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Using an RV that’s been converted into a classroom, The Salvation Army Santa Ana Temple Corps takes ministry on the road in order to bring Sunday school straight to neighborhood kids.
Below is a transcript of the video edited for readability.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: The motorhome is like a church on wheels.
Major Andres Espinoza: The motorhome ministry is an evangelistic program that we have from The Salvation Army church in Santa Ana. Thirty years ago, the ministry started running. And the main purpose is to teach the gospel for the kids around the community.
Yadira Valencia: It’s very important for us to go out to teach those kids that don’t have the opportunity that other kids have to go and attend church. Right now, we’re doing three stops in the morning on Sundays, and it fills up every Thursday.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: When we leave here and we arrive at the place, he stops the motorhome. Then the children just hear the honking of the motorhome. And they go walking on the sidewalk. They go with their parents, with whatever. When we get there, there is already the line of children. We also try to learn their names as much as we can by heart and greet them by hand.
We only have 10 to 15 minutes to give the class. We have to give them a little song, give them a good welcome, share the lesson, the gospel. After the class is over, I ask them questions. Then the child who answers the questions gets a little prize. I also want to let them know how they can apply what they’re learning later on in life.
Yadira Valencia: For some of them, they see the motorhome as a getaway. A little bit of time away from their house. Every family has different situations.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: Before they leave, we have a time of prayer with them for their prayer requests and any needs they have. I always ask the children if they want me to go to their house to pray.
Yadira Valencia: We just recently had a six year old little girl that her father passed away. She alone just walked in our motorhome and said, “Hey, I need prayers. My dad just passed away and I cannot sleep.” We could go and talk to the mom of this little girl, and we pray.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: Along with sharing the gospel, we are seeing the needs that exist in the community.
Lt. Roxana Espinoza: We realize that many of those families are in familial, economic and social problems. As The Salvation Army, our priority is to give them the physical help, and it’s also important to give them spiritual help.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: When we started going, there was a lot of drug addiction and a lot of things that we could see. But sometimes after the class was over, we would go and talk to the parents. And sometimes what they just wanted was to be with someone, to share their needs, we would bring them a bible or a bag of groceries. Afterwards, we began to see a change. And we have seen a very big change.
Major Andres Espinoza: They know that every year Salvation Army is around them, around the community. Sometimes we provide them with tools like backpacks or something that is needed. Christmas too, we have Angel Tree program. We have the Food Bank, Utility Assistance, Rental, Electric. About thirty years ago, the ministry started running, and we can see the results with the kids that we have at church.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: A child arrived who behaved very badly. Then I began to treat him with more love. And one day crossing the street, I heard calling me, “Sister Rita, Sister Rita,” and I turned to see. And he said to me, “Sister, Sister, thanks to God I still believe in Jesus Christ.” I have many beautiful testimonies of children who are already grown up and who tell me thank you because you told me about Jesus.
Major Andres Espinoza: Those kids came when they were four years old and now they’re in the high schools, they finish college, they’re even leaders at the church. From those kids, I believe more than fifty families through the years come to the church.
Juan Valencia: They use to come as kids, now they bring their own kids to the motorhome.
Yadira Valencia: We have actually been praying for an extra driver. God answered. He put it to this young man, so hopefully he could help us to also reach more areas.
Juan Valencia: We are expecting to make things better and better. Because the Lord works through The Salvation Army and The Salvation Army works unto the Lord.
Maria Rita Alvisurez: To work with children is to think about a better future. It is beautiful to work with children. And it is something that God has put in my heart. The Lord said, “Go and preach the gospel to every creature…Let the children come to me, but do not hinder them, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
I have always believed that children are not the church of tomorrow, our children are the church of today.
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