SAconnects, Volume 3, Number 9

VOL. 3, NO. 9 • NOVEMBER 2017

the magazine

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SACONNECTS.ORG

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our leaders

IN focus

Giving People “ This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again,” —JOHN 3:16–17. (THE MESSAGE)

What do you think of when you hear the phrase “Giving People”? Perhaps your mind goes to: DONORS – giving of their financial resources VOLUNTEERS – giving of their time SOLDIERS – giving of their lives for our freedom TEACHERS – giving of their knowledge to others In reality, we have all been influenced by “Giving People;” our parents, our teachers, and our pastors all gave of themselves as examples of how God intended the world to be.

In John 3:16–17, we are reminded that the ultimate gift to the world was the gift God gave of His Son, Jesus, who gave His life for the forgiveness of our sins.

In our world today, there is too much focus on “me” and “my needs.” As we walk through life, we need to do our part to make our little corner of the world right again. We see too many troubles all around us. Our world needs believers to walk through life as examples of “Giving People” who share the gospel message of Jesus and His love for all of us.

— Lt. Colonel / Tte. Coronel Donald W. Lance Secretary for Business Administration Secretario de Administración de Negocios

Personas Dadivosas

“ Así es lo mucho que Dios amó al mundo: Dio a su Hijo, a su único Hijo. Y lo hizo por esta razón: para que nadie tenga que ser destruido; al creer en Él, cualquier persona puede llegar a tener una vida íntegra y duradera. Dios no se molestó en enviar a su Hijo sólo para que mostrase un dedo acusador ni para que dijese lo malo que es el mundo. Él vino para ayudar, para poner en orden al mundo”.

—JUAN 3:16-17 (TRADUCCIÓN LIBRE DE LA VERSIÓN EN INGLÉS THE MESSAGE.)

¿En qué se te ocurre pensar cuando oyes la frase “Personas dadivosas”? Quizás pienses en algo así como lo que sigue: LOS DONANTES, que dan de sus recursos financieros.

LOS VOLUNTARIOS, que dan de su tiempo.

LOS SOLDADOS, que dan sus vidas por nuestra libertad.

LOS MAESTROS, que dan su conocimiento a los demás.

En realidad, hemos sido influenciados por personas dadivosas: tanto nuestros padres como nuestros maestros y pastores han dado de sí como ejemplos de la manera en que Dios quiere que sea el mundo.

En Juan 3:16-17, se nos recuerda que el mayor don fue el que Dios hizo de su Hijo, que dio Su vida por el perdón de nuestros pecados.

En el mundo de hoy, se pone demasiado énfasis en el “yo” y en “mis necesidades”. A medida que avanzamos en nuestra vida, debemos enfocarnos en hacer de nuestro rincón del mundo un lugar mejor. Vemos demasiados problemas a nuestro alrededor. Nuestro mundo necesita creyentes que avancen por la vida como ejemplos de “personas dadivosas” que comparten el mensaje del evangelio sobre Jesús y Su amor por todos nosotros.

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2017 NOVEMBER

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An onslaught of hurricanes ravished parts of the United States this year; Harvey in Texas, Irma in Florida, and Maria, which has caused extensive damage to the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

The Salvation Army has been hard at work, providing food, shelter, and hope. As a furious hurricane season continues, more devastated areas will need the Army’s ongoing help.

the camer as are gone, but the army remains.

DONATE NOW

to The Salvation Army relief effort

$10 feeds a disaster survivor for one day. $30 provides a box of staple food to feed a family of four. $500 keeps a Salvation Army mobile kitchen operational for a day.

The Salvation Army does not place an administrative fee on donations for disaster relief efforts. 100 % of gifts will be used in disaster relief support.

Vol. 3, No. 9

CONTENTS NOVEMBER 2017

IN focus

8

1 our leaders 4 from the editor 6 ethically speaking SPECIAL SECTION

ON veterans

8 Meeting the

Needs of Veterans How can the Army help veterans return to civilian life?

10 A Life of Service

Robert Rightmire’s service for the Coast Guard led to his service for The Salvation Army.

12

5

features

ON file

5 relevents Lt. Esther Cherubin talks about the book of Ezekiel and the power of ‘Kingdom Economics.’

12 It’s About Others!

Founder William Booth’s “Others” telegram has inspired millions, including Brad McCurtain. He owns the Others! cafe.

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15 Give Thanks …

30 wholly living

A Bible verse for every day of November—to keep you thankful!

This Christmas, be the gift, partner with other givers, and deliver God’s love—personally.

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FAITH in ACTION

Tanya Cameron, who leads the Bridging the Gap program in Lowell, Mass., wanted to be a mother. Today, she is ‘Mom’ to more kids than she ever imagined.

25 LEAD

When kneeling in prayer, a moment of conviction can be powerful, but we need to carry it through into our everyday lives.

26 The Lord’s Work

19 ‘Mom’

25

Nereus Mogaria answered the call from God to physically heal hearts.

22 Will Power

The Salvation Army’s financial donors care deeply about people and they’ve shown it by remembering the Army in their wills.

Cover: iStock

28 The Cursebreakers After beating addiction, Osvaldo and Iliana Rivera began a life together.

Para leer más artículos en español por favor visite

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SACONNECTS.ORG/ENESPANOL

2017 NOVEMBER

3

IN focus

from the editor

letters from you Praise for ‘Senior Moments: A New Generation of Retirees’

Seeing Clearly

SACONNECTS, October 2017

Ver con Claridad “We must be open to change that will draw people to the Kingdom.”

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—MAJOR BETTY SHARP

— Commissioner William A. Bamford Territorial Commander

“Debemos ser receptivos a los cambios que atraerán a las personas al Reino.”

The year 2018 is almost upon us and we’re excited about what’s in store for you in SAconnects magazine.

Starting next month, our ongoing coverage of the territory’s new “20/20 Vision” will help bring your Christian lifestyle into crystal–clear focus.

Our involvement will take on a three– pronged approach that will introduce you to a diverse group of new writers.

1. “Vision Champions” interviews will offer the ideas and perspectives of selected officers and lay leaders. They’ll share best practices, show how they worked, and explain how you can use them.

2. “Vision Perspectives,” formerly our “Leader Letter,” will share viewpoints from contributors who will emphasize, for example, ministry to youth and to young adults. The writers will cast a vision for the integration of Adult Rehabilitation Centers and corps ministries. Representation will also come from the College for Officer Training and Territorial Headquarters. Of course, cabinet members will continue to contribute.

3. “20/20 Vision Highlights” will bring you periodic updates on soldier enrollments and on other ministry milestones.

Thanks in advance for your prayers.

See you next month!

— Comisionado William A. Bamford Comandante Territorial

— Warren L. Maye Editor in Chief / Editor en Jefe

NOVEMBER 2017

THANK YOU! I got SAconnects magazine today. I didn’t believe my eyes, something dedicated to seniors! During my days at Territorial Headquarters, I JUST LOVED WHAT I WAS DOING (for seniors).

El año 2018 está a la vuelta de la esquina y estamos emocionados por todo lo que le espera como lector de la revista SAconnects.

A partir del próximo mes nuestra cobertura continua de la nueva “Visión 20/20” del Territorio, ayudará a darle una claridad ideal a su estilo de vida cristiano.

Nuestra participación seguirá una estrategia en tres aspectos, en cada uno de los cuales podrá conocer a un grupo muy diverso de escritores.

1. Las entrevistas a los “Campeones de la visión” presentarán las ideas y perspectivas de oficiales y líderes laicos selectos. Ellos compartirán sus prácticas más exitosas, mostrarán cómo han funcionado y explicarán cómo hacer uso de ellas.

2. En “Perspectivas de la visión”, conocida hasta ahora como la “Carta del líder”, compartiremos los puntos de vista de nuevos colaboradores que enfatizarán, por ejemplo, el ministerio entre los jóvenes y entre los adultos jóvenes. Estos escritores ofrecerán una visión de la integración de los Centros de Rehabilitación para Adultos y los ministerios del Cuerpo. También contribuirán los integrantes de la Escuela de Entrenamiento para Oficiales y del Cuartel Territorial. Por supuesto, los miembros del gabinete también seguirán aportando sus comentarios.

3. “Primicias de la Visión 20/20” le brindará actualizaciones periódicas sobre los enrolamientos de soldados y otros logros significativos de nuestros ministerios.

Gracias de antemano por sus oraciones. ¡Nos vemos el próximo mes!

I loved the cover of this month’s issue!

—JEAN SPOONER CARR

¡Triunfarán! wins Latino book award!

¡Triunfarán! has won first place in the “Best Religious Book” category of the 2017 International Latino Book Awards Competition held September 9 at California State University, Dominguez Hill.

Kirk Whisler of Latino Literacy Now said, “Congratulations for your achievement and your involvement.

Thanks for making a difference in Latino publishing.

“The number of books written annually by Latinos in the United States has grown from less than 300 in 1980, to a few thousand in 1997, to between 25–30,000 a year. So there’s been a tremendous evolution going on,” said Whisler. “Since 1998, we’ve honored 2,404 authors from all over the world.”

Major Linda Payton and Victoria (Viki) Payton accept the award for Colonel Frank Payton, their father and author of ¡Triunfarán!: The Hispanic Ministry of The Salvation Army.

relevents

ON file

interview by Hugo Bravo

Lieutenant Esther Cherubin, corps officer at The Salvation Army Riverhead Corps in Riverhead, N.Y., talks about vocation ministry in Haiti, what waiting for an amusement park ride taught her about corps leadership, and what she gains when she gives.

In Ezekiel 34, God rebukes the “shepherds” (leaders) of Israel for neglecting their “flock” (the people). He scolds these leaders for taking care of only themselves. They did not properly nourish their flock, help the weak, bandage the injured, or look for the strays that had wandered off, leaving them to become food for wild animals. This is a step–by–step lesson for what we, as Salvationists, need to do for God’s flock. We must feed the people, clothe them, strengthen them, bandage them, seek the lost, and help save them. As people continue to suffer due to devastating natural disasters, we must bring salvation to them, both spiritually and physically. That’s what God is telling us to do.

Leaders Make the Future by Bob Johanssen is a book I read during my graduate program. As a lieutenant, I’ve gone back to it for leadership inspiration. One of the chapters titled “Dilemma Flipping,” talks about turning problems into exciting opportunities. Johanssen uses a metaphor of being an amusement park owner dealing with long lines at his rides. If your ride is a success, I led a team to Haiti that, for almost two months, visited Salvation Army locations on those lines are unavoidable, writes the island. Corps life there is connected to the people. The Army’s compound has everyJohanssen. But a smart owner thing needed for the community. In some towns, corps serve as schools for children. At will flip that dilemma by creating one corps, the front doors open like a storefront. Officers provide goods for anyone who diversions, such as playing music, needs them. One of the ministries that really excited me trained Salvationists in carpentry displaying video monitors that and other vocations. They take classes, graduate, and acquire skills that go a long way in a show the ride in motion, and posicountry like Haiti. They do work that I would expect the government to do. But, no need to tioning fans so people can cool hire contractors for these jobs—the Army is doing it, in Jesus’ name. off as they wait. His ideas make the line bearable, and people return for a second ride. Changing negatives into positives is a crucial skill for a corps officer. I pay Giving is the ultimate standard of goodness. To give attention to the difficult aspects of running a corps and find ways is the action that comes from love. Giving is the basis of John to be more thoughtful and considerate to people I am serving.

3:16. God gave us His only Son to save us from our sins. I can always find something of myself to give to others. Whether it be my time, my attention, my talents, or my resources, there is always a sense of freedom in giving. It’s incorrect I just picked up my trombone again after having played it to think that, if I’m giving something, I must be losing and from age 11 to 18. When I went to college, I stopped practicing. But someone else is gaining. When I see it from the perspective while training to become an officer, I began again. I was surprised at of God’s Kingdom, I gain in blessings. It’s a kind of “Kingdom how much I remembered. I’m still working on my muscle memory. I economics.” When I give, I feel full with His love. hope that one day, I’ll use it in ministry and teach others how to play.

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2017 NOVEMBER

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IN focus

Ethically Speaking

by Colonel Richard Munn

the magazine

your connection to The Salvation Army

USA EASTERN TERRITORY

CELIBACY

TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioner William A. Bamford III Commissioner G. Lorraine Bamford

EL CELIBATO In a sex–saturated society, people who choose not to have sex are a distinct minority.

And yet, those who commit to chastity before marriage or lifelong celibacy as an expression of their Christian faith continue a rich and time–honored tradition in the Church, and should be valued as such in our midst.

GIFT Men and women who are celibate are part of God’s plan for His people.

Jesus references those who “renounce marriage for the kingdom of heaven” (Matt. 19), and Paul describes celibacy as a “gift” (1 Cor. 7).

“Some Christian adults are single because God has given them the gift of celibacy. By remaining single, they can better accomplish His will for their lives,” writes Peter Wagner.

INTIMACY It is generally accepted that we actually desire intimacy more than sex. And so, single persons are still able to experience intimate relationships with other people without any sexual overtones.

In a church culture where we tend to prioritize marriage and marginalize singles, we might reassert the truth that being celibate can be as nourishing and fulfilling as being in a married relationship.

SUBLIMATION Celibacy is a profound expression of faithful spirituality, one that can sublimate inbuilt human creativity in manifold ways. Henri Nouwen, John Stott, Mother Theresa, General Evangeline Booth, and many others stand as eloquent testimony to this truth.

We honor their witness.

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NOVEMBER 2017

CHIEF SECRETARY Colonel Kenneth O. Johnson, Jr.

En una sociedad saturada de sexualidad, las personas que eligen no tener sexo constituyen una minoría única.

Y, sin embargo, aquellos que se entregan a la castidad antes del matrimonio o bien a un celibato de toda la vida como expresión de su fe cristiana, continúan una rica y honorable tradición en la Iglesia que debe ser valorada.

UN DON Los hombres y las mujeres que son célibes forman parte del plan de Dios para Su pueblo.

Jesús se refiere a aquellos que han renunciado al matrimonio “por causa del reino de los cielos” (Mateo 19) y Pablo describe el celibato como un “don” (1 Corintios 7).

“Algunos cristianos adultos son solteros porque Dios les ha concedido el don del celibato. Al mantenerse solteros, pueden realizar con mayor dedicación la voluntad del Señor para sus vidas”, escribe Peter Wagner.

LA INTIMIDAD Muchos comparten la idea de que, en realidad, es más profundo nuestro deseo de intimidad que de tener relaciones sexuales. De modo que las personas solteras pueden experimentar y disfrutar de relaciones íntimas con otras personas sin ningún tipo de connotaciones sexuales.

En la cultura eclesial en que tendemos a dar prioridad al matrimonio y a marginar a las personas solteras, deberíamos reafirmar la verdad de que el ser célibe puede resultar tan enriquecedor y satisfactorio como el ser parte de una relación matrimonial.

LA SUBLIMACIÓN El celibato es una expresión profunda de la espiritualidad de la fe, una espiritualidad capaz de sublimar nuestra innata creatividad humana de innumerables maneras. Henri Nouwen, John Stott, la Madre Teresa, la Generala Evangeline Booth y muchos otros se yerguen como testimonios elocuentes de esta verdad.

Nosotros honramos sus testimonios.

COMMUNICATIONS SECRETARY Major Tonie Cameron EDITOR IN CHIEF Warren L. Maye MANAGING EDITOR Robert Mitchell EDITOR / HISPANIC CORRESPONDENT Hugo Bravo KOREAN EDITOR Lt. Colonel Chongwon D. Kim ART DIRECTOR Reginald Raines PUBLICATION MANAGING DESIGNER Lea La Notte Greene GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Keri Johnson, Karena Lin, Joe Marino STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ryan Love CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Brenda Lotz, Major Young Sung Kim CIRCULATION Doris Marasigan COMMAND NEWS CORRESPONDENTS PENDEL Major Kathryn A. Avery EMP Jaye C. Jones GNY Major Susan Wittenberg MASS Drew Forster NNE Cheryl Poulopoulos PR & VI Linette Luna SNE Laura Krueger WEPASA Captain Kimberly DeLong Territorial Music Liaison Derek Lance Territorial Youth Liaison Captain Gillian Rogers

THE 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.

SAconnects is published monthly by The Salvation Army USA’s Eastern Territory. Bulk rate is $12.00 per month for 25–100 copies.

Single subscriptions are available. Write to: SAconnects, The Salvation Army, 440 W. Nyack Rd., West Nyack, NY 10994–1739. Vol. 3, No. 9, November Issue 2017. Printed in USA. Postmaster: Send all address changes to: SAconnects, 440 West Nyack Rd., West Nyack, NY 10994–1739. SAconnects accepts advertising. Copyright © 2017

by The Salvation Army, USA Eastern Territory. Articles may be reprinted only with written permission. All scripture references are taken from the New International Version (NIV) unless indicated otherwise.

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SA mobilizes

In the wake of

DISASTER

by Warren L. Maye

“We have truly turned a corner to persevere and deliver hope and help to our neighbors in need,” said Michael Orfitelli, territorial coordinator of Emergency Disaster Services (EDS). “We are grateful for the continued generosity of our donors and partners. These gifts provide food, supplies, and emotional and spiritual care to those affected by the devastating weather events.”

Orfitelli alluded to the onslaught of hurricanes that have ravished the United States this year. So far: Harvey in Texas, Irma in Florida, and particularly Maria, which has caused extensive damage to the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. There are shortages in electrical power, clean water, food, and usable roads.

However, despite these scarcities, The Salvation Army continues to mobilize its personnel and equipment to these troubled areas. In the aftermath of disaster and behind the scenes, trained teams have reacted to these horrific events with a daily commitment to help first responders and survivors. The Army is making spiritual, emotional, and physical recovery happen.

PUERTO RICO Since Hurricane Maria made landfall, the Army has served over 1.2 million people. This is more than a third of the population on the island nation.

The Army continues to fight to meet the needs of San Juan, Loiza, Fajardo, Humacao, Guayama, Ponce, Arecibo, Mayagüez, Peñuelas, and Caguas.

Since the impact of Hurricane Irma, nearly 273,400 meals and snacks have been distributed to people in need.

You can help by making a financial donation today. helpsalvationarmy.org CALL 1-800-SAL-ARMY TEXT STORM to 51555

VIRGIN ISLANDS In St. Thomas, the Army has partnered with the Dutch Reformed Church to serve almost 72,000 meals and snacks, and deliver food, water, and supply boxes to the poorest communities on the island. These resources are delivered to nursing homes, one skilled care facility, and shelters of the American Red Cross and Catholic Charities. The Army is serving nearly 6,000 families daily.

On September 30th, The Salvation Army received four massive containers with 1,800 boxes of meals for distribution. These supplies have made it possible to serve 21,612 meals to 7,200 local survivors.

In partnership with My Brother’s Workshop, the Army has served nearly 18,000 lunches since Hurricane Irma.

The Salvation Army has distributed over 8,700 articles of clothing to individuals and families affected by Hurricane Maria.

In St. John, the Army is partnering with a local café to serve 1,200 families each day.

In St. Croix, the Army is serving

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nearly 1,000 families each day.

The Salvation Army is uniquely positioned to serve people affected by the storms, however long it takes, because the Army is there before, during, and after the cameras are gone. Beyond serving immediate physical needs, the Army meets the emotional and spiritual needs of people that are unique to catastrophic events.

Care is a keyword in such work. EDS personnel are keenly aware that tangible infrastructures are easier to rebuild than are feelings such as confidence, faith, hope, and trust. Those intangibles take decidedly more time to restore.

Wrote Sarah Weiss, territorial corporate and community relations manager, to Salvation Army personnel working behind the scenes, “Disasters, even in their darkest moments, never extinguish human kindness. Through our efforts, whether you’re in an office or on the ground, we are making a difference to ensure that kindness (and determination) produces food, shelter, and other basic essentials to support families and individuals whose need is most.”

2017 NOVEMBER

7

ON veterans

Meeting the needs of

Veterans Interview by Hugo Bravo

In August, The Salvation Army hosted its annual Veterans Appreciation and Open

Photo by Susan Magnano

House celebration at the Ladore Lodge and Conference Center in Waymart, Pa. The event included a prayer service dedicated to local veterans, a free BBQ, and a classic auto show. That day, Reverend Dale Pepper, a retired colonel and chaplain for the Army National Guard, and Fred B. Baker, commander of American Legion Post 154 in Montrose, Pa., shared their thoughts on the cost of combat, the virtues of faith, and the Salvation Army’s ministry to veterans.

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NOVEMBER 2017

“

In World War II, the average soldier in the Pacific saw about 40 days of combat. During Vietnam, thanks to the mobility of helicopters and new technology, the average soldier saw 240 days of combat.

That is why PTSD became so prevalent after Vietnam.

—Fred Baker

How is a veteran’s faith affected by combat?

Dale Pepper: Folks in war have certainly witnessed things that can challenge their beliefs. Some even begin to doubt that God is with them. But for the most part, I’ve noticed that veterans, especially those who have been on the frontlines of combat, return with their faith strengthened. Those who didn’t have faith before, begin a search for God. Time and time again, I’ve found the adage “there are no atheists in foxholes” proven true in my ministry. I have always been grateful to the Lord for giving me the opportunity to serve, first in the Army National Guard, and then as a chaplain. It has been my duty, but also a wonderful privilege and gift from Him. How receptive have veterans been to your ministry?

Pepper: Veterans who would not openly speak about their faith were thankful for a chaplain. I’d say 95 percent of everyone I ministered to, perhaps more, appreciated me being there for them. I considered what I did a ministry of presence. The veterans I helped knew that I was there for them spiritually and as a fellow vet. I knew the pain their bodies were feeling. I knew those hardships they were experiencing, because I had faced them too. I knew how their minds were processing the world, because I had processed it the same way.

How important are church organizations to veterans?

Pepper: We have always appreciated the support we get from religious organizations such as The Salvation Army.

When corps officers tell veterans they are praying for them, it means a lot.

Fred Baker: Churches, by nature, are helpful to veterans. There is nothing that means more to vets than to be shown appreciation for what they have done.

More people show this appreciation now. It’s much different from when I came back from Vietnam. But even in those divisive times, the Church was always welcoming. When I came back from the war, I received help from a counselor at a Catholic church in Pennsylvania. I am not a Catholic, but the counseling was offered to me and I took it, and I was grateful for it.

One of the more common struggles soldiers face when they return from war is Post–Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

What do you think would surprise most people about this illness?

Baker: That 30 percent of the population is predisposed to it. That means PTSD will be triggered in one of three people who suffer a traumatic experience, whether they serve or not.

In World War II, the average soldier in the Pacific saw about 40 days of combat. During Vietnam, thanks to the

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”

mobility of helicopters and new technology, the average soldier saw 240 days of combat. That is why PTSD became so prevalent after Vietnam.

After recruits do their first tour, a third of them show some form of PTSD. When you send these recruits on their 5th or 6th tour of Iraq or Afghanistan, it increases.

Every veteran will tell you, it affects us and the relationships we form in ways that you can’t imagine. It takes a long time to help someone with PTSD cope.

It’s a large reason why we lose 20 veterans to suicide every day. Sometimes when someone with PTSD can’t cope, they see ending their life as a release.

What can The Salvation Army do to help meet the needs of veterans today?

Baker: I have seen the wonderful work that The Salvation Army does with homeless people and with victims of addiction.

This type of focus and dedication could help veterans receive counseling and get acclimated into society, especially the young veterans. These are kids who go into the service right after high school, with no time to get a proper adult life experience. Then they return to civilian life with nothing, no safety net, and little or no people skills. Serving in the military requires training, but returning to civilian life requires special training too. One–on– one counseling or group therapy, done in the name of the Church, would be incredibly helpful to these vets.

2017 NOVEMBER

9

ON veterans

A Life of

Service

Interview by Hugo Bravo

Before he served the Lord in God’s

Photo by Hugo Bravo

Army, Commissioner Robert Rightmire proudly served his country in the U.S. Coast Guard aboard the USS Admiral Eberle during World War II. Rightmire, now retired, talks about his military service and how it helped guide his future in The Salvation Army.

Commissioner Robert Rightmire at his home in Whiting, N.J.

It started with a flood In 1937, I was 13 years old when the Ohio River overflowed, causing one of the worst floods in American history.

Although the area where I lived was spared, my family volunteered to help people affected. My mother and I went to help The Salvation Army.

Water filled the corps building, so the officers used a local elementary school for shelter and feeding. My mother supervised the school dining room. I remember walking around town with my wagon, going door to door to collect donations to take to the school.

I attended Army services, first at the elementary school, and then closer to my home at Cumminsville, Ohio. While in high school, I was accepted as an officer candidate. I was prepared to begin training right after graduation. But, I was drafted to fight in World War II before I could finish high school.

A Coast Guard musician I had a brother in the United States Air Force who was killed while returning to

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NOVEMBER 2017

England from a bombing raid. Another brother in the Navy, working on a submarine, survived the attack at Pearl Harbor. He recommended me for the Coast Guard, thinking it would keep me close to home. He could not have been more wrong.

I traveled the world aboard the USS Admiral Eberle, a transport ship carrying about 5,000 troops and 525 in the crew. I had a musician’s rank. Every day, I played the routine bugle calls.

When I wasn’t doing that, I volunteered with the officer chaplain, assisting him with jobs such as setting up the ship’s library and organizing worship services for the Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish soldiers. Many of them came to us for communion and weekly Bible study.

Memories aboard the Eberle I vividly remember one trip returning from the Philippines. We brought refugees from a Japanese prison camp. One of them was an Englishman whose wife had been killed by the Japanese. He traveled with his 12–year–old daughter,

until she took sick on the ship and died.

I performed the funeral ceremony. We gave the child a traditional burial at sea, as we would have given any soldier.

One cloudy Sunday morning, I preached to the troops. I retold the story of Noah and the Ark. As I spoke about God protecting us from storms in our own lives, the clouds opened, and a rainbow shined down on the deck where we gathered. More than a few jaws dropped when this happened.

When our ship crossed the equator, it was customary to hold a “King Neptune Celebration.” All men on board who had never crossed the equator before were considered “landlubbers.” They were rounded up and put through rigorous ordeals, including body painting. The celebration concluded by seating them on a ducking chair, and suddenly dumping them backwards into a water tank to swim their way out. Nobody ever singled me out as they did other men. But nonetheless, I volunteered to be thrown in the water. I thought it was better to do that than to be caught hiding from them!

Jesus speaks Twenty years later, I was a captain in The Salvation Army. While attending the International College for Officers in London in 1963, the General reflected on Jesus’ words, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” The General admonished delegates to listen to what Jesus wants to say to us. I thought, He is going to say something directly to me.

In London, I had become friendly with a British officer who was serving in Japan. Speaking to him reminded me of my wartime experiences.

Sailing back from Nagoya, Japan, where I had witnessed the utter destruction of the city and knew the effects of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, I heard General Douglas MacArthur, now supreme commander of Japan, speak from Tokyo and call for American missionaries to travel to Japan.

MacArthur explained that, with Emperor Hirohito defeated, Japan had lost the embodiment of its religion. The emperor himself was worshiped as a god, and his surrender left a vacuum of faith in the country. At the time, I had considered the idea of being a missionary to Japan. Years later at the International College for Officers, I wondered if I was wrong to pass up that mission. Now, Jesus was speaking to me and guiding my future in the Army.

Japan In August 1964, my wife Katherine,* our children Evelyn and David, and I arrived in Yokohama for the first of three assignments in Japan. We were appointed as assistant divisional leaders in Western Japan, and were kept busy while learning the language and culture.

We worked with translators, but I gradually picked up the language well enough to do services, such as weddings. We also fed homeless people, especially in the winter months and at

night. The Army would set up canteens at train stations, department stores, and anywhere there was a steam vent.

That’s where we found people looking for warmth and for food.

During our final appointment in Japan as territorial leaders, I met Pope John Paul II. Up until then, no Salvation Army leader had met with him. In our personal conversation, he wanted to know about the Army’s work in Japan.

South Africa Another memorable appointment was during my time as chief secretary in South Africa. I was there during the Soweto uprising of the late 1970s. This was a time of institutionalized racial segregation in the country. Government law dictated the separation of blacks from whites. Apartheid was a way of life. The Salvation Army had no choice but to go along with the system in place.

We had a training college for white cadets and another one for black cadets. However, when the Army planned special events with territorial leaders, cadets, both black and white, gathered in the white training college.

My family lived in Johannesburg and hosted black residents from then– Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) who worked at the headquarters. We would invite them for dinner. At night, I would drive them back to their home in Soweto.

This was an illegal act; a white person was not allowed in Soweto after sundown. I could have been arrested for doing this for our friends, but I took the chance. They lived in the Army School and Training College compound that was dark and completely without electricity. Later, I was successful in appealing to the USA Eastern Territory to provide electricity for the compound.

Korea Taking command of the vibrant Korea Territory, we found ourselves deeply

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involved in aggressive evangelism, fervent prayer meetings, and rapid corps growth. We opened a new corps almost monthly. A large officers’ training college campus was built to accommodate the number of cadets. We were privileged to participate in the exciting 100th anniversary celebrations of the Protestant Church in Korea with a rally of one million Christians! The Salvation Army had strong ties with the U.S. Army base in Seoul. We made trips to the dangerous DMZ to see our brave U.S. and Korean soldiers stationed there. As territorial commander, I served on the USO board of directors serving our military forces in Korea.

Our last appointment as active officers was as leaders of the impressive USA Central Territory, known as “The Army’s best kept secret.” We witnessed there the dedicated and quality service of Salvationists. During our tenure, we also opened new corps. Ironically, one was the large Chicago Korean Corps (Mayfair Community Church).

A blessed life The Salvation Army itself was active in helping the military back home. I remember the Army taking over a mansion on Fifth Avenue in New York City to host servicemen needing a place to stay.

When the Eberle docked on the West Coast, I visited corps in coastal cities. I also brought with me some of my shipmates to the corps; they were always welcomed. There was always someone to invite us to their home for dinner, and to tell us that we were in their prayers.

Through my time in the military, I was able to fellowship with Salvationists all over the world. Best of all, I met the love of my life, my wife Katherine, with whom I have shared life and service for the past 70–plus years. * Commissioner Katherine R. Rightmire was promoted to Glory on June 30, 2017.

2017 NOVEMBER

11

It’s about OTHERS!

by Robert Mitchell

B

rad McCurtain’s goal was to make $1 million before age 35. The Portland, Maine, stockbroker reached that goal a year early, but it didn’t bring him fulfillment.

“For a lot of people, money becomes addictive,” McCurtain said. “The more they get, the more they want. For me, that wasn’t the case. I kind of felt like a sailboat with no wind, with the sail kind of flopping back and forth because I hadn’t set another goal.”

The newly–minted millionaire didn’t know it at the time, but his life was about to change.

McCurtain would watch political shows on Sunday morning television. One day, and without really thinking about it, he stuck around to watch Robert Schuller’s “Hour of Power.”

“He always seemed to have these incredible guests on there—CEOs of corporations and athletes. The common denominator was people’s faith,” McCurtain said.

McCurtain had already been a member of The Salvation Army’s advisory board in Portland for 15 years, but he had never heard the story of Founder William Booth’s “Others” telegram.

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NOVEMBER 2017

Brad McCurtain makes coffee for his patrons at the Others! café in Portland, Maine.

NEW PERSPECTIVE

That morning, Schuller’s guest was then–General Eva Burrows. She told how Booth, on Christmas Eve in 1910, sent a telegram to The Salvation Army’s annual convention.

Short on funds, Booth sent a message with only one word, Others.

“Hearing that story just transformed my life,” McCurtain said. “I said, ‘Wow!’ I started thinking about things from the inside out instead of me, me, me. It really got me thinking about materialism.”

Today, McCurtain owns and operates the popular Others! café in the heart of downtown Portland, the go–to place for coffee and gelato. Over the years, he has donated the proceeds from the café to various charities.

“I’ve given it all away,” McCurtain said. “It’s more of a mission than it is anything else.”

McCurtain made his money running Maine Securities Corporation, a securities brokerage firm on the second floor of the same building as Others!

He opened the café in 2005, but before he gave it a name, he wanted to get the blessing of his friends Commissioners Carol and Todd Bassett, who were then the national leaders of The Salvation Army.

THE PERFECT NAME

“I told them I really wanted to focus on what a business could do for good—not on how much it could earn. The name ‘Others’ seemed so appropriate,” McCurtain said.

Todd Bassett’s response was that he was retiring soon to nearby Old Orchard Beach, Maine, and might come in and help McCurtain scoop gelato. The Bassetts loved the name “Others,” so it stuck.

Each day, a steady stream of customers file into the cozy café, which features comfortable chairs and plenty of SAconnects magazines for people to read as they sip coffee.

Each customer helps McCurtain pick a charity through something he calls “Ballots to Change the World.”

“You can nominate your favorite non profit and at the end of each quarter, whoever is the most popular, that’s where we

send checks,” he said. “We’re a low–profit, Limited Liability Company. You can make a profit, but it has to be secondary to doing some good. What Others! has earned in profits over the years, I have given away.”

Some of the recent winners were organizations dedicated to health, youth, and the immigrant community. The sign outside the café reads: “Others! Changing the world through coffee … one cup at a time.”

TOP TO BOTTOM

McCurtain, who declined to say how much he has given away over the years, can often be found working in the café—and sometimes behind the counter. When asked why he does it, McCurtain has a quick answer.

“There’s only one answer to what gives me the heart to do this and that’s God,” McCurtain says. “I’m trying to glorify God. I’m very fortunate. God has blessed me richly.

“What I have, I owe to God. There’s absolutely no question about it. God and my faith in Jesus Christ are what have gotten me to where I am today.”

Even as a kid, McCurtain had a fascination with wealth.

He got out of banking at age 24 and into stock brokerage.

However, twice in his life he went from being a millionaire to having a “negative net worth.”

“It was because when I met that goal of making a million dollars, my motivation to keep earning money kind of went away,” he said. “I don’t really know how I would have gotten through the low points without my faith.”

BIG DREAMS

McCurtain’s passion these days is trying to develop a fair trade, Salvation Army–brand coffee. Since 2009, he has traveled at his own expense to the coffee lands in Central America and Africa to learn more about fair trade coffee, which he serves at Others!

“This fair trade business is wonderful,” McCurtain said.

“It’s just people working hard, but they’re raising a commodity and the price of that commodity is beyond their control.

“All we’re doing with fair trade is agreeing to pay a fair price for the work that they do. What we’re agreeing to do is pay a fair price for the coffee to the growers.”

McCurtain has met with coffee growers and processors in Kenya and believes developing a fair trade, organic coffee with The Salvation Army brand would help everyone.

“That has become my mission and what keeps me up at night, in a good sense, and gets me out of bed in the morning—thinking about the wonderful Africans and how well they treat me as a friend and guest and how I can help them. For many of them, I’m the only friend they have in the Western world.” McCurtain said.

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“

Others! Changing the

world through coffee

”

... one cup at a time.

NOT A QUITTER

While the road has been frustrating with a host of complex issues, he remains optimistic.

“I haven’t given up,” McCurtain said. “My goal is to someday see free trade, organic, Salvation Army coffee. I know this project has taken a long time, but I haven’t lost my faith in it.

“Hopefully, The Salvation Army will be able to sell it someday and people will be interested in buying it because it’s great coffee with The Salvation Army brand that stands for something, and people will know and value that coffee.”

Since 1979, McCurtain has learned those values while serving on the advisory board in Portland. His grandfather, Christian Olesen, Jr., had been on the advisory board before him.

“If I wasn’t on the advisory board, I’m not sure what my life would be like,” McCurtain said. “The Salvation Army is my family.”

Brad McCurtain stands outside his café, where the profits all go to charity.

MORE GIVING

McCurtain, who is single and never married, has lost his parents and most of his family. He had spent the last several holidays with a fellow advisory member, Stephen Woodberry, who died last year.

Several years before joining his advisory board friend, McCurtain would cook at the Portland Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“There are always one or two people at the ARC who are by themselves,” he said. “What I like to do is find the people who are alone, sit with them, and see if I can engage them in conversation. You hear some pretty interesting stories.”

McCurtain has hired several ARC grads to work at the café. He also has another unique hiring practice.

“In my 12 years here, everybody I’ve hired has come to me unemployed,” he said. “I’ve never hired anyone who already had a job and was looking for a new one. A lot of the people I’ve hired have come from recovery or are single moms. I try to find people to employ who are struggling in life.”

QUIET WITNESS

For several years, McCurtain opened Others! on Christmas morning—and offered everything for free. He is trying to get another Christmas dinner going at the Portland Corps.

“I would come in on Christmas mornings to cook for the ARC and I would see people outside on the benches by themselves. I didn’t think anyone should be alone on Christmas Day,” McCurtain said.

When people come to the counter to pay, McCurtain

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responds simply, “Merry Christmas.”

“It’s kind of an interesting way to spread the Christmas message,” McCurtain said. “Sometimes you can reach people for God and Jesus by being subtle.”

The man who once set a goal of making $1 million now gives away $1–million dollar bills to his customers. They’re actually tracts from a local church, but they are eye–catching.

McCurtain said of the tracts, “They probably generate more attention than anything we have in here. It’s amazing how many people read them and take them home.

HIS PURPOSE

“This is my mission. I don’t know that I want to keep operating this coffeehouse forever, but I like doing it now, and I like the people coming in. When there’s an opportunity to say ‘God bless,’ I do. In the future, I hope to spend more time in the coffeelands and working for fair trade coffee.”

McCurtain gets up at 5:30 a.m. and rides the bus most days so he can get work done during the hour–long commute.

“I’m here because I want to be here,” he said. “I don’t know how many more years God will give me. None of us do. But with a normal life expectancy, I should have another 20 years or so. Those years are really dedicated to working with The Salvation Army on this free trade coffee.

“That’s really why I feel God has put me here.”

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

—2 C O R I N T H I A N S 9 :1 5

2

—PHILIPPIANS 4:6

13

—J O H N 6 :1 1

12

“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.”

I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people.

— R E V E L AT I O N 1 1 :1 7

—1 T I M O T H Y 2 :1

—EPHESIANS 5:20

16

All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God. —2 C O R I N T H I A N S 4 :1 5

17

—2 C O R I N T H I A N S 2 :1 4

14

Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish.

—ROMANS 1:21

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

15

4

3

1

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

18

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

— C O L O S S I A N S 3 :1 7

—1 T H E S S A L O N I A N S 5 :1 8

7

5

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people, I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.

6

— E P H E S I A N S 1 :1 5 -1 6

11

I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers.

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—J E R E M I A H 3 0 :1 9

9

20

21 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

— C O L O S S I A N S 3 :1 5

22

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

23

—J A M E S 1 :1 7

— P S A L M 9 5 : 2 -3

—PSALM 100:4

25

Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.

— P S A L M 1 0 6 :1

— R O M A N S 6 :1 7

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

—COLOSSIANS 4:2

24 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, “Salvation comes from the LORD.” —J O N A H 2 : 9

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28

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever!

— P S A L M 1 07:1

Thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service.

—1 T I M O T H Y 1 :1 2

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

—1 C O R I N T H I A N S 1 5 : 5 7

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Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.

But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance.

— P S A L M 3 0 :1 2

—1 T I M O T H Y 4 : 4- 5

27

26

That my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. LORD my God, I will praise you forever.

—ISAIAH 12:4

8

From them will come songs of thanksgiving and the sound of rejoicing.

I will add to their numbers, and they will not be decreased; I will bring them honor, and they will not be disdained.”

—1 C H R O N I C L E S 2 9 :1 3

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

—PHILEMON 1:4

10

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

In that day you will say: “Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.”

— H E B R E W S 1 2 : 2 8 -2 9

NOVEMBER 2017 SACONNECTS the magazine

I preached on the righteousness of the law and the righteousness of faith. While I was speaking, several dropped down as dead and among the rest such a cry was heard of sinners groaning for the righteousness of faith that it almost drowned my voice. But many of these soon lifted up their heads with joy and broke out into thanksgiving, being assured they now had the desire of their soul—the forgiveness of their sins.

—J O H N W E S L E Y

SEVeN THINGS yoU CaN do THIS THANKSGIVING

INVITE someone to dinner.

Check on elderly and shut-in people in your neighborhood.

VOLUNTEER at your

local soup kitchen or Salvation Army corps.

Thank God for how

people are coming together to help each other during the disasters that have been so devastating in our country.

WRITE A LETTER to a veteran or

someone in the military thanking them for their service, or a letter to your children, parents, teachers, coaches or a friend thanking them for their presence in your life.

You also could encourage first responders, firemen, police, volunteers, and Salvation Army EDS teams with a card or a letter.

DONATE a turkey.

Thank God for His gift of salvation through Jesus’ sacrifice and the gift of His Holy Spirit.

‘ Mom’

by Robert Mitchell

Tanya Cameron plays Jenga with kids at the corps.

A

s a young married woman, Tanya Cameron had suffered two miscarriages and wondered if she would ever be a mother.

Today, Cameron has two children of her own and recently became a foster parent. She also is the director of the Bridging the Gap (BTG) program at the Salvation Army Corps in Lowell, Mass., where she counsels and helps at–risk youth who consider her a mother.

“To have kids in my life who call me ‘Mom,’ who aren’t even mine, or who say ‘you are my second mom’ to me—that is a gift like no other.

Some days, it’s just kind of overwhelming,” Cameron says through tears.

“It’s amazing that God would think enough of me to let me be the tool to work in their lives. To think that my mess and my brokenness can help somebody not be so messy or so broken, it’s just indescribable. Some days, I still don’t feel I’m worthy.”

Cameron has overcome years of adversity—and she uses her personal experiences to help others. As a child of U.S. Air Force personnel, she

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2017 NOVEMBER

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dropped out of high school when her parents divorced.

“At that time, I became extremely angry and started to rebel and kind of do my own thing,” she said. “I started hanging out with the wrong crowd and making bad choices.”

MOTHERHOOD CALLS

Cameron later earned a GED and found success in the working world. She moved quickly through the ranks at Olive Garden, where she started as a waitress. She was promoted to management and traveled the Northeast, training staff and opening restaurants.

Her career was going well, but what Cameron really wanted was to be a mother. She had suffered a few miscarriages, so she quit working to concentrate on having a family.

Two daughters, Alivia and Savannah, soon followed.

However, Cameron’s happy life was interrupted by several horrific episodes of domestic violence, including one that left her with a double–fractured eye socket. She ended up in a safe house and later in Lowell, Mass., through a domestic violence program.

Cameron moved to Lowell not knowing anyone in the entire city. Her daughters were only 5 and 3 years old.

“I was broken and lost,” she recalls.

LONG HEALING

For two or three months, she rarely left the house.

“But I felt something calling me and I knew I wanted to go back to church,” Cameron said.

With so many churches to choose from, Cameron didn’t know where to turn. Her caseworker told her about another client who attended The Salvation Army. Cameron, who didn’t have a car, waited two months to call. When she did, she learned that the Army provided transportation.

“For a while, I was going sporadically, but the girls were going every week because the bus was picking them up and bringing them home,” Cameron said. “They loved it and would come home and talk about it.”

Cameron was diagnosed with post–traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). When she did attend church, she was there only physically.

“A lot of times I would come here and just sit,” she said. “I can’t tell you I remember a whole lot from that beginning. It was a safe place for me where the kids could go to the nursery and I had an hour to myself.”

amazing things with my kids that I felt I couldn’t do.”

The corps supported Cameron as she earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in Lowell (UMass–Lowell). She wanted to go back to work, but found it hard with two youngsters. Then someone mentioned using her restaurant experience. During the summer of 2013, Cameron took a job as an assistant cook, somewhat reluctantly, at Camp Wonderland.

“I was miserable,” she said. “I hated it. But during that time, I also knew that God was trying to talk to me, but I wasn’t ready to hear. I think a lot of that was the struggle of just not being ready to receive what God was trying to give.”

The next summer, Cameron went back. In 2015, as she prepared for a third tour of duty, someone asked her to be the head cook. She didn’t think she was “worthy” or “good enough,” but the camp staff persuaded her.

IT ALL CLICKS

“They believed in me, and loved me, and I finally said, ‘yes,’” Cameron said. “That year was the big turnaround for me. I took that time while I was working in the kitchen and at camp to listen to what God had for me and for my life.

“I also had begun to see the ministry of the kitchen.”

No one had ever told her about the “soup, soap, and salvation” philosophy of William Booth. Once she heard the story, Cameron realized she was doing more than cooking food. She passed that idea on to the staff—as they toiled in 100–degree heat.

“I started working on them, telling them we’re a family and we need each other,” she said. “I told them we need to feed the kids’ bellies in order for their hearts to be fed.”

During that summer, Cameron strengthened her prayer life, Bible reading, and quiet time.

“I opened my heart to God. I took that summer to silence myself and just listen. I have found so much peace in walking with God,” she said.

Moth FINDING HERSELF

“One of the things that kept me coming back was that continual love. It was consistent. It was judgment–free. No matter how broken I felt, nobody judged me. They loved me the same every day. My girls absolutely loved it here, and they did

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BEING THERE

“I don’t know why I kept going back to camp. Looking on it now, I feel it was the pull of God and the Holy Spirit.

Something in me knew that was where I was supposed to be.”

Cameron soon earned a master’s degree from UMass– Lowell in community social psychology, even with her children often in tow. She also worked with homeless people while earning her degree. She didn’t go to her graduation, but spent the day cooking at camp.

“I was where I needed to be that day,” Cameron says. “It was a big year of transitioning.”

In late 2015, Cameron heard that the corps might get funded for BTG. She applied and was hired March 1, 2016.

mom

“

I love the youth.

It seems like a cliché, but they are our future. I look at the youth in our church and think, they’re going to be making the changes in our community.

”

her’ “I love the youth,” she said. “It seems like a cliché, but they are our future. I look at the youth in our church and think, they’re going to be making the changes in our community.”

Cameron sees a lot of herself in the young people she counsels.

“A lot of the challenges my kids face, I’ve kind of gone through myself,” she said. “I try to work with them and talk to them about what’s truly important. That’s the love of God and how God loves us and how we should love others. That’s what Jesus tells us to do.”

SHOWING UP

As an advocate, she attends court hearings and school meetings.

“Even if it’s just my presence, even if the judge or the lawyer don’t want to talk to me, the kid knows that I’m always going to be there,” she said. “What you find is, many of these kids have had adults, even their own parents, who have failed them. I try to be the one consistent person in their life who they can count on.”

While Cameron isn’t allowed to talk about faith issues at BTG meetings, she lets everyone know about the Friday night youth group at the corps, led by Josh Henry, ministries coordinator.

Recently, five of her BTG youth attended a weekend retreat.

Cameron said one of her recent BTG grads didn’t want to attend at first. He would sit in silence and ignore everyone, but he eventually came around. Cameron later got a card from the boy’s mother. It read, “Thank you for believing in him when no one else would.”

“It’s one thing when I see the change in them, but when the family around them sees the changes, it’s amazing and encouraging and leaves me speechless,” Cameron said.

ROLLING UP HER SLEEVES

“I see a lot of generational brokenness within families. I try to break the cycle for the kids who come into my life. I tell them, ‘Life doesn’t have to be like that.’”

Cameron likes to lead by example. She was a Sunbeam leader for four years, serves on the EDS truck, and volunteers to cook for many of the potlucks at the corps. She wants to show her daughters, who are now 16 and 14, the love of Christ.

“I want to show them that you always have to give back,” Cameron said. “When we help the homeless, I tell my kids, ‘The homeless are worthy of God’s love the same way we’re worthy of God’s love.’ How do we look if we take God’s love, but we don’t give it back?”

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2017 NOVEMBER

21

Will

POWER

by Warren L. Maye

“ Some men’s ambition is art.

Some men’s ambition is fame.

Some men’s ambition is gold.

My ambition is the souls of men.”

— William Booth—

T

he Salvation Army’s financial donors are an eclectic and visionary group. Among their many thousands throughout the United States are retirees, business men and women, military veterans, homemakers, celebrities, and more. They come from every demographic and walk of life.

Before communities are ravished by floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or terrorist attacks, these visionaries have already committed themselves to helping facilitate positive outcomes— even if these events happen long after the end of their lives.

For instance, one married couple are retired missionaries.

Another gentleman is a historian. Another giver is a decorated military veteran. Still another veteran’s first encounter with The Salvation Army happened decades ago while he received free coffee and doughnuts on the battlefield.

Although their backgrounds are varied, they have one important characteristic in common—they care deeply about the welfare of other people and they’ve shown it by remembering The Salvation Army in their wills.

As missionaries, Ted and Patricia typically had little money.

During the course of their 50–year marriage, they learned to work and to minister effectively as a team. One day, after retiring from missionary service, they received a significant inheritance.

The money dramatically improved their financial status.

But even before the windfall, they had received an intangible blessing from The Salvation Army. “We were the beneficiaries of the Salvation Army’s service and goodness,” said Ted. Energetic and younger than their years, they both do a wonderful job of talking about the need that exists in the world today and why people should help. “The Salvation

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Army helped us write our wills in the precise language needed so that our wishes will be carried out,” said Ted. As a bright, straightforward man who tells it like it is, William is a historian and owns cattle as well as a few construction companies. Also a war veteran, William remembers, “While in the service, The Salvation Army treated me and my fellow soldiers with kindness. The Army gave without wanting anything back,” he said.

Today, William is leaving everything, including his business assets, to The Salvation Army.

Jimmie is also a military veteran who received a Purple Heart for his service as a bomb disposal technician. He performed some of the most harrowing, dangerous work in order to keep people out of harm’s way.

Inspecting, deactivating, and safely removing such devices was intensely stressful, to say the least. As a result, Jimmie ended up with an alcohol problem.

But it was The Salvation Army that got him back on his feet and where he needed to be. Although Jimmie is a humble man, he is also rather guarded about opening his heart too much.

Nonetheless, deep in his soul, he has something powerful to say. Jimmie is leaving his and his mother’s estates to The Salvation Army. In doing so, he is allowing their contributions to speak for him.

As the wrath of Hurricane Irma passes, hope is on the horizon in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.

In 2016, charitable donations in the United States reached

$389 billion.

Energetic, and a great storyteller, John is a sparkplug of a guy.

Decades ago, this military veteran had his first encounter with The Salvation Army while drinking free coffee and snacking on doughnuts. “It was a cold, drizzly, miserable morning,” he recalls.

“There were hundreds of guys on the line, standing for hours.

Then comes The Salvation Army with coffee and doughnuts— for everybody. They never asked for a cent.” That’s why John now wants to give back to the Army. “The Salvation Army is my favorite charity,” he said. “I’m remembering them in my will.”

By the time Susan first connected with The Salvation Army, she had already done her homework on the organization. An independent, entrepreneurial woman, the foundation of her success had been built on hard work and pursuits

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72% INDIVIDUALS ($281.86 billion) 15% FOUNDATIONS ($58.28 billion) 8% BEQUESTS ($30.36 billion) 5% CORPORATIONS ($18.55 billion) The majority of charitable dollars went to 32% RELIGION

6% EDUCATION 1 12% HUMAN SERVICES 11% GRANT–MAKING FOUNDATIONS 9% HEALTH

2017 NOVEMBER

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that had given her a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment.

After the passing of her mother, and with no dependents to support, Susan realized it was time to update her estate plan. “It was an intense and difficult time,” she said. After much soul–searching and effort, Susan determined she’d leave her entire estate to charity. But to which charity, and why?

Susan said her first choice was The Salvation Army. While she’d never had any personal interaction with the Army’s work, she’d given to it financially for years through the annual Christmas kettle campaign. She had known a woman in her hometown who’d been personally helped by the Army. This knowledge, combined with her own research regarding the Army’s fiscal responsibility and efficiency, led Susan to decide it was time to contact her local corps.

Susan said that her frank, solicitation–free conversation with the director of planned giving significantly influenced her ultimate decision. When Susan asked about the Army’s immediate needs, she received her answer—direct from the “trenches.”

When Susan called the Salvation Army officer in her hometown, he bluntly shared with her the bottom line

‘Put me to work’

Jennifer Steinbrenner–Swindal donates a check for $250,000 to The Salvation Army. In doing so, she continues her father’s legacy of philanthropy to the Army’s ongoing effort to help people in the aftermath of natural disasters. “The destruction that was caused in the wake of Hurricane Irma will have a long–lasting effect on the lives of many,” Steinbrenner–Swindal said. “During times like these, it is important to offer support in whatever way possible, and our hearts go out to all those affected.” Twenty–five years ago, her father, the late George Steinbrenner, New York Yankees owner, rolled up his sleeves after Hurricane Andrew struck Florida. He showed up with three other men at the Army’s distribution center at the Tampa Bay Corps (he lived in Tampa) and said, “put me to work.” Steinbrenner helped load a tractor–trailer full of supplies and then drove it to the people of Homestead in South Florida.

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shortfall he was facing. That same day, in order for the corps to meet the increased demand from the community for help, Susan met the need—and then some.

“I believe in the biblical adage, ‘To whom much is given, much is required’ (Luke 12:48),” Susan said. She had built a career based on helping people. Although she recently sold her business as a financial planner, her policy remained that “the scale slides to zero” when her help is needed.

Children’s programs are near to Susan’s heart. Next summer, she hopes to volunteer at a Salvation Army camp.

When asked about the impact of her gift, Susan said, “I just hope that at least one life will be changed. I hope The Salvation Army will be able to identify a child on a difficult path, redirect him or her, and provide appropriate schooling and resources for a lifetime of opportunity and success.”

Susan decided not to put any restrictions on her gift, trusting the Army to “know better” than she at the time the gift is realized. She understands the importance of infrastructure and overhead, which is needed to serve as many people as possible.

Susan made The Salvation Army a significant beneficiary of her final estate. With the potential of important gifts like hers, the Army will be able to save many lost, lonely, or forgotten children.

“Growing up, my mother always told us to give to The Salvation Army,” recalls Nancy. “The reason for this was, when she was a little girl in 1917, her father died in the flu epidemic. This was around Christmastime. My grandmother was not the kind of lady who would ask for help. But that Christmas, she found on her doorstep a food basket and a toy for my mother, who was around 10. The family was very touched.”

Eventually, Nancy retired to live with her sister. As young retirees, they loved to travel and take trips to Hawaii, New England, and Nova Scotia. They also visited New York City to see Broadway plays and cruised the Mississippi River and the Alaska waterways.

Today, it is a little harder for them to get around, so they stay closer to home. But they remain attuned to the needs of other people.

“It is terrible,” Nancy said, “to see the numbers of people who don’t have enough food.” In response to that apparent need, Nancy and her sister have each left bequests to The Salvation Army in their wills.

“My sister and I have no other family,” Nancy said, “and friends whom we might have left money to are gone now. So we tried to think of organizations that do good for people.

The Salvation Army was one.

“We would like to know,” said Nancy, “that our gift will make it possible for people who need help, to get it.”

FAITH in ACTION

LEAD

BEYOND THE MERCY SEAT

by Isaiah Allen

Great things can happen at a mercy seat. For instance, in Schenectady, N.Y., my heart was flooded with God’s love as I knelt at one. I remember exactly where I was and exactly what text the preacher used (1 Corinthians 13). It was an unforgettable day when the Holy Spirit transformed my heart and my life.

Since then, I’ve never been the same.

Subsequently, I’ve made numerous trips to the mercy seat to “seal” one “deal” or another with God. At times, my commitment has come with a cost. For example, following a trip to the mercy seat where I pledged not to do business on Sunday, I was soon fired from a job that required my service on that day. How’s that for life–changing?

The Army’s International Spiritual Life Commission concluded that the mercy seat is where “we may experience a deep awareness of God’s abundant grace and claim His boundless salvation.” I will forever visit the mercy seat. I have gone there on behalf of my children, my friends, my family, and to seek God for concerns both large and small.

Aside from having a personal connection, the mercy seat also has a colorful and intriguing history within

A designated place of prayer in the front of a chapel, often a plain bench with a cushion for kneeling, also known as ‘the penitent form’ or ‘the altar.’

The Salvation Army and the American Evangelical tradition. But, what is its role in the formation of a Christian?

“The hope of the Army is in the penitent form. As soon as that goes out of use, we go out.” —General Albert Orsborn (Australian War Cry; Aug. 8, 1936) The essential virtues of the Christian faith are well known; love, peace, kindness, generosity, and more (Matthew 5:43–48; Luke 10:25–28; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22–23). Such virtues can only be properly expressed and proven within community. God’s goodness is always expressed toward others and among others, and to share in God’s nature (2 Peter 1:3–9) requires being good to people.

When kneeling in prayer, a moment of conviction and surrender can be powerful, but we need to carry it through into our everyday lives. Such deeper discipleship goes beyond the mercy seat and includes the community.

Living a fully Christian life means translating a moment between me and Jesus into a lifetime with others. For instance, without the challenge and support of a small group of Christian friends who are known to each other, our effort

to live a God–honoring life falters.

John Wesley famously said, “Christianity is essentially a social religion; and that to turn it into a solitary religion, is indeed to destroy it” (Upon Our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount: Discourse Four, Sermon 24). To continue growing, we must seek God in the most intimate and personal way.

Most Salvationists likely remember profound moments of surrender and devotion at the mercy seat.

Nevertheless, the full experience of Christian formation (deeper discipleship) includes life outside the sanctuary. This is where our relationships both test and fund our commitments. How are we seeking and ensuring those relationships in our lives?

WHAT CAN I DO? USE THE MERCY SEAT. It’s a place to

seek an active relationship with God. TELL TRUSTED FRIENDS about the

commitments you’ve made at the mercy seat, so they can support you.

AGREE WITH A HANDFUL of Christian

friends to meet regularly to help each other grow.

SUPPORT FRIENDS in their commit-

ments, but always keep confidences.

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Nereus Mogaria, who is now an accepted candidate for the Salvation Army College for Officer Training in 2018, says his roles as soldier and cardiac surgery physician assistant make him who he is. “Sometimes, I wear my soldier’s uniform to work.

I keep on the pants, shirt, and tie, but just switch into my white coat.”

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Photo by Ryan Love; composite by Ryan Love and Reginald Raines; background image (right) iStock

FAITH in ACTION

The Lord’s Work

by Nereus Mogaria

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart,

as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

— COLOSSIANS 3:23

Surgeons will tell you that after every medical procedure, they leave a piece of themselves in the operating room (OR). As a cardiac surgery physician assistant (PA) for Mt. Sinai St. Luke’s in New York, a major part of my job is to assist surgeons with the various cardiac cases, as well as harvesting veins from patients. This delicate procedure involves taking veins from a patient’s leg and arteries from their arm, so that a surgeon can use those veins during bypass surgery. When a patient has a blocked artery in his or her heart, doctors create a detour (bypass) around the blockage so blood can flow.

During my years of studying cardiac and neurosurgery, I enjoyed being involved in the process of helping to fix this crucial part of a person’s body.

I also saw a strong connection to the Lord in what I was doing because Jesus is a healer. However, years before Jesus cured a leper or gave a blind man his sight, He was a carpenter. He fixed objects that were broken.

So, to help repair someone’s heart is an opportunity given to me by God.

CALLING ON GOD When I’m harvesting a vein, I may run into problems, such as uncontrolled, unexpected bleeding. That’s when I ask God to show me what He sees. He reminds me to start again, begin a new cut, re–enter with the scope, and locate a healthy vein.

I have participated in bypass surgeries

that have lasted 6 to 8 hours. Some cardiac cases and emergencies can last 12 hours. Those are the times when I feel the weakest. But it is also when I realize that the doctors and I aren’t doing this alone. God is with us through every surgery. This is His work, not ours.

I sometimes meet patients who tightly clutch their Bibles before or after surgery, or see their loved ones openly recite prayers. When I realize they are believers, I talk to them. I let them know that I am also praying for them.

For example, we had a patient who was suffering from Rapid Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). Her heartbeat was faster than it should be. When I walked into her hospital room, I saw her daughter sitting next to her, softly chanting Jesus’ name, as in a hymn. When I began chanting His name along with her, her face lit up. That small gesture felt like a blessing to both of us.

When we finished our prayer, we talked about her mother’s health. I explained the procedure she would undergo. When we were done, I looked at the daughter, smiled, and said, “Now, let’s go fix your mother’s heart.”

Doctors know that, when they walk into an OR, it is all about helping that patient in the moment. Past successes, framed medical degrees, or their hours spent studying notwithstanding, only that moment in the OR matters. A patient’s life is on the line.

People’s lives are also on the line in a Salvation Army corps. That is where

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officers, soldiers, and volunteers come together to meet the needs of a community in the name of Jesus. Whether serving a patient in an OR or serving a ministry in a corps, the work is always about the people who need help.

HIS PLANS FOR ME When I attended “Fuego: A Catalyst Experience for Young Adults” in September of 2016, I felt a stronger connection with the Lord than I ever had before. He awoke a fire in my own heart, and He let me know that He has bigger plans for me. I was inspired by a verse I had carried with me. But on that day, it held a special meaning. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

I have let God summon me, in my career and in my abilities, be it in an OR or in a Salvation Army corps. In the medical field, the first thing one needs to do is plan his or her future. One must think, Where do I see myself in 5, 10, or 15 years? That answer will determine what a person’s calling in medicine will be and the length of study needed.

Today, God has given me a new call to do work in the name of His Church.

It’s a call just as strong as the one He gave me to be a cardiac surgery PA. I now have a plan for my own future: to go from physically fixing hearts to fixing them spiritually as an officer of The Salvation Army.

— Nereus Mogaria is a soldier at The Salvation Army’s Brooklyn (Bay Ridge), N.Y., Corps

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FAITH in ACTION

The cursebreakers Osvaldo & Iliana — life after addiction

Interview by Hugo Bravo

For years, substance abuse had scarred the lives of Iliana and Osvaldo “Ozzie” Rivera. Now, as soldiers in The Salvation Army, they talk about how they found each other and the work they do to help break the generational curse of addiction.

Iliana Rivera: In the 1950s, when my family came from Puerto Rico, my parents became heroin addicts. When they divorced, I divided my time between my mother, who lived in Brooklyn, N.Y., and my father, who resided in Worcester, Mass. I also used heavy drugs and became pregnant at 15 with my first daughter. I had three more children after that, two of whom were twins. We lived up and down the East Coast—Massachusetts, Florida, New Jersey, and Brooklyn, N.Y. My children had become difficult. Having been affected by my drug use, they suffered from behavioral and mental problems.

So much moving made it impossible for me to provide the stable home they desperately needed.

Osvaldo Rivera: I grew up on a sugar cane plantation in Caguas, Puerto Rico. I was the oldest of 16 children.

My mother had me when she was still in high school. At 15, I used drugs and alcohol. By the time I turned 23, my two younger brothers and I were all drug users. We were sent to Worcester, Mass., to live with family. Unfortunately, that experience was short–lived.

Eventually, the family threw all of us into the streets. Even as I continued to use,

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I never saw myself as bad an addict as my brothers. Although I thought I could help them, the truth was, I needed help myself. Alcoholism took the life of one brother, and the other died from a heroin addiction at 18.

Iliana: My mother and sister took charge of my life. My children went to live with them, and I would not get them back until I was clean. Wanting them back in my life made me go into rehab and finish the program. My father and his wife then helped me enter another program, where they allowed my children to live with me as I continued my recovery. Around that time, my oldest daughter got pregnant at 15, just as I had done. When her baby turned three months old, they moved in with me and my children. Four children and a grandchild lived with me in a recovery program. By then, I was 32 years old.

Osvaldo: In 1978, I lived on the streets of Massachusetts. My addiction grew to the point where I couldn’t even survive homelessness. From 1978 to 1992—15 years—I was either on the streets or in jail. In 1994, the court forced me into rehab, and I completed the program.

Around that time, I met Iliana through her

family who lived in Worcester. It was the right time for us to arrive in each other’s lives; we were healthy enough to appreciate what we could offer to one another.

Iliana: After being clean for over a year, I worked for a recovery clinic as a volunteer. This made me want to begin a career helping people who were struggling with addictions as I was. I went back to school and got my GED. Ozzie also returned to school. We took steps in our education together, supported each other, and let our relationship grow.

Osvaldo: I worked at Casa Esperanza, the center where I had been cured. I also did an internship at the University of Massachusetts. Iliana worked in women’s programs for the city of Boston and attended Northeastern University. We both worked and studied full–time. Even though we were busy, we gave each other something that neither of us had before—stability.

Iliana: Ozzie was an angel to me and my kids, who loved him. We attended therapy together with my and Ozzie’s children. Despite so much trauma in our lives, we became one family. When I earned my GED, my father gave me a

terrible, old car as a gift. I didn’t know anything about cars; I had never even gotten a license. Ozzie fixed the car up so I could drive to school and to work.

The car was bright yellow and had a hole in the gas tank. If I put more than $10 worth of gas in, it would spill out. Ozzie nicknamed it the “Banana Boat,” but I was so proud of that car, and of him.

Osvaldo: For one of my college classes, I did a case study on Iliana. When I presented my study to the professor, he warned me not to marry this girl. “She’ll be way too much trouble in your life,” he had said. It didn’t surprise me to hear this, as it was the same thing Iliana’s father had warned her about me. It’s a good thing that neither of us listened.

Iliana: Homeless clients from outpatient centers with whom Ozzie worked actually introduced him to the Salvation Army’s Boston Central Hispanic Corps. They

talked highly of Majors Elizur and Mayra Vasquez’s ministry because the clients received so much help. When Ozzie visited the corps for the first time in 2013, he fell in love with the congregation.

Osvaldo: But that year, doctors diagnosed Iliana with cancer. She was still recovering from major surgery when the corps invited her to a women’s retreat in Pennsylvania. Major Mayra, who just wanted to meet Iliana, said she would not have to do any set up or work. It’s hard to say no to a kind person like her, so Iliana went. The Major was Iliana’s roommate at the retreat and took care of her. From that day on, we have been devoted to the corps, where we’ve become soldiers. After visiting the Bayamón Corps in Puerto Rico, we now see how we can help the Army in our home country. Helping people fight their addictions is something we’ll continue to do in retirement.

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Iliana: God brought us out of suffering to share our testimony with people who’ve experienced similar pain. I know how raising children can trigger a relapse. I share my struggles to encourage the women I counsel. I tell them, “If I became what I am today despite having an addiction, four children, and a grandchild, then you can do this too.”

Osvaldo: Today, I work as a counselor in a men’s health and recovery program. I have seen that God’s plan also includes His sense of humor and irony.

Although I vowed I would never set foot inside a jail again, I now go back to those jails to speak to people. Iliana has also returned to the recovery house, but this time, as a director, helping women and mothers who were in her position.

When we became committed to lives driven by purpose in God’s name, He guided us, and brought us to the right people and at the perfect moment.

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ON file

Be the gift

by Joanna Polarek

There is something sweet, thoughtful, and treasured about receiving a Christmas gift. In addition to its beautiful wrapping and presentation is the idea that I’m receiving something special—from a special someone.

Now, the gift may not always be the the most useful, but sometimes the idea that someone took the time to think of me means more than the gift itself.

I’ve been thinking a great deal about being a gift to others. I thought, if it’s the emotion that I cherish about receiving a gift, then how would I feel to actually be the present myself—by giving my time, my energy, and my effort to someone?

I stretched this idea one step further and wondered, how can my family be the gift with me?

I came up with the following partnership ideas:

Samaritan’s Purse—Operation Christmas Child is a thoughtful way to get the family involved in putting a shoebox of goodies together for a child overseas. The mission of Samaritan’s Purse is based on the Veterans Affairs (VA) Check with the VA in your parable Jesus shared about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25–37. community for opportunities to volunteer with vetThen He said, “Go and do likewise.” This organization uses that examerans. Even within neighborhoods, there are many ple to “help those in need and proclaim the hope of the Gospel.” The opportunities to be a gift. For details on how you website has simple step-by-step instructions on how can help, go to www.volunteer.va.gov to pray, prepare, fill, and send the box. Between November 13–20, boxes can be dropped off at designated locations. Otherwise, they can be mailed Operation Gratitude is a non profit organization that provides care packto Samaritan’s Purse headquarters. The recipient’s ages to veterans, first responders, new recruits, wounded heroes and gender and age group can also be specified. An their caregivers, and to deployed service members. There are various additional nine–dollar donation allows tracking of the ways to give a “Gift of Gratitude.” The organization has instructions on how package. This is a wonderful opportunity to involve to create a package and send it to their headquarters along with a handchildren in giving to other children. To participate, go written note of support. They even encourage knitters to consider making to: www.Samaritanspurse.org. and sending scarves to people who truly need them. To learn more, go to: www.operationgratitude.com.

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wholly living A child in Liberia, Africa, receives a shoebox filled with gifts as part of the Samaritan's Purse–Operation Christmas Child program.

Care from a stranger

by Warren L. Maye

What’s your plan?

This Christmas season, bring your family together and come up with a plan to be the gift. Let the ideas and suggestions flow from everyone. Here are just a few.

• S ort and wrap gifts at your local corps or shelter.

•V olunteer as a family to stand at a Christmas kettle for an hour.

•A sk your corps officers about other ways you can help.

Pray about your plans and know that you will help someone in a beautiful and positive way. It’s a chance to reflect on others and show appreciation for people around us. Being the gift will bring great joy, provide relief when extra hands are needed, encourage others to be a gift, and truly brighten someone’s day.

Photo courtesy of Samaritan's Purse

“I remember one Thanksgiving when our family had no money and no food and someone came knocking on our door,” said Tony Robbins, international speaker and New York Times bestselling author. “A man was standing there with a huge box of food, a giant uncooked turkey, and even some pans and a big pot to cook it in.” Tony, 11 years old, couldn’t believe the “the miracle.” But his father, full of pride and skepticism, demanded, “Who are you?

Where are you from?”

The stranger announced, “I’m here because a friend of yours knows you’re in need and that you wouldn’t accept direct help, so I’ve brought this for you. Have a great Thanksgiving.”

Robbins’ dad said, “No, no, we can’t accept this,” and began to slam the door, but the stranger persisted. “You don’t have a choice,” he said.

“Don’t let your ego cause your family to suffer.” He entered the house, left the food, and walked away.

Robbins said that experience had a profound impact on his life. “I promised myself that someday, I would do well enough financially so that I could do the same thing for other people.”

By the time he was 18, he had created “a ritual” of giving baskets to needy families. “I like to do things spontaneously, so I would go out shopping and buy enough food for one or two families.” He would dress as if he were a delivery boy, go to the poorest neighborhood, and just knock on a door. “I always included a note that explained my Thanksgiving experience as a kid.”

The note, which was written in English and in Spanish, concluded, “All that I ask in return, is that you take good enough care of yourself so that someday, you can do the same thing for someone else.”

Robbin’s said he has received more satisfaction from conducting this annual ritual than he has

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Tony Robbins appears at The Salvation Army for Feeding America to promote his 100 Million Meals Challenge on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, in Burbank, Calif. Robbins donated profits towards the 100 Million Meals Challenge. (Jeff Lewis/AP Images for Tony Robbins Feeding America)

from any amount of money he’s earned.

Robbins and his wife soon teamed up with then–Captain John Rondon, a Salvation Army corps officer in the South Bronx. Their meeting was a divine appointment on the streets of New York City. “Why do you want to do this?” Rondon asked. “I want to show gratitude for all that I’ve received. I want to give back,” Robbins said.

“I’ll take you places you never even thought of going,” said Rondon. He and the Robbinses purchased food and put the items in enough baskets to feed seven families for 30 days. They visited people who lived in deplorable conditions.

“It was astonishing to realize some people lived this way,” said Robbins. “It was also a truly fulfilling experience to make even a small difference in their lives. You see, you can make anything happen if you commit to it and take action.”

What began as Robbins’ individual effort to feed families in need has now grown into the Anthony Robbins Foundation's International Basket Brigade, providing baskets of food and household items for an estimated two million people annually in countries all over the world.

The International Basket Brigade is built on a simple notion: one small act of generosity on the part of one caring person can transform the lives of hundreds.

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The new and enlarged 133 Christmas carols and holiday songs $9.95 Instrumental books

$19.95 Vocal/Score book

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This huge collection has been expanded from 70 to 133 carols and holiday songs! This series is especially useful because it’s performable in many combinations of voices, instruments and/or keyboard. Arranged in various keys in four parts with an optional fifth part, each instrumental part is spiral-bound. The vocal book is in four-part harmony and is also useable at the keyboard. Strings, brass, woodwinds, a cappella voices... these books will accommodate ensembles of almost any size and instrumentation. The arrangements themselves are short, straightforward and traditional in style. They’re easy enough to be used by younger players, and full enough to satisfy adult performers. “Carolers’ Favorites” includes just about every well-known carol and a good selection of secular songs, making it perfect for just about any occasion! A sampling of the contents includes: O Holy Night; Silent Night; Jingle Bells; Go Tell It on the Mountain; Frosty the Snowman; O Christmas Tree; Coventry Carol; Huron Carol; Deck the Halls; Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town; O Come, All Ye Faithful; Silver Bells; I Saw Three Ships; Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas; Feliz Navidad and many more!

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