Now it came to pass in the

spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle, that David

sent Joab and his servants with him, and all Israel; and they destroyed

the people of Ammon and besieged Rabbah. II Samuel 11:1.

So, while the Japanese cherries

burst into snowy blooms along the Peachtree City causeway, our school

children scribble notes of encouragement and mothers of all ages bake

and sew and pack gifts from home for our troops engaged in a life and

death struggle in a faraway land whose ancient capital Babylon still reverberates

with meaning throughout what once was called Christendom.

With this issue, The Citizen

is opening our pages to all our readers who have ties to those battling

the Iraqi dictator's forces. Send us names and e-mail addresses of troops

you know over there so that others can send them greetings and morale

boosters. Are you sending Care packages to our soldiers? Let us know about

your efforts, so that your neighbors and fellow Fayette Countians can

join you in encouraging our men and women in the Middle East, whether

on land or sea.

We plan to post many such letters

and photos on our World Wide Web site www.TheCitizenNews.com that can

be accessed from anywhere on the globe. We enthusiastically and emphatically

support our men and women in the U.S. armed forces, wherever they may

be based, during this time of challenge for our country. And we support

wholeheartedly our President, who has made the hard decisions that must

be made.

The best way to get your information

to us is via e-mail. Send your letters, addresses, artwork and photographs

to [email protected]. If you don't have access to e-mail, send

your material to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville 30214. Or you

can bring it to our office at 310 B North Glynn St., Fayetteville.

Back here at home, I'd like

to encourage you to consider helping some of our fellow Fayette Countians

who have encountered temporary but urgent family or financial difficulties.

The Fayette Samaritans is a

local charity supported by more than 40 churches that acts as a kind of

clearinghouse for urgent needs and distributes food and financial help

to local families. The ministry maintains a well-stocked pantry of canned

goods, a freezer of meat and two closets full of clothing for citizens

in need. The group also supplies vouchers to families whose utilities

are being shut off.

The group needs a permanent

facility to provide this help and has been offered a site next to Fayetteville

Christian Church on New Hope Road.

The charity needs an additional

$40,000 to begin construction of their new 2,400-square-foot facility,

and they need it before April 15.

Teaming with the Samaritans

is another Fayette-based charity, Square Foot Ministry, a coalition of

churches and individuals that build houses and do repair work for selected

needy families in Fayette, much like Habitat Humanity.

The Square Foot folks have

pledged to provide at no cost most of the labor and crafts needed to construct

the Samaritans' facility. But more money is needed to buy materials before

the work begins.

How can you help? Send your

tax-deductible checks quickly to Fayette Samaritans Building Fund, 203

Jeff Davis Place, Fayetteville, Ga. 30214. Any money left over after the

building project will go to Square Foot Ministries for use in their local

projects.

God bless you for caring for

our men and women in uniform and our local helping ministries.