The Salvation Army expands work to 117 countries

THE Salvation Army is now officially at work in 117 countries, with the most recent openings taking place in Kuwait and Mongolia.

As was reported earlier this year, Kuwait became the 116th country to fly the Salvation Army flag when Majors Michael and Teresa Hawley (USA Southern Territory) took up their appointments in the Arabic gulf state on 1 August 2008. They were joined on 17 September by Lieutenants Robert and Glenis Viera, also from USA Southern, who were appointed to Kuwait direct from being commissioned as Salvation Army officers.

Much of their ministry, based in the government-approved Protestant Compound, is expected to be with the 300-plus Salvationist immigrant workers who are originally from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, The Philippines and Sri Lanka. Contact with the ex-pat Salvationists was originally made when International Emergency Services ran its Iraq relief programme from Kuwait. This was followed by intensive research and visits to the country by the General’s Representative for Global Evangelisation (Colonel Dick Krommenhoek) and the International Secretary for South Asia (Commissioner Lalkiamlova) in 2007.

The work in Kuwait is overseen by the South Asia Zone at International Headquarters.

On 13 October 2008, Mongolia became the most recent addition to the list of countries where The Salvation Army is officially at work. The new ministry will be overseen by the Korea Territory, which has arranged a special fundraising and prayer appeal for this missionary endeavour. Captain Lee, Min-ho and Captain Chang, Mi-hyun, having already been to Mongolia for research and preparation, were charged to open fire for The Salvation Army by General Shaw Clifton during the Korea Centenary Congress in October this year. They departed soon after for Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.