Give Thanks at All Times

2020 has been a challenging year...and that's an understatement. With that said, the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons are especially important this year. We can see new ways how powerless we are and how much we need Christ.

Chuck Norris said it well, "Thanksgiving is a duty before it's a feeling. It also doesn't say be thankful 'for everything, but 'in' everything. Find something, anything, to be grateful for even in the worst of times and our moods will be lifted. God prescribed our thanks-living because He knew it would make us happier."

As a nation we have fallen away from God. It is our prayer that many more hearts will be softened this Christmas season to accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. It is true that in our weakness, He is strong.

In fact, 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

Let's turn our hearts and eyes to our Lord Jesus Christ this Christmas. He never changes. We can trust in Him! And He will never leave us. Isaiah 26:3 says, "You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you."

Join us as we prepare our hearts for Christmas and the New Year. Spend time with Jesus in prayer and reading His Word. Nothing can change or steal His power, love, and strength. He is steadfast.

God bless you,
Carrie and Stacie
Sisters and Founders of Unite the USA

Featured Verse

"Thanksgiving is a duty before it's a feeling. It also doesn't say be thankful 'for everything, but 'in' everything. Find something, anything, to be grateful for even in the worst of times and our moods will be lifted. God prescribed our thanks-living because He knew it would make us happier."

-Chuck Norris

National Media Tour for Stacie and Carrie

Carrie and Stacie will be sharing God's love with veterans and families through Operation: Military Christmas. Please pray for God to bless it and for protection and good health as they speak out for heroes. Thank you so much!

Next Major Media Appearance: Set your DVR as Stacie and Carrie will be on FOX and Friends on the FOX News Channel on Monday, November 30. They will share about Operation Military Christmas and the Christmas Virtual Parade for Heroes.

Christmas Virtual Parade for Heroes

Since COVID-19 cancelled parades across the country this year we have created “virtual parades” to honor veterans instead. We are planning another virtual parade to honor our heroes this Christmas.

To be included in our next Virtual Parade of Heroes, please e-mail us the hero’s name, picture, and service information by December 18 to info@unitetheusa.org. The virtual parade will then be published sometime in December in an online musical video virtual parade and you will be notified of its publication by e-mail.

We appreciate being able honor heroes. It means so much to us to have this opportunity to give credit where credit is due!

God bless you,
Carrie and Stacie

Operation Military Christmas

Friends,

Christmas and New Year’s are almost here. It's busy. It's hectic. But we each need to remember the meaning of Christmas and share God's love. And we must remember to share God's love with our nation's heroes and their heroic families.

We are here to remind you that it's not too late to brighten Christmas for those who defend our country -even in 2020! We can help you help them. They deserve all the gratitude and kindness we can give. Think about it:

There will be an empty chair at family gatherings in many households while so many brave men and women serve to protect our freedom. But we all can do something to help honor and thank our heroes and their families this Christmas and New Year’s. They are giving up so much so that we all may live in freedom.

At Christmas, it's important to remember our veterans and servicemen and women who have done so much for us. On top of the pandemic restrictions, not all of our servicemen and women in the same households can be together for Christmas.

They have stresses in addition to those of 2020. That is why we are extra passionate as we continue our effort called Operation: Military Christmas. Please see below to learn ways you can reach out and remember our heroes and their families this Christmas.

Christmas is a special time of year celebrate the glorious fact that Christ came to us as a baby. It's also a time of year to count our blessings -including the blessing of freedom. Join us as we appreciate our freedom-givers.

Merry Christmas,
Carrie and Stacie

Unite the USA's
Featured Veteran of the Month: Henry Erwin

WWII Medal of Honor Recipient

How to Bring Christmas to Our Military

At Christmas, we must help bring back the true meaning to our troops, veterans, and their families. Many families will not have loved ones -either because of serving abroad or the ultimate sacrifice of a loved one dying for our country.
So, let's all do our part for veterans, troops, and military families to feel loved this Christmas.
· Prepare a package: Send Christmas care packages to our troops. (Please see details below.)
· Contact nursing homes. Contact nursing homes and ask for a way to send a bouquet, a box of gifts, or have Christmas bedside table arrangements delivered in honor of all veterans or military widows/widowers in the home.
· Ask if there would be a way to send cards to all or even just one of them.
· Or just send an e-mail. If you have kids, include pictures of drawings by your kids to veterans or their widows/widowers.
· Order a meal for a military family. Military families sacrifice so much, too. If you know a family whose husband, wife, son, daughter, mom, or dad can't come home for Christmas, reach out to them. Do something to acknowledge them and offer your thanks and prayers.
· Order pillows for servicemen and women. Our servicemen and women do without many comforts so that we can live in freedom and peace. For example, did you that when troops are deployed they don't have a pillow to rest on? You can change that through Project Pillows. Click here to learn how you can help. It's easy and so helpful.
· Send old-fashioned Christmas cards that could add a splash of Christmas color to military quarters.
· Or, send acceptable Christmas decorations.
· Write e-mails and attach files that include photos to print off and use for décor. If anything, it will be a day brightener for the recipient.
· Offer to help schedule a Skype call to bring a friendly face from back home into his/her life at Christmas. Not all military families have the technology to Skype with their loved ones in the military. Loan your smartphone or laptop for a specified time so they can Skype with their loved one over Christmas. Now that would be an incredible gift!
· Keep a gift card in your purse or wallet. That way you are ready to encourage a veteran on a moment's notice.
· Keep your eyes open. If you see a need, put some thought into what you can do to help. It's amazing how a small gesture of thoughtfulness can mean so much.
Together we can make a difference. We urge you to do something this Christmas season to support and pray for our heroes and their families. America, now is the time to unite and stand with our military. We need them...but they also need us.

How to Send a Care Package

Show your support and appreciation to our servicemen and women and send a care package. It means so much to them to receive something from home. So, get busy and reach out to a hero today. Make it a family project. Here are some tips to send a care package:

1. Shop for items to go in the care package. Include a variety of items such as nonperishable food and snacks like sunflower seeds, beef jerky, hard candy, gum and snack crackers. Useful items like toothpaste, hand lotion, wet wipes, hand sanitizer, shampoo, chap stick, and bath soap are always appreciated. Also include CDs, DVDs, magazines, small games, note pads and pens. If you are preparing a care package for a loved one, include photos, family videos, hand written letters and copies of the local newspaper.

2. Follow the restrictions established for military care packages. Do not send perishable foods or candies that melt. Alcohol, firearms, and any time of weapon are not allowed in care packages. Do not send any product that may be considered harmful such as an aerosol spray can.

3. Use the guidelines established for the care package itself. The package cannot weigh more than 70 pounds. The box or container that is sent must be no more than 130 inches total combined girth and length. The completed care package needs to be sent by way of the United States Postal System by "Priority Mail." If not sent by Priority Mail, the package will take 8 weeks or even longer if mailed during the holiday mailing period.

4. Be sure that you have the correct military address to mail your care package because the package will pass through the Military Post Office (MPO) to be processed to the correct military base or location.

5. Work together with military families in the same unit as your loved one to make sure that all the members of the unit have care packages arriving from home. Ask the home front commanding officer or the assigned contact to stay updated about the military unit's location. Talk to organizations in your community about doing service projects for various military units that may not have a lot of home front support.