Corps Sergeant-Major Ricardo Cardenas cried tears of joy as he watched 21 of his fellow soldiers at the Kansas City Blue Valley, Mo., Corps walk to the altar and sign the Soldier’s Covenant Renewal and six others sign the covenant for the first time.
It was a promising start to the new year as the corps participated in the territory-wide commitment Sunday. “God is working in all of us,” Ricardo said.
Lt. Yami Briceno, who leads the corps with her husband Lt. Gunther Briceno, said, “To see all these people is the fruit of our hard work doing discipleship—the fruit of our labors. We are here to help all of them accomplish the promise they make when they sign that covenant, to help them on their journey.”
A relationship with God is at the heart of one’s spiritual life, Lt. Gunther explained.
“We teach that the most important thing is to be in relationship with God every day,” he said, emphasizing the importance of the spiritual disciplines of reading the Bible and praying. He stressed prioritizing a personal relationship with Jesus and seeking to become more and more like Him through the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.
“The most important thing for us is the soul, and they can understand that we can have a genuine communication with God,” Lt. Gunther continued. “We need to believe in Jesus and live according to His teachings and practice this every day.”
In 2022, when the Kansas City Westport Temple, Mo., Corps merged with Blue Valley—a “marriage” of sorts said Lt. Gunther—there were about 45 people in the congregation. Now there are 120 members.
“One of the significant points in this ‘marriage’ was that nobody left,” he reflected.
Coinciding with spiritual life development, the corps has seen a rise in participation in many of its programs, including women’s ministries and discipleship classes (in both English and Spanish) and in its music programs.
Ricardo, his wife Flor and their two daughters didn’t know much about music when they began attending the corps. Now, Ricardo plays the bass guitar, Flor and Abigail sing, and Alondra plays the drums.
“The Holy Spirit is working in us through music and as a family,” Ricardo said.
Maricssa Meraz, soldier and youth and program ministries assistant, said the lieutenants have brought a renewed emphasis to spiritual life development to the Blue Valley Corps.
“They stress having a personal relationship with God; reading the Bible, praying and just being in His presence,” she said. “And I see lots of hearts healing. People in this congregation are understanding and wanting to learn more about who God is.”
Ricardo concluded, “Lt. Gunther and Lt. Yami are always working with us on our spiritual life, teaching us over and over to ‘read the Bible, read the Bible, read the Bible,’ and showing us the Holy Spirit and how He moves at our corps. You can feel God’s presence here.”