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By Stefanie Vrapi and Keilah Toy, Major—
The cadets from the Western Territory’s Crestmont College for Officer Training—105 in total—stormed 10 locations in the Del Oro Division in mid-October for the college’s annual Fall Blitz that aims to put ministry skills into service.
Throughout the weekend, the cadets participated in a flurry of activities, from carnivals, to homeless feedings and community care ministries.
At the Suisun City Kroc Center, nearly 30 cadets learned how to minister to youth and promote the soon-to-be-opened center. From craft booths, the cadets taught children how to make Christmas wreaths out of paper plates and provided door-to-door invitations to the center.
In Roseville, Calif., the cadets saw firsthand the true need in the surrounding areas. They cooked and served meals to 150 homeless people and families with the help of Lieutenant John Murrow, Roseville corps officer.
“The cadets assigned to the Roseville Corps were a true blessing,” Morrow said. “They gained first hand pulpit experience, but, most importantly, they paved the way for the unsuspecting of people to accept Jesus in their life.”
Other corps throughout the division held similar community outreach events in order to provide cadets with practical experience. Cadets at the Hayward Corps ministered to the elderly at various local nursing homes, where they prayed and listened to residents’ stories. The Auburn Corps held a community picnic at an area park where they fed low-income families and in Santa Rosa, participants at the Self Denial Dinner learned about the Army’s World Services program.
“The events of this weekend presented an opportunity, a perfect storm of ministry that God used to rain down his spirit,” said Major Douglas F. Riley, Del Oro divisional commander. “When it was all over, the rainbow appeared and 200 people made decisions. Give God the glory and we thank the cadets for their participation.”
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