42
The War Cry | JANUARY 2016
J
ason Piecuch was on the verge of starv-
ing to death, but he needed more than
just food.
He was a stranger in Fresno,
California--alone, homeless and hungry. He
hadn't eaten in so long that he felt sure that his
body was beginning to shut down. He had no-
where to turn. That's when he happened upon
The Salvation Army. He had been walking aim-
lessly down Fulton Street.
"I knew they had something to do with God
and helping the poor at Christmas," Jason says,
"so I decided to knock on the door."
It was a Saturday, and he doubted anyone
would be in the office that day to give him assis-
tance. Luckily, the corps officer happened to be
there.
Captain Dwaine Breazeale appeared at the
door, and instead of telling Jason to come back
Monday when the social worker would be in the
office, the captain invited him inside. He listened
attentively to Jason's story and gave him some-
thing to eat. The captain welcomed him to the
shelter and invited him to worship with the Sal-
vationists the next day, Sunday.
Jason says, "I decided to come to church that
next morning because I did feel grateful, and I
thought to myself: What could it hurt? I mean,
these people just fed me, so give some thanks!"
That worship service opened Jason's eyes.
He fell in love with the uniforms, the band, the
singing and especially the corps family who wel-
comed him.
"That is where my journey [back to God]
started," Jason shares. "I was fed. I was listened
to. And I noticed that their Christianity wasn't
like other churches I had heard about."
Jason attended the division's Men's Camp at
Camp Redwood Glen several months later. By
that time he was convinced that he had to totally
surrender his heart to Jesus. There at the mercy
seat, Jason was born again.
"I had no idea how much I would change that
weekend, and I will admit I really didn't know
what to expect. During the messages and the fel-
lowship I just felt such a massive stirring of love.
I felt the confidence that only Christ can give. I
felt I could finally, with an honest heart, accept
Christ's love and forgiveness."
As he knelt at that alter, Jason wept un-
ashamedly. "I suddenly realized that people
could love me, and that Christ never forgot me.
It was a massive release and weight taken off of
me!"
In addition, Jason believes that "the uniform
amplifies this in a very mighty way."
Now he regularly volunteers at the corps and
distributes the War Cry on Fresno's downtown
streets--the same streets he once wandered,
starving physically and spiritually.
He has become something of a local public
figure for Christ and the Army. When he's not
downtown, Jason walks the neighborhoods sur-
rounding the Fresno Corps armed with a stack
of War Cry magazines and a testimony of how he
became "a trophy of grace."
And he's not just out to witness to those in
need of Christ, he's something of a scout, ever on
the lookout for needs in the community where
his corps can be tactical in ministry.
Jason says, "A decade ago, I was an alcoholic
and drug addict in San Francisco, rotting in a
residential hotel. I had no idea that I would real-
ize my need for a Savior, never dreamed that I
would proudly wear a Salvation Army uniform."
Finally Fed
by
MAJOR FRANK DURACHER
How I Met
the Army
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