5,137 days and counting
by Captain Vong Luangkhamdeng
I do not know where to start or how to end this column. There is so much to share about what the Lord has done for me and what I am confident He will do in the future. Every day as a Salvation Army officer is a blessing and brings a new challenge in ministry. That is what makes it interesting. Yes, there are some tough times and difficulties, but the Lord is faithful. He is there in times of need. He has never left me. Even though sometimes I did not feel His presence, the Lord was always there—and always will be. Since the day I answered the call to become an officer, God has been there.
In 2005, I was commissioned and appointed to lead the Tabernacle Corps in Minneapolis, Minn., which had a Laotian congregation. I was new and young. There was so much to learn, even things about The Salvation Army. But God’s grace was enough for me. Sometimes we learn and grow by doing. In my first appointment, we spoke mainly Lao, ate Lao food and enjoyed being among our Lao people. I loved it very much and did not want to move. But God had a different plan in mind. After two years, God called me to do something which was out of my comfort zone. In the middle of 2007, the Minneapolis Tabernacle Corps merged with the Minneapolis Central Corps. I was concerned I would not be able to handle a merger. I wondered how to go about being a leader to those who spoke English as speaking it was a challenge for me. I also worried that people from the two corps might not get along. I had forgotten this is God’s church and they are His people. After I realized it was all about God, I felt relieved and peaceful. Every day God sent a wonderful leader to help. Years later, we even had a Hispanic congregation added to the corps. Every week, there were people who spoke three different languages who came together in worship. There are still a lot of things to learn, and God is not finished with me yet. But I have seen His hand upon me. He is a faithful God. My prayer is that God will do the same here in Madison, Wis.
