The Salvation Army - Doing The Most Good

Luis Villanueva

Captain of the Salvation Army. Salvation Army Day is March 10th.

Luis is from Chile, South America. His parents are Salvation Army officers so he was able to experience a lot of the ministry with different cultures and backgrounds growing up. He got his degree in translating English and Spanish. After eight months of working through the visa process he stepped foot on US ground in Salt Lake City in 2007. 

When he was working for the Western Territory all of a sudden his visa was terminated, and he had to go back to Chile. One year passed, and then the Waxahachie Corps was looking for a youth worker. They saw his resume, called him and eight months later, he's here in the Texas Division with people that he doesn't know. 

He and his wife knew that they had a calling to be Salvation Army officers but they didn't know what was going to happen. They were in Texas, and met Major Betty Jo MacDonald, who attended their corps. After a year, she said, "I think you guys have a calling to be officers." They talked about their calling, and she said, "Sure enough!" 

His advice to anyone who God has been called to be an officer is to pray! Let God confirm you, at least two or three times. If you're not sure that this is what God wants from you, instead of being a help it could be a problem for you and your family. Pray and ask God for confirmation through the Scripture and through people. It can be the greatest ministry in your life if it is a calling because God will sustain you in all those years, whether good or bad. 

Being a Salvation Army officer is totally different than only being a pastor. That's something he learned. It is a lot of work. But this is going to be the greatest opportunity that you have to impact as many people you encounter. 

This was adapted from the Salvation Army website, you can read the original here.