W W W . S A I N T E R S E C T I O N . O R G
D E C E M B E R 2 O 1 4
�
23
That year presented a young Sharon with a "good news, bad news"
situation. The good news was that a cousin had invited her to The Salvation
Army. The bad news was that--although she became involved in youth
programs at the corps in Kingston, NY--Sharon began abusing alcohol.
"I attended Sunday school every week at the corps," Major Sharon
says. "This was a place that I felt safe. At the age of 14 they enrolled me
as a Senior Soldier and I half�heartedly accepted the Lord, but I did not
really know what this meant and was still drinking. People were
unaware of my drinking--I hid it well."
Her mother provided for Sharon and three siblings, but with very little
money coming in, each Christmas was meager. One December was
particularly cruel, and the children were told there would be absolutely
nothing from Santa that year.
Fortunately, when the Kingston corps offi cers and soldiers learned of
the family's plight, they rallied to provide presents and food that exceeded
anything they had before.
Upon arriving home one day, Sharon saw the bounty and was told by her
Mom, "Oh yes, and there's something in the bedroom just for you, too!"
Sharon rushed upstairs and unwrapped a doll. Overcome with
emotion, Sharon collapsed on her
bedroom fl oor and wept
uncontrollably.
"It was the fi rst time I
cried since I was ten years old,"
she says.
Her mother was alarmed
and couldn't get a response from
Sharon, so she did
the only thing she
could think of: she
called the corps offi cer, who
rushed right over.
The corps offi cer held Sharon
and let her cry until she could
speak. When she did, all Sharon
could say was, "The Lord really
does love me!"
"I knew in that instant the truth of God's love," she testifi es now.
"The peace I felt was real." From that day forward, Sharon Whispell
belonged to Jesus, and she committed her life to doing for others what
the Lord had done in her life.
Today she is a Salvation Army offi cer, leading the corps in Tamaqua,
PA. She is extremely happy in her service to the Kingdom of God.
The Scripture verse she relies on most is in Philippians 4:13: "I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
"There have been many ups and downs over the years but, through
God's grace, I stay strong in my faith and will go wherever Jesus leads."
Major Sharon has a bit of special advice for teens and young adults,
and she speaks from experience: "If you fi nd yourself in a similar lifestyle
as I did as a child, don't give up hope. God is there and there are people
who truly care. Trust God. Trust His love and know that He loves you
more than you can imagine!"
That Christmas provided Sharon with defi nitive proof that not only
does God exist, but He loves each of us and has a plan mapped out for
each one, no matter what your circumstances may be.
"I can't imagine being anywhere else than where I am today in
Christ!"
Sharon rushed upstairs and unwra
a
c
ru
an
sp
co
do
It Happened One
Christmas
continued
Lieutenant Cecil wanted the children of the mountains to
enjoy what she had missed. Since many mountain families
lacked trees and decorations, they would celebrate Christmas
at one of nearly a dozen corps she founded during her years
in ministry there.
Cecil made sure every corps had a Christmas party, and
she encouraged people to exchange gifts as part of
the celebration of Christ's birth. In an upstairs room
at her main "headquarters," she kept reserves of toys
and supplies she'd accumulated
all year. This became known as "the
Christmas Room."
Men usually received handkerchiefs
and a tie, and women unwrapped gifts
of handbags, aprons, and kitchen items.
The children, of course, were always
thrilled with an assortment of toys.
When families weren't able to make
it to one of Cecil's corps, Cecil brought
Christmas to them. Some mountain
children gave her the nickname "Mrs.
Claus." But this "Kringle" was the
opposite, in some ways, to the Santa
most of us know.
Santa is fat; Cecil is (very) slim. Santa wears red; Cecil wore
blue (the uniform of The Salvation Army); Santa's hat is a red
stocking cap trimmed in white fur; Cecil's hat was a Salvation
Army bonnet.
But the most astounding difference between Major Cecil
Brown and her counterpart, St. Nick, is the mode of transporta-
tion. While Santa uses reindeer, Cecil relied on her horse named
Dolly to make her rounds! In fact, in the last years of her life, she
was given a jeep to negotiate the rough terrain. But even then,
where even the jeep could not go, Cecil would set out on foot!
And now you know a Christmas
iRony, still fondly remem-
bered by those children, now themselves aged, but transported
in childhood memory to Mrs. Claus, who never failed to visit
them on Christmas Eve.
a Wore
e
Major Sharon Whispell
21-24_Intersection_Dec14_Werk5.indd 23
11/14/14 1:00 PM