For our volunteers serving in the armed forces, for those of you with family and loved ones in harm's way and for people all over the world at risk.
We have many of our volunteers already serving in the middle-east. They are in harm's way. I know many others of you have family members, friends and people you care about that might be serving from the United States, the UK, Spain or Australia. Our thoughts and prayers are with them, and everyone in the world. We have always paid a high price for freedom in this world. But that doesn't make it easier, especially when you know and love those at risk.
I ask for your prayers and thoughts during this important time for our volunteers serving in the armed services, and those who are fighting terrorism wherever located around the world and in cyberspace. I ask for your prayers and thoughts for those living where the armed conflict will impact their lives daily. It is important that we separate our position on the armed conflict from our support of those on the front lines. While some of you oppose war, and some of you support this war, all of us are united with our hearts and well wishes being with the families of those serving in this war, and those innocent people impacted by the war.
This is a time to hug your children more tightly, remember to kiss those you love and tell them that you love them. It is a time for kindness, caring and forgiveness. It is a time to find the core of your spirit and those things and people that are important to you. It is a time for family. And we are part of that family.
We will try to give those of you who need our special support the help you need during this difficult time. LMK and her support team and crisis angels are here for all of you. If you have someone special that you are particularly worried about and need an extra prayer or thought for them, let us know. I am asking Kelley to set up a special page in our intranet devoted to those we care about. Feel free to post anything that makes you feel better, and remember to ask for support from the rest of us.
We will provide our volunteers with the e-mail addresses of some of our volunteers serving in the armed forces at this time. I am sure they will welcome your support and hearing from you. Our new "e-mail to" program allows everyone to send a message to the troops. It can be found at wiredkids.org. And I am asking our IRC division to be particularly caring and supportive in channels. Those of you with spare time should spend more time in channel to be there for each other. I will try to brave IRC and be there as much as possible myself. This is a time to pull together.
We are setting up a moderated board where people can post their kind thoughts, support and prayers and well wishes for those in harm's way. We will screen all messages and remove anything that is hateful or political. This will be a place to share kindness, love and support, not hate. There are many other places to share hate or make political statements online. We will not be a part of that. We will also protect the privacy of those posting to prevent them from becoming the targets of others with hate and political positions in mind. These message boards will be a place where family members, the troops, people who live in the conflict zone, and anyone else can share their thoughts and messages.
I ask God to keep you and your loved ones safe. I am here if you need me in any way.
Parry