Special Person, Special Uniform - The Salvation Army USA Central

Special Person, Special Uniform
By Major Mary Hammerly
R
aise your hands up
high so that I can put
your sweater on,”
said seventy-plus year old Lutecia Sprague in a commanding,
yet gentle voice.
As a child, I learned
from her that every person is
created and loved by God. Individuals were important to God
and to her. She didn’t only
teach me to love, but this elderly lady did the practical ministry of mentoring a child like me.
The scripture “Love God and
neighbor” (Matthew 22: 34-40),
is a verse that I think was the
hallmark of Lutecia. This tall,
single woman loved me like I
was her own child. I was the
neighbor of her life. She valued
me and saw the potential of
what I could become.
Sunday after Sunday,
Lutecia made sure that I was
ready for Sunday School and to
sing in the Singing Company. When I arrived at the corps, she was the one
assigned to clean me up. She would help me put on my uniform skirt, blouse
and sweater. I also had white socks and black shoes. It was exciting to see
my younger sisters and brothers given the same care by other soldiers of the
Emporia Kansas corps. Yes, we were poor and to be able to dress like the other
children in a uniform made us feel special.
INSIDE
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S
Cover
Special Person,
Special Uniform
2
Hussein & Oli
The Back Story:
Commentary
3
Leadership Academy
5
Calypso meets Extreme
Sports
7
FROM THE LIBRARY
Reviews: Lost Boys
Ministering Cross–Culturally
The Visitor
8
VINCULOS LATINOS
Mariachi Band Debutes
5th Annual Hispanic Retreat
Aurora:City of Lights
12
Essay: Being Muslim
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S is a quarterly newsletter of the Multicultural Ministries Department offering culturally relevant articles, commentary and resources. Contact us at USC [email protected]. or visit our website at www.multiculturalministriescentral.org.
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 2
I look back at that experience and I’m very grateful for people like Lutecia. She loved
me as a child of God. She accepted me and respected me. I am of Mexican descent and she
tried to understand my culture. I remember when she tried to eat tacos; it was not a favorite of
hers, but she tried. She also wanted me to learn about her life. I did and as a child I learned to
respect her and others.
“Raise your hands up high so that I can put your dress back on,” she said. I obeyed and
my old dress would be back on as soon as the Sunday service was over. Lutecia would say to me
and the other children, “I will make sure your uniform is ready for you next week.”
Today I want to raise my hands up high and salute this soldier. She made an impact in
my life as a young child. She was a good soldier and a good mentor to a young child of eleven
years old. She made sure that I looked special.
Today I am still wearing a uniform, an officer’s uniform. I just celebrated 40 years of
officership. Lutecia can look down from heaven and see the results of her ministry. Two of my
sisters, Angie Hull of Granite City, Illinois and Senaida Guerrero Maier of St. Charles (Tri-City)
Illinois are very active in their corps with their husbands and families. I encourage each soldier
of every corps to value every child who attends The Salvation Army. I’m so grateful that Lutecia
did! *Note: picture on front, Angie Hull is front/center, Senaida Guerrero Maier is the youngest child center. Mary Hammerly shown above.
Hussein and Oli
by Major Steve Merritt, Eastern Michigan Division
H
ussein and Oli are twins. With their sister, Orsela, the
family was adopted for gifts, Christmas, 2005. The
children began attending Wednesday activities at the Dearborn Heights Corps, Others in the family joined in the activities.
Then they began attending Sundays. This meant
opportunities for Sunday School, and Junior Singing Company
and preparation for Junior Soldiers. They attended two summers at Music Camp.
THE BACK STORY
Commentary
Staff Writer
T
he Central territory, our eleven Midwestern states, is a
gloriously multicultural geography, and home to some
of the largest populations of immigrant groups. Dearborn,
Michigan, the backdrop for the story of Hussein and Oli, is
one of them. It is the oldest, largest, thriving Arab American
community in the United States. The existence of this community further speaks of a new reality: areas normally as-
This Spring, 2008, they were enrolled as Junior Soldiers. Their Mother and other family members came to see
them enrolled. Each one has a Senior Soldier as a sponsor
to follow them with their prayers and encouragement. The
Youth Programs at
the Corps are
reaching many children in this changing neighborhood.
We want to
“Connect” with
those in our community like we did
with Hussein and Oli and Orsela. sumed to be ethnically homogeneous, mostly rural and suburban communities, have changed. Our major cities have
always been places where culturally diverse groups coexisted, but this has become the norm for more and more
small Midwestern town. Cultural, ethnic and religious diversity can be found everywhere.
HISTORICAL QUICK STOP
People of Arab descent began arriving on Dearborn soils in
the late 1800s and in the early 1900s began forming a
strong work force for Ford Motor Company. The earliest
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C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 3
(Continued from page 2)
Arabs came from Syria and Lebanon,
places that hold our ancient biblical
history: places where the Patriarchs of
scripture, like Jacob, lived and raised
his twelve sons (Genesis 35:23); places
of divine encounter. It was on the road
to Damascus, that Saul encountered
the risen Jesus. (Acts 9:3).
The Arab American community
today makes up approximately 22
countries as diverse as Lebanon,
Yemen, Morocco, and Sudan. They are
involved in all segments of society. This
is a multicultural and multiethnic community. The Arabic language links these
cultures; it is the language that is most
commonly spoken in homes, although
the majority of Arab Americans would
be bilingual. And while one might assume that all persons of Arab descent
are Muslim, you can expect to see Arab
Americans attending churches. Actually,
the first Arab immigrants to the U.S.
were Christians from Syria and Lebanon. According to the market research
company Zogby International’s Survey
entitled Religious Affiliations of Arab
Americans (2002), the majority of Arab
Americans are Christian.
The Arab American cultures are unique
and, like most ethnic groups, have had
--and continue to have --a complex
history within the U.S. Unfortunately,
the richness of Arab American culture
often seems hidden, diminished by bias
and stereotypes often perpetrated by
political tensions and international
events, as well as the popular media.
Prior to 9/11 persons of Arab descent
were often caricatured as “exotic desert
dwellers” or “rich oil sheiks.” Since
9/11, terms like” jihadist”, “extremist”,
and the most dangerous of image,
“terrorist” have been added to the list.
POWER
OF
STEREOTYPES
According to Jack Shaheen, a
Lebanese-American media analyst, over
900 Hollywood films portray Arabs in a
negative and offensive manner. Typical
images would be like those in the popu(Continued on page 4)
Kroc Leadership Academy
Graduates First Class
By Major Joy Ross, WMNI Division
THE POTENTIAL FOR
LEADERSHIP LIES
WITHIN EVERY SOUL THAT
THE SALVATION
ARMY ENCOUNTERS. IT IS THIS BELIEF THAT
GRAND RAPIDS
KROC PROJECT TO PILOT A NEW PROGRAM
LAST SPRING KNOWN AS THE KROC LEADERSHIP ACADEMY. THE MISSION OF THE KROC
LEADERSHIP ACADEMY IS TO FOSTER THE
ACQUISITION, DEVELOPMENT, AND APPLICALED THE TEAM BEHIND THE
TION OF LEADERSHIP SKILLS AMONG YOUTH
AND THEIR FAMILIES THAT WILL EMPOWER
THEM AS INDIVIDUALS TO REALIZE THEIR
GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL.
F
ourteen local middle school students (grades 6 – 8) were selected to participate in the Kroc
Leadership Academy. Potential participants were identified by the school
staff and administrators, using the criteria that the students were capable of
great things but lacked the support
structure to achieve their greatest potential. Among the fourteen students,
there were ten young men and four
young women. A “three-legged” stool
approach was taken, with The Salvation Army, the school, and the parents
all playing the part of a “leg” that helps
to support the efforts of the child. The
focus of the program was on the entire
family, not solely on the individual child
participating in the program. Family
participation was encouraged through
the hosting of parental workshops,
family fun nights, incentive plans that
acknowledged family contributions, and
through constant communication between parents and Salvation Army staff
and volunteers.
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C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 4
There were high expectations
of the students in every sense: attendance, attire, performance, effort, and
conduct. Outcome-based goals and
objectives were developed, with measurable outcomes focused on student
achievement. Students and families
were guided to develop in the following
areas: academic success, social skills,
positive self-esteem, health awareness,
family teamwork, and volunteerism.
The students met twice a
week for eight weeks. During each
three-hour session, the students explored their leadership potential
through various methods of content
delivery, including: individual tutoring,
large and small group instruction using
the ARISE LIFE-SKILLS PROGRAM, guest
speakers, personal mentoring, participation in leadership groups, and participation in a culminating volunteer
project.
An incentive program was
instituted to encourage the greatest
(Continued from page 3)
lar children’s film, Aladdin, where the
Arabs are pictured as “dark-skinned,
swarthy, villainous and cruel palace
guards or greedy merchants with Arabic
accents and grotesque facial features.”
In the absence of positive images, this
can be particularly dangerous, especially for children.
Studies have shown that in the
aftermath of 9/11, non-Arab children
who were exposed to negative portrayals of Arabs reacted violently towards
their classmates who were Arab American or “looked” like they were of Arab
descent. “Arab American, Muslim and
south Asian students across the country
encountered harassment and hostility,
and sometimes so did Hispanics and
other minority students mistaken for
Arabs. An Arab American girl in a Detroit school was grabbed, kicked and
level of success and achievement, utilizing a point system that recognized
student and family excellence, with
greater levels of achievement leading
to more substantial rewards.
Of the fourteen students that
began the pilot program, thirteen became members of the inaugural Kroc
Leadership Academy graduating class.
All thirteen graduates received a gift
card to the local mall in recognition of
their efforts, ranging in value from
$100 to $250. A graduation ceremony
was held for these young men and
women at the Transitional Kroc Center at
Dickinson Park on June
22nd. The event was
incorporated into a
Sunday Service, and
the chapel was standing-room only. Emmyaward nominated artist
Wayburn Dean treated
slammed into a locker. Many parents
kept their children home in order to
avoid such encounters.” These are
troubling facts, as well as the challenges that many people of Arab de-
scent continue to face.
To base what one understands
about any ethnic group solely upon the
violent actions of individual, religious
extremists groups that happen to share
their culture or ethnicity, is like portray-
those in attendance to several songs,
and new Kroc pastor Larry Stevenson
was able to share his passionate testimony. It was a wonderful event, and it
was extremely heartening to see the
dozens of family members that came
out in support of the graduates.
In the eight week period, the
overall grade point average of the students rose, with over half of the students showing marked improvement in
academic performance. It is expected
that the results will be much more dramatic when the Academy is instituted
for a full academic year. ing all Americans as cowboys, gangsters, movie stars or terrorists—- based
on domestic terrorism of the Oklahoma
City bombings. Beyond the name calling, the consequences of violence and
isolation are very real.
How do children thrive when
what they see and hear about their
culture is mostly negative? Where do
children go -- Arab and non-Arab -- to
see “normal” images of Arab Americans: Families having dinner, parents
taking care of their children when they
are sick or helping them ewith their
homework or reading to them before
bed, or helping them with their prayers
or celebrating the holidays?
WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS?
Disciples of Christ are not im(Continued on page 5)
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 5
(Continued from page 4)
mune to the popular culture’s
influence on our thinking and
our behaviors. Sometimes
prejudices, like colds, are
“caught” in the normal walkingtalking-breathing of every day
life. But, like colds, we can “be
cured” of our biases, over come
our suspicions, and build meaningful cross-cultural relationships. This requires intentionality and a “renewing of our
minds” (Romans 12:2) as we
navigate the cultural treadwaters for truth.
For children and youth who have been wounded by the “name calling”, as well as the “sticks and stones,” the body of Christ can be a place of
welcome and safety. Through the body, we can affirm the parts of cultures
that reflect the goodness and glory of God. And learning about another culture
can be fun!
Studies have shown that the more positive ways children see themselves, the higher their achievement levels will be. But, when negative images
persist, aggression, anger and violence grow, as does hopeless and isolation.
Negative stereotypes should be replaced in the hearts and minds of
children with the best of their culture, and a constant reminder that God loves
and values them -- loves the color of their skin, the shape of their eyes, the
contour of their faces, the kink of their hair.
Breaking bread and sharing stories are great ways to build relationships. Attending cultural events or visiting a cultural museum also helps to
build cultural awareness and competence. Listen to the stories that emerge,
being “quick” to listen and observe, “slow” to draw conclusions.
Despite our differences “we who were once far off have been
brought near by the blood of Christ. We are no longer foreigners and strangers (Ephesians 2:17-20). What Christ has done is what we share in common.
This is just a beginning. Arab Americans You May
Know
Well-known Arab Americans include Christa McAuliffe, the teacher/
astronaut who died aboard the space shuttle
Challenger; Indy 500 winner Bobby Rahal;
Heisman Trophy
winner and NFL
quarterback Doug
Flutie; creators of
radio's American
Top 40 Casey
Kasem; Mothers
Against Drunk Driving founder Candy
Lightner; Jacques
Nasser, president
and chief executive officer of Ford Motor
Co., and Helen Thomas, former dean of the
White House press corps. Ever seen the television show “Monk” or the popular 60’s TV
show, “That Girl?” , Marlo Thomas of the
popular 60’s TV show “That Girl?” Both
Tony Shalhoub, Marlo Thomas, respectively, and her father Danny Thomas, founder of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
are Arab Americans.
SOURCES:
Marvin Wingfield and Bushra Karaman. Arab Stereotypes
Calypso meets Extreme Sports
By Norman Polusca, Northern Division
P
eople come to The Salvation Army through various
means and for different
reasons, but what keeps them
coming is ultimately dependent on
that first impression. And the
question that we -- lay leaders of
the corps and soldiers -- have to
ask ourselves is whether we are
modeling our lives after our Lord
and Savior Jesus Christ. This is
the vision for the Parkview Corps
(Minneapolis, MN). So, when we
restructured our Sunday school
classes a few years ago, we were
very intentional about challenging
ourselves to be true representations of what we were teaching.
And we challenged our students to
live out what was taught in class.
(Continued on page 6)
POWER
OF AN INVITATION
We get visitors in our
meetings from time to time—
sometime through our Social Services or a member invites them.
In one case, the latter was true
and we were privileged to have a
group of white, college-aged,
young adults who were highly involved in extreme sports visit our
church. And they kept coming
back.
Anyone familiar with our
community might be surprised by
(Continued on page 6)
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 6
(Continued from page 5)
this. Our congregation is a Caribbean corps, predominantly black.
We serve in a lower middle class
neighborhood, located in the inner
city, which doesn’t have the best
reputation. Our corps is small in
attendance, considered “homey.”
Its size won’t allow you to get
lost. But, this hasn’t affected the
ministry we are attempting to do.
We’re a body of believers made up
of everyday people. Our identity
as a body of believers is found in
Christ.
The young people who
came took a bit of a risk to accept
the invitation from one of our
young adults to come to our
church. They came trusting the
judgment of the person who invited them. Over time this resulted in close friendships and
almost two years of fellowship
together.
We had a strong young
adult fellowship in our corps. So,
when this group began coming,
we immediately got them connected to the young adult Sunday
School class. These newcomers
had lots of questions about God
and the bible. Most of them were
new to church. Also, many of
them were extreme bikers involved in competitions. Our young
adults began attending some of
(Continued from page 5)
and American Educators. In Beyond Heroes
and Holidays. 132-136. Washington, D.C.
Network of Educators on the Americas.
WHO ARE THE ARAB AMERICANS? Resources for children, youth, parents
and teachers: http://
www.tolerance.org/teach/
printarl.jsp?p
their competitions. Eventually our
corps officer and his wife attended
too.
CULTURE AND CHRIST
While we do understand
the role culture plays in human
interactions we also realize, from
the Christian perspective, that we
are the light of the world and we
shine that light wherever there is
darkness.
We believed that we had
something to offer
these young people and anybody
else who visits our
corps. What is
that? The Gospel
of course; it’s our
mandate.
When you
meet new people
there is always that getting-toknow-you period where you get a
realistic view of how alike or different you might be. Often, and
sadly, we draw conclusions about
others by their differences, primarily by the way they look.
I understand that there
are certain elements of the culture
that will, at times, influence our
attitudes and preferences. But this
should only be temporary. As we
examine ourselves we ought to
ESSAY: Being Muslim in
Post-9/11 America
Sept. 11, 2008 – Upon the seventh anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, a 16-year
old recalls a cruel encounter with intolerance.
By Rama Hamarneh
M
y boots left brown puddles on
the sand-colored tiles as I hurried through the corridor. The empty
come to terms with whether or
not those elements of the culture
we embrace are in direct opposition to the word of God.
The Bible clearly teaches
in 2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power
has given us everything we need
for life and godliness through our
knowledge of him who called us
by his own glory and goodness” (NIV). So, my humble para-
phrase would be Christians are
equipped by God to reach any
culture at any time at any place.
The real issue becomes whether
or not those immersed in that culture are open to this message of
trading the identity they have
found in the culture for the new
identity offered to them through
Christ Jesus. Whenever we choose
to submit to Christ we quickly recognize that we are more alike
than we are different. halls echoed. Everyone's bags and
coats were hung neatly in the cubbies
by each door. I made my way towards
my class at the end of the sixth grade
hall. I took a deep breath and went
in.
My fellow students turned to
look at me, and I already knew it wasn't pretty. Blood flowed into my face,
staining my cheeks with pink. I had
taken off my hat seconds before, and
I could almost imagine the tiny pieces
(Continued on page 12)
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 7
From the Library
RESOURCES TO CHECK OUT
Lost Boys Find America
God Grew Tired of Us tells the story of four from Sudan.
By NRO Contributor, Thomas S. Hibbs
February 22, 2007
G
od grew tired of us.
us He tired of bad deeds and wanted to
finish us.” These apocalyptic words of a refugee from
the brutal civil war in Sudan provide the title for a new documentary, directed by Christopher
Dillon Quinn and narrated by
Nicole Kidman. God Grew Tired
of Us chronicles the resettlement of three refugees (John,
Daniel, and Panther) from Sudan, as they move first to Kenya
and then to the United States.
The result of Quinn’s work,
which follows a different group
of refugees from and for a
longer period of time than the 2003 film ..
Read complete article at http://rticle.nationalrevraisediew.com/?
q=ODAxOWI5MTNlYmQyZmNiYjJhMjJhYzkwMzI5NGIyMTQ= ê
Ministering Cross-Culturally
The Visitor
I
n a world of six billion people,
people it only takes one to
change your life. In actor and filmmaker Tom
McCarthy’s follow-up to his award winning directorial debut The Station Agent, Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under)
stars as a disillusioned... In
a world of six billion people,
it only takes one to change
your life. In actor and filmmaker Tom McCarthy’s follow-up to his award winning
directorial debut The Station
Agent, Richard Jenkins (Six
Feet Under) stars as a disillusioned Connecticut economics professor whose life
is transformed by a chance
encounter in New York City.
Consensus: The Visitor is a
heartfelt, humanistic drama
that deftly explores identity,
immigration, and other major post-9/11 issues.
This synopsis of THE VISITOR is taken from http://
www.rottentomatoes.com/m/10008820-visitor/ and retrieved on September 26, 2008.
Sherwood G. Lingenfelter and Marvin K. Mayers
I
n Ministering CrossCross-Culturally,
Culturally the authors demonstrate that
Jesus needed to learn and understand the culture in which
he lived before he could undertake
his public ministry. The authors examine how this can help us better understand what it means to establish relationships of grace with those from
different cultural and social backgrounds. With more than 70,000 copies of the first edition in print, this
incarnational model of ministry has
proven successful for many people.
Several sections in this second edition have been rewritten, and the entire book has been updated to
reflect development in the authors'
thinking. Drawing from the authors' rich experience on the mission field, this book will benefit anyone who wants to be salt and
light in a multicultural and multiethnic world. January 12 through 18, 2009
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 8
Vinculos
VBS 2008
by Captain Nivia Paredes
D
uring the week of July 1st through the 6th, the East
Chicago Corps in Indiana celebrated Vacation Bible
School with the help of the Band of Survivors. Total
attendance reached 38 children. One particularly noteworthy
activity from the week was the evangelism outreach in the East
Chicago community on the 4th of July.
Throughout the week, the children memorized Bible
verses, participated in Bible classes, let their creativity take off
with crafts, and they had a great time in the gym playing various games.
For the closing ceremony, we had special guests, Captains José and Wanda Velez from Tampa, Florida. We were
privileged to hear a powerful message shared by Captain Velez.
Ninety-six people attended this event where the children shared
choreographed songs, recited their memory verses, and enjoyed
a timbrel routine. The children also received a VBS certificate
and gifts, as well as door prizes. The celebration culminated
with lunch.
Amongst the many blessings received, three families
were particularly impacted and have shown great interest in
continuing to bringing their kids to the corps on Sundays. God
has been faithful!
Mariachi Band débuts in Kansas
by Mauricio Yáñez
S
eptember 15th and 16th, Mexicans everywhere celebrate Mexico’s Independence Day, and what a better way to celebrate
than with the sound of mariachi!
One of the main goals of Captains
Gonzalez and your servant, Mauricio Yáñez
was to make music a priority —create a
praise and worship band and a mariachi band
—for the Kansas City Corps in Blue Valley for
2007-2008. We thought that mariachi could
be a powerful tool in reaching out to the Hispanic community.
So began the task of finding instruments for this endeavor. The Independence,
MO Corps wanted to support this project and
gladly donated several violins. Nevertheless,
we needed more instruments, so some of the members of the mariachi band, with the help of the Blue Valley Corps, decided to raise
money by selling tamales and various other dishes to buy more instruments. We also relied on the monetary donations of people
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 9
who wanted to see this project become a reality.
All of these efforts bore fruit, and on Mother’s Day at
the Blue Valley Corps, the mariachi band made their debut with
a serenade for the mothers. The corps was full and there were
various non-believers present. Not only was it an opportunity
for them to enjoy mariachi, but even more important, it was an
opportunity to hear the message of salvation through music!
The mariachi band has had the privilege to delight and
minister to other congregations with its music. The group also
had the opportunity to participate in the special retirement service for Lt. Cols. Ted and Nancy Dalberg, former divisional commanders of the Kansas and Western Missouri Division.
The mariachi band is made up of people from that
division, as well as from other local churches. We recognize the
following people for their efforts: Bersabé Vera (violin), Besy
Mendoza (violin and vocals),
Brad Carter (trumpet), Stephen
Wheeler (trumpet), José
Hernández (guitar), Héctor Xiloj
(vihuela), Juan Betancourt
(guitar), and Mauricio Yáñez
(violin and vocals). We also
thank family and friends who
have supported us both financially and spiritually.
Blessings, and continue praying that this group will
keep moving forward, sharing the message of salvation.
“Come Join Our Army” marches
Annual Hispanic Retreat finds
forward in Elgin
home in Metropolitan Division
New Enrollments at the Elgin Corps
by Captain Justo Orozco
ith the theme, “Listen to the words of the
wind; the words of the Spirit,” the fifth Hispanic Retreat of the Metropolitan Division
took place August 22-24 at Camp Wonderland. Retired
Commissioners Alex and Ingeborg Hughes were the special guests. Commissioners Hughes have a great deal of
international experience, having served a number of their
appointments in Latin America. At their request, their
final appointment was in London at the Maidenhead
Corps. It was the Commissioners’ desire to return to the
same type of appointment in which they had begun their
ministry.
G
od continues blessing the Elgin Corps in a special way in
the Salvation meetings under the leadership of Captains
Justo and Martha Orozco each Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
On May 25, four Junior Soldiers and three adherents
were enrolled. Also, the corps held a lovely ceremony for Miss
Maribel Rivera’s 15th birthday with an attendance of 75 people.
The Spanish Home League, which meets every Tuesday at 6:45
p.m. under the leadership of Captain Martha Orozco, is also
being blessed in a special way. God is good!
We praise God for His wonders. He is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore!
W
With a clear and precise message, Commissioners Hughes
motivated the congregation to
hear the words of the Spirit.
Their teaching was primarily
from Revelation chapters two
and three, where participants
heard about the angel’s message to the seven churches.
Raúl Guerrero, Order of the
Founder, was also a special
guest. He is originally from Chile
and a pioneer of the Hispanic
work in the Metropolitan Division. With great detail, Raúl
shared his testimony of God’s vision to him, and how he
heard the “words of the wind” to begin his ministry in the
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C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 10
“Windy City,” Chicago, Illinois.
As at every Hispanic retreat, there is
always plenty of free time. There were
ple accepted the challenge and joined
the group on the platform. It was a
glorious scene! The meeting ended
with a prayer by Commissioner Ingeborg for this group that came forward.
that we shouldn’t judge cities by how
beautiful the houses are, but rather by
how beautiful the people are. In this
sense, Aurora has the best people we
have ever met. People, not perfect,
but genuine, friendly, helpful. And,
above all else, people who know how to
feel others’ pain and make it their pain.
This past June, the Divisional Commander notified us of our appointment
by Captains Luis and Raisi Zambrano
various organized activities, such as
ping pong, chess, dominoes and soccer.
There was also the second annual volleyball tournament. The winning team
was the Aurora Corps.
Saturday night participants were lavished with a show of Latin American
music and folklore. There was dance,
drama, singing, and timbrels. Commissioners Hughes gave their testimony
and spoke of the work of The Salvation
Army in various countries of Latin
America. The night concluded with a
brief concert by the group Samuel Del
Real. The congregation had the opportunity to join in with the group to praise
and worship God.
The retreat ended with one of the most
significant moments of the weekend. It
was almost at the very end of the Sunday worship service when Lt. Col. David
Grindle, Metropolitan Divisional Commander, called to the platform the commanding officers of Hispanic Corps and
ministries throughout the division in
order to recognize their efforts. However, he turned to the congregation
and invited those who wanted to join
with this group in accepting the challenge and call to officership; some peo-
D
uring its beginnings of prosperity, Aurora was known as “The
City of Lights,” because it was one of
the places electric street lamps were
first used. For a time, during the railroad boom, Aurora was seen as one of
the most thriving cities in Illinois. For
some reason, this vitality ended and
Aurora gave up being such a great attraction for laborers. However, it is currently the second biggest city in the
state, and is referred to as “Aurora, the
Beautiful.”
HEARTS, NOT HOMES
It was there that God sent us July 5,
2004. We remember visiting the city
for the first time – it didn’t make a
good first impression on us. We never
imagined that it would be in that place
that God would continue shaping our
lives in a beautiful way.
God had people in that city who loved
and who needed to be loved. There
were people who you could appropriately call “lights.” And after four years
of sharing our lives with these “lights,”
our hearts are filled with praise for the
opportunity to serve in that precious
community. We began to understand
change from Aurora to Chicago Lawn.
For sometime, we had been thinking
that it was time for them to move us,
and in some ways, we wanted the
change. But we never imagined the
(Continued on page 11)
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 11
thing good that comes, to God be the
glory; for all the mistakes, may God
forgive us and help us to do better the
next time.
We say goodbye once again to our people in Aurora, reaffirming our love and
faithfulness to God and to them. We
also want to point out that that Aurora
continues being the City of Light. You
are those lights.
National Seminar
on Evangelism
pain that this could bring. Having to
leave our soldiers in Aurora was so
difficult because we had come to love
them so deeply.
The Lord gave us the privilege of learning a great deal during our appointment
in Aurora. It was a time of growth, as
much in our ministry as personally.
GETTING TO KNOW THE CORPS
We would like you to know a little bit
about the Aurora Corps. This corps is
made up of simple, friendly servants of
God. Their greatest quality is that they
are always ready to help one another.
Each time someone in the corps has a
need, everyone – without exception –
participates in meeting that need. We
were always amazed at seeing how
even those with the least resources
would do their part as well. That is
why they always received blessings
from above. Loving them and getting
used to being with them wasn’t hard at
all. The hard part was leaving them.
But God has plans for us in another
place now, and we are sure that He has
plans for the congregation and the Lts.
García.
BUT … IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD
It is clear that not one of us is the center of the world or so indispensible that
life would not go on without us. Our
Lord is the beginning and the end of
everything, the only One without Whom
anything would go on. The responsibility, therefore, falls on us to accept His
invitation to live celebrating life with
Him. We can only echo the words of
David and say, “Be strong and let us
fight bravely for our people and the
cities of our God. The Lord will do
what is good in his sight.”
Aurora is, and will continue to be an
important part of our lives. To the
brothers and sisters of Aurora, and to
us, the God of life says, “Have I not
commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be
discouraged, for the Lord your God will
be with you wherever you go…Just be
strong and courageous.” And, as we
told a special person in Aurora, “Let us
not become weary in doing good, for at
the proper time we will reap a harvest
if we do not give up.”
Now we await great things from God at
the Chicago Lawn Corps. For every-
Every year during the month of August
and for approximately 10 days, a group
of people who desire better tools for
sharing the message of salvation gather
in Colorado Springs, Colorado for the
National Seminar on Evangelism. Soldiers and officers from all four Territories in the United States participate in
this event. Miguel Ávila from the Des
Plaines, Illinois Corps, and his Corps
Officer, Auxiliary Captain Pedro Arias,
attended the seminar. Miguel shares
with us some of his unforgettable experience:
“My time at the National Seminar on
Evangelism was very edifying and educational. The topics were very interest-
C-O-N-N-E-C-T-I-O-N-S FALL 2008 Page 12
ing, based on the Word of God. The fellowship with brothers and sisters of
different nationalities was positive, recognizing the most important thing we
have in common: we are brothers and sisters in CHRIST.
“When we went to evangelize in Aurora, a suburb of Denver, Colorado, it was amazing. The Lord prepared the way ahead of us. I could sense
this when we went to visit some apartments. We knocked on each door. Some
opened, others didn’t. We were able to speak with 166 people, of which 33
accepted Christ. Praise God!
“I am very grateful to God and to The Salvation Army for giving me
the opportunity to participate in this wonderful experience. It motivates our
churches and our communities, for the Spirit of God has been poured over The
Salvation Army. Hallelujah!”
(Continued from page 6)
of hair sticking up because of the static. My nose was
bright red and starting to run.
My teacher looked me up and down and
pointed to my seat. "You're late. You've already missed
the beginning of the lesson. That's punishment
enough," she said, as she wrote on the board, the
chalk dusting her fingers with white.
When I sat down, I began solving the math
problem. I could feel the boy beside me looking over
my shoulder at my answers. I tilted away, turning my
back to him.
"Is there a problem, Rama?" asked my
teacher. "No, none at all," I mumbled quickly, before
looking back down at my paper.
"Don't worry, Rama. I'm not copying you," said
the boy, "I'm just making sure you weren't late because your family decided to tell you their next plan of
attack on North America."
I turned around and stared straight at him. I
knew that one of his uncles had died during 9/11, but
that had been three years ago.
"What is your problem?" I asked icily, my eyes
burning a hole into him.
"Sitting beside you is my problem, actually,"
he replied, a malicious grin on his face. "I'd prefer to
sit next to someone who is my equal, you know, someone who isn't brown."
Tears began to fill my eyes, and before I could
think of a comeback remark to throw at him, I ran out
of the room. As I pulled open the door, I could hear my
teacher sending the boy to the principal's office, but I
didn't care.
“DIG DEEPER” RESOURCES
Who are Arab Americans?
This activity is designed to increase student knowledge about Arab Americans and to challenge misperceptions students might hold about Arabs and people
of Arab descent. It also promotes critical thinking of
media, government, culture and history.
Discussing 9/11 with children
Teaching Tolerance parenting columnist, Dana Williams, discusses how to talk honestly with children
about the issues brought up by the 9/11 anniversary.
Her tips discuss ways to help address fears, correct
misinformation and reduce prejudice and stereotypes.
Every parent, teacher and other adult allies should be
prepared for these conversations -- during the anniversary observances and beyond.
http://www.tolerance.org/teens/printar.jsp?p=0&ar=227&pi=te