CLINTON TWP — Sabrina Sutej, 10, couldn't have imagined the handwritten message and decorated card she sent to a soldier in Afghanistan last year would have lead to a face-to-face meeting with her pen pal last month.

Sabrina, the daughter of Shana and Mike Sutej of Clinton Township and a Sunday school student at St. Luke's Lutheran Church, 330 Hannahstown Road, Cabot, met Army Sgt. Matt Johnston Aug. 26 at a Butler restaurant.

“It was nice. He seemed like a nice guy,” said Sabrina, a fifth grader at South Butler Intermediate Elementary School. “He gave me the badges off his uniform. It was his name and rank and infantry flag. We put them in a frame with two pictures of me and him.”

“He told me he just wanted to say thank you,” said Shana Sutej. “He's originally from New Castle. What are the odds that the card would come from Cabot, close to his hometown?”

Sabrina's card made a big impression on Johnston, a medic and five-year Army veteran who had already completed a tour in Iraq before being deployed to Afghanistan.

Johnston said he was in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan when he received Sabrina's card around Christmas. It made an impression on him, Johnston said.

“When I got it, she had signed the back and put her age on it and attached was her church information,” said Johnston. “My mom lives in New Castle and she got Ann (Houk) at Operation Lifeline and they tracked the little girl down when I was still in Afghanistan.

“I knew I wanted to meet the girl and tell her thank you,” said Johnston.

“He said it had sparkles on it,” said Shana Sutej. “He said he has a daughter not much older than Sabrina, and when he saw the sparkles in his duffel bag, it made him think of his children.”

“It was an apple,” said Sabrina of the card. “And I put 'Jesus loves you,' and it has sparkly leaf and stem. I put that on there.”

“I wanted to step up and say thank you for something a little girl did for me. Being responsible for the medical well-being in combat of 150 soldiers can stress you out, so to get something from a little girl near my hometown ...” said Johnston.

The events that led to the two meeting began last year when Sutej's Sunday school class was participating in Operation Lifeline, which sends boxes of snacks, stationary and personal hygiene items to troops overseas, said Mary Jean Montag, superintendent of St. Luke's Sunday school.

“We had the Sunday school classes making the cards,” said Montag.

The cards were sent to Christ Lutheran Church, 1302 E. Washington St., New Castle, which ships the boxes overseas, Montag said.

Houk, co-chair of Operation Lifeline with Nancy Schlumberger, said Sabrina's handwritten message especially touched Johnston.

“He's a Christian man, and he was pleased about it,” Houk said.

Johnston contacted his mother, Barb Johnston of New Castle, to ask her to track down his young correspondent.

“He was very impressed he got something from a little girl, that there are people out there that understand we are at war,” said Barb Johnston.

Johnston said she contacted Houk, who did the detective work that came up with Sabrina's name.

So, when Johnston, his wife, Melody, and their three children were visiting his mother in New Castle last month, he arranged to meet Sabrina.

“Matt was hiding in the car with his dress blues on, so that when Sabrina and her family came in, he got the high sign from his wife,” said Barb Johnston. “He came in and tapped her on her shoulder.”

“She knew she was meeting him,” said Shana Sutej. “I thought it was nice, kind of a surprise.”

Sabrina said she and Matt Johnston had a two-hour visit.

“We talked about what he did in the military, he was a combat medic. I didn't think I would ever meet who the card got to,” said Sabrina.

“It was awesome. The whole thing was awesome,” Sabrina said.

Johnston has finished his tour in Afghanistan and is stationed at Joint Base Louis McChord, near Tacoma, Wash., with the Fourth Battalion Ninth Infantry Regiment Headquarters Co.

“He's full-time Army, so he does what the Army tells him to do,” said his mother. “He should be at home for the next few months.”

“We are going to keep in touch,” said Sabrina. “We exchanged e-mails and phone numbers and we are going to e-mail back and forth.”