9/11On Our Watch

(TWICE!)

JOE & DORIS NOLAND

8 ‘World-Winning’ Ministry Applications!

(ONCE)

9/11On Our Watch

9/11/92 9/11/01TWICE!

For Doris and me, the date 9/11 has been twice imprinted indelibly upon our psyches. First, as divisional leaders in the Hawaiian and Pacific Island’s Division when Hurricane Iniki devastated the island of Kauai (left). Second, as territorial leaders in the USA Eastern Territory when the twin trade towers were brought down catastrophically (right).

Our experiences in the aftermath of Inike prepared us for what was to become an extraordinary response to a modern day disaster, unprecedented on American soil.

In both instances, there was great concern, within and with-out, that our PR and fundraising machine was failing us, miserably. “Why isn’t The Salvation Army in the headlines like other relief organizations?” was the hue and cry echoing throughout my email daily. Our experiences in Iniki taught me convincingly that “blowing our own horn” would “become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.” The priority, even before the second plane hit, was to find our way into the trenches and serve others urgently, quietly, unobtrusively, compassionately and unconditionally, giving God (not The Salvation Army) all the glory.

9/11/92 9/11/018 Lesson’s Learned

Proximity Matters

Visual Motivates

Urgency Mobilizes

Competency Optimizes

Risk-Taking Accelerates

Compassion Triumphs

God Blesses!

Disasters Superabound

(8 ‘World-Winning’ Ministry Applications)

Proximity Matters!(The Closer You Are, The More It Matters)

We were in Los Angeles for a Territorial Executive Conference when Iniki was projected to hit the Hawaiian Islands, it’s path continually changing. At one point it was aimed at the island of Oahu, home, where our two boys were. Via telephone, Doris instructed them to take down all of her Lladros, carefully, and set them on the floor, this first before boarding up the windows and filling the tubs and sinks with water. It was a helpless feeling, being 2500 miles away, so close in spirit, yet so far away physically.

At the last moment, she (Iniki, not Doris) veered, her eye passing directly over the island of Kauai (pictured left). The other divisional and territorial leaders were empathetic, albeit a bit more removed from the disaster, this being our home and command responsibility... and our boys being there. Proximity matters!

Her outer edge struck Oahu (left), creating considerable damage, our camp on the North Shore notwithstanding. But this was minor compared to the wholesale destruction on Kauai, wind gusts measuring up to 227 mph, 54 miles faster than Hurricane Katrina, and one of the highest wind speeds ever recorded inside a hurricane, the damage estimated at $3 Billion. Bob and Betty Stillwell volunteered their services, immediately, as our first Incident Commanders, their children and grandchildren living there, home destroyed. Proximity matters!

Hurricane Inike Footage

9/11/01Proximity Matters!We were sitting in the boardroom at THQ, I chairing a property board, of all things, when there was a knock on the door. A head popped in telling us to turn on the TV immediately. We did and all hell broke loose, literally.

25 miles down the river at divisional headquarters on 19th Street in Manhattan, a short walk from the twin towers, officer staff raced to the roof top in time to see another plane fly into the second tower. Filmed Footage. A canteen was promptly dispatched to the scene. Proximity Matters!

Our first thought was for the safety of staff, officers and soldiers, as we weren’t sure of the proximity to the multitudinous army facilities and programs located throughout all of lower Manhattan, including canteen.

Our second thought was for the inhabitants of those two buildings and their families, people that we brushed shoulders with daily in the crowded subways and on the busy streets of that metropolis. 25 miles, so close, yet so far away.

Proximity Matters!

Raw Video Footage (Morning After)

SO CLOSE, YET SO FAR AWAY!

Proximity Matters!

Visual Motivates!I flew into Kauai, courtesy of a private airplane loaned to The Salvation Army (pilot included) by a prominent businessman in the islands. Private airplane or boat was the only way in or out, 20,000 tourists stranded, no water, electricity, hotels demolished. This was one of two planes at our disposal. Steven Spielberg was on Kauai shooting Jurassic Park when Iniki struck. For several weeks following, he made his private plane available to us.

As the plane came in for a landing, it looked like a war zone, aircraft turned upside down, hangars demolished, palm trees now stumps, automobiles abandoned, a very eerie sensation.

I went to see about a rental car and was told to find one on the streets abandoned with the keys still in it, and that’s what I did. Off to the corps building in Lihue, roof missing, I found the Corps Officers and soldiery cooking food outside in a makeshift kitchen, feeding those who had lost everything. Many of the soldiery volunteering had lost everything, but here they were. It was a sight to behold. Visual Motivates!

Courtesy Honolulu Advertiser Courtesy Star Bulletin

9/11/01Visual Motivates!

That day with the rest of the world, we watched the horror unfold on television, total saturation. 9/12, the morning after bright and early, the Chief Secretary, Colonel Bill Francis and I, along with a videographer, made our way to Ground Zero. Down the Turnpike toward George Washington Bridge, we encountered a convoy of ambulances from upstate on their way to assist. Army shield very visible, we fell in behind becoming part of the convoy. Into lower Manhattan, the convoy was waved in through the roadblock, the army van included.

Television images were graphic, but nothing compared to smelling, hearing, tasting, feeling and seeing it first-hand, up close and personal, a veritable war zone. Our canteen was situated next to a building being used as a temporary morgue. Visual Motivates!

Our POVRaw Video Footage

(Morning After)

We stood there, silently, along with policeman, soldiers, workers, staring into the smoking carnage, as body bags passed us by. It felt like an eternity before anyone moved, erie and heart rendering.

Visual Motivates!

WHAT THE EYE CANNOT SEE, THE HEART CANNOT GRIEVE!

Visual Motivates!

Urgency Mobilizes!In the affluent western world, the word “disaster” takes on a whole different meaning. In contrast to developing nations, most live relatively disaster free, visibly. The considered “have-nots” among us “have-plenty” by comparison.

Additionally, we are bombarded with the “bad news” 24/7, so much so that we tend to tune out, become immune to it, so long as it doesn’t touch us personally.

Isolated from the worst, the sense of urgency begins to diminish, desensitizing us to it all. Then disaster strikes, up close and personal, and very quickly it “penetrates the barrier of our emotional immunity,” creating an intense desire to DO SOMETHING! Urgency Mobilizes!

As opposed to most disaster response organizations, The Salvation Army is everywhere, omnipresent on this planet at the grass roots level, 127 countries at last count. We were already there when Iniki struck the island on 9/11, three corps centers, strategically placed, mobilizing volunteers and soldiery, preparing for emergency needs even before the winds started to howl. In the face of impending disaster, and it’s aftermath, a sense of urgency is heightened substantially. People appear out of nowhere. DOING SOMETHING to assist in a thousand different ways.

Urgency Mobilizes!

Urgency Mobilizes!For The Salvation Army, urgency dictates that meeting need at the point of need, quickly and efficiently, preempts the fundraising and public relations part at the beginning. The focus is on “giving,” not getting; on “others,” not ourselves. Someone, somewhere referred to this as, “The genius of the army.” And genius it is, the secret behind fast and efficient mobilization.

We witnessed this “genius” at work in New York City, a canteen immediately dispatched to Ground Zero following the first plane impact, and retreating when the towers began to disintegrate. By the morning following, we had established canteens and stations around the perimeter, meeting need at the point of need. Urgency Mobilizes!

Someone asked about permission protocols for spending and decision making. I said, “There are no protocols, just do it!” Standing in the pit the morning after, a worker came up to us asking if we had any Vicks Vapor Rub. Huh? Oh, because of the strong smell of death, workers rubbed it under their nostrils to neutralize the stench. “Get it!” barked the Chief Secretary.

Within the hour, up pulled a truckload of Vicks. No protocol. No committees. No boards. No requisitions. No limits!DO SOMETHING!

Urgency Mobilizes!

PENETRATES THE BARRIER OF OUR EMOTIONAL IMMUNITY!

Urgency Mobilizes!

Competency Optimizes!Tragedy tends to bring out the best in everyone, even those who seem to be the least likely. In times of disaster, even the “ordinary” take on that something “extra.” Those heretofore, models of mediocrity, now somehow perform in stellar fashion. Extraordinary abounds!

I’ve witnessed it a hundred times over, both during Inike and the Twin Tower’s tragedy, although sometimes hard pressed to explain why. In some ways this phenomenon defies explanation, but let’s give it a try.

Esteem and self actualization are at the apex of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Achievement begets self-esteem and esteem begets confidence. In times of disaster, the sense of achievement is immediate and extemporaneous, where one’s personal contribution is respected and applauded.

Creativity, spontaneity and p r o b l e m s o l v i n g a r e encouraged, without constraint or criticism. Risk-taking is desired and failure allowed.

No wonder that during times of crisis...

Competency Optimizes!

Competency Optimizes!Perhaps Maslow took his cue from the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 58:10-12 (NLT)

Feed the hungry,    and help those in trouble.Then your light will shine out from the darkness,    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.

The Lord will guide you continually,    giving you water when you are dry    and restoring your strength.You will be like a well-watered garden,    like an ever-flowing spring.

Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.    Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls    and a restorer of homes.

Competency Optimizes!

“THEN YOUR LIGHT WILL SHINE OUT FROM THE DARKNESS!”

Competency Optimizes!

Risk-Taking Accelerates!Risk-taking is elevated to a whole new level in disaster response situations. Even the meek and mild are driven to riskiness when confronted with a sense of urgency.

I’ve watched normally timid individuals take on a Marine Drill Sergeant demeanor, barking out orders, making quick decisions without fear of reprisal, or worrying about the consequences. It’s like Jekyll and Hyde.

In times of catastrophe, no one waits for permission to act, everyone becomes a leader, an instantaneous decision maker. Quick action results in fast solutions, absolutely vital in the aftermath of a disaster.

“If you fail to take a risk, you will take a risk to fail.” Will there be failures, most certainly, but even more certainly, “Failures are stepping stones to success.” And you can quote me!

I watched this “Drill Sergeant” metamorpheses take place time and again on the island of Kauai and in New York City during the aftermath of 9/11. Inevitably...

RiskTaking Always Accelerates!

IF YOU FAIL TO TAKE A RISK, YOU WILL TAKE A RISK TO FAIL!

Risk-Taking Accelerates!

Compassion Triumphs!The slogan, “Compassion In Action,” was a stroke of genius, the brainchild of some early day pioneer Salvationist, I’m sure. It captures the heartbeat of The Salvation Army mission in 3 words, setting it apart from many of the other disaster response agencies, albeit “compassion” no doubt fitting within their mission statements secondarily somewhere.

Note the differences, primarily. It’s not “Fundraising In Action,” or “Publicity In Action,” or “Professionalism In Action.” It’s Compassion In Action.” And when putting this first and foremost, publicity and fund-raising will follow naturally, automatically, spontaneously with both temporal and eternal results.

The temptation right now is to share testimonials of those who benefited from our “Compassion In Action,” and there are many to be sure. But that would be blowing our own horn, or to “become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.”

Suffice it to say, The Salvation Army was the first in and the last to leave after both 9/11s, and His kingdom has profited in every way (financial included) beyond our greatest expectations—“And though I fundraise, feed the workers and wash their feet, and though I work long hours sacrificially, but have not love it profits me nothing.”

Compassion Triumphs!

Compassion Triumphs!

The genius of the Army can be summed up in this paraphrased final verse from 1 Corinthians 13: “And now abide publicity, fundraising, love, these three; but the greatest is love.” Compassion Triumphs!

Raw Video Footage (Morning After)

IF I’M GOING TO ERR, IT WILL BE ON THE SIDE OF COMPASSION!

Compassion Triumphs!

Within the fiery bowels of hell itselfThey found the metal cross,

Marred by flames and twisted soreSurrounded by debris and dust.

The filtered sun rays through the smokeIlluminate its surface,

And tired eyes and tear stained facesTurned and looked in wonder.

“A Cross!” the whispered words were said,Repeated like an echo,

The weary, sweat soaked Heroes kneltWithin the holy chamber.

The Cross! God understood their griefHe understood their anger!

God understood the savageryThe horror and the pain!

And calmed by this assuranceThey renewed their search again.

The years have passed, the Cross remains.It’s jagged beauty standing

Reminding all the passers byOf those dark times when God seemed… far away.

Yet, hidden in our darkest hoursHis Cross remains today.

Divine Triumphs!Doris Noland

We are reminded again that “God is Love,” and that always in the midst of great tragedy, Divine Triumphs! To help us remember this truth, we commissioned the making of a documentary film narrated by Richard Dreyfus who freely and graciously gave of his time and talent. In this film, you will find an account of the cross and it’s discovery at Ground Zero. It has won many awards, and our gift to you here (Click below).

Unsung!

GOD BLESSES!

God Blesses!God blessed the mission of The Salvation Army at Ground Zero on the island of Kauai and in New York City beyond our greatest expectations. Donations overflowed without scripted solicitation, and the distribution of those offerings free from scandal.

Unscripted, our grass roots compassion in action represented the bedrock of a “word-of-mouth” publicity campaign that still continues to spread unceasingly, way beyond what Wall Street Advertising behemoths could ever accomplish, or what we could ever begin to afford.

More importantly were the spiritual victories and testimonials on the street corners where two or three huddled together in prayer, or in the Taj Mahal (mas-sive tent) where spiritual counseling was available 24/7, or at the morgue, or in the pit, or wherever Salvationists were to be found.

On Kauai, walking down the street in uniform long after, I was approached with testimonial after testimonial. Even today, I’m constantly bombarded with testimonials about our ministry in NYC.

No wonder Peter Drucker tabbed us, “The most effective organization in the U.S.” Reader’s Digest wrote, “The charity you can trust.” Forbes Magazine reported, “One of the top 10 charities that shine…one that gives supporters more bang for their buck.” The Chronicle of Philanthropy stated, “America’s favorite and most trusted charity.”

You see, it’s the “Genius” of The Salvation Army in constant motion. It began when needs were first met beneath the London Bridge. It continued in the trenches of those first two World Wars. And it’s found today whenever and wherever disaster strikes.

The cross is at the core of our crest, with everything else revolving around it. Jesus is the Genius! He is the exemplar of our living and giving. The cross still stands today at Ground Zero, it’s resounding message undeniably clear.

God Blesses!

This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing (Matthew 10:42 MSG).

If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me (Luke 9:23 NLB).

“YOU WON’T LOSE OUT ON A THING!”

God Blesses!

It has been estimated that 70,000 people die everyday without hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ

DISASTERS SUPERABOUND

Disasters Superabound!For the majority on this planet, everyday is a disaster. 9/11 is but a blip on the calendar by comparison.

Nearly 1/2 of the world’s population - more than 3 billion people - live on less than $2.50 a day. More than 1.3 billion live in extreme poverty, less than $1.25 a day” - Dosomething.org.

“Of the 2.2 billion children in the world, 1 billion (every second child) live in poverty, 400 million with no access to safe water, 270 million with no access to health services”

“According to UNICEF, 22,000 children die each day due to poverty. And they ‘die quietly in some of the poorest villages on earth, far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world. Being meek and weak in life makes these dying multitudes even more invisible in death” - Globalissues.org.

It is estimated that 70,000 people die everyday without hearing the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

And the Western world is not immune. London, Canterbury, Los Angeles, Helena, Sydney, Broken Hill, Toronto, Yellowknife, it doesn’t matter, disaster abounds in our neighborhoods “far removed from the scrutiny and the conscience of the world... invisible in death.”

Poverty kills 22,000 children every DAY! 70.000 people die every DAY without hearing the Gospel! I wonder what would happen if we responded to these superabounding disasters with the SAME urgency, competency, risk-taking compassion and intensity as was achieved in response to both 9/11’s? Why aren’t we?

Let’s examine in light of our “8 Universal Ministry Applications.”

My book, “HOPE: A Flight Manual for Prospective Angels” turns the statistics into stories.

Disasters Superabound!

PROXIMITY MATTERS only if we become aware of the disaster, break through those walls/boundaries that surround us and go to where the disasters are. If we stay cocooned within our sanctuaries, physically, emotionally and spiritually, then proximity doesn’t matter. Proximity is more than closeness; it is also AWARENESS.

Become Disaster Aware. Periodically take “mission trips” deep within your community. The story is legend. William Booth took a mission trip one evening, Appalled by the broken sea of humanity sleeping beneath the London Bridge, he turned to his son, Bramwell, and said, "DO SOMETHING!" 

One evening Rob Noland, along with members of his RevHi team ventured into Honolulu’s Chinatown, within walking distance of those “Upper Room” walls they gathered behind every Sunday evening. Appalled by the broken sea of humanity sleeping along the river mall, they became “disaster aware.” And Booth’s words echoed loudly in their ears, “DO SOMETHING!”

Proximity matters!

TraffickedSubstance

Abuse

ACTION STEP 1

VISUAL MOTIVATES! Proximity (awareness) stimulates the visual senses. Seeing is believing. Media sources capture but a small fraction of this world’s disasters, mostly those that are considered sensational and newsworthy.

A child dying of poverty alone, in and of itself is not sensational or newsworthy. Multiply that child by 22,000 per day, seen as being massacred by some hostile force, then it becomes sensational and newsworthy. A person laying in the gutter because of his/her addictions is not sensational. Multiply that by 24 million dying yearly because of a plague, then it becomes sensational. It’s the large visual picture that makes it sensationalistic. What the eye cannot see, the heart cannot grieve.

Become visually attuned. When you see one person suffering, visualize the suffering masses. When Booth saw one person under that bridge, he saw a sea of of lost and suffering humanity. What are we to do about it? Listen to the answer in his own words.

Do You Ever Visit Them?

VIEW HERE

ACTION STEP 2

It’s what that inaugural Upper Room team saw along the Chinatown River Mall that motivated them for mission. The Upper Room ministry began with a handful of people, impassioned about reaching suffering humanity.

On one particular evening, a chance encounter with one lost soul opened their eyes, not only to the multitudinous disasters surrounding them, but also to the possibilities and the opportunity to DO SOMETHING eternal.

Booth’s words echoed in their hearts: "You must do it. With the light that is now broken in upon your mind and the call that is now sounding in your ears, and the beckoning hands that are now before your eyes, you have no alternative. To go down among the perishing crowds is your duty. Your happiness from now on will consist in sharing their misery, your ease in sharing their pain, your crown in helping them to bear their cross, and your heaven in going into the very jaws of hell to rescue them."

Visual Motivates!

URGENCY MOBILIZES, as evidenced by the Donut Girls volunteering to serve in the trenches on the front lines. They were motivated by the newsreels and the sight of returning body bags, some of them friends and relatives. Life was good and comfortable, until the attack on Pearl Harbor, penetrating the barrier of their emotional immunity, thereby stirring within them an urgency to DO SOMETHING! It takes this compounding visual sense of urgency to get the adrenaline flowing.

Feel the Urgency. In Booth’s vision, many were not feeling the urgency: “And what was equally strange and perplexing to me was that most of these people didn’t seem to have any care, that is, any agonizing care (urgency) about the poor perishing ones who were struggling and drowning right before their eyes.” By contrast, it was an “agonizing care” (urgency) that mobilized those early day Salvationists.

That Upper Room team was few in number to begin with, and no immediate feelings of “agonizing care” (urgency) when first approaching the River Mall. Moved with compassion, their comfortableness and complacency quickly turned to a visual sense of urgency. Word began to spread.

Urgency Mobilizes!

ACTION STEP 3

COMPETENCY OPTIMIZES! During both 9/11’s, I watched ordinary people perform at extraordinary levels. Why is this? Perhaps it’s because, under ordinary circumstances, they were “pleased” with the way things are, and had become “content” with the status quo. Here’s Booth’s take on this:

“We are not sent to minister to a congregation and be content if we keep things going. We are sent to make war and to stop short of nothing but the subjugation of the world to the sway of the Lord Jesus.”

Maximize Abilities ALWAYS. Perform as if dis-asters superabound ALWAYS. Because they do!Perform ALWAYS as if 22,000 children die everyday of hunger, abuse and neglect. Because they do! Perform ALWAYS as if 70,000 people die everyday without hearing the Gospel. Because they do! Booth ratchets it up a notch here:

“But what shall we do? Content ourselves by singing a hymn, offering a prayer or giving a little advice? NO! Ten thousand times, no!” Optimize!

ACTION STEP 4

Fast-forward 100+ years. The RevHi team had just spent two nights living homeless on the mean streets of Honolulu. Here they met Roger, a partially paralyzed drunk, long scraggily, matted down hair and beard, looking far older than his birth age - his life spent atop a flattened cardboard box, begging for change to feed his habit.

"The first time I met Roger" recounts Rob Noland, "he was being carried into our Upper Room service by team members who placed him on one of the front row pews. The smell was overpowering causing everyone to move far back into the chapel, except for those few brave team members, sitting with arms around him so that he wouldn't feel alone. Scrounging up a battered wheelchair, they wheeled him back week after week."

Click on the following video link and you will get a taste of these RevHi Students...

Maximizing Their Abilities ALWAYS!

RISK-TAKING ACCELERATES in the face of disaster. Urgency demands fast action. Fast action requires quick decisions. Quick decision-making is fraught with risk-taking. I watched this occur continuously during both 9/11’s. I don’t see it happening as much in our response (or lack of response) to the superabounding disasters that surround us daily.

Harold Begbie writes in his book, “The Life of William Booth” - “He (Booth) was prepared for the risk... He cried out that sin travels faster than salvation; that salvation must press forward at all hazard to overtake and quench that “prairie fire”... ‘Faster and faster,’ is his cry; whatever the risk, whatever the end; faster and faster till a catastrophe like the catastrophe of Calvary ends one period and begins another.”

Embrace Risk. 70,000 people will die today without hearing the Gospel - Catastrophe! “Sin travels faster than salvation!” Therefore our...

Risk-taking Must Accelerate!

ACTION STEP 5

Back to Roger’s story. Five years earlier, he had been in a fight, leading to bleeding in the brain, which led to a stroke paralyzing the right side of his body. This resulted in a deep depression and a conscious decision to drink himself to death. Consequently, unable to get to a bathroom, he defecated and urinated in his clothing, never having the opportunity to bathe or shower. This is how the team found him every week.

He loved coming to Upper Room, followed by fellowship downstairs where dinner was served and food prepared for street evangelism and outreach following. One evening he commented that the lasagna Ernie Ing bought at Sam's Club was "the best home-made lasagna I have ever tasted!" 

For the RevHi team, it’s risky and scary to live homeless for a week, or to venture out at night on the mean streets of Chinatown where the crime rate is high. Had they not taken these risks, where would Roger and a host of others be today? Have you taken your RQ lately (Risk Quotient)?

Risk-taking Must Accelerate!

Compassion Triumphs! In his book, Begbie writes this about Catherine Booth:

“As for her heart, it was the heart of a woman to whom love and compassion are the very breath of existence.” In her writings, she distinguishes the difference between “benevolence” (a profession) and “compassion” (a calling) - “the very breath of her existence.”

During times of catastrophe, The Salvation Army breathes compassion, thereby creating an image and brand second to none among charitable organizations - the very breath of it’s existence and the reason for it’s God-blessed triumphs.

Breathe Compassion ALWAYS. When you see one poverty-stricken child, breathe compassion for the 22,000 others mercilessly dying every day. When you pass by that one drunkard on the street, breathe compassion for the millions, globally, suffering from this insidious plague. When you watch one lost soul come to Christ, breathe compassion for the 70,000 who die everyday bereft of the Gospel.

Compassion ALWAYS Triumphs!

ACTION STEP 6

The 5th week Roger expressed a desire to get into a clean and sober house. Breathing compassion, RevHi team members took him to the dorms, personally bathing, shaving and outfitting him with a set of clean clothes -- “You don’t demand a certificate of virtue before you drag some drowning creature out of the water,” echoed in their hearts.

Following, he looked 15-years younger, a newfound glow about him. He began to open up about his life, originally coming to Hawaii to work on geo thermal wells, married, divorced, children and grandchildren. 

Following the stroke, he lost his job, apartment, and girlfriend, spiraling into depression, addiction with futile feelings of hopelessness, just one of millions suffering likewise on this planet, hoping and longing for a fresh...

Breath of Compassion!

GOD BLESSES when these 8 universal ministry applications are implemented continuously. They explain the accelerated growth of the army in it’s formative years, unprecedented in many ways. And we see spurts of it today, always during times of sensationalistic disasters, and sometimes in those superabounding disasters beyond.

Think about it, these ministry applications, when implemented, explain the phenomenal growth today in Kenya, Africa. With a population of 41 Million, the army has enrolled 366,966 Jr. and Sr. Soldiers. Whereas by comparison, in the USA with a population of 317 Million, 107,936 Soldiers have been enrolled. This said, statistically, in USA social service programs (disaster services included), the growth is unparalleled, Adult Rehabilitation Center converts being a glowing example, and the reason for achieving #2 on Forbes list of “The 50 Largest U.S. Charities,” financially. Where these 8 ministry applications are executed...

God Blesses Abundantly!

NYC Fire Chief saying ,“Thank you and God bless The Salvation Army!”

ACTION STEP 7

Count Your Blessings. Acknowledging that disasters superabound, apply the first 6 Action Steps and #7, God Blesses, will follow automatically.

Take Roger’s story, for example. Through the team's efforts, he was accepted into a clean and sober house. Fast-forward five months. His badly infected foot is healed; he walks with a cane, is of clear speech and praising God joyfully. He leads AA and NA meetings and is looking forward to being reunited with his children and grandchildren - a living, breathing, re-demptive 21st Century Trophy of Grace. See and hear Roger in his own words:

GOD BLESSES!

ACTION STEP 8

The World For God - One Day, One Superabounding Disaster at a Time!

DISASTERS SUPERABOUND DAILY 24/7 On this 9/11/, 22 ,000 children will die because of extreme poverty, 400 million will have no access to clean water. On that day 29.8 million men, women and children will be trafficked, 23.9 million others suffering from addictions, and this only scratches the surface. Even more disturbing and frightening, on 9/11, 70,000 people will die without hearing the Gospel.

THE WORLD FOR GOD

The world for God! The world for God!There’s nothing else will meet the hunger of my soul.I see forsaken children, I see the tears that fallFrom women’s eyes once merry, now never laugh at all;I see the sins and sorrows of those who sit in darkness;I see in lands far distant, the hungry and oppressed.But behold! On a hill, Calvary! Calvary!

The world for God! The world for God!I give my heart! I’ll do my part!The world for God! The world for God!I give my heart! I’ll do my part!

The world for God! The world for God!I call to arms the soldiers of the blood and fire:Go with the Holy Bible. Its words are peace and lifeTo multitudes who struggle with crime and want and strife.Go with your songs of mercy, show Christ in loving kindness,Make known the sufferings of the cross, the sacrifice of God.For behold! On a hill, Calvary! Calvary!

The world for God! The world for God!For this, dear Lord, give to my soul consuming fire.Give fire that makes men heroes, turns weakness into might,The fire that gives the courage to suffer for the fight,The fire that changes fearing to Pentecostal daring,The fire that makes me willing for Christ to live or die;For behold! On a hill, Calvary! Calvary!

Evangeline Booth

8 UNIVERSAL MINISTRY APPLICATIONS~Each Outlined Poetically In Her Song~

Proximity Matters“Go”

Visual Motivates“I See”

Urgency Mobilizes“Call to Arms””

Competency Optimizes“Weakness into Might”

Risk-Taking Accelerates“Pentecostal Daring”

Compassion Triumphs“Loving Kindness”God Blesses“Peace and Life”

Disasters Superabound“The World”

“THE WORLD FOR GOD”Written at 3:00 a.m. on the morning following

her election as The General of The Salvation Army

THE WORLD FOR GOD! THE WORLD FOR GOD!

I Give My Heart!I’ll Do My Part!

The Beginning!This is not the end, but rather the beginning. Proximity, visual and a sense of urgency are right at your fingertips, allowing mission trips to be taken virtually, via a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant). One source for visually experiencing worldwide proximity is:

Salvation Army Vision Network

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(The Closer You Are, The More It Matters)