2,796 days and counting
by Captain Michelle Johnson
It is amazing how God works. I knew I was called to ministry years before I became a Salvation Army officer. I had hopes of being a missionary overseas. I wanted to go to another country and help those who were less fortunate and share the love of Jesus. Little did I know God had other plans for me which included doing that right here in the United States.
After I became an auxiliary captain in May 2015, my husband and I were appointed to lead the work for the Black Hills in South Dakota, including the Rapid City Corps.
One of the highlights of my time there was overseeing the Black Hills Camp programming. Each summer one of the camps was for Native American children, most of whom came from very low-income households. The camp provided them with the opportunity to get into nature and experience new things. However, the most important things they learned about were the love of Jesus, the Word of God and that they have a Heavenly Father who loves them very much. It was a tremendous blessing to participate in this camp and witness children accepting Jesus into their hearts. Several families joined the corps through this ministry.
For the past three years my husband and I have been administrators of the Fort Wayne, Ind., Adult Rehabilitation Center. Seeing the transformation and regeneration of lives through the power of Jesus Christ is beautiful. I have seen men come into the program proclaiming to be atheists but by the time they leave they have turned their lives wholly over to God. I have seen men come to the ARC facing 20 years of prison time and subsequently leave on probation. I have seen men of different races and nationalities come together and form tight bonds when tense racial protests were taking place just down the block. We have witnessed several men who were gang leaders in prison completely turn their lives around by giving themselves to God and are now helping others in the trenches of addiction find new life through recovery and Jesus Christ.
I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and look forward to embracing what He has in store for me every single day.
