- I don’t remember receiving Jesus as my Savior as it happened when I was a young girl.
- Many times I can hear God more in nature or music than I do when sitting in a pew.
- It hasn’t always been easy, with times of being in the valley, yet God has remained faithful.
- God continues to challenge me in the area of self-reliance. Many times I try to do it on my own as I don’t want to bother people by asking them to help or pray for me.
- God’s grace is a gift I sometimes take for granted. He gently pulls me back in when I allow the evil one to convince me I’m not good enough for God to care for me.
4 things that have influenced your spiritual development over the years:
- I loved Directory class and Corps Cadets. They helped my spiritual development when I was a child and teen.
- My corps officers when I was a teenager (Captains John and Juanita Morrison) were so helpful to me because I saw the love of Jesus in them as they loved that group of teens at the Grand Rapids Burton Heights corps.
- My parents lived out their holiness and servant attitude in our home as well as in their public ministry.
- Mentors and friends who have challenged me to go deeper and not settle for the easy or complacent route.
3 things that keep your spiritual life on track:
- I write my prayers out with ink to paper.
- I write scripture and have a Facebook page called The Written Word where each month I post the writing for the month. It’s been helpful to my personal devotions.
- I use the Bible app to help guide my reading plan.
2 good news things you see happening in the Army right now:
- Being at International Headquarters I have the blessing of seeing Army ministry in many parts of the world. The fact that officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers continue to serve in the name of the Lord through The Salvation Army – many times with little or no resources – is always a blessing to me.
- The work that The Salvation Army does with survivors of Human Trafficking is work that I knew very little about when I was in the USA. However, our work is vast and the work is happening in every area of The Salvation Army.
1 final thing you would say to encourage someone else on their spiritual journey:
- Watch for where God is already working, and join Him there. Don’t try to journey on your own, but surround yourself with people who will challenge you, encourage you, and pray for you.
Commissioner Dawn Heatwole, a USA Central native, is currently serving at International Headquarters in London.