How I Met The Salvation Army.

I have struggled with what to post for today.  I finally decided on my "How I met The Army" story.  It is one that I have told within Army circles quite often, but I don't know how many others know the story.  

I was in college, in a state university.  Across town was a small liberal arts college associated with the denomination in which I grew up.  I had wanted to go to that college but finances and my eventual major decided on the state university.  I mean when you want to be a teacher and the state university used to be known as State Teachers College the choice is kind of obvious.  But I digress.   

When the opportunity to do course work in Christian Education arose at the college.  I jumped at the chance.  It was a program through the continuing education department, so I didn't have to be a student in the college.  I secured funding and began the program.  In the course of the program I needed an internship.  Most of the program participants were using this as continuing education hours for their current employment and could use this as their field work.  I, as a college student in a state university, couldn't really use the field work I was doing as a part of my studies there, as my internship for Christian Education.  The public schools really frown  on that.  So I was stuck.  

I talked with the program administrators.  They were sympathetic to my case and promised to find somewhere local that I could at least volunteer my time during the course of the program to get the needed field work.  Through a series of connections that could only be orchestrated by God, I was introduced to the Officers (pastors)  of the Corps (Salvation Army church) in my university town.  They needed a leader for Sunbeams, and it sounded like a dream come true for me.  Sunbeams is one of the character building programs that The Salvation Army offers, like Scouting.  This one is for young girls first through fifth grade, Brownie and Junior levels in Girl Scouting.  I was a former Girl Scout, been through Leader in Training even.  This program had the Christian basis I was looking for, I figured it would be no trouble for me.  

It was fun!  I worked with a fledgling Sunbeam Troop for about six months.  During this time I began to get to know the Officers personally.  I discovered that this Corps was a baby, being opened just a few months prior to my coming to meet with them.  I began learning more about how The Army worked.  I was invited to Home League (the women's ministry  that met in the evenings after the kids programs, and began attending them.  My participation grew from there.  And then, in  one of the most literal answers to prayer I  have ever witnessed, my fiance walked through the doors.  This move would change the way I looked at The Salvation Army forever.