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mycalling
acloserlook
SOUTHERN TERRITORIAL
MISSION STATEment
Major Donald Wilson
He called and I followed,
and his peace was with me
For 38 years I have known Jesus
Christ as my personal Savior, and since
that cold night in February 1977 at the
Knoxville, Tennessee, Corps, my life
has been wonderfully transformed. A
student on an evangelistic team from a
Christian college invited me to ask Jesus
into my heart, and I felt the weight of sin
and guilt fall off my soul. I experienced
true joy for the first time in my life. From
that moment when I made the decision
to follow Jesus, my life has been focused
on growing closer to him who saved me.
There was a hunger for God’s Word
and a longing to be around God’s
people, particularly at The Salvation
Army. After informing my corps officers
of my changed life, they began to
provide opportunities to grow in my
faith, such as teaching a class during
vacation Bible school, participating
in the corps meetings and attending
Territorial Youth Institute.
I was very excited about following
the Lord and serving him in full-time
ministry, but I was not too eager to serve
him full time as a Salvation Army officer.
As I observed the workload of the
officers and the “less than ideal” people
the Army worked with on a daily basis,
I presented my ideas to God concerning
my calling.
“Lord, I will be more than willing to
be Baptist pastor, a Methodist minister
or even a Pentecostal preacher, but I
really do not want to be a Salvation
Army officer.” God’s silence on
my options seemed to indicate his
willingness to work with me on my
options of my life’s vocation.
Then, when I attended the 1977
commissioning in Atlanta, there was an
uneasiness in my heart that I could not
explain; I seemed to object to everything
about going to official meetings. In fact,
I lied to my corps officer to avoid going
to the Sunday morning commissioning
service. I was consumed with spiritual
pain because I realized I was separated
from God’s presence. I said to the
Lord, “Please, Lord, let me come back
to you and I will serve wherever you
desire and go wherever you lead.” At
that moment God’s peace returned to
me and I heard him say, “Listen for
my voice.” I prepared myself to go to
the appointment service of the new
lieutenants.
During the appointment service I
remained quiet and open to hear God’s
voice, but I was not particularly grasping
its purpose. I only knew I was where
God wanted me at that moment. At the
end of the service there was an invitation
given to follow Christ as an officer, and
I heard God’s voice say, “This is my
will for you.” I did not debate or argue.
I simply went forward. When I arrived
on the platform, it seemed as if I was the
only person there not wearing a uniform,
but it did not matter because I knew that
I had followed God’s voice and I was at
peace with him.
Since that step of faith, my life has
moved forward in grace and blessing.
I have followed Jesus as a local officer,
a candidate, a cadet, an officer, a
husband, a father and a missionary in
six countries. With each passing day my
faith has been refined by challenge and
adversity, but God has never revoked
my call to serve him in this glorious
movement of God’s mercy to mankind,
The Salvation Army.
Major George Hoosier
Major George Hoosier was
promoted to Glory suddenly from
his home on Sept. 8, 2015. A funeral
service was held Sept. 14 at the
Atlanta Temple Corps. Colonel
Allan Hofer brought the message.
The committal was at Atlanta’s
Westview Cemetery.
George Hoosier was born in Orange, Texas, Nov.
6, 1947, to R.C. and Constance Hoosier. The Salvation
Army became his family’s neighborhood church when
he was a child. Corps officers such as Major Ralph
Morrel and Lt. Colonel Edward Laity taught him
God’s Word and made it real to him. As a teenager,
George answered God’s call to become a Salvation
Army officer. He was commissioned with the
Messengers of the Faith session in June 1968.
He married Shar 币A