttler who is the 7th fleet Chaplain, the Chaplain Benefield on the Blue Ridge. He was a CCPO with me when I was stationed in CA. He is a good guy. The other direction is Chaplain Richards who is a reserve Chaplain here for the exercise in Korea. And then Chaplain Divine (who just about everyone knows).
Chong and I had a wonderful evening Sunday night over in Pusan. We were treated to an enjoyable dinner by one of our choir members. The entire choir was there. Then after the meal we enjoyed a nice walk out on the beach.
Last night we showed the moving the “Crossing” for the reservist that are on the base. We had about 50 reservist, base members, and congregation members that were in attendance. The movie is based on a true story of a North Korean family and the persecution that they went through. It really puts things into perspective of the freedoms that we have. I do not think that there was a dry eye in the group bye the time the movie ended.
I pray that each of us would be diligent about fulfilling the great commission, and that all of you are doing well.
Until we meet again.
God bless,
Louis Urban
Report from Lou and Chong Urban – Korea – May 2009
Dear Friends,
I hope that all of you had an enjoyable resurrection day. The weather has been beautiful here in Korea. Our turn out for Easter was a little larger than what we normally have, but not too much of an increase. We had a good service and then the Catholic and Protestant congregations went to the restaurant on base for brunch.
Some of us headed out to enjoy the weather. We took a hike up one of the mountains here. The location that we climbed is listed as being near the highest elevation in Chinhae. It took about 2 hours to make the climb. The photo that is attached is of us (Chong and I are on the right in the picture) near the summit of our climb. The picture does not really do justice to all the colors that we saw. Plus there were the smells and the music of the birds singing. In the photo you can see the cherry blossoms. There were a lot of people out on the hillside enjoying the day. It is my prayer that all those people who were enjoying the view would also take into account who the creator of it all is.
After our hike we went to a local restaurant for a delicious meal. I am certain that the company we were with made the meal even more enjoyable.
Please pray for Mrs. Vanderpool. She and her husband were regular attendee’s at the chapel, but she has been fighting a battle against cancer for a few months now. The situation is not looking good for her. I try to help how I can. Mr. Vanderpool & I will play racket ball. It gets him out of the house and his mind off the situation temporarily. She has been in and out of the hospital. Currently she is back in again, and is unable to eat or drink anything.
Thank you for all your prayers and words of encouragement.
God bless,
Louis & Chong
Chinhae Korea
Lieutenant Louis Urban (U.S. Navy) and his wife (Chong) and daughter (Kim) are now living in Guam, where Lou is assigned as ship’s chaplain for the “USS Frank Cable.” This ship has the mission of taking care of the logistical needs of submarines in their area of the Pacific. An interesting bit of trivia is that this is the same ship that was served by Dayne Nix when he was assigned to Guam some years ago.
Lou has been at sea with this ship and has had a wonderful ministry among his sailors. While in port in Malaysia, they were able to arrange to do some community relations projects with the local Malaysian people. Chong is now closer to her native Korea and has been able to visit her family several times.
Chaplain Urban writes, “We have arrived from our outing to three different countries. We were in Malaysia, Singapore, and Hong Kong. For the Sailors that have been in for a while and are used to a six month cruise this was short; but for someone like myself (who likes to spend time with his family) it was plenty long enough. I was happy to get back. Overall the mission was successful. We had a number of Comrel projects, Bible studies, and Worship services. Friday I am going to baptize one of the guys who is a regular attendee at the Bible studies. We are going to go down to Gab Gab beach. God has richly blessed us to be able to serve Him here. Thank you for all your prayers that help make that possible.”
