SSC: A Summer of Transformation

Six weeks of service and sacrifice can totally transform a person’s life, inside and out. That’s what Isaiah Hovatter, a young adult Salvationist from the Gwinnett County Corps in Georgia, discovered through participating in the Salvationist Service Corps (SSC) this summer.

Isaiah was a part of Team Scotland, a group of six young adults who travelled from the USA Southern Territory to Glasgow, Scotland, through SSC this summer. Over their six weeks abroad, the group spent most of their time between two local Salvation Army corps, Parkhead and Dennistoun.

“A large part of what we did was youth ministry,” Isaiah says. “We hosted a lot of what we called ‘Family Days.’ Families would come out, bring their kids, and then we’d have games, we’d have snacks, different things like that.”

Isaiah explains that they did two week-long vacation Bible school-style events during their time in the area, making this a sizeable part of their overall ministry. “We did arts and crafts, dancing, praise and worship, that sort of stuff. I would say that that was a main thing we did.”

Team Scotland was made up of two team leaders and four additional young adult Salvationists. Isaiah says that his being placed on this particular team “really shows the power of prayer.” A self-proclaimed introvert, Isaiah says, “they were all able to bring out that part of me that I kept locked away… They were all so active and vibrant and the energy was at a hundred percent every single day.” He claims that the personal growth he experienced may not have been possible with a different group and emphatically declares, “Prayer works.”

Some of Isaiah’s favorite memories of the trip are prayer walks, special devotions, and worship nights as a team fellowshipping and praising God together. “The smaller, more intimate moments that I had with the team; those were some of my favorites.”

He also points back to the week-long youth ministry events, saying, “We’d have kids who showed up and day one they would be kind of reserved. And then by the end of the week, they were there five minutes early, jumping for joy, ready to get into it.” And even when they moved to the next location, some of the same people came to attend a second time. “That was really exciting to see. I would say those moments right there, the really personal ones, whether with my team or just with other people in the community, those are probably my favorite.”

Another moment of ministry that stood out to Isaiah was something he witnessed from one of his teammates. “We’d be walking across the street, and he would just open up conversations with people,” he says of Shaun, one of their team leaders. “The way that he was able to just talk to people about Jesus so nonchalantly… Seeing him be able to carry himself in that way and have that confidence in what he believed in — that was very inspirational.”

“I would say the whole motto for this trip was bringing me out of my comfort zone,” Isaiah reflects. Having played guitar for years, he was selected as the worship leader for the team. He admits that even though he’s participated in worship for several years, he’s never been the one up front, preferring to stay more in the background. When it was time to lead worship in Glasgow, he says he was excited but then began second-guessing himself. Then his teammates reminded him, “We’re not doing this for us. We’re not doing this for them. We’re meant to be giving a joyful noise unto the Lord. And we’re helping the people of this congregation feel that connection with God. That’s why we’re here.”

“You’re playing to invite the Holy Spirit into that place,” Isaiah remembers Shaun telling him. “Be confident. Play with your heart and your soul and just remember why you’re there.” Isaiah recalls that once he got into that moment, all his nerves went away. “That was all God, because when we stopped, I went right back to my legs shaking. But in that moment, I felt a presence.”

Isaiah says that one of the biggest things he learned this summer is what faith really looks like. “There were a lot of times where we didn’t know what we were doing for the day. We didn’t know what we were eating. We didn’t know where we were going. There were a lot of times where I felt underqualified… The only thing you could do was just trust. Just trust that you’re here for a reason. There’s no mistake. Because there are people who prayed over this.”

“The mindset I had was that if I was chosen, that means I’m here for a reason. And I have to trust in that, whatever that looks like. Once I started doing that, I felt a lot more confident in any task that I was given.” Isaiah even ended up giving the sermon on their last Sunday there. “I’m not a public speaker, so to do that was definitely me taking leaps!” He says that living with that kind of faith and trust is something he’s now trying to incorporate more into his everyday life.

This summer also taught Isaiah that ministry looks different for different people. “Especially going to a community where we interacted with a lot of people who either didn’t practice or had different religions. Oftentimes we found that Bible thumping wasn’t effective.

“What they did respond to, though, was just carrying yourself in a way that Jesus carried himself. So just being there for people. Being kind… that spoke volumes to people. And I think it’s those little things that we forget sometimes.” Isaiah admits that he was nervous to do ministry because he doesn’t have a lot of scripture memorized, but “I learned very quickly that that’s not what it’s about. It’s just about how you carry yourself… That’s when people start to ask, ‘What is it about you? Why are you so happy all the time?’” And that curiosity then leads to opportunities to talk about Jesus.

One of Isaiah’s tasks as team worship leader was to write a “catchy little song” for their youth ministry events. He was given three weeks, but all his concentrating and working on it came to nothing. The night before he had to have it done, he was still struggling to come up with something. “I went to sleep that night, and then I woke up, and I’m not even kidding,” he says, “It just came to me.”

“It was all about serving and how Jesus cared for others. That’s what I took inspiration from,” Isaiah explains. “I didn’t want it to be too complicated or too wordy. I wanted it to be something super simple that even a two-year-old could learn.”

We need to serve one another,
That means you and you and you.
If Jesus washes feet, that means that
I should wash ‘em too.
x2

We need to serve one another
and love one another.
That’s what Jesus tells me to do.
x2

To anyone interested in applying for SSC, Isaiah says, “Be open to having your heart and your mind changed, and your perspective on things. If it’s something that you’re seriously considering, pray about it.” He also warns, “It definitely is a transformative process, but it’s not an easy process.”

“If your heart’s in the right place and if you want to serve, and this is how you can serve, you see yourself doing it, absolutely apply.”

Visit youthdownsouth.org/young-adults to learn more about SSC.