New pastors ready to get to work

Last week, the Salvation Army of Fort Frances welcomed its new pastors, Capts. Angel and Marlene Sandoval.
The husband-and-wife team have taken over the ministry from Capt. Eric Alcock and his wife, Capt. Sylvia, who recently left Fort Frances after being transferred by the Salvation Army to Bridgewater, N.S.
The Sandovals arrived here on the first of the month with their two children, Oneyda, 17, and David, 11. The family still is getting unpacked and settling in, but Fort Frances already has made a great first impression on them.
“It’s a beautiful town. It’s not really big and not really small,” said Capt. Angel, who had been stationed in Hamilton for the last two years.
“People are so friendly. And we are friendly, open people, so we like that,” added Capt. Marlene.
“It’s strange when people say ‘hello’ on the street,” Capt. Angel laughed, adding you don’t see that very often in Hamilton.
So far, the Sandovals have met some members of their congregation—and they’re eager to start working. “We’re trying to see the people’s needs in this community,” Capt. Angel said.
“I was surprised, for such a small community, the number of people who come here for help,” he added, noting 45-60 families a month use the local Salvation Army’s family services office.
“People here are so generous,” observed Capt. Marlene. “We’d like to thank the people who kindly donate things.”
The couple has spoken with the Alcocks and will keep in touch with them. “We always keep in touch, as officers, and help each other,” Capt. Marlene said.
“We will try to continue the ministry they started, and see if we need to embrace other ministries,” Capt. Angel added.
While they’ve only been in town a short while, the Sandovals already have some plans in mind for the mission here.
“I would like to see a better place for the Thrift Store,” he said. “The church is an old house, almost 100 years old. We need to expand.”
Meanwhile, Capt. Marlene said she would like to start a Kids’ Club for after-school children’s programs.
“We’ll try to open a family-oriented ministry,” she remarked. “The Lord has brought us here and has a plan for us and our ministry.”
The Sandovals came to Canada 16 years ago from El Salvador when their daughter, Oneyda, was still an infant.
Capt. Angel had been a high school principal in his home country while Capt. Marlene had been a school teacher. They both joined the Salvation Army in Hamilton shortly after arriving in Canada.
“It was a difficult transition, but the Salvation Army was there,” they said.
The Sandovals attended training college to become officers of the Salvation Army, and were stationed in Edmonton, Alta. before moving back to Hamilton.
While the Sandovals arrived in Canada as landed immigrants, their work in Hamilton involved helping newly-arrived refugees to find basic needs like a place to live as well as food and clothes.
They also would help refugees find lawyers or, when no lawyers could be found willing to take the case, argue it themselves (Capt. Angel has some training in immigration law).
Their work in Fort Frances will be very different, but the pastors are up to the challenge.
“We need to be open to change,” Capt. Angel said. “The church has to be projected to the public.
“Birth, weddings, and funerals. The church has a responsibility to prepare the congregation for these. Sooner or later, you’re going to face them,” he reasoned.
The new pastors also are working towards a degree in theology, taking courses part-time.
“I like to improve all the time, and people need the opportunity of improve themselves,” Capt. Angel said. “We believe God has a plan for our lives.”