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by Carla Jackson –
Every Tuesday and Thursday morning at 7:00 a.m., members and friends of The Salvation Army Santa Maria Corps Community Center, led by Captains Eric and Adriana Bradley, meet to pray for the needs of their church and the community. They gather to pray for many things: a better paying job, improvement of a neighbor’s health, or perhaps guidance on how to keep a busy family together. One faithful adherent, however, began attending the prayer services to keep a promise he made to his dog “Bobbsy.”
Gregory Adams promised his long-time canine companion, while Bobbsy was dying, that he would start going to church. Adams kept his promise and has been an active member of the Santa Maria Corps ever since. It is this belief in God and the power of prayer that sustained Greg while he faced his own possible mortality during his battle with skin cancer. “If Bobbsy hadn’t brought me back to church, I don’t know if I would be alive today,” Greg stated.
“After we found out about the cancer, we began laying hands on Greg at the prayer meetings and prayed for complete healing,” recalled Bradley. “After several months of faithful prayer, one day Greg announced in the prayer meeting, ‘I’ve been healed. I’ve been cleansed. The doctor told me that I’m 100 percent cancer free!’ Everyone at the meeting rejoiced in applause, hallelujahs, and amens. It was such a beautiful and joyous moment.”
The Santa Maria Corps knows there are many roads that can lead to God’s healing and his love. Greg’s road began with a love for his dog, and evolved into an ever-deepening faith in the Lord—proving that if we open ourselves to God’s love, miracles can happen.