Be a hero

FROM THE EDITOR

While eating breakfast at a local Burger King restaurant, I received a revelation from the Lord. I know, that doesn’t sound like the kind of place where God would share such an epiphany, but this story is true.

That day, I sat by a window that provided a panoramic view of a mall parking lot. Cars came and went; people walked to and fro. The day was beautiful but normal.

Then an old Chrysler sedan pulled into view and stopped. An elderly couple sat up front. The husband, maybe in his early 70s, opened his driver’s side door and walked around to the trunk. He lifted the lid and, with a grimaced face, removed a folded wheelchair. Skillfully he opened it, rolled it to the passenger side, scooped up his wife, and placed her in the chair. She smiled. It was heartwarming to watch his grimace disappear.

That’s when the Lord said to me, “He’s her hero.”

I also saw a single mom walk by. She pushed a shopping cart with three small children in tow. As she managed this backbreaking feat, I heard the Lord again say to me, “She’s their hero.”

In this issue of SACONNECTS magazine, you’ll see other heroic acts by people who quietly help others in profound ways.

For example, in Hempstead, N.Y., an apartment building fire forced 80 residents into the cold on Christmas Day. But ministers and volunteers from a local Salvation Army offered them shelter.

In another story, a man remembers when, as a child, his family was torn by poverty in Harrisburg, Pa. But Salvation Army volunteers brought a Christmas tree, groceries, and hope to their home.

You’ll also read how working with kids is a favorite ministry for one volunteer coordinator. When she was just 4 years old, The Salvation Army helped her and her mom survive.

Volunteers dressed as comic book heroes bring smiles to the faces of young and old alike at a celebration in Jackson, N.J.

I pray this issue will encourage you to show up, volunteer, and be a God–inspired hero to someone today.

— by WARREN L. MAYE, Editor in Chief