A Personal Connection

Auxiliary Captain Ramesh Sukhdeo, corps officer at The Salvation Army New York Temple, talks about teaching soldier classes, seeing himself in the people in line for food at his corps, and why he prefers the term ‘follower of Christ.’

I immigrated from Guyana to New York in November of 2006, but due to family disagreements and issues, I found myself living on the street. One day, after staying in a shelter, I walked to The Salvation Army in Harlem, having heard that there, I could get a free meal. Inside, I listened to a man preach. It felt like he was talking directly to me. At the end of his sermon, I was asked to come up to the front of the church and pray. Nothing else had worked for me, so I went up to the bench, knelt, and quietly prayed, “I need help.” I felt others put their hands on my shoulders as I prayed. I was dirty and smelly from drinking and living on the streets, yet these people still wanted to hold me, pray with me, and afterwards even learn about who I was.

I prefer to be called a follower of Christ over a Christian. There are many Christian denominations, but being a follower of Christ is a personal, direct relationship with Him. Some treat being a Christian as a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card, or as a type of entitlement. I have made many mistakes in life, and I am not entitled to anything. But I pray to God, He blesses me, and I share my blessing with others. A follower of Christ is full of the same love that I was given when I first walked into The Salvation Army. I wasn’t being taught the rules of Christianity that day. I was being shown the love of Christ. That’s what the Army does: It shows others the love of Christ.

I prayed to God to send me a wife who loves Him more than she loves me. And that’s who He blessed me with when I married Captain LeNissa Rivera (now Sukhdeo). Our marriage is strong because we both know to put God ahead of each other. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Some like to say, “I work, and I earn what I make. It’s my life and I make it happen.” That’s putting God to the side and forgetting that it’s He who blesses us. Put Him first, and everything falls into place.

The thought of being a soldier in The Salvation Army filled me with pride. I had worked hard and was even teaching Bible study. God was using me in a mighty way, and I finally felt ready. On the day of the soldier enrollment ceremony, I was read the Soldier’s Covenant. But when I stepped up to the altar to sign it, I froze up. I realized that despite everything I had done and learned, my own personal connection with Jesus wasn’t there. I prayed and wept at the thought of Him not being in my life. And that was when I felt my first real encounter with Christ and signed the covenant. Today, I teach soldier classes, and at the first class, I give each person a copy of what they will be signing when they become soldiers. I want them to read it and understand it, so they know when they are ready to have their own relationship with Christ.

Some Salvationists hear their calling very early on. Some have a career for many years like I did and then become officers. Whether you’re a soldier or an officer, The Salvation Army is a lifelong commitment to serving God and His people. It’s seeing a line of 500 waiting to eat at the soup kitchen, and wanting to reach out to each of them, like the Army reached out to me. Even if 499 leave after their meal, one will stay, just like I did. There is at least one Ramesh in that line.

photograph by Curtis Pan