{"id":160,"date":"2016-05-15T08:34:47","date_gmt":"2016-05-15T08:34:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/usawest.us\/candidates\/?p=160"},"modified":"2020-10-13T06:31:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-13T06:31:19","slug":"life-of-a-cadet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usawestcandidates.org\/index.php\/2016\/05\/15\/life-of-a-cadet\/","title":{"rendered":"The Life of a Cadet"},"content":{"rendered":"

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THE LIFE OF A CADET<\/h3>\n

Inside the Crestmont College for Officer Training<\/strong><\/h4>\n<\/div>
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Originally published in <\/a><\/em>New Frontier Chronicle<\/a> on June 14, 2014<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
by Erica Andrews<\/em><\/p>\n
When most people graduate from college, their attention turns to one thing: getting a job. At The Salvation Army Crestmont College for Officer Training in the USA Western Territory, cadets enroll knowing a ministry appointment is waiting for them at the end of the two-year trek.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s spiritual, so it goes a lot deeper\u2014I think we all go through battles once we get here because it\u2019s so significant and it is our life,\u201d said Elizabeth Gross, first-year cadet. \u201cIt is a lifelong calling of officership.\u201d<\/p>\n
A typical schedule includes biblical studies, business management, English and communications, social sciences, worship arts, ministry, theological studies and required lectures. Academic sessions are divided into four quarters per year, running each weekday from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sundays cadets work at local Salvation Army corps and centers as part of their curriculum.<\/p>\n
Upon completion, cadets attain an associate\u2019s degree, are ordained as ministers in The Salvation Army and are appointed to serve in the territory.<\/p>\n
Gross\u2019s path to Crestmont began with a chance encounter. She grew up belonging to the Assemblies of God church and said she was always interested in mission. She attended Simpson University, focusing on cross-cultural studies with a minor in psychology. Following college, her job search brought her to the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center in Hawaii, where Gross was first introduced to The Salvation Army. She would later make the decision to be an officer.<\/p>\n
Gross said she quickly learned that Crestmont would be different than her traditional college experience. She said the holistic refinement was new to her and difficult.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of introspection and a lot of being very honest with yourself and where you\u2019re at and where you need to be,\u201d Gross said. \u201cFor me it\u2019s been a lot of trust, it\u2019s been a lot of surrender to his plan and learning to surrender to the Army and the Army\u2019s way of doing church and ministry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe eat in the cafeteria; most of us don\u2019t have cars, so sometimes you can feel a little landlocked,\u201d Gross said. \u201cSo different things like that and getting used to the schedule and the uniform and what you bring to what, there\u2019s a lot of that you go through your first year. But once you hit that groove and you understand more, this place becomes a little bit more home and then once you get the details out of the way that can be stressful, then you can start dealing with your heart.\u201d<\/p>\n
First-year cadet John Acosta echoed those sentiments, and added the importance of handling your time well.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s always managing your time here,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re tired you manage your time of a nap. Give yourself an hour because if you don\u2019t give yourself time to rest a little bit it will reflect on your performance of the way you write, the way you talk, the way you perform\u2014everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
Acosta grew up in the church, but it wasn\u2019t until he was 12 that he was introduced to The Salvation Army. His uncle started going to a local corps and wanted the family to join, and so Acosta was introduced to the Army\u2019s music lessons. He began learning piano and other instruments, eventually joining a worship team. He said he felt the calling to be an officer at 16.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod just really spoke to me that day and said, \u2018This is something I really want you to do. You choose to take it or not,\u2019 Acosta said. \u201cNow I\u2019m 21 and giving it my all. I left everything behind\u2026and said \u2018God, I\u2019m here, use me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Before becoming a cadet, Acosta said he had a terrible fear of public speaking yet as a student here he has become more comfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see God working through things that we think we can\u2019t do,\u201d he said. \u201cI was scared of talking in public, I\u2019ve never done stuff like this before so God\u2019s really pushing me and my limits. So you can see the spiritual growth as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
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Major Ivan Wild, director of personnel and a professor at Crestmont, helps the cadets to develop a Ministry Development Plan (MDP) at the outset to help each person determine goals and areas to improve upon while in the program. He meets with the cadets every six months to discuss progression and to refine as needed. Wild explained that if a student isn\u2019t meeting their objectives or is falling behind in class a number of safety nets are in place to help them.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we do as instructors is periodically checking to see where they are and if it looks like someone is falling behind, then we try to meet with them,\u201d Wild said. \u201cThey have an advisor that will meet with them and they are encouraged to go to the academic resource center. We do all that we can to make sure they don\u2019t fall.\u201d<\/p>\n
A Salvation Army officer for 22 years, Wild has been teaching for three. He explained that the curriculum is intense and that the cadets move as a cohort.<\/p>\n
\u201cTeaching a class, you have to move from point a to point b to point c and get through the material within the 10 or 12-week period and then assess them,\u201d Wild said. \u201cI love teaching, it\u2019s my favorite part of the job. I don\u2019t know how gifted I am, I\u2019m not gifted at many things, but the thing I\u2019m halfway decent at is teaching and preaching and those are two of my passions.\u201d<\/p>\n
He teaches pastoral care, evangelism, public ministries, ethics and a class on the book of Luke. Wild said he has discovered that the students have an easier time as their first year passes by.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce they\u2019re here for several weeks they get into a rhythm and routine,\u201d Wild said. \u201cMost will say the first year is the toughest because of the adjustment. Most people think it\u2019s more work, but if you actually look at it, it\u2019s really the same amount of classes, same amount of homework. It\u2019s just the adjustment of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gross agreed that it has become easier, but believes these two years are a period of personal refinement.<\/p>\n
I think that I\u2019ve moved into a season of\u2014the details are set, now I can work on my heart and refining where God wants to refine me inside. I think Crestmont is a refiner\u2019s fire for each of us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an intentional time of being in seminary and being on holy ground with a lot of support through pastors and peers and when you go out, it will be different,\u201d she said. \u201cI think that I\u2019ve moved into a season of\u2014the details are set, now I can work on my heart and refining where God wants to refine me inside. I think Crestmont is a refiner\u2019s fire for each of us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve heard another cadet say, \u2018Whatever you need, God will find you at Crestmont.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>
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