10 Aug 2026
The Invitation Project: Hospitality with Deployments
Michelle Hieb, Beth Sanders, and Laura Fricke talk about The Invitation Project and what hospitality looks like during military deployments and other difficult seasons. They share personal deployment stories, practical ways other people showed up for them, and advice for military spouses and uniformed women who are preparing for or walking through separation.
The group focuses on hospitality as more than dinner invitations. It can be mowing a lawn, dropping off meals, walking together, praying, or helping with childcare
Beth shares that her first year of marriage and a later season ten years into marriage both included deployments
Laura describes meeting her husband while he was already mid deployment to Syria, then marrying and later experiencing her own deployment as a spouse
Beth recalls deploying at the same time as her husband, but in a different unit, which created a unique strain because she knew when he was heading out into danger
The women talk about gratitude as a survival tool during hard seasons, including journaling, prayer, and deliberately looking for small signs of God’s care
Laura explains how some of the people she expected most to show up did not, while others she never expected became consistent support
Michelle describes a church family that quietly helped her through deployment by mowing grass, adding Christmas lights for her children, and offering steady care
The conversation ends with practical deployment prep ideas like praying together, using devotionals, recording voices for children, making playlists, finding chaplains, and seeking community early
Small, practical help often matters more than grand gestures
Gratitude, prayer, and community are repeated anchors.
Military women need both spiritual tools and real-world support
Connection can come from local churches, remote friends, apps, and intentional invitations
01:51 - Deployment histories from the panel, including multiple one-year deployments03:07 - Beth’s experience deploying while her spouse deployed too04:53 - Why being the one who knows the danger can feel harder05:28 - Different deployment seasons with and without children06:27 - Redefining hospitality beyond meals and dinner tables07:12 - A church women’s group adopts Beth’s deployed unit08:18 - Sending practical care items for women downrange09:24 - Laura’s favorite hospitality moments: walks, prayer, and being included11:03 - A church family shows up with Christmas lights and small acts of care12:58 - When expected support does not show up14:57 - Gratitude journaling and retraining the mind in hard seasons16:37 - Finding positive, faith-filled community instead of complaint circles16:56 - Laura discovers Planting Roots while looking for somewhere to serve18:58 - Advice for preparing before deployment begins19:55 - Praying together and using shared devotionals as a couple20:25 - Helping children understand deployment with stories, countdowns, and faith21:07 - Using maps, recorded voices, and books to stay connected with kids22:42 - Laura’s advice for guard and reserve spouses finding community early24:29 - Using an app to answer daily questions and stay emotionally connected25:31 - Why church community can become a steady support system26:51 - Learning to accept help instead of carrying everything alone28:36 - Advice for uniformed women preparing to deploy29:06 - Bible apps, chaplains, and women’s studies downrange30:04 - Ways military mothers can stay connected to children during deployment31:22 - Music, instruments, and worship in deployment settings32:50 - Building playlists and sharing songs during difficult seasons34:16 - The emotional distance that can show up before deployment35:54 - Giving grace because every deployment and every person is different36:24 - Beth’s reminder to take deployment one bite at a time37:38 - The Invitation Project as a resource for women in hard seasons
