Duluth police investigator’s yearning to make a difference in Iraq transforms his life outlook.

When a person gets into a rut and begins to wonder what he or she could or should be doing, it sometimes takes a “desert experience” to discover what God really has in mind.

Back in 2007, Tom Degerstrom of Moose Lake, Minn., had reached that place. Though active in his church and employed by the Duluth Police Department, he’d begun to wonder what else God had for him to do.

Submitted photo Tom Degerstrom, 40, is pictured in Baghdad, Iraq, in front of one of the armored SUVs he would drive.

“I was looking for something different,” he said, “maybe some adventure.”

Degerstrom, 40, began exploring the Internet for options. When he discovered that the U.S. Department of State was contracting qualified individuals to work alongside military and government officials helping to train Iraq’s police force, his interest was piqued. He began praying about the possibility of going.

The commitment to Iraq would last for a year. Married and father to three teenage sons, it was no easy decision, but one he left totally in God’s hands.

“I prayed about four months before I made a decision,” Degerstrom said. By that time, he believed God was calling him to go. “My family was very supportive.”

“When Tom came and talked to me, he had been in prayer a long time,” 

said Terry, Degerstrom’s wife. “Knowing his reasons and motivation, there was nothing I could do but support him. He knew God was sending him.”

Terry had grown accustomed to trusting her husband’s safety to God during the 20-year course of their marriage. They met when Degerstrom was a Marine. Early in their marriage he spent time overseas during the Gulf War.

“I really love hindsight,” Terry said with a laugh. “It gives me a greater relationship with God. Whenever God wants you, you’ll go home. It doesn’t matter if you’re in a padded, protected cell, caught in crossfire, or crossing the street in tiny Moose Lake.”

Degerstrom’s next step was to file

paperwork for a leave of absence. Twice his request was denied. 

Certain that God wanted him in Iraq, he resigned his position with the police force.

“I knew it was a God thing because I had to surrender and take the really big steps if it was going to happen,” he said.

Upon offering his resignation, his leave was approved. He arrived in Baghdad on Valentine’s Day 2008. A week later, he was assigned to a Marine base in the city of Al Qaim on the Syrian border. There were various “battle positions” throughout the area, and Degerstrom lived at the position coined “Tripoli” during the week.

“From there we did daily checks on police stations,” he said.

His team made sure prisoners received proper treatment and that their documentation for the court process was in order. He also assisted with a small academy and did crime scene preservation training. The difficulty in training lay in the very different standards held by Iraq’s justice system.

“The average policeman is like an enlisted private in the military. 

They have no arrest powers,” he said. “They’re kind of like guards, but it’s too dangerous for them to patrol. Only their officers can do investigations.”

Degerstrom shrugged as he described how he once checked on a police station where all the cell doors were left open, despite the fact that one prisoner was being held for murder. He was assured that the prisoner wouldn’t go anywhere because doing so would place the man’s family in danger. 

  “There were blood debts to be paid,” Degerstrom said.

In April 2008, a station chief and his bodyguards were abducted by Al Qaeda, taken over the Syrian border and executed. The abductors were wearing American style uniforms and weaponry and had a Lebanese interpreter.

“We had to be alert all the time,” Degerstrom said. “I saw two mortars hit the ground at Tripoli.”

But, despite whatever assistance Degerstrom had to offer, he felt as though his work was unproductive. Back at the base camp in Al Qaim, he’d begun regular prayer meetings with a staff sergeant named Evans. Wondering about God’s will, both men sensed a spirit of spiritual apathy among the troops at that location. Then some Navy corpsmen and Marines introduced him to Moody Bible Institute. Degerstrom began to feel the pull to pursue a degree through Moody.

In mid-May, Degerstrom was transferred back to Baghdad. About that same time, he went on leave and spent three weeks with his family in Ireland. He was reluctant to return to Iraq.

“I felt ineffective. I wanted to get on the plane and go back home with my family,” he said. “My wife convinced me that God had more work for me to do. I came back begrudgingly.”

When Degerstrom returned to Baghdad, he was assigned to the Camp Shield Ministry of Interior Transition Team, specifically to work with oil police and assist other security branches. He described it as “like working for the Department of Justice in Washington.” He also assisted at Sadr City, the Baghdad police college where there were about 6,000 in training at any time.

“But,” he said, “I felt useless, micromanaged.”

He worked under a lieutenant colonel, a colonel, a British brigadier and two other bosses besides.

“I had to wrestle with the feeling that I was capable of more than I was given to do. I was just a pebble on the beach, not making any real difference to the mission.”

Then another Christian, Capt. Moorman, introduced him to the Ugandans. A majority of the base was populated by former Ugandan soldiers whose job it was to guard the base. As it turned out, a large percentage of the Ugandans were Christians.

“On Mondays they had Bible study, on Wednesday nights a large service with about 200 attendees, on Fridays Bible studies and choir practice, on Saturdays services at the American chapel, on Sunday mornings church, and on Sunday nights more Bible study with a video session,” Degerstrom said.

He was surprised that there were not many American soldiers involved. Although they had a chaplain, he could only lead every other week, so many of the ministries were led by lay-pastors.

“I knew God had some purpose,” he said.

So after another brief leave in September 2008, Degerstrom returned, praying to be more involved in the church. He also began taking courses through Moody Bible Institute.

Soon after, the chaplain, John, asked Degerstrom to help lead.

“It was a great experience,” he said. “I was writing sermons. It forced me to study. I’d like to say, ‘Yeah, I made this difference, or led 1,000 people to Christ or something,’ but it turned out it was all about God working in me. I came back with a fresh attitude.”

It even affected Degerstrom

differently when, two months before returning home, he found out his job with the Duluth police might not be waiting for him.

“My department chief once told me that I get upset every time I hit a bump in the road,” he said. “I realized it was true. I had to put things in God’s hands.”

Within six weeks he heard that there was an opening and he’d be returning to work.

“The whole experience caused me to appreciate life and to learn contentment,” he said. “It was really humbling. I’d always thought I was something, but God says, ‘Without Me, you’re nothing.’ Now I realize it’s a privilege to have a job. Our complaints are pretty small.”

Not only did his perspective change concerning his job, but it also sharpened regarding his family.

“I realized what a treasure my kids were,” he said. “I’d been very active in church, but I didn’t fully appreciate my family, my wife and kids.”

“Things always frustrated him very easily,” Terry said. “They don’t anymore. He now has the ability to step back and take a breath.”

“It wasn’t at all what I expected. It was a desert experience,” 

Degerstrom said, “a time to focus on God because I was pushed out of my regular norm.”

Degerstrom is continuing to work toward his bachelor’s degree. He’s also involved with the Compassion, Mercy and Justice Team and working with various Christian Rights groups who battle human trafficking. He knows that God won’t waste his life lessons or experiences.

“When you step out in faith,” Terry said, “God always seems to give you so much more than you end up giving. You take the risks and He supplies.”

Said Degerstrom: “We don’t know what the next adventure is going to be.”

But as a couple, they’re prepared to trust the adventure to God.