Special Forces: To Liberate the Oppressed

Rev. Peter Hofman graduated about a year ago from Ranger School in the US Army, making him among the first Christian Reformed Church chaplains to complete the grueling training and become a member of the Special Forces.

As a result, Hofman can wear the Ranger insignia or tab on his uniform, allowing him to reach out to the Special Forces troops more easily.

"Peter Hofman has done one previous tour to Iraq and was recently deployed on short notice with a Special Forces group to Afghanistan," says Rev. Ron Klimp, director of the CRC’s Chaplaincy and Care Ministry.

"We have had several other chaplains deployed with Special Forces groups, but having the Ranger insignia on his uniform may make him a bit more trusted by the young men and women in this group . . . The story is still unfolding."

In fact, one of the first things Hofman's commander said to him when he arrived to serve the unit a little over a year ago was, "I like that tab on your shoulder." He realized then especially that wearing the Ranger tab gave him another way to connect with the soldiers.

Having left behind Kristi, his wife of nine years, and children, including a newborn, Hofman is able to keep in touch with his family through the Internet, something he considers a real blessing. "Having the ability to web chat . . . sure does go a long way in staying connected with Kristi and the kids," Hofman told Klimp in an e-mail update on how he is doing.

Overseas, he has drawn up and submitted plans to have a new chapel built, hopefully in time for a candlelight service on Christmas Eve. "Something I have been praying about," he says.

Besides services on Sunday, he holds a Bible study every Thursday night. One of the initial Bible studies had an international flavor.

"There was myself, a woman from Bosnia with her Bosnian Bible, an Australian troop, and a Dutch soldier with his Dutch Bible and Peter Visser, a chaplain for the CRC equivalent in the Netherlands, with his. We talked about what the gospel means and how we communicate it to our various cultures and contexts. It was fascinating. A foretaste of heaven I would say."

Most days in Afghanistan are hot and so dusty he can't see the mountains surrounding their camp. "So when the dust calms down or when I run in the morning, it truly is breathtaking," he says.

Soon, he will be visiting small Special Forces teams out in the remote places of the country.

"This is one of my primary missions," he says. "They live with the people they are trying to protect. Often they are in very less than desirable conditions. They have to build rapport with them in order for the people to trust them and work with them to fight off the Taliban."

These guys, more than anyone, he says, need to be reminded of God’s Good News and his presence.

Coincidentally, the Special Forces motto in English is "To Liberate the Oppressed," which, says Hofman, "was Christ's same mission . . ."

"My life is important only insofar that I carry out my mission and message, which is the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Soldiers are attending services regularly and Hofman has had to minister to an officer who was injured in an explosion. He also prayed with the Command Master Sergeant just before the sergeant left to attend the funeral of his grandmother, "who was a tremendous woman of faith and a rock to their family."

As far as prayer requests go, Hofman says he has recently been doing a lot of thinking about praying for safety and has come across a few quotes on the matter. One is from the Apostle Paul.

"But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us," Paul wrote.

"We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you."”

Reflecting on this passage, says Hofman, "It has been made more clear to me than ever that I am a clay jar transporting the glorious gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

As a container, he is only important as far as he carries and uses the message of God that is inside of him and on which his life is based. This has made him realize that to pray for safety would be missing the mark.

"It is not the box that I am worried about, it is the contents. Moreover, if the men around me are willing to lay down their lives to help others enjoy freedom, how much more should I be willing to lay down my life for the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ which provides true freedom."

First CRC of Waupun, Wis., is the church that called him to serve as a military chaplain.