God Protected Me

(Photo/Lu Lu Rivera)

Major SunKyung Simpson, Territorial Director of Continuing Education, reflects on her spiritual journey, looking back at 20 years of ministry. Her story is one of resilience and faith. She sees God’s grace and providence with her through every move, every challenge, and every blessing.

Major SunKyung “Sunny” Simpson grew up as the daughter of Salvation Army officers in South Korea. Her parents, Lt. Colonels YoungSik Lim and KeumSoo Yeo, faithfully followed God’s calling wherever it led them. Their ministry appointments often required relocation, and each move demanded trust in the Lord.

When Sunny was 13, and her brother was 11, their parents were transferred from one of Korea’s largest cities to a much smaller city. Educational opportunities varied widely between regions, so their parents made a difficult decision: They left the children behind to continue in school. The siblings lived on their own while their parents served in their new appointment.

“I learned to cook,” Simpson recalls.

The children learned early to be independent. Looking back, what Simpson remembers most is not the challenges but her parents’ unwavering faith.

Divine guidance

Sunny was studying classical piano when she felt a shift. She wanted to know: What was God’s purpose for her life? At age 22, she felt God drawing her to know Him more intimately and to study His Word more seriously. She entered university to pursue dual bachelor’s degrees in Christian studies and social work, with a minor in education.

During her senior year, she went to Dresden, Germany, to explore graduate school possibilities. But she needed emergency surgery when her appendix ruptured. Forced to reconsider her plans, she returned to Korea to complete her studies and graduated as class valedictorian. She also got meaningful experience through internships at two major orphanages, where her desire to serve others continued to grow.

“I wanted to serve, just like my parents,” she says.

In December 2002, Sunny visited the world-famous Rockefeller Center ice skating rink. She had just arrived in the United States from South Korea with two suitcases and the determination to follow God’s leading. (Photo/courtesy of Major SunKyung Simpson)

One of her mentors encouraged her to consider a new opportunity in the United States. In December 2002, Sunny moved to New York City to study English as a second language and to pursue a Master of Social Work degree at Adelphi University. She arrived at John F. Kennedy Airport with just two suitcases and the determination to follow God’s leading.

She began attending church at the Salvation Army corps in Flushing, Queens. As Sunny grew in her faith and got involved in ministries at the Flushing Corps, she became increasingly convinced that God was calling her to Salvation Army officership. What began as a desire to know God’s will gradually became a clear sense of calling. Matthew 6:33 spoke deeply to her heart: “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Looking back, Simpson sees how God was teaching her to trust His will above all things.

But soon she went through a terrifying experience. Living in the Rego Park neighborhood of Queens, Sunny came face-to-face with a burglar in her apartment.

“It was a nice, sunny day,” Simpson recalls. She took a nap around 2 or 3 p.m. and opened her eyes to find a man standing over her bed. He was tall, solid, and bald. She remembers his hands clad in menacing black gloves and holding her laptop. He forced her to roll over on the mattress.

Face down, paralyzed by fright, she heard him say, “Don’t look at me! I’ll kill you.”

Then the doorbell rang. The intruder stomped out of the room, his footsteps heavy. Sunny scrambled to lock the bedroom door, the only barrier between them. He returned, enraged, kicking the door violently.

“I have a gun,” he shouted. “Open the door!”

Trapped and terrified, Sunny searched for her phone but couldn’t find it. The intruder had dropped her computer, so she frantically messaged a friend in Korea. Through that digital lifeline, her friend alerted Sunny’s corps in Flushing. She opened the window, screaming to a passerby for help, only to be met with “No English!” from the woman below.

As the man hammered at the door, she clutched a bottle of Kenzo perfume like a weapon, whispering prayers to God. Whether she lived or died, at that moment, she surrendered her life to the Savior.

The wail of sirens pierced the air. The police were close by, and the intruder fled. When the officers knocked on the bedroom door at last, Sunny hesitated, afraid it could be a trick. Then she opened the door to safety.

A cornerstone of faith

That day, as traumatic as it was, became a cornerstone of Sunny’s faith. She struggled with lingering fear when seeing people on the subway or street who resembled the intruder. But she sought counseling and was advised to talk about what happened often until she felt comfortable. As she shared her story and brought her fears to God in prayer, Sunny found healing, peace, and the assurance that God was still watching over her.

The police investigated, but the intruder was never identified. After the incident, Sunny stayed with her corps officers, Majors Jongwoo and Misook Kim. During a season marked by fear and uncertainty, they provided not only practical support but also spiritual encouragement, prayer, and pastoral care. Through their ministry and the support of the Flushing Corps family, Sunny experienced God’s presence in a tangible way and found the strength to move forward.

Sunny attended The Salvation Army’s Flushing Corps in Queens, New York, and sang with the choir in 2003.
(Photo/courtesy of Major SunKyung Simpson)

She took comfort in Isaiah 43:1b–2: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”

Her family in Korea urged her to return home for her safety, but Sunny believed that God had brought her to New York for a purpose. Instead of retreating, she moved forward with greater confidence in His calling.

In 2004, Sunny entered The Salvation Army’s School for Officer Training (SFOT; now the College for Officer Training) in Suffern, New York. She would share her story in cadet testimonies as a member of the Visionaries session. In 2020, she’d share that same story at the International College for Officers, reflecting on how God guided her journey and confirmed His calling upon her life in this country.

Overcoming barriers

But in those early days at the SFOT, Sunny struggled with English and her confidence.

“I wondered if I was truly capable of this ministry,” she admits. “But Major Asit George, the director of field training, reminded me that ministry isn’t about perfect language. It is about showing Jesus to people.”

A significant turning point came during a summer assignment in Port Jervis, New York. For eight weeks, Majors Jud and Lori Laidlaw welcomed Sunny into their quarters and treated her as part of their family. The experience helped convince Sunny that God would provide what she needed to fulfill His calling.

Lieutenants Joshua and SunKyung “Sunny” Simpson on their wedding day, June 17, 2006. They met as cadets at the School for Officer Training in Suffern, New York. (Photo/courtesy of Major SunKyung Simpson)

At the SFOT, Sunny also met Joshua Simpson, her fellow cadet. They would marry in 2006 and soon have a son, also named Joshua. Fifteen months later, their second son, Alex, was born.

Resilience and family

Sunny had made it through hardships from living independently at age 13 to surviving a traumatic home invasion. Then, when Alex was just 2 years old, he was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Navigating the emotional and physical challenges of raising him proved devastating.

In 2011, Simpson felt as though God had completely abandoned her. It was the saddest Christmas she could ever remember. She had lived a life defined by faith, school, and church, and suddenly, she faced a reality she could not comprehend. In her culture, disability was often hidden, and she felt lost, spiraling into two years of deep, suffocating darkness.

Alex was like a sheet of ice—physically developed but unreachable. He did not speak and did not make eye contact. The world was too much for him; lights and sounds were overwhelming, painful intrusions. Sunny became his bridge to the world. When the Salvation Army band played, she did not put him in headphones to muffle the music; she used her own hands, pressing them gently against his ears to help him adjust. She didn’t lean on summer school; she took him to Disney and Universal, determined to help him navigate the crowds and the chaos of life.

One of her deepest prayers was that Alex would come to know God. She found comfort in the truth that long before Alex could understand God, God already knew and loved him.

Major SunKyung “Sunny” Simpson, Territorial Director of Continuing Education, with her husband, Major Joshua Simpson,Curriculum and Continuing Education Officer of the College for Officer Training, and their sons, Joshua (right) and Alex. (Photo/ Lilianna Wilson)

Simpson says Alex continues to live with moderate to severe autism. Though he speaks and can read and solve math problems, he requires ongoing support and specialized educational services. God’s provision came not only through her immediate family, Simpson says, but also through many others who walked alongside them.

What once felt overwhelming became an opportunity to witness God’s sustaining presence. Alex’s story is one of hope, perseverance, and God’s faithfulness through an ongoing journey. Through it all, Simpson has been reminded that God knows Alex completely, loves him dearly, and continues to work in ways both seen and unseen.

“That’s what I call faith,” she says.

The legacy of service

Her parents’ dedication to ministry as Salvation Army officers shaped Sunny’s own career choices and path in the Army. Parenting also became a mission as Simpson reframed her difficult experiences into a way to witness to others.

She believes that her family’s journey demonstrates God’s love and grace.

“Looking back, I see how God has used every skill and every struggle,” Simpson says. From the challenges she’s faced in her personal life to 20 years of ministry in Massachusetts, in Rochester, and now at the College for Officer Training, where Major Joshua Simpson is the Curriculum and Continuing Education Officer, her experiences have all been part of a larger purpose.

“I have learned that being an officer is not a burden. It is a privilege,” Simpson says. “I am working for eternity, and I am so grateful for the grace that has carried me through it all.”

The words of Lamentations 3:22–23 continue to sustain her as she looks ahead to the next chapter of ministry: “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”