The story of Major Laura Yangil’s amazing road to success
EARLIER this year, Territorial Commander of the Salvation Army Caribbean territory, Commissioner Onal Castor, stressed the need for a mighty revival in the Salvation Army in the Caribbean.It is imperative that Salvationists follow God’s ‘Divine Blueprint for Revival’ for this to be realised, he said, adding that, “Humility must be our attitude” (a prerequisite for growing in grace).

He said that in God’s Divine Blueprint, the following attitudes are indispensable:
* God must come first
* Others must come second
* Self must come last
* Honest prayer must be our activity
* Hunger for the Lord must be our appetite, and
* We must know that we can discover His (God’s) Will only through surrender of self to God.

An encounter with Major Laura Roberts Yangil, Divisional Secretary of the Guyana Division of the Salvation Army, would immediately cause one to realise that this is an amazing woman, whose life epitomizes the humility of character, selflessness, sincerity, and passionate hunger for the things of the Lord alluded to in the blueprint by Commissioner Castor.

Major Laura Yangil and her husband, Captain Jona Yangil Augusto, Divisional Youth Secretary, took up appointments in the Guyana Division six months ago, and are now working assiduously towards making the kind of breakthrough at the upcoming Youth Councils as would positively impact the Revival to which the Caribbean territory looks forward. With them is their eight-year-old son, Josh, who, like his father, was born in The Dominican Republic.

Of indigenous extraction, and hailing from Paruima in the remote Mazaruni District of Region 7, Major Yangil, then Laura Roberts, relocated as a teenager to capital Georgetown with her mother, Ivy Henrito-Burnett, and lived in Charlotte Street, a short distance from the Salvation Army’s Citadel headquarters.

At age 14, she became enlisted as a young soldier in the Salvation Army, where she was infused with a passion for the Lord, and living near the Citadel made it easy for her to attend church and participate in related activities.

Having shown potential, Laura was selected, at age 18, to undergo a one-year period of biblical studies at the Catherine Booth College in Canada (1984/1985); shortly after which she was admitted to the Salvation Army’s Territorial Training College in Jamaica, where she spent two years. She graduated from the territorial Training College in 1987 as a lieutenant.

Fresh out of training college, her first posting as an officer of the Salvation Army was to her homeland, Guyana, where she was reunited with her family and was appointed Corps Officer of the Wortmanville Worship Centre, with additional responsibility for the Children’s Feeding Programme at that location.

The Wortmanville Corps houses the Worship Centre on the lower flat and a Home for Elderly Women on the upper flat, thus her sojourn allowed her the dual rewarding opportunities of interacting with geriatrics and working with young children, for which she has a calling.

She served as Lieutenant Roberts for three years at that location, before being transferred to the Vergenoegen Corps, East Bank of Essequibo, where she spent another nine months before finally being transferred to neighbouring Suriname.

Reflecting on her sojourn in the Dutch-speaking country of Suriname in the 1990s, Major Yangil recalled in a recent interview with the Guyana Chronicle that she found it very interesting. She worked at the Emma House, a senior citizens’ home for men and women, and although it was her first posting in a non-English speaking country, it was, for her, a great learning experience. She communicated through an interpreter at first, and enjoyed the appointment immensely. “I found it very interesting, and I spent five wonderful years there, before being recalled to Jamaica,” Major Yangil recalled.

Having demonstrated her suitability for the task of working with seniors, she was then posted to the Francis Ham Senior Citizens’ Home for retired officers in Jamaica. She was also preoccupied with overall engagements in biblical studies, Army Protocols and Principles, as well as academic studies; and after five years’ probation, was promoted from Lieutenant to the rank of Captain. During that time, she also did a stint of Preventive Medicine at the University of the West Indies.

The next 15 years were crucial, as her performance within that period would be rated one way or other in her upward climb towards attaining the rank of Major. There were considerable changes, like learning new languages so as to keep the lines of communication open; transitioning from being a spinster into matrimonial life; taking on motherhood whilst keeping intense focus on the spiritual work of the ministry. She trusted God every step of the way; demonstrated energy and drive for the tasks at hand, and moved from strength to strength. And what a joy it was when, in 2007, Captain Laura Augusto Yangil was promoted to the esteemed rank of Major within the Salvation Army.

Now an Officer of the Salvation Army for the past 27 years, Major Yangil’s travels have taken her to several Caribbean islands, namely: Jamaica, on about three occasions; The Dominican Republic (the country of her husband’s and son’s birth); Barbados, St. Maarten, and finally back to Guyana, where they were posted in 2013.

It was in Jamaica, in 1998, that Laura met the eligible bachelor Jona Yangil Augusto from The Dominican Republic, then in Training College. He was commissioned as a Salvation Army Officer and ordained Minister of Religion in 2000, and in 2001 they tied the nuptial knot. Thereafter, they resided in Montego Bay and worked at Point Corps and Fern Outpost, St. James, a beautiful tourist destination in Jamaica, with Major Laura holding additional responsibility as Divisional Youth Secretary for the Western Jamaica Division.

They also served at Kingston Central Corps for four years, after her husband was ordained Corps Officer/Pastor. In 2005, the Yangils welcomed a precious baby boy, named Jefre Josh, into their home. For a very short time, they lived and worked in Barbados, where it was equally rewarding and they were able to experience admirable spiritual growth. Their next move of that same year was to St. Maarten, where they remained until 2013, before being transferred to Guyana for a second time.

Major Yangil’s husband is now into his 14th year as an Officer of the Salvation Army, and he is doing an incredible job at the Georgetown Citadel Corps and as Divisional Youth Secretary in the Guyana Division.

News of their transfer to Guyana brought the family great excitement, especially her parents, Neville and Ivy Burnette, and Major Yangil considers it a great opportunity for her to be of service to her country, reaching out and bringing hope, particularly to the young people of Guyana, using as a benchmark, the Salvation Army’s ‘SSS’ (Soap, Soup, Salvation) mantra.

It’s been 27 years, going on 28 golden years since Major Yangil has been an Officer in the Salvation Army, and decidedly without regrets. Asked about challenges, she modestly asserted: “The work of the Lord is always challenging, but it’s rewarding, and brings an assured inner peace. If I should sum it up, the difficulties are always overcome by the joyous moments. Regardless of what trials there may be, working for the Lord is awesome. At the end of the day, there is always that satisfaction, knowing that whatever you would have done, it was done for the Lord.”

Of herself, she says, “Basically, I am caring and compassionate. I love to serve people, and perhaps there is no better place to put those attributes into effect than in the Salvation Army.” She admitted she’s always had a passion for social work – reaching out and mentoring children, and otherwise helping the needy.

“There are so many kids that need guidance and direction out there. It really breaks my heart to see kids lost for a sense of direction. I want to make a difference in the lives of people,” she said quietly, but resolutely.

She also grew up in a family where her parents and siblings were and are still Salvationists. Her only sister, Abena, and her husband Derick Miller, are both Captains of The Salvation Army, living and working in western Jamaica, and now in the process of moving to The Turks and Caicos or Bahamas.
By Shirley Thomas