I've been reticent to write up something for this blog. Mostly because I didn't think that I really had an intriguing and compelling story. Well, I've since been inspired and here goes a boring and insipid blogo-missive....Background: My Gram was Jewish and my Mom was raised Catholic (Granddad was Catholic, I'm guessing). Most of the family was Italian except Granddad whom hailed from Eastern Europe somewhere (pick a date and search for a moved border). That combination left me and my recalcitrant siblings being raised officially "nothing". We were told God loved us and went to an occasional VBS (sort of like PBS but with the Bible...not really, it was vacation bible school). So.....................
First Army Exposure: After setting out on my own at the ripe age of 16 (my dotage, it turns out), a teacher at my high school got me a job at Star Lake Camp in New Jersey, run by the Salvation Army (he told me it was a basketball camp and then denied ever saying that, just a long list of lies I’ve had to deal with.☺). I guess it was a combination of my rearing and the influence of strong evangelizing Christians which planted the seed for me to turn to Christ in my subsequent university years. I’ll never forget um, “feeling” or “sensing” or whatever it was that made me realize God’s presence from that day up to and including, let me check, yep…this very moment. It was the year after that I became a soldier at the Canandaigua Corps located in the town where I was attending university. At that very time, the corps officer had me fill out a form to do missions work overseas (summer service corps or something like that). For some reason I was accepted, packaged in a tunic, and sent via air freight for the summer to Moscow, Russia.
I remember meeting Captain Ljungholm just before we left for Russia; he was ebullient and verbose; a true laugh a minute…no wait, that was me. Just kidding Dr. L, you I got nothing but love for you.
Okay, so that summer was incredible. It had been less than a year since the Soviet Union was officially dissolved and so much was happening all around. I was such a rookie but we were under the incomparable leadership skills of Capts. Sven and Kathie Ljungholm. I would use this perception consciously many times in the future, blatantly and shamelessly plagiarizing their technique as I lacked any myself; it worked for the most part.
After that summer I was visiting a friend in Sydney, Australia and attended a Salvation Army congress there. It became clear that service as an officer was something I believe God was leading me to. Upon my return, my CO in Montclair, some guy named Tillsley-something-or-other talked with me and put events into motion. I was accepted into SFOT in autumn of 93 (1993, whipper-snappers) after spending summer under the further auspices of the late and magnificently great Al and Normajean Honsberger.
SFOT was cool. Again, I was raw and not exactly orthodox Salvation Army stock so I had a lot to learn and spurn…my mates were simply fabulous and I remember each of them with great fondness. Most of us were restless, waiting for the opportunity to get out and work in the harvest fields. I felt a strong calling to Russia and spent my summer assignment in Moscow and Volgograd. My “feeling” (the word is woefully inaccurate and misleading, but I lack proper English education) was confirmed upon graduating as I was assigned to the Russian command with an appointment to Volgograd. After sojourning most of the summer I made it to Russia on the first day of winter (sometime in late September it turns out).
I was to 'open fire'; a new corps in the Soviet district (that’s how they name parts of cities) in south Volgograd.
We had a soup kitchen set up already, with a budget and everything. (Captains Sven and Kathie Ljungholm were the first salvationists to visit there in conjunction with his work with the more than 200 HIV positive toddlers in 1992-94)My intent was to minister, to help, and to be used by God in service as an officer. I had no idea what I would doing, frankly, and put a lot of pressure on myself to do it… what I perceived more than anything was that God was working on me personally, developing me, shaping me, getting rid of a LOT of ridiculous ideas I had about Him and what it meant to follow Him. Russia was a crucible used by God to do this. I don’t think another place would have been so maddeningly frustrating and beautifully captivating conterminously as Russia was for me. On one hand, I felt more at home in Russia and more “myself” than anywhere before or since.
To that extent, Russia lives within me in profound ways.I would say that despite myself, a corps got started and began to flourish in our ministry (soup kitchen, train station feeding programme, which consisted of huge thermoses with soup in the trunk of my Zhiguli car, very similar to this thing,
Bible study, Corps Cadets, worship services, and other stuff, I think...One of the good things about serving in Russia was that there weren’t very many SA leaders in place yet, and a corps officer, me, 1000 kilometres from Moscow wasn’t exactly micromanaged. Conversely, one of the bad things was that I was 1,000 kilometres from Moscow and really struggling. I needed pastoral care and needed someone to tell me that I was doing a horrible job and should instead do this: _____________ or say, okay, things are going well; thank God and move forward. I actively petitioned for this and probably because of the shortage of people, really never got an adequate response as my anxiety and doubt built up. I really thought I was over my head (which I probably was) and wanted to assist at a Corps to steal more ideas and claim them as my own, but nothing happened. It didn’t really bother me until an audit was done on the finances of Volgograd and the budget I inherited was off by a couple of hundred dollars (I promise I wasn’t trying to be all things to all men by spending it at Russian discos and casinos, honest). But, that seemed to get a huge amount of attention from Moscow and London; disproportionately, in my mind, than the “care” of one of their alleged shepherds. So, as they say in some parts, that stuck in my craw.
Scott (David) Colombo
Former Officer
USA East
9 comments:
The extremes of experience that were yours are poles apart. Camps ... with people. Russia ... with people. College ... with people. Then almost a sense of being dumped ... alone ... in the furthest places of the earth. Ok, so not literally. Lonliness ... isolation ... accusation ... is it any wonder our Army looses good people ... when will we ever learn???
Active UKT
Your article brought back many memories, most of them happy ones.
Less happy was recalling my wife having to explain to a newly arrived and appointed Finance Secretary how "our" books were off by around $ 200.00 and why there were so many erasures and newly penciled in figures and comments in the books. We sat in our flat, which also served as our office: he in his starched white shirt, fresh from its laundry bag from Atlanta, immaculately dressed in his uniform and toe-caps, seated on our kitchen chair (we had two) and we seated on our living room bed/'file cabinet'.
Our monthly budget, including allowance and employee salaries, equipment, petrol, etc was around $600.00 and always received late... our personal credit cards were used regularly. Inflation in Russia/Ukraine was running as high as 100% per month. So, the allocations, once received, if only 30 days late, paid for only half of the expenses it was meant to cover. Multiply that by 6 months and 600% inflation and let's say, 600 miscellaneous expenses, I'd challenge Greenspan and the IMF to balance the books !
During one 6 month period inflation was running at 145%; 18% per month, or 5% per week. That means, Mr. Auditor, that the money we picked up, by one or the other of us taking the overnight train to Moscow, and returning to Ukraine by next night's train, (sharing a 4 berth train compartment with strangers) would have around 3% less purchasing power by the time we arrived home and exchanged the money on the black market.
When asked why we didn't have government officially stamped money exchange receipts we offered the only truthful explanation we had; "THE MAFIA DOESN'T PROVIDE RECEIPTS !" Banks were going 'under' left and right and all ex-pats with any experience in Russia/Ukraine avoided using them for any purpose.
After a seemingly fruitful visit and audit, the RHQ officer was driven to the airport and returned to Moscow. (overnight train round trip:$42.00 round trip air: $192.00. Cost ? Lost respect relative to HQ stewardship !
A good portion of our monthly expenses were covered due the kind assistance from family and friends in the 'west'.
Scott, I so wish I'd still been stationed in the CIS when you served there. I'd trade a hand full of the neatly dressed officers from the 'west' at RHQ for just one Colombo !
Many blessings, Sven
When you left officership David, I believe many wept, including Jesus and Booth...
Former
USA East
Amen
Anything involving money The Salvation Army stands to attention. I know of other formers who are now formers because of questions of money.
Former USA East
In that the army is accountable to, first of all God, but in the USA also to the general public, soldiers, adherents, major donors, multiple funds, and not least government regulators, it's imperative that finances are strictly controlled and reported. Matters of income/expenses must be absolutely transparent in order to garner and sustain the trust of many parties.
As it concerns the average corps, where the financial reporting is typically conducted by the CO and perhaps an assistant, it seems to me that DHQ auditors see fault finding and the subsequent reports and finger pointing as opportunity for self-aggrandizement and another notch toward the next HQ appointment. Might it not be better to conduct a general review/study day where all reporting errors are reviewed (anonymously) and where all 'offenders' and their staff are required to be present.
And, why not give junior officers the same break and courtesy extended more senior officers who knowinglingly misspend tax advances, conduct business on the side, sit on boards where supplemental salaries are paid, or continuously spend in excess of their budget allocation.
Former
USA East
here's a better way to save the Army, sell all they have and give to the poor. And rely on God for the future. Ooo. Decided to remain anonymous this time. Jesus words not mine.
THE BELOW COMMENTS WERE EDITED FROM THE DELETED POST ABOVE- PLEASE DO NOT INCLUDE NAMES WHEN CRITISIZING LEADERS AND OTHERS NOT ABLE TO RESPOND.
'Looking forward to part two although Ican guess the consequences - Leaders (not one) saw themselves as responsible for losing a young disciple willing to serve half a world away from the comforts of home, family and SA colleagues !
Shame on you Comm. ........ and your successors...
(served in CIS)
UKT'
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