by Craig Dirkes
Two years ago, Fernando Basabe and Zarina Singh received a box of food that altered the course of their lives. They and their young son recently had immigrated to America after fleeing socialist chaos in their homeland of Venezuela, where Zarina and Fernando had worked at a state-controlled oil company. Zarina worked as a chemical engineer, and Fernando as a plant operator. Their lives became a life-or-death struggle after Fernando reported to authorities that government troops were stealing gasoline from the oil company. He was identified as a whistleblower at a government checkpoint, where military officers beat and stabbed him. Their message was clear: Keep your mouth shut, or die.
Fernando was treated by a friendly doctor at his home, keeping him out of the hospitals where mortality rates had skyrocketed. He knew his family’s only hope was asylum in America as part of a program to help people escape oppression and war. Eventually the family found their way to Minnesota, where a friend from the oil industry lived. They arrived with nothing and spent months living in a shelter.
One day, at a bus stop in Brooklyn Park, Fernando and Zarina received a flyer about a food distribution at the Noble Worship Center (Corps). They stopped by and received a big box of bread, meat, produce and other food. After receiving it, they struck up a conversation with Captain Josh Polanco, who led the corps at that time. They learned The Salvation Army is not just a place of service but a place for Christian worship.
Fernando and Zarina were moved deeply and felt they belonged. “We were used to going to churches that only helped in spiritual ways, but this church also helps with your needs—like food and coats,” Fernando said. “They help people who don’t know what will happen tomorrow. We know what that feels like.”
Captain Josh recalls the day he met the couple. “I remember Fernando saying, ‘This is the type of church I’ve been searching for my whole life,’” said Captain Josh, who is now general secretary for the Northern Division. “He and Zarina came in for food, but after hearing about the mission of The Salvation Army, they walked away with a renewed sense of purpose and calling.”
Fernando and Zarina soon began attending the Noble Corps, thrilled to join the mission of serving the Lord through helping others. After receiving their work papers, Fernando and Zarina became interns at the Minneapolis Temple Corps where they assisted Majors Roberto and Melissa Viquez, then corps officers, with a wide range of ministry, such as distributing food and coats, helping with Sunday morning worship services, and assisting local Nicaraguans who have fled dire circumstances like those in Venezuela. They began leading the corps as administrators in July 2023.
“This is a wonderful opportunity for us to be an example to Hispanic people, to show what God can do in your life and how The Salvation Army can help,” Zarina said.
They plan to become officers and spend their lives sharing the gospel and serving others.
And it all started with a box of groceries.
