Employee Spotlight - Jason Sell
To me The Salvation Army has been a part of my life for a long time and it has become a part of me. The Salvation Army gives me opportunities to make an impact in my community. It also allows me to be available to share Christ while working in the lives of those that need Him. The Salvation Army is where I have held employment for most of my working career and I have continued to stay with the organization because I love the mission. I love being able to share Christ with those who need him.
We know we are making a difference when we can see the change in families and children’s hearts and minds. If I were to stop programs and everything ceased in our youth department, I know that there are kids and even adults who would have something missing. This is where kids want to hang out to learn about Jesus, to see their friends and to fellowship in a community that loves and cares for them. If Christ is not being shared then there is a part of me that would be missing as well. We have children and families in our congregation and in our community that still need Jesus and until we can reach them then our work is not done here in Elkhart.
One of the ways we have impacted the community is through The Salvation Army Kurt Janowsky Summer Culinary Camp. This past summer we took 11 middle school teenagers and engaged them in Culinary Arts classes and field trips to make them better cooks and to equip them with life skills. In our two sessions we had multiple opportunities to share Jesus through lessons crafted around the theme of food that were designed to get teens thinking about spiritual hunger. Together with Robert Leach, I know that we had an impact on kids because of the outcomes that we experienced while having them with us. There is one story where after our final dinner when the students presented a meal to their parents, that one girl noticed there was an excess of food. Not wanting to waste it, she asked if there were any people in the surrounding area of the Corps building that could use the food. We walked outside to see a man sitting without dinner and immediately she knew what she wanted to do. She asked if it was possible to take the leftover food and give it to him. This is just one place where we know we had made a difference. There was a shift in the girl’s attitude and thinking where she was no longer just thinking about herself and family, but thinking about others. This is exactly what I had hoped to accomplish and to see students working together.
Another story from Culinary Camp that comes to mind is the whole idea that when we first had the students from camp one, there were definitely some strong personalities in the group. Over time, through team building exercises and constant working together on recipes and workshops, the students began to work as a team. They put aside their differences and collaborated so that a final product was achieved and presented in a manner that worked well for everyone. I had a hope that we could not only give students more cooking abilities, but that we would give them an experience they can have for the rest of their life. Through this experience we hope to empower students to reach out and see the need in the community and to meet it through their own means.