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Cadet Paul Chouinard
In 1982 I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior. I was spiritually “born again” and became a child of God – a Christian.
I have always desired to be honest, and have valued the truth greatly. In recent years, God has called me to know the truth even better. I have learned much of God’s truth from recent Christian studies as a Salvationist and as a cadet. As an additional bonus, my session name is “Messengers of the Truth.”
As a Messenger of the Truth I have been able to live and share God’s message of salvation with many people. This has been a tremendous experience of personal growth that God has allowed me to share in service.
On June 17 we will become commissioned officers of The Salvation Army. I believe this day is part of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is forcefully advancing. In faith, I am going to take hold of it, be commissioned and grow with God.
As a Salvation Army officer I will be given the opportunity to better live and share the Gospel with others. The Gospel is the “Good News,” the divine truth, that sets people free. In this larger capacity, I am confident that God will continue to work powerfully in my life. By His will, as I become more “Christlike,” I will be living out more fully my faith in Jesus Christ. I am expecting difficulties, but with Jesus I am confident of victory in difficult situations.
Cadets Stephen and Nancy Ball
Home for us is the beautiful Willamette Valley in northwest Oregon. Both of us lived there during most of our growing up years, but we had been away from home for 10 years to attend college and teach school in Bakersfield. A move to a teaching position in McMinnville was a welcome chance to be near our families for a short while, but that was only a stepping stone in the plans God had for our future.
Nancy and I had discussed the possibility of officership, and again faced this idea in 1994. As a teacher, I had become dissatisfied with the restrictions on sharing my faith with students and fellow faculty members. God’s Spirit impressed itself upon our hearts, and independently we came to the decision to go into officership. As we look back over the years that led up to this commitment, we can see how God used each stage of our lives and each experience to prepare us, and eventually to place us, right where He wanted us to be.
Now, as our second year of training closes, we are looking forward to applying what we have learned to help build people up in relationship with Jesus – to share the love of God with those who do not yet know Him. We consider our three children to be our “first congregation” and their spiritual development is a top priority. When we are commissioned, we rest in the comfort that we are going out in the strength of the Lord and not in our own strength.
We are completely convinced that The Salvation Army is where God has called us to serve. The plans of settling down in the Willamette Valley were good, but we know that settling down in the center of God’s will is by far the better choice.
Cadet Tiffany Rocheleau
I have a hope and a vision for my future as a minister within The Salvation Army. I feel that God has equipped me with skills and abilities needed to reach and communicate with the youth in my community, especially teens. I want to touch their lives in a positive way.
I have spent much time helping young people deal with the pressures of their everyday lives. They have many questions, and they can easily become misguided by people who are not offering the truth of peace and love through Christ. They need to hear the message of God’s love explained in a manner of understanding so they may choose their destiny. My aim is to provide that explanation so they can see clearly that a positive direction lies before them. Young people today have to deal with so much negativity in their environments, and I want to help them achieve a personal and effective relationship with Christ.
God has led me into a ministry within The Salvation Army, and I am excited, yet at the same time, a little nervous. I have been doing a lot of searching within my heart to reinforce that the calling I feel is a genuine one. My deepest awareness of myself has been that I am totally and completely loved by Christ Jesus, and that I have done absolutely nothing to deserve it.
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