Salvation Army emergency disaster services teams are prepared to respond to the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The Salvation Army is preparing for a significant response to what could be a historic and devastating impact on Florida’s west coast from Hurricane Milton. After days of preparation, the plans have been made, equipment and personnel are in place and teams are ready to respond in the aftermath of the storm.   As the hurricane begins to lash western Florida, ahead of its expected landfall in Tampa Bay, the expectations are for a severe storm surge, wind damage, flooding and tornadoes. The National Weather Service warns it could be among the most destructive hurricanes ever for west-central Florida.   “This is an anxious time for us now because there is nothing more we can do but wait,” says Steven Hartsook, The Salvation Army’s Florida Emergency Disaster Services Director.   “We have prepared the best we can, and we know the situation is fluid, so we will need to be able to adjust the plan if needed once it is safe to respond.”   Salvation Army teams will be on the ground with meals and support as soon as it is safe to do so. Response teams are continuing to assist those impacted by last week's Hurricane Helene. Meanwhile, support continues for those impacted by last week’s Hurricane Helene. Yesterday, a Salvation Army Rapid Response Unit made its way into Lake Lure and Chimney Rock, North Carolina, marking the arrival of the first relief organisation in the area since Helene’s devastating impact.   Once in town, the team quickly mobilised to deliver essential food, supplies and emotional support to the community. As they navigated the damaged streets, they witnessed the full extent of the destruction – collapsed buildings, uprooted trees and a community grappling with shock.

“I literally use poetry and the spoken word, and the Word of God to tell others about who God is to me,” says Rosy. By MAJOR PETER McGUIGAN When you love life and what you do, you don’t expect your world to come to a screeching halt overnight. Your achievements, your plans – even who you think you are – are trumped by a circumstance far beyond your control, and you submit to its impact upon you. In 2014, at just 25 years of age, it happened to Auxiliary-Lieutenant Rosy Keane, The Salvation Army Australia’s Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and the newest member of its board of governance. But it wasn’t anything other people did to her or a sudden illness in her family or any other dilemma of the human kind. It was an intervention of the divine kind – God asking her to stop what she was doing and spend time reorienting her focus around the person God wanted her to become. Although heart-wrenching at the time, it was the making of Rosy Keane and the preparation she needed for the stage on which she now serves the world. Born and raised on New Zealand’s North Island in a family that encouraged her “to be exactly who you’re created to be”, Rosy was in full stride pioneering a new kind of charity store for the Salvos in Wellington with profits funding their 614 youth services. “I was a driven person, still am in some ways,” says Rosy. “I’d been a youth intern and youth pastor at Tauranga Corps (church) and saw God work powerfully in young people’s lives. I then moved to Wellington to study graphic design but was working in a family store when the Salvos approached me to build a ‘boutique’ store from the ground up. The whole concept, the business case, would be mine.” Describing herself as a strategist, Rosy says she quickly identified that while the store was in an industrial suburb, the neighbouring suburb was full of cashed-up people who did not shop at charity stores and were not using charity services. She saw the store as an opportunity for this well-resourced community to partner with TSA 614 in their work with vulnerable young people. “That was 11 years ago,” she notes with a smile. “We did a lot of creative things to engage the community, including building a social media platform for the store and recreating the outfits of famous movie stars. I got young women from 614 to work with me at the store and reached out to a local girls’ private school. “So, we had these really well-off young women working with these really vulnerable young women from 614 – together. I approached local businesses to sponsor us. It was really amazing, and one great thing was that the youth services girls would get references from me because of their work. It was so unbelievable that God called me to lead that.” Called to refocus It was after two years of investing herself fully into the store and seeing the vision of the store come to life that Rosy experienced her unexpected encounter with God. “I couldn’t believe it,” she recalls emotionally. “God called me one day and spoke really clearly to me and said that I’m going to move, and it’s not going to be the way you think. Stay calm! “It was so clear, and I thought, ‘What is that about?’ God called me to leave, and I didn’t want that to happen. I was like, ‘No, I’m gonna stay. I can make this thing so good.’ It was already so good. It was beautiful. But God said to me really clearly, ‘If you say you follow me, and I’m calling you to leave, then who are you serving? Who are you doing it for?’ And I couldn’t really argue with that.” Rosy had no idea then that it would mean two years out of the workforce, like a divinely appointed hiatus. She reminisces that what they were doing at the store was “cutting edge”, including introducing recycling techniques, and how, later, other charity stores recreated what they had done using their own branding. “When God said to leave, it was like leaving my heart behind.” Lessons learned But it was God preparing her for the future. As a child and teenager, Rosy’s family abided by a family mantra based on Scripture: “To whom much has been given, much is expected” (Luke 12:48). It had been a powerful rudder for her life, but there were things about herself she needed to address that she hadn’t really noticed before. “Your sense of worth can get tied up in your performance,” she says tellingly. “If you hold to ‘to whom much is given much is expected’, and you don’t keep it in line with the Spirit of God, then the outworking of that Scripture can translate, ‘When I am working then I am pleasing God.’ “That was a really hard thing for me to put off. If I’m not working, if I can’t say I’m doing this, or I’m pioneering, or I’m having this ministry, then who am I? Seriously, it was God removing the sword that had been driven into my heart that said, ‘Productivity equals holiness.’ It was a difficult couple of years, and I wish I had learned the lesson quicker. It would have been easier on our bank account! And easier on my spirit.” I’ve had such a significant encounter with Jesus during my life that I am changed – I’m a different person. I can’t live or walk or talk the same because I know that God is real. Following her two-year spiritual sojourn, Rosy says she was much more the person God had made her to be. Her passion for God and ministry had grown but was now much more about the power of God in her life than being an achiever. As part of the Women’s Ministry team in the New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory, her flare for the creative arts flourished, and some of her work was replicated internationally. Her signature ministry in spoken word and prayer became something she no longer saw as her own, but an expression of God’s love and grace she could teach others. Then came the invitation to lead spiritual life development for The Salvation Army in Australia, and her husband Scott to lead the Youth and Young Adults ministry in Victoria. It was an immediate ‘yes’ from them both despite the challenges they anticipated (and later experienced) in transitioning to another country and culture. This call upon them included becoming auxiliary-lieutenants of The Salvation Army. On the board Since arriving in Australia just over 12 months ago, hundreds of people around the country have attended Rosy’s spoken word and prayer workshops, and the impact has been tangible. She was also responsible for last year’s 21-day “Jesus-Centred” prayer focus and many other resources for spiritual life development. Aux-Lieut Rosy Keane is serving as the Territorial Secretary for Spiritual Life Development and the newest member of the Australia Territory Board.. Now she has been appointed to speak into the spiritual life of The Salvation Army Australia at the Board level. “I sit on the Board as the Secretary for Spiritual Life Development, looking at the spiritual strengthening and deepening of the territory’s faith and the counter-balances needed to engage Salvos with Jesus and see growth in their spiritual lives. I’m also the only under-35 full-participant voter, and I’m a passionate gender equity advocate. So, I will bring that to the Board as well.” As well as the action of God in her life, Rosy credits her family for how a country girl from Masterton, New Zealand, could have risen to positions of executive responsibility in one of the most significant churches and largest faith-based charities in Australia. Her father is Māori which she says, although looking pakeha (white) herself, has given her a deep spiritual connection with the earth and its peoples. She carries a burden to uplift and connect with Indigenous cultures and multicultural environments such as here in Australia. On the other hand, her mother is white and a deep woman of faith. “I’m very proud of my mother,” admits Rosy. “And I think that her faithful prayer and tending of us has set me up so well. Her prophetic words, using poetry and the Word of God to speak about who Jesus is, is who I am now. I literally use poetry and the spoken word, and the Word of God to tell others about who God is to me. God was always very present and very real to me growing up. “People will say I’m a prophet; I bring the spoken word; I’m into artistry. But I have a relationship with Jesus; I’ve had such a significant encounter with Jesus during my life that I am changed – I’m a different person. I can’t live or walk or talk the same because I know that God is real. It’s like people living and knowing that the climate crisis is real. It transforms everything you do – the way you shop, the way you recycle, the way you act. “It is huge. The biggest part of me is my relationship with God. It’s more significant than any other relationship I have. I really love Jesus.” To watch an example of Rosy’s spoken word ministry, click here

Major Cheryl and Captain Russell Butcher have recently been appointed to the Bairnsdale community in Victoria. Emergency relief and homelessness are the two priorities that Major Cheryl and Captain Russell Butcher have been focusing on since taking up their new appointments at Bairnsdale Corps in Victoria’s East Gippsland. The Butchers, having moved 150km ’up the road’ from Moe earlier this year, are settling into the community after stepping into the role vacated by Captains Claire and David Jones. “We’re just really excited to be here, and it’s a good opportunity to build on the good work of the two officers before us,” Cheryl said. However, Cheryl concedes that there has been an increase in people seeking assistance due to cost-of-living pressures. “Some days you’re run off your feet – Mondays are especially busy with people in need of food parcels,” she said. “Cost-of-living pressures have made life difficult for many – you only need to look at the prices of items in supermarkets. Rents are high, and it’s becoming more difficult for people trying to find a rental. “While there will always be that group who are disadvantaged, the group seems to be expanding with mortgage stress. There’s that group that wouldn’t have asked for help before that are now doing so.” The Butchers have also seen an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness. “We’ve had people come and get food parcels who are homeless,” Cheryl said. “A lot of people are still recovering from the bushfires. Many homes were lost in the Bairnsdale region in the the bushfires of 2020. “People are unaware of how wide the homelessness problem is because they can’t see it. Many couch surf, and those who are homeless tend to hide away of a day and come out at night.” Russell is particularly vocal in advocating for government to spend more money on social housing. “The government needs to stop spending money on sport and spend it on social housing,” Russell said. “Having somewhere safe to live should be a priority for them. Spending money on sport is not helping a person on the streets.” Family affair Cheryl joined The Salvation Army in 1985 but left to start a family before returning in 2004. She is pleased to be in Bairnsdale, where her father, Brian Morgan, was born and lived for a time before heading to training college to become a Salvation Army officer. There, he met Cheryl’s mother, Carolyn Bath, from Western Australia, who was also training to be an officer. Growing up in Kyabram (north central Victoria), it was her parents’ influence that formed Cheryl’s decision to join The Salvation Army. She met Russell, who joined the Army in 2010, and the couple have lived in Northam (WA), Rosebud (Vic.) and Moe for four years before arriving in Bairnsdale earlier this year. Their two sons, aged 32 and 26, still reside in Rosebud. “We were asked if we would like to come to Bairnsdale, and we agreed because we thought it would be a good fit,” Cheryl said, adding that she and Russell would continue “to get to know the needs of the wider community so that we can address them”. This is an edited version of an article that appeared in the Bairnsdale Advertiser

Major Darren Kingston (far right) with others representing The Salvation Army from around the world (from left) Captain John Clifton, Commissioner Jane Paone (both from the UK), Marjory and Rebekah (both from Canada) and Tai Suk Kang (from South Korea). Major Darren Kingston was the Australia Territory’s sole representative at the fourth Lausanne Congress, which was recently held in South Korea. A team member from The Salvation Army’s Macquarie Fields Mission in Sydney, Darren filed this report about the congress. BY MAJOR DARREN KINGSTON   I am extremely humbled to have been chosen to represent The Salvation Army International at the Fourth Lausanne Congress in Seoul/Incheon, South Korea.   I gathered with 5000 other Christian leaders from 22-28 September, and we were inspired to find new ways to share the gospel, serve the marginalised and work for justice and reconciliation across the world.   The Lausanne Movement began in 1974 with the first International Congress on World Evangelization, convened by evangelical leaders such as Billy Graham and John Stott in Lausanne, Switzerland. Its purpose was to unite global evangelical leaders to collaborate on spreading the gospel more effectively, with a particular focus on cross-cultural mission and addressing social issues.  The resulting Lausanne Covenant, a foundational document, emphasised the integration of evangelism and social responsibility, which fits well with The Salvation Army’s emphasis. Since then, the movement has continued to host international congresses and regional gatherings ( Manila in 1989 and Cape Town in 2010), encouraging a global Christian response to contemporary challenges in mission work, including poverty, injustice and secularism.   It also aims to inspire, equip and collaborate with people in ministry and the workplace to see the world evangelised with the theme ‘Let the Church declare and display Christ together’.   Each speaker focused on a theme for the day. The themes were: 1.     The work of the Holy Spirit 2.     Missionary community, including the importance of repentance 3.     Persecution and global mission 4.     Christian witness in the workplace 5.     Leadership as servanthood 6.     Declaring Christ as Lord My personal highlight was having the opportunity to work together at a table with people from Japan, India, Indonesia, Ethiopia and the USA, who became great friends. I was able to gain insight into these topics from the different countries’ points of view.   My challenge with the knowledge I received was to bring back what I learnt and share that knowledge and the struggles of others around the world.   My stream was ‘Evangelising in a Digital Age’, and we developed strategies for engaging with others through digital mediums. My 'international table' at the congress. I also had the privilege of sharing with other Salvationists from around the world and others representing different denominations from Australia. Through these conversations, it was evident that The Salvation Army needs to continue working with other churches and organisations and engaging younger leaders. We also need to be humble and repentant in this process. I also spoke with a couple of people about how to better develop home churches and ‘community tables’.   Korea was an amazing place that, in 75 years, has gone from one of the poorest countries in the world to prospering. We can learn a lot from the Korean Church with its fervour for prayer, from being served to serving the world through sending the second-highest number of missionaries out into the world.   “To achieve this, we’ve got to work together and collaborate to see people won for Jesus, especially through the medium of technology.” It was a life-changing congress where connections will continue to be forged, and I believe this time has helped me become a better evangelist. I was able to pray for healing for people, be prayed for and bless others.   Christianity is growing around the world, but the world’s population is also growing exponentially.   The Empowered21 Christian movement has a vision to help evangelists and frontline mission organisations fulfil the Great Commission of reaching every person on the planet by Pentecost 2033, which is the 2000th anniversary of the birth of the Church and Jesus’ death and resurrection.   To achieve this, we’ve got to work together and collaborate to see people won for Jesus, especially through the medium of technology.   Finally, I had the privilege of signing a commitment document to play my part in evangelising the world by God’s grace.

Today is International Day of the Girl, and The Salvation Army will join millions around the world to mark the global observance day initiated by the annual United Nations. The first International Day of the Girl was held on 11 October 2012, and it has been held annual since then to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. Many Salvation Army corps around the Australia Territory will hold special services on Sunday 13 October to honour the day. The Salvation Army International Social Justice Girls (ISJG) has put together resources, including a video, to assist in planning and preparing for the celebration of this day and its theme, ‘Pathway to Mental Health: Mind, Body and Soul’. “The Salvation Army acknowledges the fundamental value of all girls,” says Australian Salvationist and ISJG member Cherise Holley in the four-minute video . “And we are called to act on the Bible’s commands to seek justice, to speak up for the voiceless and to hold up the rights of the afflicted. “General Lyndon Buckingham recently reflected on The Salvation Army’s strategic plan , and he’s challenged us to focus on three key pillars – people, mission and legacy. We care for and value girls. It is our mission to see mutual flourishing between and by all people as we contribute to the fight for greater equality for generations to come. We invite you to join in this vital mission. How will you live out this calling in your corps and in your community?” In the video, a range of other young ISJG members and senior staff from around the world also share insights, thoughts, Bible verses and perspectives. “Our ISJG committee of girl advocates spanning across six continents, representing 14 nationalities and 22 unique stories, inspire us to participate in projects such as the International Day of the Girl, which we are now celebrating for the third consecutive year,” said Kayla Calvo, Chair of the ISJG. “We invite you, on this International Day of the Girl Sunday, to celebrate girls worldwide today.” To read more about The Salvation Army International Social Justice Girls group, including its two Australian members, click here for yesterday's online story at Salvosonline.org.au To view and download the video and other resources for International Day of the Girl, click here or, to watch the video, click on the arrow below.

Arabella (left) and Chloe run Expectations, a girls' group for young teenagers at North Brisbane Corps. When Arabella Holley was a young high schooler, a girls’ group at North Brisbane Corps (NBC) had a profound impact on her life. Now 21, Arabella is the youth ministry coordinator at NBC and, as part of her role, runs the girls’ group – called Expectations – which is impacting the lives of other young women.   “It’s very special,” she says, “to now be making an open and safe space for young girls to explore their faith and learn life lessons. By doing a program like this, we can disciple the girls and help them to then go out and disciple others.   “As a young teenager (in Years 7 and 8), it was good for me to be in a group that was led by an older female, someone not too much older, that I could look up to and trust and learn from in that space. And someone different to my parents. “ Bible study for teenagers can be a bit weird. You go to camps, and you do all those things, and you're like, ‘Yeah, I'll read my Bible, and I'll do this.’ And then you get home, and it’s like, I don’t really pick up my Bible again, or I sit in church, but I don’t really listen. And so, I found doing the group with my friends was an intentional Bible study time. It’s always fun doing it together and being able to talk about it later.   “So, that’s why I wanted to pick it up and be like, hey, let me do that for you guys too.”   Chloe assists Arabella with Expectations, which has around 15-20 girls on the list. “As someone who has recently navigated the teenage years as a Christian, helping other girls get through that time is important to me,” Chloe says.   The girls love it! One participant recently said, “ Expectations is a lovely way to connect with other girls my age and talk about things that we should know as we get older, like relationships and being a child of God. It’s a wonderful way of connecting and strengthening friendships in the church.” Another girl said, “I like learning about God in a way that’s easy for teenagers to understand.” “I like Expectations because you get together as a group, and you get to talk about anything. We learn about the Bible and the meaning to the verses.”  – Expectations participant Transition focus Expectations is open to any girl in Years 7-9 and takes place monthly during the Sunday service at NBC. Girls from the corps attend the group (there is also a boys’ group), and occasionally bring a friend along. The corps also runs “a multitude” of girls’ and boys’ Bible studies at youth group on Friday nights, which attracts more young people from the community.   “The girls’ and boys’ groups help those in the early years of high school who are transitioning from a weekly Sunday School program or kids’ church,” Arabella explains. “As part of this, our ‘expectations’ are that they will be part of a ministry a couple of weeks in the month, attend group each month, and sit in the Sunday service at other times.” Once the girls finish Year 9, they are encouraged, as seniors, to participate in Friday night Bible studies at youth and to be active in ministry.   “We are looking at Valere , the new Salvation Army resource for young women and teens for that age group,” says Arabella. Click here to read the Salvos Online story about this new resource.   Girls’ identity “Our focus in Expectations this term is on identity, helping the girls discover who they are themselves first and foremost through Jesus, and then helping them help others,” Arabella shares. “We’re also discussing self-love and issues they are facing as they progress through their early teenage years.” Arabella and Chloe have made personalised notebooks for the girls, each with the girl’s initials and a “bunch of identity Bible verses inside”. “These verses emphasise that the girls are each a child of God, wonderfully made in God’s image, made for a reason, forgiven and never alone,” they explain. “Over the year, we have been unpacking each verse, having conversations around them and tackling the issues that come up.”   Arabella and Chloe also discuss life issues with the girls, including topics around relationships.   “We ask permission from parents before we talk about any deeper conversations and have good relationships with them,” Arabella explains. “We tackle a bit of the hard and tricky topics but not in a super heavy way, and we make sure we study something different to what they’re looking at in youth group or that girls may not want to talk about in front of boys.   “The girls keep coming back, so it’s obviously meaning something to them.” “We are intentional about them doing most of the talking – we are just there to facilitate the conversations, talk with and not at them, gently challenge them if needed, but basically, they lead the space. And they can always talk to us privately if there is something they don’t want to share in the group.” Feedback The girls’ parents are very positive about the influence of Expectations. “They thank us for what we do because we are teaching the girls,” says Arabella. “Obviously, it’s all done to the glory of God. But their daughters aren’t following the crowd of being out at parties at a young age or doing those things, and some of them have started their own little Bible study among themselves.” Bibles North Brisbane Corps also funds a Bible for each of the girls in the group. “We buy brand new Bibles, individual ones for each girl [and boy], and write them a note in the front. When a new girl comes in, we buy her a good quality, nice Bible too. There are no repeats or double-ups. We ask them what they would like, and most of the time they say a study Bible so they can write notes down the columns, highlight passages and those sorts of things. We just think it’s more special when a girl's handed a Bible that no one else has.   “We want to step away from phones and Bibles on phones and go back to the physical world and teach them to read it and what everything means.”

The official opening of the Roofs to Recovery project on the Caloundra Corps site. By CLIFF WORTHING Caloundra Corps on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast is contributing to an innovative local solution to address homelessness for women over 55. The corps has made land available on its property to display a one-bedroom and a two-bedroom transitional home as a “proof of concept” for the community, potential donors and politicians to visit. Caloundra Family Store outfitted the homes to enhance the display, which was officially opened on 12 March. “We were approached because we have significant land on the corps site,” said Major Beth Twivey, Caloundra Corps team member. “The display allows council, politicians and potential donors to see the homes in the flesh.” An example of one of the temporary transitional homes on display. The homes are built in a modular, flat-pack style, which allows them to be constructed quickly by volunteers without building experience. They can be built for around $30,000 and quickly set up once land, and appropriate approvals are obtained. The units are very similar to those constructed for overseas disaster recovery accommodation. The two units are temporarily located on the corps property. They are not connected to services and won’t have residents living in them. Funding for the units came from several local churches, supportive individuals and two grants from the Sunshine Coast Council. Since late 2021, the corps has been involved with a series of forums hosted by the Sunshine Coast Council and the Caloundra City Pastors’ Network to explore ways to support local residents experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Roofs to Recovery grew out of the forums. It is now a registered charity to build a transitional housing community on the Sunshine Coast. Beth explained that the corps had been involved with the pastor’s network and all the forums and is committed to supporting solutions to homelessness. Corps leadership has already committed to creating wraparound services for those going into transitional homes to help them secure long-term affordable housing. Providing a mentor for residents is an important component of the support network being put in place. “Going forward, we are looking for partners to move from concept to reality,” Beth said. “We have already received interest from some individuals about potentially donating land for the transitional village.” Commissioner James Condon speaks to the gathering at the official opening. The official opening ceremony on 12 March attracted many community and corps members keen to see the units. Also present were some council members, the Roofs to Recovery Project Team and supportive local churches. Susan, a woman with lived experience of homelessness, cut the ribbon to open the units. She also contributed to the transitional housing plan. Retired Commissioner James Condon echoed the words of General Bramwell Booth during his official comments by “commending the group for doing something” to address a dire local need. For further information on the project, click here

For tribute report, click here

Parramatta Corps Officer Lieutenant Sarah Walker has been using Valere with her small group. BY LAUREN MARTIN   A new Salvation Army resource for young women and teens is providing a fresh feel for small groups and youth and young adult ministries.   ‘Valere’, an eight-week faith-based resource, was launched by the Youth and Young Adults Department earlier this year. It is targeted towards young women aged 15 to young adults and speaks to a wide range of issues that affect women in society, pointing to what the Bible says and reminding participants who they are in Christ.    Lieutenant Sarah Walker said she has been using Valere for the past few weeks with her small group at Parramatta Corps, western Sydney. She says she has a broad range of ages, from high school students, university students and young adults who are working full-time, and that the content has resonated with each of them.   “It is a beautiful looking resource, asthetically, and that certainly appealed to the group,” she said. “They also liked the fact that they can purchase the journal for themselves and take it home to use during the week.”  Valere uses creative techniques to share at a deeper level. Sarah said each of the weeks’ content is based on a topic, such as ‘belonging’, or ‘comparison’, with research-backed, thought-provoking information presented, before a series of discussion questions. Creative outlets are also offered, such as colouring and ice-breaker games.    Sarah said the creators of Valere have obviously thought and prayed a lot over the materials, and the dynamics and challenges of small groups. One common thing that sometimes happens with groups is that, at the start of a group, when the facilitator asks how everyone has been since they last met, the question is met with standard responses like, ‘good’, or ‘yeah, going OK’ etc.    Valere seeks to help groups to share at deeper levels.   “There’s this ‘mood wheel’,” said Sarah, “where it gives a set of broad moods and then breaks them down into different types of feelings.    “What we do is that everyone looks at the wheel and they select a word from anywhere, if it’s a broad term, we use the wheel to drill it down, to specify how they are feeling. It enables them to tell the group how they have been feeling [since the last time they met].   “It’s just one of the helpful tools for discussion.”   She said she believes the resource would work well with people who are new, or just exploring faith, as well as small groups among established Christians.   To find out more about Valere, and for resources, click here .

Commissioners Kenneth and Jolene Hodder (centre) celebrate the building of new village wells in Sri Lanka. Commissioners Kenneth and Jolene Hodder, national leaders of The Salvation Army in the USA, recently visited The Salvation Army Sri Lanka to celebrate the completion of the Safe Water and Livelihood Development project, a two-year effort to provide village wells in Polonnaruwa District. Funded by The Salvation Army World Service Office, the goal of the project was to provide safe drinking water to this agricultural community by building new wells. Many farmers in the area suffer from a deadly, chronic kidney disease of unknown origin. Contamination of surface water with agricultural chemicals is high on the list of suspected causes, along with not drinking enough water in a very hot climate. A new well was to be provided for each of the six villages, but thanks to God’s provision and extra funding, a total of eight were built. An estimated 2742 families will directly benefit from the new water wells. During their visit, the commissioners visited the Rajagiriya Child Development Centre, which provides a nurturing home for children whose parents are unable to care for them. They also met with Salvation Army Sri Lanka leadership and local government officials.

The Easter story starts with darkness, but it ends with hope. On Good Friday, we remember the death of Jesus on the cross. But as a light shines more brightly in the darkness, so does the message of Easter, which is the hope of Jesus Christ.

The international leaders receive a traditional welcome to Poland – the first visit of a Salvation Army General to the country. General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham recently attended the Germany, Lithuania and Poland Territorial Congress and inspired the congregation with their sermons, personal testimonies and relatability during the four-day event. The General joins in the 'Glory March' at the Holiness Meeting in Germany. The Sunday morning Holiness Meeting was a highlight of the leaders’ visit to Germany (26-29 September), which included Officers Councils, Covenant and Commissioning, and an evening of praise and joy that featured the popular German Christian rock band, Koenige & Priester.   During their visit, the Buckinghams inspired many people in the territory and created a spirit of optimism. “I am going home with a happy heart, feeling motivated and invigorated,” said one participant, summarising the overall mood. “The community of faith that I experienced with the General and the Commissioner gives me strength for my ministry.” Historic visit to Poland   The world leaders then visited Warsaw, the capital of Poland, the first visit to the country from a Salvation Army General. The General met the girls' dance team and spoke with them, and many other young people. In a private meeting, the international leaders heard first-hand reports from survivors of the war in Ukraine. The relatively small Salvation Army in Poland (Armia Zbawienia), led by Majors Christian and Anna-Lena Paulsson, has responded valiantly in recent years as millions of Ukrainians fled war and entered Poland. Captain Oleg Samoilenko (originally from Ukraine, now serving in Poland) presented stark facts and shared powerful testimony. Since the war started, more than 150,000 refugee families have received cash cards for grocery shopping and at least 3,300 individuals have been helped with translation to enable them to access health care and other services. Almost 50,000 food parcels and other types of support have been provided. Two refugees from Ukraine shared their experiences with the Buckinghams and the territorial leaders, Colonels Dean and Eirwen Pallant, who thanked The Salvation Army around the world for all the support given and the love shown during a time of desperate need. On the Monday evening, Salvationists from across Poland came to Warsaw for a celebration meeting. Young people from the corps in Warsaw presented a dance with lights on their costumes. General Buckingham challenged the congregation to shine like stars and reflect the love and light of Jesus into their communities. As at many meetings during the visit of the General and Commissioner Buckingham to the Germany, Lithuania and Poland Territory , people responded to the invitation to pray at the mercy seat.   “I could not imagine that this meeting would give me so much inspiration,” said Captain Oleg Samoilenko, Warsaw Corps Officer, with his wife, Captain Dominika Domańska. “General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham are a great example and people of big heart.   “Several things from the meeting that I will keep in my memory forever: People are at the heart of our mission, the most important treasure of The Salvation Army; ranks are given to us for a couple of years, but a name is for life; no matter what you look like and what weaknesses you have, God will still use you for his great deeds.”   To read the full story, click here . To see more photos, click on the arrow below.