On behalf of Salvationists in Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa, which comprise the Western Division, Heather Guthrie and Bobby Calkins are part of the pioneering work of the Territorial Soldiers’ Forum.
Heather Guthrie was a 12- year-old junior soldier when she decided she no longer needed God. It would be 30 years before she allowed Him back in her heart. By then she was 42 and married to Ken with a 16-year-old son.
“The Lord brought me back,”
Heather said. “He had been working on my heart since my son was born. But God always carried me. Even when I strayed; when I did not know His name, He knew mine.”
Heather, a resident of Omaha, Neb., is now divisional sergeant-major for the Western Division.
“I grew up with good morals. I thought that was good enough,” Heather said. “But it’s not enough to just be good. You need that relationship [with God]. God is my true north. He is the one who guides my steps and guides my path.”
Once Heather welcomed God back in her heart, she began attending the Omaha North, Neb., Corps, initially getting involved with women’s ministries. She was sometimes asked to lead one of the women’s meetings—a challenge for Heather, who acknowledges she is quite shy.
“That got me out of my shell though,” she recalled. “Major Sue Summit would joke with me that I would turn multiple shades of red. And I still do,” she laughed.
At one point, she was leading Sunday school and junior church. Now, she helps with afterschool programs and is on the corps council. Her work with women’s ministries continues.
“I work more often with the younger generation of women,” Heather said. “And I always try and reach out to the kids in the corps. It’s nice because they will come up and say to me, ‘Can I sit with you today?’ They know I keep a bag of colored pencils and a notebook. They will sit by me and color during church. It’s very sweet.”
When she was asked to join the Soldiers’ Forum, Heather was hesitant. But she was inspired by Isaiah 43 (NIV), where God says, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”
“That is why I accepted the invitation,” she said.
Heather works for a photographer whose mission is to preserve the natural world God designed through his photographs. Heather supports that goal.
“I want our kids and grandkids to be able to see the beauty that God has created,” Heather said. “The animals, the scenery, it’s all unique. All of God’s creatures are amazing. He has given us the sun, the rain and the colors of the rainbow.”
