War Cry - July 21, 2012 Page 11

WC:

If you were to give a label to each one, what

would it be?

The answer to this question was a group project!
The consensus was as follows: David is the artist.
Sarah is the mother. Naomi is the adventurer.
Daniel is the comedian.

Daniel:

I was the rebel in the family as well. I ques-

tioned if God even existed. Growing up in the
Army, I felt like I didn't have a choice of whether or
not I believed in God. My senior year I was given a
position at my high school as a worship leader. My
mom was going to go to the school to explain that it
wasn't a good idea because my life was totally dif-
ferent at home. But one of her friends said, "You
can either go to the school and do that and he'll re-
sent you for it, or you can pray that he'll become
the man of God that God has made him to be." Be-
cause she let me keep the position, I found myself
in a prayer meeting one day and people had to hold
me up--I was being filled with the Spirit. That
was me surrendering all of it to the Lord. There's
been a huge change in me.

.......................
WC:

How did God come into play in your family life?

Major Danny:

I remember General Eva Burrows

(rtd) at the children's dedication talking about the
Bible's account of Hannah giving her son back to
God. I said to Carole that we needed to do this from
the very start, give our children back to the Lord. It
wasn't going to be perfect, but we wanted to give
them back to God, so they would know Christ. We
wanted them to know the reason for reading Scrip-
ture, and for worship, and why we get up in the
morning and go to Sunday school. We wanted to
convey that, even in the imperfection of our dis-
agreements.

Major Carole:

When they were babies I started

doing devotionals with them.

Sarah:

We used to act out Bible stories at the play

place in McDonald's.

Major Carole:

One of the stories was Jesus stilling

the water; the balls were the water, and the kids
were down there screaming, "Jesus, Jesus!" Daniel
was standing there saying, "Peace, be still."

.......................
WC:

That's cute.

All:

Not all the parents thought so! They thought

the kids were swearing, yelling "Jesus!"

Sarah:

I knew from the time I was very small that

God was important. My parents made Him a prior-

ity. That priority is seen everywhere, from ministry
to how we deal with family issues. Dad used to do
family devotionals in the morning. The emphasis
Mom and Dad put on faith was a driving motivation
for us. Without a good foundation nothing's going to
stand. Now we've grown into that faith, made it our
own.

Major Carole:

I can learn from them now spiritually.

I still have to grow, I still have to learn. I value their
opinions, their growth. I'm so proud that I can learn
from them spiritually now.

Naomi:

God continues to shape and mold us. Our

journeys are different, but God continues to show
up. Our parents dedicated us back to God and con-
tinue to pray for us. We understand more and more
what this means for each of our lives.

.......................

WC:

Would any of you want to raise quads?

Naomi:

I don't know!

Sarah:

I wouldn't mind having multiples. I love

having all of us the same age. I'm so close to them,
and I want that for my children. I wouldn't say
I want four though. Three would be pushing it, I
might be able to do it. Two? Yeah, hey. We'll see.

David:

I don't think I want four kids., I'm fine with

twins. There's a special bond that comes with being
a multiple. But I think four would be a little much.

Daniel:

That question freaks me out! It was a lot of

work on my parents' part, and if I can avoid that . . .

.......................
WC:

You really understand what your parents have

gone through.

All four:

Oh yeah, it's a lot of work.

Sarah:

They are amazing parents. They've done a lot

and sacrificed a lot for us.

David:

Amidst corps work.

Major Carole:

They were good kids, though. God

has been incredibly gracious to us. It's so worth it.
All those years ago I prayed God would give us chil-
dren. I lost one before them, and I lost one with
them (a fifth multiple). The thing Danny and I al-
ways wanted was that they would love each other,
and that they would love and serve the Lord.

Major Danny:

We wanted to make sure that every-

thing they did was to glorify the Lord. Even for the
basic necessities, we trusted in the Lord.

Major Amy Reardon was recently appointed Assistant

Editor in Chief for the National Publications Department

of The Salvation Army in Alexandria, VA. She also serves

as the editor for Young Salvationist magazine.

The War Cry | July 21, 2012

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