This Marine Corps couple deploys often but no longer to war zones.
“We deploy every opportunity that we get,” said Frank Metallo, Jr.
Frank and his wife, Jennifer, humbly serve God wherever they’re called as Billy Graham Rapid Response Team (RRT) chaplains.
He retired from the Marine Corps and the Department of Defense, and Jennifer, a longtime Marine, left her role as director of religious education for the Marine Corps Air Station in New River, North Carolina, this past March.
They’re pumped to finally be in the mission field full-time. Married for 35 years, the couple often finishes each other’s sentences. Besides traveling as Billy Graham chaplains to areas affected by natural disasters, they also serve at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Standing near the gravesite of Billy and Ruth Graham in the Library’s Prayer Garden, they join other chaplains to provide a ministry of presence. After Mr. Graham was laid to rest on March 2, 2018, the number of visitors to the Library has significantly increased.
Last week, many came to honor Billy Graham on November 7—what would have been his 100th birthday.
That day, the Metallo’s noticed one man visibly upset as he took his time at the evangelist’s grave.
“He just stood there crying,” Frank said. “We could sense a lot of people were really grieving because of the loss of Dr. Graham.”
They also encountered people struggling with health issues. One older couple “was just in tears,” Jennifer said, because the husband was battling cancer. Frank and Jennifer could empathize, as Frank is a cancer survivor.
“We prayed for peace for them and that God would give them strength and courage to face the uncertain days ahead,” Jennifer said.
Frank encouraged the man, reminding him that God loves him and is still using him for His kingdom.
Having deployed around the world, the couple has met an array of people and prayed for various struggles. “Everywhere we’ve gone, the Lord [uses] our gifts He’s given us. That’s enabled us to minister to just about anybody, anywhere,” Frank said.
Another extremely tough time in their own lives was when their oldest daughter, Sarah, nearly died from a bacterial infection. At 3 years old, she had to have her hands and feet amputated to save her life. Now 31, Sarah is married and works as a personal assistant and travels to gaming conventions as a professional board game demonstrator.
For Frank and Jennifer, the best perk about their new job as traveling chaplains is being able to freely share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
“To be able to just be there for someone in need and to be able to offer encouragement of God’s love for them, God’s Word for them, God’s promises,” Frank said, is an honor.
“God is always at work, no matter where you find yourself,” he continued. “Because of His grace and mercy,” Jennifer chimed in. “He’s always at work. I get pretty floored by that.
“We’ll do whatever [the RRT] needs for us to do in the Name of Jesus,” Frank added.
“We want to be totally engaged in ministry of one sort or another. We’re retired. What better thing to do?”
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