Children of military service members are no different than other kids - except for the fact that they are expected to be stronger and to understand when one of their parents is sent to the other side of the globe. With routine deployments continuing, one organization is attempting to bridge the insurmountable distance and bring some joy and continuity into the lives of kids missing their mom or dad.

Cadence International, which operates under the tenet "sacrificially serving the military community is a privilege," focuses more on maintaining family dynamics than the standard outreach of sending care packages to soldiers. For Cadence it is a privilege that has been earned over the years by being responsive to needs suggested by military chaplains. When a chaplain in Texas first expressed the need to keep families connected during deployments, it sparked the idea for the KidsLink Downrange project. 

"Since our first attempt was so successful we realized we could do more. Now we have selected Fort Lewis, as well as five other installations, based on criteria like the number of deployments, number of families living on base and our existing ministry presence at these installations," explained Peter Remmes, director of advancement for Cadence. Over the past five decades, Cadence has grown from a small, fledgling mission to an organization with more than 250 missionaries working in more than 50 locations worldwide.

The nonprofit missionary group paired with MOPS International with the goal of bringing families together through a concept that is quickly becoming outdated - regular mail. During the initial program's run at Fort Hood, Texas, last year, over 150 MOPS, or Mothers of Preschoolers, groups became involved and created over 2,150 KidsLink card kits. A kit typically contains eight handmade cards for special occasions, such as birthdays or Valentine's Day, envelopes, postage stamps and everything a child will need to write to his or her parent for a year's duration.

Missionaries near the installation distribute the kits to children with a deployed parent in cooperation with on-post school counselors. Hospitality House Ministry, which has locations near most installations, serves as a "a home away from home" for servicemen and women so that they may find an open door, a comfortable couch, a home-cooked meal, and people who will listen, encourage, love, and point them to the hope of Christ.

"On Fort Lewis the Christian Fellowship House acts as the liaison between the base personnel and Cadence to establish contacts and arrange distributions.

They will also greatly aid in the actual distribution of the card kits come March," explained Shannon Howland, communications associate.

"We love military families, and anything we can do to help support them during this difficult time - great or small - has lasting impact. It is our true desire to serve those who serve our country," said Remmes.

The other installations KidsLink will reach this year are Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Carson, Colo.; Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Hood again and Grafenwoehr in Germany. Those involved are hoping to distribute 5,000 card kits created by the 300 MOPS groups involved.