God opens doors for Macquarie Fields Salvos volunteer
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 54 minutes ago
BY LAUREN MARTIN
Macquarie Fields Salvos volunteer Sarah Camilleri distinctly remembers the moment when God revealed to her the meaning of being a ‘fisher of men’.
She was down at a local river, taking her daughter for a swim. Her daughter was splashing around loudly, and she felt God asking her to notice the fish. She looked, and all the fish were swimming away from her daughter. Then Sarah sensed God urging her to put her hand in the water, be still and wait. Patiently and obediently, she did so. Within a few minutes, fish were swimming towards her outstretched hand.
“It was about being still and waiting,” she said. “God said to me, ‘That’s how you fish for men’; I just need to ‘be,’ and God brings people to me. That’s the approach I’ve taken with everything, and that’s how doors are opening.”
With that ethos in mind, Sarah, who serves as the volunteer Prayer Team Leader and Volunteer Events Team Leader at Macquarie Fields Salvos in south-west Sydney, organised this year’s Red Day events for the Red Shield Appeal and watched and waited to see what God would do.
The results have exceeded expectations in a way only God can orchestrate.
One school she approached got its Student Representative Council (SRC) on board, and the resulting Red Day mufti fundraiser “was the most money they had ever raised on a Mufti Day,” said Sarah.
The connection fostered relationships, and afterwards, Sarah and Macquarie Fields Salvos’ youth worker, Rachel Gorringe, met with representatives of the school to discuss how they could partner in the future.
“We just asked them, ‘How do you think we can partner and what could we do to support you?’” she said. The school suggested starting a walking group for mothers and carers and also expressed a dream of starting a cooking class where the meal could be taken home to feed a family.
Sarah and Macquarie Fields Salvos staff were excited to partner and began praying about where to find the resources to support, particularly for the cooking classes.
God was already at work.
Another Red Day, held at a local pre-school, also led to deeper relationships. When Sarah connected with the staff afterwards, they expressed a desire to assist the Salvos further throughout the year. Sarah shared with them the school’s idea for a walking group for mums and the dream of starting a cooking class. The pre-school said they would be happy to support.
“God is already up to stuff,” said Sarah. “We could have come [to the school] with our own plans, but that’s like making a horse go in a direction it doesn’t want to go. It’s just walking beside people in what God is already doing. When we do that, things flow, and when we move in that, we move towards unity, and that’s what God wants for his Kingdom.”
The Walking Group is now a joint venture between Macquarie Fields Salvos, the school and pre-school, with parents and carers to be invited from each space. It’s expected to start next term.
“The end point for the walk will be The Salvation Army and a coffee,” said Sarah, who is excited that the group will lead to further relationships being built.
She’s also working with her local K-Mart, the pre-school and other supporters to gather cooking supplies for the school’s cooking class. Rachel (youth worker) plans to partner in the activity and be a presence at the classes, making connections.
Sarah is excited to see what God is doing in her local area. She is reminded of a prophetic word God spoke over her at the end of 2024, saying that she would somehow be used for ministry in Macquarie Fields.
“I always knew God had me in this area for a reason,” she said. And, in obedience, Sarah stepped out into what God has called her to.
