Rock drills, Rehearsals, Cheat Sheets & the worst day in Kosovo

So much training has taken place to prepare for the worse day in Kosovo. Nearly 2 months in Indiana and one month in Germany.

In preparation for the worse day we were given scenarios that helped us use our training without having time to think about it. We rehearsed what we would do before we actually had to do it. Prior to the rehearsals we preformed “rock drills”. A rock drill shows where everyone is located and where they must go and what they must do step by step. There is a playbook with 50 plays to rehearse of things that can likely happen. For example, one play is a MASCAL; many people injured and not enough resources or personnel to respond. We created what I call “cheat sheets”. When you get into a situation you don’t have time to read the manual so you have a check list of each significant step that needs to happen.

The Bible is big. When problems come our way we don’t have time to read through the manual of life. We need to know what steps to take without having to think about it. We prepare ourselves with weekly rock drills. Every week when we attend a worship service and LIFE group we are preparing ourselves to respond to what life gives to us with God’s answers. We rehearse it by digging deeper and learning the best response. Although a proven method, many do not like rock drills. They just want to get to Kosovo and start the mission with a false sense of preparation. Many think because they have been in the Army a long time or in the church for a long time that they know what to do. But the skills not used have a diminishing effect. The more they are not used or practiced the less likely they are effective. You hope that there is never a worse day in Kosovo or El Cajon and that by practicing the right steps you prevent it.