A Call to Something More
Jaime Bell traveled to Jamaica with his cadet session
"Preparers of the
Way"
In May of 1913 Igor Stravinsky’s “Rite of Spring” premiered with a near instantaneous riot. As all good art should do, the composition challenged the ears of the audience. While on Spring Missions in Jamaica, the Holy Spirit composed and preformed a new song in the choir of my soul. The only problem was that the song was performed to the audience of my mind, and it was a song that caused a controversy, indeed a riot in my thinking. You see, it was a song of forfeit, a song of surrender, a song of sacrifice, undeniably. And while these are not new concepts to me, I encountered them in new ways.
The Prepares of The Way session, and participating staff, were blessed to minister in Jamaica for two Sundays. It was in the latter part of the week that I felt the Holy Spirit singing directly to my spirit. On the second Sunday I realized that the song in my soul was rising to its zenith. This climax was met with great anticipation. The song was now penetrating every part of me. I could do nothing, but listen. The cacophony of life was silent. As I listened, I became convicted about my ministry in The Salvation Army.
Each night, before we went to sleep, we meet together to share about what the Lord was teaching us individually. Throughout the week I realized two things. The first was about the body of Christ.
About the third day in the trip there seemed to be something wrong with my particular ministry team. I couldn’t put my finger on it until the evening sharing time. That night we were waiting for the last team to come back from the day’s ministry, and it seemed like half of the session was not with us. Due to the busyness of life, it was only then that I realized that my team was still waiting on one of its members to arrive in Jamaica. The Holy Spirit taught me that the body of Christ depends on each one of us doing what we are supposed to do. And if a person isn’t around, we should notice. The body of Christ can only work properly when each of us is doing what the Lord has asked us to do. The second aspect of my ministry that I was convicted about was that of service.
When my wife and I were first married, we knew that God had called us to be Officers in The Salvation Army. It was a long road to Atlanta, one that we thought was bringing us the CFOT in New York and then in Los Angeles (my wife’s home territory). When we visited those Training Colleges, we felt that the Lord was not leading us there. God finally showed us that He was calling us to attend the CFOT in the Southern Territory (my home territory). It was in Jamaica that it was revealed to me that while I was called to attend training in Atlanta, I was not called to The Salvation Army Southern Territory USA or The Salvation Army a Georgia Corporation, but rather, The Salvation Army an international Movement.
I do not know if this means that my wife and I will serve the Army as missionaries. I do know that I came to a point in my life where God was asking me to give Him something. This thing was my service to Him through the Salvation Army. He wanted all of it. He wanted to know that I was willing to do whatever He asked me to do. I knew I must obey, and am currently in the process of offering myself, and my family of four, to serve The Salvation Army internationally.
The riot in my mind has calmed, and I have peace. The song of the Holy Spirit has finished. However, there is still a song in my soul today, a new song; a song of commitment, a song of surrender, and a song of hope.