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Doing the Most Good
July 13, 2012
Revolution Hawaii continues to show love n Team members befriend Charley and help him heal.
Steve and Kris Pyatt celebrate their 25th anniversary by volunteering. Photo by Sydney Fong
Hitting hunger head-on n The Salvation Army of Alameda County partners with Feed The Children. BY SYDNEY FONG The Salvation Army of Alameda County, Calif., partnered June 5 with Feed The Children, an international hunger relief organization, for the fifth consecutive year of helping eradicate hunger in the East Bay with food and personal care boxes. At the Oakland Coliseum parking lot, volunteers gave pre-identified families a 25-pound box of food and a 10-pound box of personal care items—each designed to last up to one week. “This helps families who are up against it during these tough times,” said Major Joe Hoogstad, Alameda County coordinator. “It’s also a way to encourage people who are struggling.” The distribution is part of Feed The Children’s Americans Feeding Americans Caravan, which has helped thousands of families across the country since 2009. “This will help a lot,” said Alicia, a mother of three. “We don’t have to go shopping [this week], so it helps with the budget.” Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics sponsored the delivery of the provisions, while Feed The Children purchased the food and hygiene products. Around 50 people volunteered to help, including Steve and Kris Pyatt, who celebrated their 25th anniversary by giving back to their community. “I wanted to do something special,” Steve Pyatt said. “We’ve been blessed, and I can’t think of a better way to help others than volunteering like this.” Hoogstad said the joint venture and working in collaboration with other agencies is valuable. “You have an organization like Feed The Children, which is able to get things donated or purchase things at a reduced cost,” he said, “and you have The Salvation Army creating the manpower and getting those items out to the people.”
John Larsson plays Glory! and The Blood of the Lamb n Third in the series of CDs is now available. The third in the series of CDs featuring General John Larsson (Ret.) playing piano arrangements of songs from the Gowans and Larsson musicals has now been released. The CD highlights music from their two musicals based on Salvation Army history and comes complete with a 32page book of the lyrics by General John Gowans (Ret.). Glory! brings to the stage the classic stories of earlyday Army life told by Edward Joy in The Old Corps, and features songs like “There is a message,” “When the glory gets into your soul” and “As high as the sky.” The Blood of the Lamb is based on Vachel Lindsay’s epic poem “General William Booth Enters Into Heaven,” and, fittingly in this the centenary year of the Founder’s promotion to Glory, portrays William Booth leading into heaven the great multitude he has won for Christ. Songs include “There’s only one flag for me” and “They shall come from the east, they shall come from the west.” For sample tracks and further information about the CD series visit johnlarsson.com. John Larsson plays Glory! and The Blood of the Lamb is available from tradewest.com.
BY JOE NOLAND, COMMISSIONER The current team in Revolution Hawaii (RevHi)—a one-year program of service for young adults (18-29) in an urban setting and in summer deployments to underdeveloped countries —recently spent a few nights living homeless on the streets of Honolulu. They met Charley, a partially paralyzed drunk who spent his life atop a flattened cardboard box, begging for change. With his long, scraggly hair and beard, he looked far older than he was. “The first time I met Charley” said Rob Noland, RevHi director, “he was being carried into our Upper Room service [a ministry geared toward young adults and people in recovery and their families] by team members who placed him on one of the front row pews. The smell was overpowering, causing everyone to move far back into the chapel, except for those few brave team members, sitting with arms around him so that he wouldn’t feel alone. Locating a battered wheelchair, they wheeled him back week after week.” Five years earlier, a fight left Charley with bleeding in the brain that led to a stroke and paralysis of the right side of his body. Suffering deep depression, he decided to drink himself to death. Unable to get to a bathroom, he soiled his clothing, and had no means to bathe or shower. The team found him this way every week. Charley loved coming to Upper Room, and the fellowship and food that followed. One evening he said that the lasagna Ernie Ing bought at Sam’s Club was “the best homemade lasagna I have
MEXICO
Revolution Hawaii member Bill Sawyer checks up on ‘Mean’ Dean during Sunday night homeless outreach. Photo by Rob Noland
ever tasted!” During his fifth week, Charley said he wanted to get into a clean and sober house. John, a RevHi team member, took him to the dorms, helping him to bathe, shave and outfitting him with a set of clean clothes. Charley looked 15 years younger, and shared his life story; he had come to Hawaii to work on geothermal wells, got married and divorced, and had children and grandchildren. Through the team’s efforts, Charley
was accepted into a clean and sober house. Now, five months later, his infected foot is healed; he walks with a cane, speaks clearly and praises God joyfully. He leads Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings and is looking forward to reuniting with his children and grandchildren. Charley is a true 21st century trophy of grace. For more information about Revolution Hawaii, visit revolutionhawaii.com.
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and his three siblings had been abandoned, ultimately ending up at the Army facility. “Now,” he said, “I have found friends, have good food, clothes, education and I am learning all about Jesus. I have everything I need.” At the Salvationist celebration on Friday, 1,200 delegates watched as the General enrolled 97 new junior soldiers and 94 senior soldiers. She encouraged the congregation to thank God for the past, be committed in the present and believe for the future. During the meeting, four outposts received corps status. After Territorial Leaders Commissioners David and Grace Bringans donated a new territorial flag, flag bearers—cadets and a youth mission team from the USA Southern Territory—presented every corps officer with a new, nameembroidered flag and metal pole, gifts from the Southern Territory. Joining the Mexico City musicians were 13 musicians from the Texas Divisional Band. At the women’s rally Saturday morning, General Bond wore a brightly colored Mexican scarf with matching shawl. After speaking about how her older sister had cared for her, she moved to stand by 95-year-old wheelchair-bound Margarita Martínez. Years ago, Marínez’s husband forbade her to attend the Army in Alvarado, but that one time she disobeyed him. The result of that disobedience is a family with 105 Salvationists, including officers and a cadet currently in training. The General pinned her own brooch on the matriarch, thanking her for her obedience to God and her example to her family. Men's and children's rallies also took place. Approximately 350 children attended their event with 74 making commitments to Jesus. Again in traditional Mexican attire, General Bond attended Saturday evening’s “Mexico on Parade” event, featuring re-enactments of the Army’s beginnings in Mexico. The General presented a new territorial award—the “Alejandro Guzmán Award”—to Major Angela Tavares and Maria Guerrero for their pioneering service in Mexico. On Sunday, the Friends of Christ Session was commissioned, ordained and appointed. General Bond brought the message at the meetings, focusing on the International Vision of “One Army, One Mission, One Message,” and giving examples of the Army’s worldwide work, emphasizing that its mission remains that of Jesus Christ.
Commissioner David Bringans, Ramses Beltran and General Linda Bond
Photo courtesy of IHQ
Bringans presented “Others” awards to people and businesses that supported The Salvation Army in Mexico. The General conducted the retirement ceremony for the Bringans, who retired after 42 years and five months of service in eight countries. After giving the new lieutenants their first appointments, Bringans welcomed 14 accepted candidates for the next session and 23 others who publicly acknowledged God’s call to officership. Chief Secretary Lt. Colonel Douglas Danielson—a USA Western Territory officer serving abroad—gave the Proclaimers of the Resurrection Session their summer training appointments. In her final message, General Bond exhorted everyone to bring sinners to salvation, in the realization that only Jesus can break the chains of sin forever. “This is the message we all should share!” she said. More than 300 adults and 266 youth made life-changing decisions during the congress. From a report by Commissioner Grace Bringans