Some say that there are no atheists in foxholes. CTS deaconess student and Army Captain Leslie Haines knows just how wrong that saying is. Atheists often remain unbelievers - and some Christians become atheists - because of what they witness in war.

Leslie brought back more than physical injuries from war. It was the hurts that run deeper than physical pain, ones suffered by Leslie and others in military service that have led her to the deaconess program. Her desire for soldiers and their families to receive appropriate spiritual care is shaping her hopes for her future service in the Church.

A life of service is more than a concept for Leslie; it has been her way of life since joining the Army right after college in 1983. She currently commands the 384th MP (military police) battalion, rear detachment, in Fort Wayne. The Army has so become Leslie’s home that she says she’s from “wherever the Army sent me,” which includes Germany, Kuwait, Cuba, several locations in the United States, and Iraq.

Leslie’s journey to the seminary began with her mobilization Christmas 2001. She was part of the second battalion of MPs sent to handle enemy detainees at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. This year-long deployment was followed a month later by back-to-back deployments to Iraq. Leslie describes this type of deployment as especially destructive to soldiers. The spiritual pain that gripped Leslie during her time in Guantanamo Bay had only deepened by the time she was medically evacuated during her tour in Iraq.

That was when she met Chaplain (LTC) James R. Cotter, a CTS Fort Wayne graduate, who had a life-changing impact on her. Leslie often says that what struck her about Chaplain Cotter was how he lived his faith, that he always had time for the soldiers regardless of the time or how tired he was. Chaplain Cotter showed Christ’s mercy to Leslie and countless others through his daily life and teaching.

During Leslie’s recovery from surgeries, she volunteered her services and became Chaplain Cotter’s administrative assistant. As she healed, Leslie began to counsel other soldiers as they mobilized, deployed, and returned from war. She also realized that she could no longer in good conscience remain an Episcopalian. The more Leslie researched and studied what The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod taught, the more convinced she became that it matched biblical teaching. On April 25, 2004, Chaplain Cotter confirmed Leslie through his civilian congregation, Praise Lutheran Church, in Fort Wayne.

Leslie first heard of the deaconess program during her service with Chaplain Cotter. She began to think it might be the way for her to continue serving her brothers and sisters in the military when her active duty ended in January 2005. “Somebody must care for our soldiers; I know how bad I was and how badly I needed Christian care,” Leslie says. After prayerful consideration and much discussion with Chaplain Cotter and Rev. Robert Smith of CTS, Leslie formally interviewed and applied to the deaconess program at CTS. “I’m not sure Dr. Just knew quite what he was getting when he accepted me, but he has been very supportive of me as I have cut a nontraditional path towards becoming a deaconess,” Leslie commented.

Because of the injuries Leslie sustained in Iraq, she is eligible for the Veterans Affairs Education Program. This program has paid tuition and other expenses related to Leslie’s training. Mike Busher, her Veterans Affairs educational counselor, has been especially supportive of Leslie’s mission focus.

Leslie plans to make veteran-specific care programs her focus as a deaconess. She hopes to help develop a mission program that would provide appropriate spiritual care to veterans, their families, and the families of those killed in war.

Leslie sees the need for society, especially Christians, to be aware of the needs of veterans. “These veterans are our neighbors and our responsibility,” Leslie said. No other church body has launched a major ministry targeting these veterans, and it’s Leslie’s prayer that the LCMS will seize this opportunity to be a leader in this area of ministry, developing and implementing a veterans mission to enabling our church body to reach military men and women with Christ’s mercy.

Leslie’s mission is to develop a program that could deploy care teams to help pastors provide care to veterans and their families as they begin the healing process. Although focusing on spiritual care, the team would also address psychological and physical issues and assist the veterans in the accessing help from available agencies such as the Veterans Affairs Administration (VA). Sometimes veterans just need someone to help them fill out the forms or walk with them through their first few visits to the VA. But the VA cannot provide the necessary spiritual care. Without Christ, all care is just a band-aid and remains incomplete.

Some might think that combat military service in war is an odd way to begin service in the Chruch. Leslie, however, believes her life is unfolding exactly the way God intended. “Ware is hell, and there are a lot of atheists in the foxhole. However, though I have witnessed firsthand this hell, I wouldn’t take back a single moment because God allowed me to have this unique insight, and now I get to figure out how best to use it for Him. Thanks be to God!”