continued from page 5
I was a failure. I had
no hope of making it
anywhere.
One day a woman came
through my checkout line
and asked, "How are you
today?"
"I'm okay. How are you?"
I responded.
"I'm better than I de-
serve," she said. Then she
just looked at me again.
"No, really, how are you?"
I lost it; she was the first
person that I felt actually
cared about how I was. I told her a little
bit about my situation and she gave
me her card.
After spending a week in a hotel I
called her. "My life is spinning out of
control and I need help."
She and her husband invited me into
their home and asked, "Do you want to
change your life?"
I really didn't know what that meant,
but I said, "Yes, I want to change my life."
First, she brought me to The Salva-
tion Army Kroc Corps Center. I'd never
heard of it. I walked through the door
and it was like walking into a whole
other family. Everybody was so open.
That's where my life began to trans-
form. I came to church for the first time
with Daniela and Jeff Cross (who are
legally my parents now). At church
they played a song with the words: "I'm
running to Your arms/The riches of
Your Love/I'm running to Your arms."
Something came over me; I felt over-
whelmed by love, peace and the
knowledge that everything would be
okay. I fell into Daniela's arms and cried
because I knew something greater than
me was with me.
I got a job bell-ringing. Then I got a
job at the front desk. The Salvation Army
didn't care about my past. Instead, the
people there loved me and showed me
amazing things, like Jesus. I could pray
at my job. If I was having a hard time I
could say to my boss, "I need a few
minutes," and openly pray. If I had a
problem, I could say, "I have something
going on," and without hesitation they
helped me.
My son was 18 months old when we
first started coming to the Coeur
D'Alene Kroc Center; he's at home here.
This is where it all began for me. I used
to worry constantly, but now I have the
Kroc Center and my family. I'll go wher-
ever God leads me. There are so many
possibilities! I don't know what the fu-
ture holds for me, but I can't wait to
see what it is.
" `You need to say goodbye now
because she is not going to make it
through the night.' Three days later,
I woke up with my face all bandaged.
A doctor had been flown in to
reconstruct my face so I could live."
Bella and her adopted parents Daniela and Jeff Cross.
Frontlines
"So we, who are
many, are one body
in Christ."
Romans 12:5
Now you can receive this
free poster and be reminded
of where you belong.
Simply register at
WWW
.
THEWARCRY
.
COM
(while supplies last).
About the Poster
Misha Gavrilov of Moscow searched
for peace amid the rapid and confusing
changes besetting his homeland in the
years following the fall of the Berlin Wall
in 1989. Encountering The Salvation Army
at a street meeting, he was attracted by
the opportunity to serve his community
and glorify God. He became a
Salvationist and contributed his skills as a
graphic artist to the work of the Army.
He created this 15"x 22" poster based
on Romans 12:5 to celebrate his
new identity in Christ.
Sign up at
WWW
.
THEWARCRY
.
ORG
/
REGISTER
FREE POSTER