War Cry - May 12, 2012 Page 18

Lt. Colonel Nita Lodge lives in St. Louis, MO

ED WALTON AND WIFE LYN,

soldiers in the St. Louis Gate-
way Corps, spent 30 years
teaching in public school,
which serves them well as they
minister to youth at the corps.

During visits to some of the

corps in the area, Ed saw that
some copies of the

War Cry

were not being used.

"Lord

move on my spirit to use this
tool for You," he prayed. Hav-
ing read many issues, he was
convinced that the articles
were intended for blessing
people, encou r aging
them and introducing
them to the Savior. He
sensed that God had
commissioned him as a
seed�sower,

kind

Salvationist

Johnny Ap-

pleseed, through distribu-
tion of the

War Cry.

began

greeting

neighbors with, "On behalf of the
Good Lord above, and His Son Jesus, our
Savior, we wish you a blessed day," and offering
them a copy of the

War Cry.

To further personalize each issue of the

War

Cry, Ed designs a label with ap-
propriate graphics and Scripture
to apply to the cover. Careful to re-
spect the wishes of his neighbors,
he honors all

"no solicitors" signs.

It's not uncommon for people to
offer money, but Ed makes every
effort to let them know that he
isn't trying to collect. He returns to the corps any
money people insist on giving, and donates any
gifts�in�kind to the nearest Adult Rehabilita-
tion Center.

When promoting the

War Cry he often de-

scribes the features as stories to help with the

rough times in life. Many
times this has led to personal
conversation, often resulting
in prayer. He has had many
pivotal and transforming en-
counters over three years and
180�200

War Cry deliveries.

For instance, while visiting

a garage sale, one family
told him that their teenage
daughter had turned her life
around through a Salvation
Army rehabilitation program
that helps young people find

direction. Thanks to the

com passionate tough love

of the counselors, the

young woman was re-

united

with

her

grate ful family.

Ed noticed a For

Sale sign in front

of a house in his
n e i g h b o r h o o d .

The owner shared

that he had lost his

job and had to sell the

house and move away. Ed prayed

with the man about the sale of his home and for
comfort for his family during the transition.

Ed testifies to God's year�round

provision for daily strength and
receptive hearts. His only motive
is to bring glory to God and to pro-
mote the Kingdom. God is honor-
ing the efforts of this faithful
servant.

Ed's prayer is that readers will

be encouraged by his experiences and prayer-
fully consider how they can be used to reach oth-
ers for the Lord.

The War Cry / May 12, 2012

LT. COLONEL NITA LODGE

Sowing Seeds

in the Heartland

"LORD MOVE

ON MY SPIRIT

TO USE THIS

TOOL FOR YOU."

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