Priority! Summer 2012

®

Summer 2012

L I FE STO R I E S

OF

G O D’S PEO PL E

Stefan’s Road Back No More Roaming, No More Secrets Southern Songbird

California Kroc Couple

Bridging Gaps for Kids

Faith for a Future

I

n the summer of 2012, as the presidential campaign gains momentum, promises are plentiful. One of the hot topics is health care.

As we listen to the politicians trying to win our votes, we know

that policies to ensure the future health of our people will need to be far more complex than those found in the candidates’ carefully crafted catch phrases.

Perhaps this realization should remind us that people who are struggling with major issues in their lives need more than a passing “God bless you” to face the future. Something has to be done to help their faith rise to meet life’s challenges.

Jesus asked a man who had been sick for 38 years, “Do you want to get well?” Read the story in John 5. When Jesus told him, “Get up,” faith was ignited in his heart, and he did what had been impossible for 38 years: he stood up. He left that encounter with Christ a healed man. When he picked up his mat and walked away from the scene of his suffering, he left the past behind.

The healing took place when there was a festival being held in Jerusalem, a joyous celebration of God’s faithfulness. While attending to His religious duties as an observant Jew, Jesus went to a location where the sick and needy were known to gather. He knew that a time of celebration for faithful worshipers didn’t lessen the misery of others.

William Booth captured this sensibility when he said, “The Salvationist is the friend of happiness, making heaven on earth is our business … but amidst all your joys don’t forget the sons and daughters of misery.” This should resonate with us today. Concerned Salvationists have a special calling to be involved with suffering people and show compassion. They make possible a faith response in people’s lives every day. You will want to read the article “More Than Soup and Soap” to see one example of how practical faith is being encouraged.

“It was Jesus who made me well” was the testimony of the healed man. The people featured in Priority! have their own testimonies of faith. The words you will read are too personal and heartfelt to be catch phrases. Like the man healed after 38 years, the people in these stories have been able to anticipate a faith–filled future without the past having control over them.

Jeremiah 29:11 encourages us saying, “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ ” It is God’s promise that gets my vote!

Colonel William R. Carlson Chief Secretary USA Eastern Territory

COVER STORY

24

FEATURES

®

15

Stefan’s Road to Restoration Internationally known musician and worship leader Stefan Youngblood traveled a road that took him through many Salvation Army shelters and a secret pain–killer addiction. Now restored, Stefan lives out his calling at a North Carolina megachurch, where he also volunteers at The Salvation Army.

Jude Sings as Unto the Lord Jude Gotrich has sung on four continents, but there was a time when she couldn’t even talk, let alone sing.

31

Out of Egypt Facing increasing persecution as a Coptic Christian in Egypt, Meriana Messiha made the difficult decision to bring her family to the U.S.

Cover & Inset photo by Charles Harris / Getty Images

36

A Welcome Challenge: Building a New Kroc Center Salvation Army Captains Vickie and Jonathan Harvey thought their assignment in northern California was temporary. But suddenly, they found themselves in charge of building a $44–million facility.

42 DEPARTMENTS 5 Upfront

Bridging a Major Gap Amanda Thompson sees her brother Henry in the at–risk youth she counsels in the Bridging the Gap program in Worcester, Mass.

8 Who’s News 20 Prayer Power 30 MyTake 48 100 Years Ago

SUMMER 2012 Volume 14 No. 1

The day is yours, and yours also the night; you established the sun and moon.

It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.

Pleasant Places

—Psalm 74:16–18

I

n the Northeast, this past winter’s boundaries seemed stretched, with snowstorms in late October and late

April (and virtually no snow in between). In early March, winter turned downright freaky, with temperatures in the 80s throughout much of the northern part of the nation and in the 30s in places like Arizona.

Yet God still sets the boundaries of the seasons. After that strange winter, here we are in summer, and we can expect that winter will come around again.

God sets boundaries for us as human beings too. We all know that children feel secure and loved if parents set limits. Likewise, it’s much better for us if we acknowledge God’s loving control. King David writes this in Psalm 16: Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

Many of us fail to rest secure in the boundaries God has set for us. Just as children test the limits parents set for them, so we try to take control of our own lives.

How does that work out? Not well, in my experience. I spent many years in darkness, testing God’s limits. Wonderful for me, He was there in the darkness.

Even when I didn’t want it, His grace followed me, protected me, and kept me from straying so far that I couldn’t find my way home.

Since I surrendered my will to Jesus, my boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places. Look at me on that swing. I’m in the midst of a Hawaiian hilltop garden with warm, fragrant air flowing all around me. That’s what it’s like to live within the will of God. The people featured in this issue have found that place of peace and joy. For some, it took a long time and a lot of running. For others, it was simply a sweet surrender that they always knew would come.

They have found a “delightful inheritance.” Have you?

…promoting prayer, holiness, and evangelism through the life stories of God’s people

THE SALVATION ARMY Territorial Leaders USA Eastern Territory Commissioner R. Steven Hedgren Commissioner Judith A. Hedgren

Chief Secretary Colonel William Carlson

Editor Linda D. Johnson

Art Director Keri Johnson

Senior Designer Saoul Vanderpool

Contributing Editors Warren L. Maye, Robert Mitchell

Contributing Writers Jackie Bentson, Lindsay Bonilla, Rich Freedman, Jack C. Getz, James Howard, Tracy Hughes, Thomas Smith, Robert E. Thomson, Anne Urban

Graphic Designers Dave Hulteen, Karena Lin, Joe Marino, Reginald Raines

Circulation Deloris Hansen

Marketing Christine Webb

SALVATION ARMY MISSION STATEMENT The Salvation Army, an international movement, is an evangelical part of the universal Christian Church. Its message is based on the Bible.

Its ministry is motivated by the love of God. Its mission is to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to meet human needs in His name without discrimination.

Priority! is published quarterly by The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory. Subscriptions are $8.95 per year; bulk rates available. Write to: Priority!, The Salvation Army, 440 West Nyack Rd., West Nyack, NY 10994–1739.

Volume 14, No. 2, Summer 2012. Printed in USA. Postmaster: Send all address changes to: Priority!, 440 West Nyack Road, West Nyack, NY 10994–1739.

Priority! accepts advertising. Copyright ©2012 by The Salvation Army, USA Eastern Territory. Articles may be reprinted only with written permission.

USA National website: www.SalvationArmyUSA.org

Editor

EVANGELICAL EVANGELICAL

PRESS ASSOCIATION

PRESS ASSOCIATION

UPfront: quit going to church?

New book lays out challenges

T

he Law says “do not

murder.” But Jesus said that if you’re angry with your brother or sister, you’ve broken the Law. Jesus shocked and challenged His listeners, who included the leaders of the Church.

In his new book, Quit Going to Church, Bob Hostetler shocks and challenges his readers in much the same way. Quit going to church,

(800) 979–4579

Hostetler says, and start being the church. Quit tithing and give everything you have. Quit saying your prayers and keep company

www.prioritypeople.org

with God. Quit … You get the idea.

SUBSCRIBE

The book, dedicated to The

ONLINE

Salvation Army in which Hostetler grew up, is laced with Scripture, quotes from Christian writers, and Hostetler’s trademark humor. It’s an easy read, but it’s full of hard lessons. Jesus would no doubt approve.

Available at Amazon.com.

Write to Us! Do you find something challenging, touching, or even upsetting in this issue?

We want to know! It’s easy to write to us.

Just go to www.prioritypeople.org and click on Write to the Editor. Or email me, Linda Johnson, directly at: linda.johnson@use.salvationarmy.org.

THIS END UP F U R N I T U R E

C O M P A N Y

www.thisendup.com

Upfront: Where in the World?

Salvation Army Expands Reach

D

RUSSIA

id you know that The Salvation Army now operates in 124 nations? The most recent is Hungary, where Salvationists are celebrating and thanking God for answered prayer after

CANADA

the country’s parliament granted the Army legal recognition as a church. Here are some

MONGOLIA other countries where the Army has opened a work in the last few years.

NORTH KOREA

U. S. A.

SOUTH KOREA

JAPAN

CHINA BHUTAN

BANGLADESH

MEXICO TAIWAN MYANMAR

LAOS BELIZE

THAILAND

VIETNAM

PHILIPPINES

KAMPUCHEA

GUATEMALA EL SALVADOR

NICARA BRUNEI MALAYSIA

ECUA

SINGAPORE

INDONESIA

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

SOLOMON ISLANDS FIJI

NEW CALEDONIA AUSTRALIA

NEW ZEALAND

6

Solomon Islands

Nicaragua

Turks and Caicos Islands

(Oceania)

(Central america)

(West INDIES)

Capital: Honiara Official language: English Population: 523,000 Largest religion: Christian

Capital: Managua Official language: Spanish Population: 5.9 million Largest religion: Roman Catholic

Capital: Cockburn Town Official language: English Population: 44,189 Largest religion: Christian Baptist

www.prioritypeople.org

GREENLAND ICELAND NORWAY

SWEDEN FINLAND

RUSSIA ESTONIA LATVIA

DENMARK U. K. NETH.

ANADA

POLAND

IRELAND BELGIUM

GERMANY

HUNGARY

FRANCE

KAZAKHSTAN

ITALY MONTENEGRO BULGARIA MACEDONIA

PORTUGAL

UZBEKISTAN

GEORGIA ARMENIA AZERBAIJAN

GREECE

SPAIN

TURKMENISTAN

TURKEY

ALBANIA

TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS

TUNISIA

Canary Islands

ALGERIA

MALI

HONDURAS

JORDAN

LIBYA

KUWAIT

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

ERITREA

CHAD

GAMBIA GUINEA BISSAU

VENEZUELA GUYANA

SIERRA LEONE

FRENCH GUIANA

SURINAME

COLOMBIA

GUINEA

ECUADOR

SUDAN

BURKINA GHANA BENIN

PAKISTAN QATAR

NIGER

SENEGAL

OR

CHINA AFGHANISTAN

MAURITANIA

DOM. REP.

ARAGUA

IRAN

EGYPT

HAITI

BELIZE

IRAQ

LEBANON ISRAEL

WESTERN SAHARA

CUBA JAMAICA

SYRIA

CYPRUS

MOROCCO

NIGERIA

IVORY COAST

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

ETHIOPIA

TOGO

EQUATORIAL GUINEA SAO TOME & PRINCIPE

SOMALIA

NEPAL INDIA

SRI LANKA

UGANDA

ZAIRE GABON

KENYA

RWANDA

CONGO

BURUNDI

TANZANIA

ANGOLA

BRAZIL

PERU

ZAMBIA BOLIVIA NAMIBIA

ZIMBABWE BOTSWANA

PARAGUAY

MALAWI

MOZAMBIQUE

MADAGASCAR

CHILE SWAZILAND

ARGENTINA SOUTH AFRICA

LESOTHO

URUGUAY

FALKLAND ISLANDS SOUTH GEORGIA ISLAND

Sierre Leone

Togo

United Arab Emirates Nepal

(West Africa)

(West Africa)

(Arabian Peninsula)

(south asia)

Capital: FreeTown Official language: English Population: 6.3 million Largest religion: Islam

Capital: Lomé Official language: French Population: 6.6 million Largest religion: Indigenous

Capital: Abu Dhabi Official language: Arabic Population: 8.2 million Largest religion: Islam

Capital: Kathmandu Official language: Nepali Population: 26.6 million Largest religion: Hindu

www.prioritypeople.org

7

Who’s News

Drawing from Salvation Army Life

by Jackie Bentson

Bob with his wife, Maribeth, and children Karl and Kajsa

8

B

ob Swanson still remembers the cartoon character his mother sketched that inspired him to start drawing over 50 years ago. The artwork intrigued him, and when his father, a union printer in Chicago, brought home scraps of paper every so often for Bob to practice on, his drawing ability and love for comics grew.

“There were several years when my dad worked the night shift; I would leave him drawings to look at when he got home, and he would grade them,” Bob says. “I recall one drawing I did of a tired, dirty World War 2 soldier with a beard, uniform in tatters, holding his rifle. In the morning I found my drawing graded with a B+, and the comment, ‘Looks like a guy I knew on Anzio … me.’ ” Bob grew up on Chicago’s South Side. Besides observing and drawing life, he spent much of his time at the Salvation Army’s Brainerd, Ill., Corps (church). Bob, his sister, Linda, and brother, Tom, were active in the youth programs.

“One of my proudest moments as a young boy was made possible by a great [Salvation Army] scoutmaster, Al Shay,” said Bob. “We always took home the most ribbons at camp competition, but our crowning achievement was completing the Lincoln Trail Hike—all 23 miles of it—as 11– and 12–year–olds.”

The Brainerd Corps is also where Bob met his future wife, Maribeth, and www.prioritypeople.org

His Legacy Lives On Raymond Jay Livingston and Friends

I Will Rejoice Humorous, wholesome and often thought–provoking, Bob’s comics appear monthly in The Salvation Army’s Midwestern newsletter, Central Connection.

made friends that he would keep up with for 50 years.

Bob’s faith took root as his parents actively demonstrated what it means to be a Christian. In his teen years, Bob’s faith was shaped by his friends and mentors and by summers at camp and Sunday mornings at the corps. His relationship with the Lord grew when he became a husband and father. He’s been married to Meribeth for 26 years; they have two children, Karl, 21, and Kajsa, 19, who are in college.

“Maribeth and I have shared in the challenges of family life and try to pass on our values and the importance of service to our children,” says Bob. “God has always been faithful and given me the strength to take life one day at a time and meet challenges as they arise.”

Bob’s childhood interest in comics turned out to be a lifelong passion for art. After graduating from Northern Illinois University with a degree in graphic design, he’s had a successful career in the industry. Bob currently works for Topco Associates, where he designs www.prioritypeople.org

packages, as he puts it, “that jump off of grocery shelves and into your cart!”

Submitting cartoons to local newspapers has been a hobby of Bob’s, and 11 years ago a Salvation Army officer suggested Bob do a strip for the Army’s USA Central Terrritory newsletter. He submitted a small batch of cartoons, and the strip “Mustard Seeds” was born. The title comes from the parable Jesus told about the tiny mustard seed growing into a mighty tree.

Bob carries a notebook and pen wherever he goes. His themes for “Mustard Seeds” revolve around typical Salvation Army circumstances.

“Even though I grew up in the Army, I sometimes feel I’m observing it as an outsider looking in,” says Bob. “This allows me to come up with some cartoons that an insider may not consider doing.”

None of his characters are intentionally based on specific people; he remembers only one being based on an actual situation. “Several years ago our beagle, Jake, chewed up Maribeth’s Bible,” Bob recalls. “I just couldn’t resist that!”

“W

hat a blessing he was AND still is!” said Chris Russell, who accompanied singer Raymond Jay Livingston on several occasions.

Raymond, a soldier in The Salvation Army, was “Promoted to Glory” nearly four years ago at age 38, but through his music and the memories of his friends, his legacy lives on. A CD compiled after his death captures the essence of Raymond as a Christian and as a beloved friend, husband, and father.

The CD, “I Will Rejoice” is subtitled: “Raymond Jay Livingston and Friends.”

Because he enjoyed performing with his friends, it was thought that a compilation of songs featuring those friends would be an appropriate tribute. Thanks to Major Frank Klemanski of the Salvation Army Trade Department and the USA Eastern Territorial Music Department, the project came to fruition.

9

Who’s News

message. He would say, “It is the weight of the words that matters most.”

The words of one particular song, “Were It Not for Grace,” resonated with both Raymond and Meg. When Christianne asked Meg to sing at Raymond’s funeral, she knew it was this song she had to sing.

Raymond often sang with Margaret Davis, a Salvation Army officer. She recalls the first time they performed together, at an Army National Advisory Organizations Conference (NAOC) in Philadelphia.

“He was so creative and so flexible!”

Meg said. “I was amazed at the resonant beauty of his voice, and the way our voices blended was very special indeed.

It was evident to me that God was blessing our musical connection.”

That connection blossomed, and the two became a regularly featured team at many Salvation Army events. At another NAOC meeting in Dallas, they searched for a new song to sing, and Raymond came up with “I Will Rejoice.”

Meg recalled the reaction. “The message of the song really hit home: When we decide to rejoice regardless of our circumstances, the Lord will bless us in ways that are far beyond what we can ever imagine.”

For Raymond, it was all about the 10

Were it not for grace I could tell you where I’d be Wandering down some pointless road to nowhere With my salvation up to me And I know how that would go The battles I would face Forever running, but losing the race Were it not for grace.

Another of Raymond’s vocal partners featured on the CD is Victoria Ward.

She testifies to his generous spirit.

“I was nervous every time we sang together, but he never failed to make me feel stronger and more confident within myself,” she said.

Raymond could be serious and contemplative but he also had a playful, whimsical side that often showed when he performed with a Salvation Army group called Roofus.

“I think Raymond was a rock star trapped in a kind–hearted, soft–spoken, red–haired body,” remembered Roofus member Doug Berry. “He could work a ballad like no other, but when he let go and unleashed his inner growl—look out!”

On the CD, Raymond sings with another Roofus member, Amber Medin

Hood. She recalled Raymond’s versatility.

“If it was choral music, classical music, rock ’n roll, jazz funk, drama, dance, or even puppets, for crying out loud, Raymond was loving it and all in. … He was truly able to connect with you on stage so it felt like a combined offering.”

Raymond sometimes sang with a larger group, such as the Manchester, Conn., Citadel Songsters and Band.

At one Thanksgiving concert, he sang duets with his wife and with his young son, Ryan. The duet with Ryan, “Alone in the Universe” was from “Suessical the Musical.” Christianne is glad that the concert was recorded.

“Being able to hear them together, reliving this priceless captured moment, is something I will treasure forever.”

Christianne was often a reluctant vocal partner for Raymond herself. But she was happy to participate in the tribute CD on “Man after Your Own Heart.”

Of that recording, she said, “This is for him—and for Him.” The friends who contributed their memories for the CD notes struck a common theme: Raymond’s ministry continues to live through these precious shared moments. “I Will Rejoice” is a clarion reminder that Raymond Livingston’s musical ministry, and his friendships, are timeless.

—Taken from liner notes for “I Will Rejoice” by Craig H. Evans, a friend and vocal partner of Raymond’s. The CD is available through Salvation Army Trade.

Email: usetrade@use.salvationarmy.org www.prioritypeople.org

Triage in Honduras

by Tracy Hughes

www.prioritypeople.org

I

n a tradition that is over a decade strong, a medical team made its annual pilgrimage to Honduras to meet physical, social, and spiritual needs of the people in Jesus’ name. The trip, a joint venture of the Raymond Foundation of Ohio, staff from the Cleveland Clinic, and The Salvation Army, has elements of an Army M.A.S.H. unit, an evangelistic campaign, a shoe drive, and so much more.

The team included doctors specializing in dermatology, cardiology, gynecology, pediatrics, and general medicine. At each of five locations, patients first saw helpers, who did intake. These included some of the doctors’ family members and a team of teens, dressed in bright red Salvation Army vests, from the San Pedro Sula Corps (church). Then the patients saw appropriate doctors for their needs, as well as workers who could get them basic reading glasses, shoes for their children, medicines, vitamins, dental care items, granola bars—and if they could read, a Bible.

Needs were slightly different at each location, but everywhere, we saw the impact of poverty. The people suffered from malnutrition, untreated (and often infected) foot wounds, and parasites. But I was struck by the fact that these were people who were trying to do the best they could for their families. They won my respect and a permanent place in my heart.

The facilities varied from rustic to 11

Who’s News

barely existent, with little or no lighting or running water and poor sanitation.

In San Pedro Sula and in the outlying areas, where only Spanish is spoken, a translator accompanied each doctor.

The doctors worked steadily from the time they arrived and set up until all the equipment and medicines (except what was left in each place for ongoing treatment) were loaded back in the vans.

The Raymond Foundation provided those medicines, to the tune of $12,000.

At every site, waiting in lines was inevitable, and it was always very hot— so hot, in fact, that the crayons for the children just wanted to melt. However, a coloring space was usually available, and we gave out a multitude of stickers. Sometimes we did some singing or played with puppets with the children while they were waiting for parents to be finished with their exams.

Two locations were of particular interest. One, Meriden Mountain Ministry, was new this year and was accessible only by four–wheel–drive vehicles. The dedicated souls who run this mission are Toby and his wife, Amy, a nurse. They have been there for 14 years, ever since Amy got her nursing certification. Toby reported that the church there is now strong enough to continue if they need to move on. He is amazed by what God has done.

The people we saw there were so isolated; many walked great distances to get to us. With the horrible conditions, the list of health issues (including machete accidents) is too long to describe, and it is no surprise that 12

depression ran rampant as well.

At the end of the day, when we were mostly packed up, one doctor noticed a girl with no hair on top of her head. She and her brother had walked many miles and had not understood the process of being seen. Knowing this might be her only shot at medical attention for quite some time, the doctor addressed her condition.

We also ministered at a men’s shelter, where many homeless men came in and, after a shower, looked like different people—quite literally. One man had been released from prison with nowhere to go and had gotten a gash on his head in a brawl. It had been stitched at the hospital but was already infected and had to be restitched, not a pretty sight.

Top: Reading X–rays by sunlight.

Below: People wait to be seen at a clinic site.

Under these conditions, alcohol is an all–too–common escape. However, we met one young man volunteering at the shelter that day who had turned his life around with Jesus’ help and was determined to help others.

My favorite scenes from the week were the children getting new sneakers and our staff gathered around patients praying. Jesus was an integral part of everything we did. Gospel songs even broke out at that men’s shelter.

The One who made the situation bearable was God Himself. Before we saw any patients, we would gather in a circle, sing the doxology, and pray.

God was extremely faithful every day.

There is no way to properly express the gratitude in our hearts for the team that has come together each year for 13 trips to Honduras. We are also grateful for the shoulder–to–shoulder work of the Ruth Paz Foundation. I, for one, am uplifted to see how God is working in Honduras.

Captain Tracy Hughes traveled with the team this year.

www.prioritypeople.org

‘The (Swedish) Africa Brass’

by Linda D. Johnson

W

hy would a Salvation Army band in Sweden be called “The Africa

Special Delivery

With help from people from all over Sweden, the Brass”?

Africa Brass bought or That’s a story that begins collected more than 40 with Ulf Lydall, a Salvation instruments. But Lydall Army soldier (member) who found that sending them was once the bandmaster from Sweden would be of a church in Sweden, the cost–prohibitive, and Jönköping Corps. Ulf and his there was some concern wife, Ingrid, along with his brother and sister–in–law, were Kenyans and Swedes march together playing brass music in Kibera, over whether the instruments would actually on vacation in Africa, and their Nairobi’s largest slum. reach the band. last evening was spent in NaiThe solution to the problem was robi, Kenya’s capital. simple: the Swedish Africa Brass would Before the trip, an email to The travel to Kibera with the band members Salvation Army in Africa yielded an incarrying instruments. About 25 band vitation for the group to meet the brass members made the trip, an intensive, band at the Kibera Corps, located in 10–day adventure. When the group Nairobi’s largest slum. Resources are exarrived, the Kibera Band was already tremely limited in Kibera, where most of there, greeting them with flowers and its 170,000 residents lack basic services, music. including electricity and running water.

The first Saturday, at the Swedish The Kibera Corps has 1,000 members, band’s hotel, band members handed most of them from the slum. The brass over 10 instruments from Sweden to band, which had been running for about the Kibera players; they were instantly two years when the Swedish vacationers unpacked, with extreme joy. On Sunday, arrived in September 2010, had 45 memthe Africa Brass marched through bers but only 17 instruments.

Lydall decided to make an appeal in another slum, Makutano, where the When the guests asked what the Sweden for instruments and to open a Salvation Army has a corps and a band band needed, the reply was, “A check in bank account to aid the Kibera band. with only three instruments. The Africa U.S. dollars so that more instruments He also formed “The Africa Brass,” Brass donated six instruments to help can be bought.” made up of musician friends from The build the music program.

The Swedish former bandmaster and Salvation Army and other churches, After busy days visiting another his wife went back home deeply affected to spread interest and involvement as church, the Quarry Road Corps, and its by meeting the bandsmen; their need widely as possible and to influence busiGirls Center as well as the Kabete Childid not die away from their memory. nesses to sponsor the Kibera project.

‘Nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody.’

www.prioritypeople.org

13

Who’s News

dren’s home, the Africa Brass went back to Kibera again. This time, the band members got a close look at the Salvation Army’s Primary School for children ages 3 to 6 and the dire poverty in the slum. Most people live in one room, about 100 square feet, and that small room often accommodates as many as 10–12 people. Yet it was here in Kibera

that the massed band practiced and marched to do open–air meetings.

The Swedes spent one day at the Nairobi Central Corps, one of the largest Salvation Army churches in the world, where the Nairobi Central Band joined the Africa Brass and the Kabete Corps and Quarry Road Corps for a huge massed band number.

Visiting homes in Kibera

The Swedish group’s final day was once more at the Kibera Corps, where the two bands played together. When offering time came, an old woman gave a goat that was sold by auction. An Africa Brass member, Göran Lundberg, bought the goat, then promptly donated it to the Kibera Primary School.

The members of the Africa Brass were already feeling nostalgic that day, wondering if they would ever see their new friends again. Before the last number the band played, Bandmaster Major Kjell Karlsten said, “Thank you for letting us play these instruments during our tour.” There was no response. No one understood what he meant. Then Karlsten said, “Because these instruments are not ours.” Still no reaction.

Then he said, “They are yours!” It took a few seconds, but then it sunk in.

Karlsten says, “The reaction after that is impossible to describe—a lot of shouting, jumping, and a lot of tears.”

He came away from the experience forever changed. To see so many children living in the muddy alleys of Kibera was hard, he says. To be unable to help them was even harder. But, he adds, during the entire project, the Africa Brass tried to think this way: “Nobody can help everybody, but everybody can help somebody.” For Karlsten, Ulf Lydall, and the Africa Brass, this will not be the end of the Kibera Project.

“They need all the help they can get,” Karlsten says.

Major Karlsten provided the material for this article.

‘They are yours!’ says Major Kjell Karlsten, announcing the gift of brass instruments.

14

www.prioritypeople.org

Music Makers

She’s renowned throughout the Salvation Army world and beyond for her rich soprano voice. Yet there was a time when she couldn’t even talk, let alone sing.

Jude Sings

As Unto the Lord Photo by ©Cy Cyr

by Robert E. Thomson

www.prioritypeople.org

15

Music Makers

J

ude Gotrich has sung on four continents. Her full–throated singing projects energy that flows from her rich, exquisite soprano voice to the audience.

But there was a time when Jude couldn’t even talk, let alone sing. When she was 3 years old, a simple tonsillectomy brought complications that affected her larynx, and the surgeon told her parents that their daughter probably would go through life as a mute.

Despite earnest prayer for her, Jude uttered not a sound for three months.

Then one day her mother, busy in the kitchen, heard the childish but melodic sounds of “Jesus Loves Me, This I Know.”

“It was a miracle,” Jude says, “an absolute miracle.”

Judith Louise—the nickname “Jude” comes from the Beatles song—was the sixth of seven children born to Salvation Army officers William and Alice Hulteen. As a child, she was thoroughly surrounded by Salvation Army influences.

“My parents were corps officers [pastors],” Jude says, “so we were at the building before anyone else arrived, and we stayed until everyone else left.”

Often, the family home was in the corps building, so the chapel was downstairs. Jude remembers “playing church” there as a child. “My sister was the ’tenant [lieutenant], and I was the sinner who had to seek forgiveness at the Mercy Seat [altar].”

The day came when Jude went to the Mercy Seat for real.

16

Jude (far left) with her family.

“I remember distinctly,” she says. “I was 11 years old, and it was a blustery, snowy Sunday in New Jersey. Everything in town was closed because of the storm.

But our family made its way to the corps in case anyone showed up. It was just our family and the door sergeant [greeter], Mr. Browning. My father led the meeting as if there were a huge crowd present. It was on that Sunday that the Holy Spirit spoke to me, and I gave my heart to Jesus.”

Music runs in the family Jude comes from a family she describes as “incredibly musical.”

Her father, a baritone, landed a contract to sing for the Metropolitan Opera.

When he entered the service during World War 2, he left with a promise that

the contract would be waiting for him when he was mustered out. But while he was away, he felt a calling from God to give his life to full–time Christian service.

“So when the war ended,” Jude says, “instead of going to the Met in Manhattan, he went to the Army’s Training College for Officers in the Bronx.”

The first four children born into the family were boys, whom Jude calls “a perfect quartet with each of the voice parts covered.” The next three were girls, who formed their own trio, with Jude singing soprano. All the siblings played brass and string instruments; the eldest played tuba with the Boston Symphony during his college days.

As for Jude, her first solo was at a music camp competition when she was 11. www.prioritypeople.org

She won! Two years later she attended the Star Lake Musicamp, an intense week of study for young Salvationist musicians.

“My voice was always a lot older, more mature, than my chronological age,” Jude says. “That year I was chosen to be a member of the Star Lake Chorus—extremely unusual for a first–year camper and for a youngster barely into her teens. That very much encouraged me.”

Boston bound During her last year of high school, Jude’s parents were transferred from New Jersey to Boston.

“I was quite angry at the time,” Jude confesses, “but in retrospect it was the

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perfect thing. It allowed me to fulfill a childhood dream of attending the New England Conservatory of Music.

“I was only 16 and still in high school when I auditioned. I sang some scales, and I actually sang some Salvation Army songs. Bernard Barbeau believed my voice was mature enough, and that I had ‘it’—whatever ‘it’ is. He accepted me as his student.”

Jude’s first professional engagement as a soloist, at age 19, was a recital of art songs for the Daughters of the American Revolution, for which she received $200—a virtual king’s ransom. Many other recitals followed, including one at Harvard University. Awarded a Performance Certification by the conservatory, Jude was ready to launch a musical

career. Or so she thought.

The next logical steps would have been to spend some time studying in Europe and then hire an agent. She did neither. She couldn’t afford to study abroad. And she felt an inner urging to trust God for her singing engagements.

God’s plans play out Jude graduated with a B.A. in English and languages from Gordon College in Massachusetts, but she couldn’t find employment in the area. She decided to visit her brother in Minneapolis and test the job market there.

After a year of filling temporary jobs, she said to the Lord, “Father, it’s been nice living in the Midwest. The people are lovely. But I’m going to be bold and say, ‘If I’m to stay here, would you provide me a job in the music industry?’ ” The following week she sang at an annual civic meeting of The Salvation Army. “I only sang ‘The Star–Spangled Banner’ and perhaps one other tune.

Immediately afterward a man in a white turtleneck shirt and sportcoat came up to me and said, ‘I like the way you sing.’ ” Jude was barely listening until he said, “I’d like you to consider singing at my church.”

“My church” turned out to be the largest Lutheran congregation in North America, with 10,000 members. They had eight paid soloists and what Jude described as a “fantastic music program,” including six choirs and an orchestra.

“All I had to do was show up for rehearsal on Wednesdays and the four services on Sunday,” Jude said. “And it 17

Music Makers

was the best–paying job I could have imagined. That was a real, obvious answer to prayer.”

God also had another plan for Jude: meeting the man who would become her husband.

Jude, of Norwegian heritage, was

A Silent Ovation

J

ude Gotrich has received scores of standing ovations for her singing. But one of her most memorable performances was followed by absolute silence.

Jude was the guest leader and soloist at the Salvation Army’s annual Territorial Music School in the United Kingdom.

‘I told … my story; and then I sang, accompanied by the band, “They Could Not,” which speaks of the inability of Roman power and the forces of evil to keep Jesus in the tomb.

‘The piece ends in a virtual wall of sound. But instead of applause, the room—the entire room—was silent. There wasn’t even a stray clap. I looked around, and people were weeping. Everybody in the room was working out something in their own hearts, perhaps making an evaluation of where they were spiritually.’

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asked to sing in Swedish at a festival for 23,000 Swedish–Americans. To make sure her pronunciations were correct, she needed a native–born Swede as a coach. Jude’s brother John introduced her to Bert Gotrich. Like Jude, he was a child of Salvation Army officers, and

they hit it off immediately.

During the period she was working for the Lutheran church, Jude would sing at the church, then hurry over to the Army corps for meetings there. When she married Bert, she decided it was only right that they should worship together, so she gave up her position and made the Army her home church.

‘Fill my calendar’ Under some duress from the corps officer (who happened to be her brother– in–law), Jude agreed to be the songster leader (choir director). At the first rehearsal, she discovered that the pianist didn’t read music!

“I decided that without the skills of a piano accompanist, I needed to teach the people how to sing a cappella, which meant I had to teach them how to sing,” Jude says. “So every week the first 15 minutes of rehearsal were voice lessons for the whole group.” The lessons worked. At a music congress in Chicago, one songster leader said admiringly, “You get more music out of your 20 than I get out of my 80.”

Jude has had many engagements as a singer. She has performed in operas, in professional chorales, and in oratorio societies. She sang backup for Perry Como and Andy Williams. She’s also sung on TV’s “Sesame Street” and done commercial jingles for radio.

But she feels most fulfilled when she sings for the Lord.

“What is etched on my heart is the fact that the Lord gave me a voice for a specific purpose, and ‘success’ for me www.prioritypeople.org

dimensional person. She loves to cook and write. She and Bert are avid hikers; they started a group called Trail Mix Ministries (Priority!, Spring 2011).

The couple have two grown sons, one a teacher of special needs children and the other a music producer for NPR (National Public Radio).

One outstanding memory for Jude is her first appearance at London’s Royal Albert Hall. “I was really frightened out of my mind,” Jude recalls. “[Then–

Photo by ©Cy Cyr

is doing music where He wants it done.

Through the years He has said to me, ‘Don’t worry how the world views you.

I’ve placed you in venues where people can hear what I have to say to them.’

“And through the years I have said to Him, ‘Here’s my calendar. If You want to fill it, it’s yours. If it’s not filled, then I’ll know I’m supposed to go a different direction.’”

Music is a large part of Jude’s life, but she is not by any means a one–

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Captain] Len Ballantine had written a special arrangement of ‘Amazing Grace.’

As I always do before a performance, I read from Isaiah 61: ‘The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me to preach the good news …’ I read it again to get my spiritual feet on the ground. And when I went on stage, I felt like I was singing from my toes. I had a 500–voice songster brigade behind me, and the ISB [International Staff Band] as accompaniment.

I really felt a laser alignment with the Father. As I was singing I felt that alignment. It was pure gold praise. I felt like the entire audience was worshiping with me.”

For several years Jude was Gospel Arts director for the USA Southern Territory. Five years ago she was appointed to head the Territorial Worship Development and Prayer Initiative for the territory. She frequently conducts seminars on worship and prayer for corps and for divisional and regional groups of soldiers and officers.

She still maintains a schedule of vocal engagements “as the Lord fills my calendar.”

Typically as each number ends and the audience shows its appreciation with applause, Jude gives the “Army salute,” right hand raised and index finger pointing Heavenward to say, “The glory belongs to God, not to me.”

Jude loves to sing, but she sings always as unto the Lord.

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Prayer Power

More Than Soup and Soap

by Linda D. Johnson

W

hen Salvation Army Lieutenant John Morrow arrived in June 2011 at the Roseville, Calif., Corps (church), he found that the corps already had a thriving ministry to the needy. Two soldiers (members) with a vision to reach out and meet the needs of homeless people had started the Friday morning program about 15 years earlier. Faithful volunteers had kept the program going strong by donating time and money.

Homeless people begin arriving at the corps at 7 a.m. They can take what they need from a table arrayed with clean socks, deodorant, soap, razors, and other products. Clean changes of clothes are also available in storage bins along the wall. Clients put their name on a list for a shower (there are two, and men and women are kept separate), and while they wait, they can have a cup of coffee. Their dirty clothes go into a bar-

Having lunch at the Roseville Salvation Army 20

rel, and volunteers take them home to be washed and returned the next week.

After clients shower, lunch is served at 11 a.m., and a chapel service follows.

John loved what he saw.

“I was amazed by the wonderful volunteers in our kitchen cooking food and by the wonderful people who help manage shower ministry,” John says. He had an idea for expanding the ministry.

“I wanted to give more than soup and soap. I wanted to ensure that, in addition to the physical needs, we were also meeting the spiritual needs [of the people].”

But when John thought about that need, he began to wonder how he could personally provide pastoral attention to so many clients.

“I can’t do it,” he realized.

“My prayer began to be that God would stir in people’s hearts to come and just be a ministering presence for

people,” John says. “I thought, ‘Maybe one good prayer or a listening ear could be very beneficial for the spiritual and emotional well–being of our clients.’ ” Just about that time, John received a request from a group of students in a “Beautiful Feet” ministry at the local Christian college, William Jessup University. The students wanted to know about opportunities for serving the homeless.

John told the students the corps didn’t need help with the shower or feeding ministry. But, he said, we do “need people to come and spend time listening to clients and providing a ministry of presence.”

The students gladly agreed.

“Now the students come and they mingle with our clients while they wait for their showers and their hot lunch,” John says. “The students grab food and sit with clients during the feeding

Student Edgar Lopez waits with a client outside the Army. www.prioritypeople.org

program, listen to their stories, share the love of Christ, build relationships, and pray with them. They are an answer to prayer.”

John would love to have pastors and counselors come as well to spend time with the people. With the volunteer who leads the program, he would like to see clients stablize their situations, whether it be finding a job or breaking free from the bondage of drugs and alcohol.

“We build a relationship with our clients so that we have opportunities to invite them to other ministries,” John says.

He also hopes that clients will see Christ in the ministry and find salvation for themselves. Like Salvation Army Founder William Booth, you might say his slogan is “soap, soup, and salvation.”

For more information, visit the corps website, www.salarmyroseville.org.

Jose Duenas, a student, talks with a client. www.prioritypeople.org

Drawn in

by Love

W

hen Drew Sharp first came to Roseville, he was homeless and received help. He liked how The Salvation Army was meeting needs in ‘its own backyard.’ Now Drew is a soldier (member) of the corps, and for seven years, he has been a volunteer in the homeless ministry.

Shelly, who comes to the shower ministry, is another person being drawn into the corps by love. She’s still homeless, but she now comes to mid–week Bible study and often to Sunday morning services. She knows she is welcome.

Drew Sharp

Supplies for the shower ministry 21

Prayer Power

Survival Prayer

By Lindsay Bonilla

F

or Rachel Netzley, prayer is more than just a spiritual discipline. At times, it’s been a means of survival.

At 20 years old, she can look back on the last few years of her life and say that without prayer, she might not be here.

“I had always been kind of an angry kid,” says Rachel, “so throughout high school and into college, I think my family attributed my outbursts to typical teenage angst.”

However, the problem ran much deeper than that. Rachel was involved in an emotionally destructive relationship based on dependency, manipulation, and depression.

“My boyfriend would blame me for things, threatening to hurt himself if I didn’t respond in a certain way,” she says. “I did the same to him. I carried around a lot of shame, guilt, and anger.

I wanted out of the relationship but felt stuck.”

In her prayer journal, Rachel cried out to God in desperation, asking Him to get her out of the situation.

“I wanted a relationship with God,

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but at the time there was too much sin and blockage in my life, and I couldn’t feel His presence,” she says.

Then in November of 2010, during her first semester of college at Indiana Wesleyan University, things took a turn for the worse. With no friends at her new school and facing a barrage of blame, she attempted to take her own life. But ultimately, she couldn’t go

‘Now I know that secrecy is one of the greatest weapons of the enemy, so I’m not ashamed of my life or my struggles. I’m not trying to hide anything.’ through with it. That’s when she knew she needed help and made the choice to see a school counselor. She also told her roommate, Sylvana; her resident assistant (RA); and her resident director about what was going on.

“For the first time, I had accountability,” Rachel says. “All the secrets had begun to come into the light, and I had a team of people praying for and supporting me.”

She can still remember her phone ringing as she walked into her first counseling session. She knew who it was, but she wanted to get better, so she made the hard choice to turn off the phone. Then came the heart–wrenching task of breaking off the relationship. As Rachel drove to her boyfriend’s school to talk to him, she asked God to give her the strength to do what she knew was best for both of them. “In that moment, I didn’t know what else to do but pray,” she says.

Rachel’s boyfriend remained unwilling to dissolve the relationship; later that day, he made good on his threat to injure himself. When Rachel found out, she remembers how hard it was not being able to be there for him in his pain; however, she also knew that she needed to let go and allow God to be his healer.

He fully recovered, but in the following week, Rachel felt plagued by exhaustion and raw emotion. She had to pray for the strength to get out of bed and hold down food. However, she wasn’t alone, as her team of faithful prayer warriors surrounded her.

“My RA prayed that the Lord would build a wall around my mind so that www.prioritypeople.org

Satan could not get in. I still pray that prayer quite often,” she says.

Rachel also found comfort in the Psalms, particularly Psalms 61–63, which she feels she progressed through in stages—first calling out to God with a faint heart, then learning to rest in Him, and finally, rejoicing in His presence.

“Before, I had compartmentalized God,” she explains, “but now I see Him as a filter that goes over everything in my life. If something doesn’t please God, I say, ‘Why bother with it?’ Before, I was angry and ashamed. I lived in secrecy and closed people out.

“Now I know that secrecy is one of the greatest weapons of the enemy, so I’m not ashamed of my life or my struggles. I’m not trying to hide anything.”

Rachel is now pursuing a degree in psychology and addictions counseling and hopes that someday, she will be able to help others who have problems like she had.

“People underestimate what teens go through,” she says. “I want to be someone who can listen and empathize.”

This summer Rachel plans to volunteer at the Salvation Army’s Akron Adult Rehabilitation Center, a place where she has seen God’s transformative power at work.

“Everyone needs to know that God is there,” she says, “even in the dark times.

I want to help people remember that.”

Rachel (right) with her roommate, Sylvana Paternite

Salvation Story

Stefan’s Road to Restoration

by Thomas Smith

O Photos by ©Charles Harris

nce he was dependent on prescription pain meds and felt like a complete failure. Now he is an internationally known musician and worship leader. How does such a transformation happen? Stefan Youngblood will tell you it is by the grace of God, with more than a little help from The Salvation Army.

As the worship leader for one of the largest United Methodist churches in North Carolina, Stefan has opened for some of the biggest names in Christian music, including Michael English

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and CeCe Winans. His song “We Will Rise” has become a stirring anthem that has brought hope to people all over the world when disaster strikes.

But it hasn’t always been that way.

Salvation Army stops “I was 19 years old and had dropped out of college, but I was in a good place,” Stefan says. “I wanted to see the country; I basically became a homeless man in a van. I left Maryland on Jan. 21, 1981, and I ran out of money by the time I hit Texas.

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After that it was The Salvation Army in city after city all the way across the country. I literally looked for them in towns all along the way.

“At that point it wasn’t about a relationship with God for me,” Stefan says. “It was about if you’re hungry and need help, that’s where you’ll find it.

I knew I could find help there.”

By that time Stefan had dropped out of college and was just roaming aimlessly. His parents and seven siblings had no idea where he was. But the stops at The Salvation Army were a constant

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reminder of, as he puts it, “the Jesus who is always there.”

One day, he was on the road and the hitchhiker he had picked up started rolling a joint. It was then that he thought, Stefan, what are you doing? Go back to school or do something. This is no way to live.

He turned the van—and his life—around.

Stefan ultimately finished school with a degree in music, and answered a call to the ministry.

Music ministry.

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Salvation Story

Public life, private battle A powerful singer and an extraordinary musician and songwriter, Stefan was a natural. Those abilities took him around the world; he finally ended up at a large North Carolina church, where a very public life led to a very private battle.

By the time he revealed his secret to an elder, he had a serious problem with addiction to pain medication.

“It had started innocently enough when I was in rehab for shoulder surgeries,” Stefan says. “I condemned myself as a hypocrite and a loser to the nth degree because I had a secret I was hiding. It was five years before I could get it out and trust an elder in the church with it.”

At the height of his struggle, for a period of three weeks, Stefan was taking 21 pills a day: seven in the morning, sseven in the afternoon, and seven at night, a total of 210 milligrams a day. And he was buying pills off the Internet.

The elder flew down from Alaska to the Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tampa to be with him and get him into a program that would ultimately free him from physical dependency on drugs. But it was a clinical psychologist who would open the spiritual door he needed.

Who condemns you?

“The shame and sense of condemnation was unbearable,” Stefan says. “At one point I was sitting there crying and the psychologist looked at me and said, ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’

[Romans 8:1] 26

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“That was the same message I had gotten from The Salvation Army every time I had stopped at one, no matter where I was. Then that man telling me that Scripture really breathed life into it.”

Stefan’s road took him through an addiction and then detox. A year later he was fired and cast out from a megachurch community. Six months later, as if the bottom hadn’t been hit yet, he returned from church to find himself

Teresa’s Thanksgiving ‘Mission’

O

ne of worship leader Stefan Youngblood’s favorite stories is about the time he was mistaken for one of those the Salvation Army serves.

On Thanksgiving morning 2009 he was driving through downtown Raleigh in search of one of his homeless friends. That afternoon, he was set to board a private plane of a close friend to celebrate Thanksgiving with the mayor and a prominent family in nearby Elizabethtown, N.C. Stefan says, ‘While driving, I came across a woman near the Salvation Army center. Her name is Teresa; she had been on the street 21 years. Everybody knows her. All the police officers know

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alone … suddenly, a single dad at 42.

But always, even when he was at his lowest point, someone was there to help.

In the winter of 2005 he found himself standing at a table counting screws and nuts—thousands of them—because one person had looked past what he had been and offered him a job. And as happy as he was to have someone believe in him again, he found it hard to sing.

“I felt like that had been yanked out

her. And she looked like the saddest person. She was on the ground, slumped down with bags all around her, and she looked so lonely. And for that matter, I was feeling sort of lonely too.

‘So I sat with Teresa for a while and we just talked. We talked about everything. And before I knew it, two hours had gone by.

‘When I started to leave, I asked if I could pray for her, and when I finished, she asked if she could pray for me, and it was one of the most beautiful things. To have this homeless lady want to say a few words over me was an amazing thing. And she wasn’t done. When I started to leave she said, “Well you talked with me for about two hours; you might as well eat with me now.”

‘That was pretty amazing. I was being invited to The Salvation Army by someone else; it wasn’t me doing the inviting for a

of me,” Stefan says. “I couldn’t get a song out. I was down so low.”

Secret loses its power He began to work with at–risk boys through the local school system, but he still wanted something more. A chance meeting with Jonathan Jeffries, one of the associate ministers of Edenton Street United Methodist Church, brought him back full circle. Jonathan had heard of

change. At that point it had nothing to do with me or my church life. I was just another person.

I had never been [inside] that particular Salvation Army. I was always outside talking with the homeless people and sending them inside.

‘But when we walked in the door, they saw us as just two more homeless people, and I didn’t need to say, “Oh no, I’m not one of them. I’m just here to minister to her.” It was Thanksgiving and I was hungry, and I just wanted to live this out. And it was amazing.

There were so many volunteers, church members, teenagers, and even little kids there, and it just seemed like everyone was intent on giving. But this time I was a recipient instead of being on the other side.

‘It was one of the most memorable Thanksgivings I’ve ever had.’

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Salvation Story

Stefan and asked if he would come lead worship one Sunday.

“I walked in the building, and there were 141 people there that day and I thought, ‘Wow, there are some things here I could help them with if they’d let me.’ I saw a place that if they would have a broken guy, I could tell my story.

And it became my strength because a secret loses its power when you shine light on it.”

In a period of three years, the contemporary service grew from 141 to more than 600, a second contemporary service was started, and new awareness of the homeless community became part of the lifeblood of both the services and the church as a whole.

Homeless ministry Stefan and members of the two contemporary services at his church work with the homeless people in the area across from The Salvation Army in Raleigh.

On one occasion, the Salvation Army shelves were empty. As soon as Stefan heard about it, he knew that people must not have known about the problem because no one would let the Army run out of food. So he decided to do something about it.

“This time I was on the other end, and I could do something for them. We didn’t need a special program. We could just bring in food.”

So he put out the call and asked people in the church to bring food to the contemporary service the following Sunday. And since Edenton Street is one of the largest Methodist churches in 28

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North Carolina, he knew what it would look like when the stage area was filled … which he had no doubt would happen.

“The people knew what to do afterward. They knew the carts to put the food on and they knew how to get it over there.” Stefan laughs when he remembers how everything fell together.

“It was like a little army, like ants, and everybody knew the mission. Restock the shelves of The Salvation Army. And that’s what they did. In one hour.”

But he knows that things that look easy are anything but. He may be ministering in a 4,000–member church and leading worship and missions here and around the world, but he still remembers the first time he walked into Edenton Street.

That day, he thought about the words of Michelangelo. The great artist was the third person to be offered the commission to create the now–famous David sculpture. Everyone else had turned the job down because the marble was flawed.

“He worked away at that piece of cold stone and when he was finished and people asked how he managed to create something so beautiful from the flawed stone, he said, ‘I never saw the marble. I always saw David and I took it the rest of the way until I got to him.’ ” Stefan Youngblood, now 50, considers himself like that flawed stone.

“I was pretty messed up, but God told me I’m not condemning you. I’ll kneel down there with you.” Stefan is grateful he heard that idea more than once.

“That’s the same message The Salvation Army has,” he says. www.prioritypeople.org

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MyTake

Finished with Running

by James Howard

T

he Word of God says for the redeemed of the Lord to say so. (Psalm 107) So I would like to tell of His wonderful work in my life.

I have lived at the very bottom of the barrel, in much sin and degradation.

“The wages of sin is death …” (Romans 6:22), and I have experienced “death” in my relationships, finances— all aspects of my life.

I spent much of my life running up and down the road. I have run from God, from myself, and from the issues facing me. This running was really a worthless endeavor, for I could never go where God wasn’t, and when I got “there,” I was also there, with the same problems and sin deep within me. I thought that if I just could go here or there, it would be better for me, and I would have peace and all the things I desired.

But that wasn’t true.

During these years of running, God had plenty of mercy on me; I was still alive. Although I didn’t deserve them, He provided the things I needed. He is so merciful! I have been blessed by the fact that The Salvation Army has shelters to help the destitute. Like multitudes of others, I have been fed at these shelters and given clothes, a warm bed to sleep in, and spiritual help. I do honestly believe I wouldn’t be alive if the Lord hadn’t placed it on the hearts of the men and women of The Salvation Army to provide for the needs of people like me.

I stayed in shelters in Florida, Georgia, and Tennessee, as I ran from city to city, state to state. The spiritual forces behind my running kept the roads hot and heavy as I ran. There were times that I would drink heavily because my soul was deprived 30

of what it needed most, a touch from God. I would then come to The Salvation Army and would be turned away. At times, that made me angry, but there were rules to abide by. The problem was, I didn’t have much respect for myself or rules or God. I would sometimes ring bells for the Army during the Christmas holidays. The staff tried to help me, but there were times that help just was not what I wanted, at least not the way God was leading. So off to another place I would go. I would find a place to stay in another town, most of the time at The Salvation Army, and would get a little work. When that didn’t go as I planned or I didn’t like the rules, I would leave and go somewhere else. Oh, the mercy of God is wonderful!

I had been saved as a young man, but I didn’t truly give my whole heart to the Lord. I wanted the benefits of being a Christian, but I didn’t want the work that Jesus does in a heart to change it. So I rebelled and had my own way, which leads only to death. I was blinded to the fact that only through Jesus and letting Him do His work in me could I find peace and joy, with rest for my soul.

The God of all creation finally broke through all that hardness of heart. Doing things His way has brought me much peace, joy, love, and righteousness through my Lord Jesus. I am now attending college, and I have been stable, living in the same place for about two and a half years. I am using the gift of writing He has given me and telling of His wonderful works in my life.

The road ahead of me looks bright, and I am thankful for all that God has done for me and the great grace and mercy He has extended to me all my days on the earth. I do thank Him for The Salvation Army helping me all those times over the years. I say with the Psalmist, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so.”

James makes his home in Waycross, Ga., where he is a freelance writer and college student. www.prioritypeople.org

Faith Journey

Out of

Egypt

by Anne Urban

M

any American Christians decry today’s strictures on open displays of faith in schools and in public spaces. But Americans still are guaranteed the right to worship as they choose and not to be persecuted because of their faith. In many countries, those rights are anything but guaranteed.

For Meriana Messiha, a Coptic Christian living in Egypt, ever–widening persecution of non–Muslims forced her to make the difficult decision to uproot her family and move to the United States.

Faith Journey

After saving for visas and airfares, Meriana and her husband, Jeremiah, brought their 14–month–old daughter, Trinity, along with Meriana’s mother, widowed sister, and nephew here in June 2008. Meriana’s older brother, uncle, and cousin had immigrated several years earlier and settled in the suburbs of Chicago.

Shifting cultural sands Meriana says Egypt once enjoyed a more democratic and westernized culture, relatively free of religious prejudices, which was vitally important to the 10 percent of the country’s population that wasn’t Muslim. In those days, non– Muslims like Meriana’s parents were

Top: With Jeremiah and baby Bottom: The couple wed in Egypt.

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free to pursue not only higher education but also careers in fields of their choice.

By the time Meriana was born 31 years ago, the idea of an Islam–centric culture had begun to creep into Egyptian society. Cultish Islamic groups soon established strongholds over the business, finance, government, judicial, military, and educational systems. The situation grew worse over the years as non–Muslims in positions of influence aged and retired from their careers.

At at one time bribes ensured that non–Muslims could get good jobs. But soon even hefty amounts of money were no longer effective. Today some businesses post signs saying they don’t hire Christians. Muslim–owned companies are allowed to have 100 percent Muslim employees, but Christian–owned businesses—even Christian schools—must employ at least five percent Muslim staff.

Meriana says there was even a ban on singing or performing the Egyptian national anthem, “My Homeland.” In high school, she says, Jeremiah received threats from Islamic high school classmates when they overheard him playing the anthem on a piano. Jeremiah was afraid because he knew that no one, not even the teachers, would save him from his classmates’ hands.

When Meriana reached college age, the persecution began to affect her even more. She was born in Beni–suef, a college town about two hours south of Cairo. In grammar school and high school, Meriana says, she had had to fight for every good grade she received from her Muslim teachers. She wanted

to follow in her mother’s footsteps and earn a bachelor’s degree in physical education at the University of Cairo’s Beni–suef branch. She was ready for this new fight; she knew that her first–year professors would be doing their best to discourage their non–Muslim students from going further in their education.

But Meriana’s mother dissuaded her daughter from pursuing her dream profession. She knew that a career in physical education was considered a rather attractive job, which meant it would be reserved for Muslim students.

Even if Meriana got into the program, she would be unlikely to succeed.

‘most useful’ path So she pursued an education degree in English language instruction and liberal arts, a path administrators deemed would make her “most useful to society.”

Even so, her first year was hard. Though she knew she was doing “A–plus” work, she squeaked by with barely passing grades. Meriana had to accept her lot; she knew it was useless to complain.

She did earn her bachelor’s degree; she believes one reason she got through was that she was seen to have Muslim friends. She taught for a while, then found employment as an educational officer for CARE, a leading international humanitarian organization that fights global poverty. Being with the organization gave her a bit more of an edge in advocating the educational rights of Christian students.

In the meantime, Meriana’s own spiritual life had undergone a transforwww.prioritypeople.org

mation. Though she had grown up in a Christian home, it wasn’t until her last year of college that she became a born–again believer herself. Unknown to her, Meriana’s college roommate, her best friend since fifth grade (also named Meriana), had been praying for her salvation.

One night her friend asked Meriana to come and keep watch at the door of her Arabic evangelical church to prevent outside interference during a youth meeting. Meriana could not help but hear the speaker’s message. When the meeting ended, Meriana’s friend saw her standing at the door in tears. She simply asked Meriana, “Am I to congratulate you?” Meriana nodded vigorously in agreement, still unable to speak.

God blessed both Meriana and Jeremiah with college educations, which gave them a slight advantage in how they were treated in society, and He provided them decent jobs with consistent incomes. But they mourned over how Christians without their advantages were being treated and realized the Islamic influence would only get worse.

Another rebirth Even as a little girl, Meriana had always wanted to visit the United States. Now, for the sake of her own little girl’s opportunities, she set her sights on a new life in the U.S. “When we arrived in the U.S. on June 10, 2008, I counted it as the day of my rebirth,” said Meriana, who is a stay–at–home mom to Trinity, now 5; Daniel, 3; and Immanuel, 6 months. www.prioritypeople.org

Once here, Meriana and her family eventually found The Salvation Army and one particular Army church, the Norridge, Ill., Citadel Corps.

Meriana first came to the corps a couple of years ago when she went there for food pantry assistance. Pamela Church–Pryor, the corps’ community ministries director, recalls, “There was

an almost instant bond between Meriana and me. I asked what her faith was and she eagerly shared she was Christian. I remember we recognized in each other the Spirit of Jesus Christ.”

“When I first met Meriana, her family was attending an Arabic evangelical church in the Chicago area,” says Pamela. “I invited them to attend a corps

Meriana (in blue) with youth in Egypt

Pamela Church–Pryor and Meriana became friends at Norridge Citadel, a Salvation Army church in Illinois.

33

Faith Journey

Meriana signs her enrollment papers as a Salvation Army soldier.

34

worship service. On another Sunday my family attended Meriana’s church, where the message was translated into English for us. It was a rich fellowship intently concentrated on the Word of God. Although they’ve made our corps their church home, Meriana and Jeremiah still occasionally attend fellowship events at the Arabic church so they can easily converse with fellow believers in their native language.”

Jeremiah, Meriana, her sister and mother all took English classes as soon as they arrived. Although Jeremiah is highly educated (he held a responsible position as an agricultural engineer in Egypt), he is working at a convenience store owned by Meriana’s brother until he feels more confident in his language skills. Last year, Jeremiah considered taking a position in California’s agricultural industry, Meriana says, but decided against it after having found such a secure spiritual home and new friends for his family at Norridge Citadel.

Pamela says Meriana always finds ways to give back for what has been done for her family. She’s become very involved in corps life and spends much time volunteering for Pamela. They and their families have become close friends.

Meriana’s fluency in Arabic and English also has greatly helped Pamela with Middle Eastern immigrants who come to The Salvation Army for assistance.

Pamela finds it always helpful to ask Middle Easterners what their faith is rather than assume it’s Islam.

“When the initial response is a smile, it’s almost always followed by, ‘I www.prioritypeople.org

am a Christian’ or ‘I am your sister (or brother),’ ” says Pamela.

Meriana doesn’t dwell on the injustices she suffered in Egypt. “Now we only look forward to this life here. I’ve come to a deeper realization of what a blessing friends are, especially my new Salvationist friends.”

Pamela adds that the gestures of friendship have gone both ways. “One lunchtime, Meriana and her mother arrived at the corps with a spread of Egyptian dishes they had prepared for the staff and volunteers. The food was delicious and the fellowship sweet.”

Meriana also regularly helps serve dinner for the corps’ Wednesday night FEAST (Families Eating and Studying Together).

“My family feels loved here. My children are learning about Jesus,” says Meriana.

Joining God’s Army Pamela says it was a shining moment when Meriana decided to become a soldier (member of The Salvation Army) after completing a recruits course on Army doctrines and traditions. Her enrollment was so important to Meriana that she asked if it could be delayed until Immanuel was born. She wanted to fit into her new uniform and look as sharp as possible.

“It’s a huge responsibility to be a soldier,” says Meriana. “Wearing the uniform is a declaration of my commitment.

I am honored.”

Her corps officer (pastor), Major Stephen Yoder, says, “Meriana is a powerful, www.prioritypeople.org

prophetic voice who challenges us in terms of many vital justice issues. She is a Salvationist at heart.”

Says Meriana, “Our family is growing, and so is our faith. We have to depend on God for everything. At the bottom

of my emails I write, ‘Never measure God’s unlimited power by your limited expectations.’ I have found this to be so true—whether it concerned ‘Should we go or stay?’ or ‘How would we live?’

—everything.”

Culture Shock

I

mages of what is believed to be ‘typical American life’ are pervasive overseas through movies, television, and the Internet. Meriana Messiha, who recently brought her family from Egypt to the United States, says it’s widely perceived that America is still a ‘Christian’ country. She thought she had a realistic understanding of what life in America would really be like.

But she was shocked to discover after she arrived that ‘there are a lot more sinners here than I thought!’

‘I was most aware of a lack of peace in people,’ she continues. ‘It dawned on me that if more people here were truly followers of Christ, individuals, government leaders, and businessmen would make wiser decisions, and this country would be doing much better than it is!’

Coming to the United States has been an adjustment in more ways than one for the Messiha family.

‘Financially it has been a struggle,’ Meriana says. ‘The American dream is still far off for us, but,

thanks to God, we’re all better because we’re here.’ It helped that when they arrived, Meriana’s older brother still believed in the Egyptian cultural imperative of providing for his mother, widowed sister, and nephew.

‘We come from a very patriarchal system in Egypt,’ Meriana says. ‘It’s great for my mother, who enjoys her retirement, but it’s been hard on my sister who, like Jeremiah, was an agricultural engineer. She had worked her way up to a high– ranking position within a corporation.’ Only recently has Meriana’s brother agreed that it would be good for his sister to have a part– time job for her own spending money and a bit of independence.

35

N

A Welcome Challenge:

Building a New Kroc Center

by Rich Freedman

Captains Vickie and Jonathan Harvey in the YMCA gym in Suisin City, Calif. The Y is being transformed into a Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center.

ot many people get a shot at spending $44 million.

Captains Jonathan and Vickie Harvey of The Salvation Army in Suisun City, Calif., welcome the challenge.

And the burden that comes with it.

“My stress level is pretty high right now,” says Jonathan. “It’s a good stress because the end results will be huge.”

Those end results include the transformation of the Suisun City YMCA into a Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, built with $44 million—$22 million for construction, $22 million endowment for operating costs.

Joan Kroc, widow of MacDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, left The Salvation Army $1.5 billion to construct 27 such centers nationally. Each Kroc community also has to raise funds for ongoing operations.

Instant assignment The Harveys recently left an appointment in Yuma, Ariz., and found themselves the go–to duo for this mammoth project, scheduled for a Memorial Day opening.

When the couple left Yuma in 2010, they initially expected the California appointment would be a short one, and they would return to Arizona.

“Then, literally the day after I got appointed, we were told things were changing on the project,” Harvey says.

The YMCA center was already going to be converted to a Salvation Army community center. Six months after the Harveys arrived, however, they were told 37

What God Is Doing in … Suisun City, Calif.

the project would now be a Kroc Center.

Five buildings that had been pieced together through the years had to become one contiguous building.

“It was a jigsaw puzzle,” he says, with all the permits and residential area approvals part of an extensive checklist.

Yet, he says, “I’ve learned so much. A ton. The scale that we’re doing is brand new to us. We’ve developed programs in other communities and helped programs evolve, but this is the first [project] that we’ve gone from the ground up on something on a huge scale.”

Suisun’s community center is literally in the middle of town—“You can throw a rock into the yard of the person across the street,” Jonathan says. “We’re right in the middle of this amazing neighborhood.”

Amazing but not always pretty. That’s why he is happy that the Kroc Center will offer social services.

“People around us are hurting in multiple ways,” he says. “We might have a guy across the street hurting with alcoholism and folks down the street may have lost a job.”

“We have a lot of clients who are heartbroken who have to come through our doors and ask for help,” says Vickie.

“A lot of people don’t want to ask for help. They can’t believe they’re in our building. But they’re here because they have a family to feed or have to have electricity turned off.”

She’s glad The Salvation Army is 38

Photo by ©Mike Jory for Vallejo Times Herald:

Amazing, hurting neighborhood

there for the community.

“It fills my heart with joy to see families with smiles,” she says. “They’re grateful for the help we give them.”

The center will be for all ages, Jonathan says.

“A senior signed up the other day because she has a real struggle with her

knees and looked forward to the therapy pool. This is what’s important to her, and this is why the center will mean a lot of things to a lot of people.”

Jonathan sees two spots as his favorite center locations: the auditorium, “where I get to share the Word of God on Sunday,” and the cafe, “where I can’t wait to www.prioritypeople.org

'P

eople will be blown away once they see what we have taking place,’ says Michael Brito, whose parents live around the corner from the Kroc Center. ‘It’s amazing to see it being built right in front of your eyes.’

With a gymnasium, fitness room, cafe, offices, kitchen, banquet room, three pools, playground, music room, craft areas, computer lab, and a 300–seat auditorium to accommodate church services and summer camps, the 60,000–square–foot Kroc Center could be one of Solano County’s main attractions.

And nobody could be as proud as the Philippines–born Michael Brito, the center’s business services manager, who makes his home in nearby Fairfield, Calif. His parents live just around the corner from the Kroc Center.

sit in a comfortable chair and just talk with people.”

Though building the Kroc Center does burden Jonathan with some tense times, don’t think this whole “wearing many hats” doesn’t have its benefits, especially the hard–hat part, which gets him grinning. www.prioritypeople.org

‘It’s going to be incredible,’ Michael says. ‘It’s a place where the whole family can come together. You can bring your daughter for a dance class or your son for a karate class while the parents work out.’

During the last phase of construction, Michael worked at the welcome center in a strip mall about a mile away. A Sunday church service and a few exercise programs were already underway at the temporary facility.

The Kroc Center should mean nearly 80 new jobs, says Michael.

‘We’re bringing in people every week.’

Lured from a position as a real estate investment analyst, Michael, 34, accepted the job with The Salvation Army in November.

‘I saw it being built and I said, “I want to be part of this,” It’s an opportunity to serve our community.’

And, when all is said and constructed, it’s the community that will decide what’s being offered.

‘If a large number of people request a certain type of sport or program, we’ll see what we can do

Finding their way “I grew up around construction. My father was a contractor and had his own business,” Jonathan says. “It’s always been in my blood. I grew up putting little labels, ‘Harvey & Sons,’ on little trucks.” Yet, he adds, “God had a very different path for me.”

to implement that,’ Michael says.

‘We’re not bound by strict rules of “No, we can’t do this.” Not too many facilities can do that.’

The slogan ‘Mind, Body, Spirit’ describes the center’s all–encompassing approach, Michael says.

‘The Kroc center is so much more than a fitness center,’ says Captain Vickie Harvey. ‘A fit body is great, and so is a fit mind, but neither a fit body nor a fit mind guarantees a healthy soul.' She says the Kroc Center will 'help everyone to develop a healthy body, mind, and soul, which leads to a healthy community.’

Photo by ©Mike Jory for Vallejo Times Herald:

‘People Will Be Blown Away’

He grew up in a Salvation Army church (corps) in Halstead in the district of Essex, England.

“As a teenager, I don’t think I appreciated it fully,” Jonathan says of the Army. “I can’t say my heart was truly in it for a few years.”

Vickie grew up in the Army too.

39

What God Is Doing in … Suisun City, Calif.

A 'Help– Wanted' For God:

A year after the Harveys arrived, Jonathan was at a coffee shop across from their office.

‘A gentleman asked me if we were going to start worship service any time soon,’ Jonathan recalls. ‘I said, “We are, but I’m really struggling to find some musicians.” He said, “You should ask the [café] manager, who plays music.” That set off a chain reaction. Sure enough, the manager and her husband were musicians, and he said he would be happy to help out, that they were looking for a place to minister in music.’

Soon after that, another couple came forward. And they had a friend who was a vocalist.

Musicians Needed

40

Photo by ©Melissa Barnes

W

hen Salvation Army Captains Vickie and Jonathan Harvey left their four–year assignment as pastors in Yuma, Ariz., for Solano County in Northern California, people kept asking them how they could pray and support them.

Jonathan says he knew it would be ‘a brand–new situation from the ground up, so we asked people to pray that God would lead people to us, particularly musicians, because we wanted to make sure we had a good worship team established when we started the church.’

People prayed. But nothing fruitful seemed to be happening.

‘We were very frustrated,’ Jonathan says, ‘because we sort of thought that God would answer those prayers quickly and that within weeks, we would bump into people and they would find us …’

The Harveys waited.

‘We had to trust God and that God knew better than we did,’ Jonathan says. ‘That was a hard lesson to learn.’

‘The end result was that over a period of three, four months, we formed what is really a good quality worship team of nine folks,’ Harvey says. ‘It’s a cool deal.’

As Harvey looks back, he says, ‘We want things in our time. I think it should happen when I want it to happen. The reality is, you’ve got to be willing to trust God and that God knows the right timing.’

Receiving an answer just after coming from Arizona wouldn’t have been right, he says.

‘We needed time to simmer and rest and recuperate,’ he says. ‘God knew we need the time to work through and get this project [the Kroc Center] on track.’

www.prioritypeople.org

Photo by ©Melissa Barnes

“I have walked with Christ since I was 11 years old and was saved at a Salvation Army Youth Councils Weekend,” she says. She adds that it took a while to mature in her walk with the Lord.

“I knew I had to integrate God’s influence into my life to be in a healthy relationship with Christ, so I asked God to give me clear thinking in all things— my attitude and my relationships with family and others.”

As she grew, she learned from her parents and other godly people and eventually was called to be a Salvation Army officer.

The two met when Jonathan came to the United States 20 years ago to www.prioritypeople.org

work at a Salvation Army summer camp.

That’s when Jonathan’s life changed.

“When I saw some of the kids and their circumstances, I realized I was blessed, and I realized in that environment that I really needed God because I couldn’t do it myself. That led me in a path back to a relationship with God.” Without Vickie and The Salvation Army, Jonathan says, “I honestly don’t know what I’d be doing.

“It’s who I am, being a Salvation Army officer. It really is who I am and I love it. We get to serve people and get to share the life of Christ with people.”

Of his current assignment, building a

Kroc Center, he says, “I’m happier now than I’ve ever been.”

Vickie says she hopes she and her husband remain here for many years.

“It’s good to stay in one place for a while.”

But even if the Harveys are not around in 100 years, they’ve taken action to make sure the Salvation Army’s work in 2012 won’t be forgotten.

When construction began, members of the Salvation Army congregation circled their favorite verses in a Bible, which was sealed in a steel box and buried as a time capsule on the Kroc Center property.

41

All That I Am

Bridging a Maj Story and Photos by Robert Mitchell

42

www.prioritypeople.org

A

ajor Gap

manda Thompson lost her brother Henry six years ago, but she still sees him every day.

She sees Henry in the more than 30 at–risk youths she counsels in the Salvation Army’s Bridging the Gap (BTG) program at the Worcester, Mass., Citadel Corps (church). She sees him when someone tells a joke she knows he would have found funny; she sees him when someone is generous, artistic or makes her laugh; she sees him in the indomitable spirit her young charges have to turn their lives around.

“My brother is in heaven, and I know I will see him again,” Amanda says.

“That motivates me so much. That’s a part of who I am.”

Henry, who was four years younger than Amanda, died at age 20 from complications during methadone treatment.

Honoring her brother’s memory drives everything she does as director of the BTG program.

“My brother died trying to do better,” she says. “He died trying to get himself together. He died trying to live for the Lord. That’s how I want to live.

He didn’t die because he gave up on himself.”

A high school dropout who later graduated from college, Amanda also didn’t give on herself. She uses many of her own life experiences to motivate the kids in BTG.

A suspended life She came to the Worcester Corps two years ago to restart Bridging the Gap, a highly successful 12–week youth diver-

www.prioritypeople.org

43

All That I Am

She quit school at 17 when officials told her that though she thought she should be a senior, she only had enough credits to be a sophomore.

“I just left and I didn’t come back,” she says. “Nobody called or anything to check up on me.

“I basically didn’t do anything for the next three years. I pretty much did nothing. I just hung out. I deal with a lot of kids who [have gone] through the same things I did with learning disabilities and dropping out of school.”

Amanda first gave her heart to the Lord when she was 13, but at 19, she recommitted her life to Christ and began charting her comeback.

Not accepting ‘loser’ status

sion program for juvenile offenders that is active in 13 Salvation Army corps in Massachusetts.

“I had some problems when I was younger,” Amanda says. “I can understand where they’re coming from a lot of times.”

Amanda’s family moved a lot; she attended four different high schools 44

around Concord, Mass. She suffered from Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and was suspended for smoking and fighting.

“I didn’t think well of myself,” she says. “I always thought of myself as a loser. I didn’t think I deserved good things and I would always sabotage myself all the time.”

“I thought about all the bad things I had done in life and how I had never really had to suffer all the consequences for them,” she says. “I said, ‘God, you must have a good plan for me if you’ve given me so much grace.’ ” Amanda started by applying for a GED program and was rejected. She tells the kids in BTG that she could have given up at that point, but she kept going.

She got into a GED program at Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Mass., and was there for a year. She failed the GED test four times and can still remember the director shaking his head each time she came into to retake the exam.

“I could have felt like a loser, but the thing is, it wasn’t his future, it was my www.prioritypeople.org

future,” Amanda says. “I tell the kids if people are making fun of you, they’re not the ones who will suffer from not having an education.”

After finally gaining her GED, Amanda went right into college at Middlesex Community College to study social work, but she had to drop out for a time with a liver illness. It was during this period that she refocused her prayer life and felt God leading her to Gordon College, a top Christian school in Wenham, Mass.

‘Always a way’ The obstacles seemed insurmountable.

Gordon was expensive, and how could someone with just a GED get in there?

There were doubters who told her not to bother, but she sent in her application and a letter from her pastor.

“I just prayed and prayed,” she recalls.

Amanda was accepted into Gordon’s youth ministry program and also was eligible for financial aid because the classes she wanted to take were not available at a state school.

“I always teach the kids that there is always a way,” she says. “There is always a way. God will open the doors and make it happen.”

When Amanda showed up at Gordon as a 22–year–old freshman, many of her classmates were younger and had the firm educational background of having gone to private Christian schools.

“But I kept thinking that God had put me here, and I’m supposed to be here,” she says.

The change in Amanda’s life caught www.prioritypeople.org

the attention of her brother Henry, who was so impressed that he accepted Christ and tried to turn his life around as well.

“He told me, ‘I know that God exists because of what I’ve seen Him do in you,’ ” Amanda says.

Time with Henry The two grew close during her time at Gordon. They would pray and read the Bible together when she came home from class.

They spent every day together after Amanda dropped out of Gordon in

Amanda with her brother, Henry

January 2006 for medical reasons. While she was initially upset about having to leave school, her brother died that May, and she sees the extra time she got with him as a gift from God. “I’m so thankful that happened,” she says. “I tell the kids when things happen, you never know what plans God has for your life. I believe that happened for a reason.”

Amanda says she sensed something

different at her house the day her brother died; she believes it was the presence of angels taking him to heaven.

“I felt like there was something in the air,” she says. “I felt the Holy Spirit.”

Amanda says the issues surrounding her brother’s death may not be resolved “until Christ comes back,” but she has put the bitterness behind her and moved on—yet another lesson she tries to convey when teaching the BTG kids about forgiveness.

“I try to teach the kids that you can’t control everything in life, and you just have to let go sometimes and do your best,” she says. “Be different. Do your best because not everyone out there is doing their best. We talk a lot about forgiveness.”

Never giving up Amanda was depressed after Henry’s death, but she returned to Gordon determined to succeed.

She had to take some classes twice, but she never gave up on herself.

“That’s how I do things,” she says.

“I keep going. I’m glad God gave me perseverance. I don’t know where I’d be without it. It’s God. It’s faith. It’s not just my own perseverance.”

Amanda says she sometimes uses the imagery of a beautiful glass vase and ugly piece of plasticware in her teaching.

The glass vase breaks when it hits the ground, but while people may laugh and 45

All That I Am

Amanda displays a drawing

by Henry (pictured).

make fun of the plasticware, it doesn’t break.

“I live by that,” Amanda says. “I’m going to keep trying. I’ll always get out of bed. I’ll always show up. Even if it’s horrible and hurts to show up, I’ll show up. That’s persistence. Keep going, keep going. I’m all about that when I talk to the kids.”

Against all odds, Amanda graduated from Gordon. Her diploma is proudly displayed on the wall of her office for the kids to see.

46

“Everything I have in my life is because God did it for me,” she says.

“God opened doors. I knocked on them, but God opened them for me and it was hard going through them, but God did that. You can do anything in life with Jesus. I know it, and I make sure these kids know it.”

Meeting kids ‘where they’re at’ “We meet people where they’re at,” she says. “We don’t wait for people to get

better. We don’t wait for them to come to us. We’re here already. I love that about The Salvation Army.

“We take them right as they are. I love that we do that. That’s what Christ did for us. He took on human flesh to meet us where we’re at. That’s what God did for me and what The Salvation Army does for people.”

Amanda talks with the kids during an optional Friday night meeting when she can bring up spiritual issues. She is known on the streets of downtown www.prioritypeople.org

Worcester and tries to build herself into the lives of her kids.

“I take my job very seriously,” she says. “I do everything I can for these kids, really. It’s because of my brother.

People should have done that for him.

It just motivates me so much.”

“If they’re not picking up a piece, I try to make up for it and do what I can.

Their families trust us. It’s important that we come through.”

Looking back on her life, Amanda

says the words of Romans 8:28 (“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”) make total sense.

“Now I can understand,” she says.

“All that horrible heartache and chaos and times when I had to take classes twice, it all makes sense.

“It’s amazing how God can take all your thorns and all the horrible things that have happened to you and totally

make them make sense in one job.

That’s exactly what’s happened here.”

At least once a week, Amanda pulls a letter out of her desk from Henry, who wrote of the pride he felt in his sister and her turnaround.

“I know my brother was proud of me and that inspires me,” Amanda says.

“Being a high school dropout, having my brother die … I don’t want the system to fail these kids. Everything in my life makes sense when I show up here.”

Amanda with Mynisia (left) and Alexis, two Bridging the Gap students

www.prioritypeople.org

47

100 Years Ago

William Booth’s Final Witness

by Jack C. Getz

W

hen the Salvation Army’s General William Booth “laid down his sword” at 10:33 p.m. on August 20, 1912, an international tidal wave of reverential tributes immediately poured into the Army’s headquarters on Queen Victoria Street, London. Telegrams and tributes of “admiration and sympathy” spoke of both Booth’s uniqueness and impact.

Britain’s George V said, “Today there is universal mourning.”

For any who have not seen the 1912 vintage newsreel of the Founder’s funeral processional, the word “multitudes” may sound like hyperbole. But in fact, millions viewed the Army of 10,000 selected singing soldiers and bandsmen waving colorful banners and reverently marching from International Headquarters to Abney Park Cemetery.

In his 1914 biography, General Booth, Commissioner George Scott Railton describes the scene: “More than 65,000 persons came to Clapton Congress Hall to look upon his face as he lay in his coffin, and more than 35,000 gathered for the great memorial service in the Olympia, the largest obtainable building in London, on the evening before the funeral. All the press commented upon the remarkable joyfulness of our funeral services—the ‘note of joyous triumph’—and the funeral itself the next day was admitted to have been one of the most impressive sights the great city has ever seen ... all traffic was suspended from 11 till 1 o’clock. The millions who wit-

nessed its passage along the 5 mile march ... seemed generally impressed and sympathetic .... people offering glasses of water to women in the procession, many of whom were on their feet for 6 or 7 hours before the service was ended. ... The memorial services held all over the world on the following Sunday were attended by unparalleled crowds.”

What led to this public outpouring, considered the largest non–royal demonstration in British history? Perhaps the following samplings of the world’s press corps will explain: r “Better than all, he lived his Christianity.” r “No name is graven more deeply in the history of his time than that of William Booth.” r “With him passed away one of the most vivid and most striking personalities the world has ever seen.” r “This man was unique. In some ways he was the superman of his period. Never before has a man in his own lifetime won so wide a measure of deep and passionate human affection.”

This tribute from the London Daily Telegraph could easily be William Booth’s epitaph: “… during his 83 years of a strenuous life, he devoted himself, so far as in him lay, to the solemn duty of saving men’s souls and extending the divine kingdom on earth.”

To view the YouTube video, visit http://tinyurl.com/75qvf5d.

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