3 October 2020 NZFTS War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION  03 OCTOBER 2020 | Issue 6752 | $1.50

Mental Illness: A Human Experience Get Your Hopes Up! A Fishy Gift

What is Reverse Culture Shock?

A Girl Called Hope

Symbol of

Hope

Mental Health Awareness Week

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WAR CRY The Salvation Army

New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Julie & Mark Campbell | GENERAL Brian Peddle | FOUNDERS William

& Catherine Booth

The Salvation Army’s message is based on the Bible. Our ministry is motivated by love for God. Our mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need in his name without discrimination. War Cry exists to support and advance The Salvation Army’s message, ministry and mission.

EDITOR Vivienne Hill | GRAPHIC DESIGN Sam Coates, Lauren Millington | STAFF WRITERS Captain Jules Badger, Louise Parry, Bethany Slaughter | PROOF READING Major

Colleen Marshall OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street,

PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, Phone (04) 384 5649, Email warcry@salvationarmy.org.nz, www.salvationarmy.org.nz/warcry SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department, Phone

(04) 382 0768, Email mailorder@salvationarmy.org.nz, $75 per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT www.makeready.nz | PAPER Sumo Offset

is an environmentally responsible paper produced using Elemental Chlorine Free (ECF) FSC® certified Mixed Source pulp from responsible sources and manufactured under the strict ISO14001 Environmental Management System.

Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association.

All Bible references from the Holy Bible, New International Version, unless otherwise stated.

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Pause for hope Our front cover features a semi colon, a writing tool that indicates the author has not completed the sentence. But for people with mental health issues, the semi colon is the symbol of hope that a mental health episode is not the end of their story, but a pause.

Project Semicolon was founded by a young woman in 2013, as a tribute to her father who had died by suicide. Sadly, as a young woman, she also committed suicide. The aim of the movement is ‘presenting hope and love to those who are struggling with depression, suicide, addiction and self-injury’. Their symbol, the semi colon, is worn on tee shirts, earrings, necklaces and as tattoos.

I recently listened to an interview with a youth mental health worker, who was commenting on the rise of mental health issues for young New Zealanders.

She said that our young people no longer have the hope of a good future. The constant messages to this generation are hope-stealing messages of pandemic, economic recession and depression, climate change, fires, water crisis—the list goes on. They are also fed a subliminal message that life does not matter. No wonder our young people feel hopeless.

One of the aims of War Cry is to bring hope. Each week we aim to include hopefilled messages. Our feature this week is about Captains Jules and Mat Badger and their journey through Jules’s mental health crisis. We also feature ‘A Girl Called Hope’, an organisation that is bringing support and hope to women who feel they are in hopeless situations. So, if you know someone struggling with hopelessness or mental health, please pass on a copy of the hope-filled War Cry. Vivienne Hill Editor

Articles are copyrighted to The Salvation Army, except where indicated, and may be reprinted only with permission.

Publishing for 137 years | Issue 6752 ISSN 0043-0242 (print), ISSN 2537-7442 (online)

SalvationArmyNZFTS

You have enemies?

Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.

@SalvationArmyNZ

Winston Churchill

Please pass on or recycle this magazine Read online issuu.com/salvationarmynzftwarcry

salvationarmy.org.nz

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2 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

Proverbs 13:12 Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

Ngā Whakatauki He manako tāringa roa, he patu ngākau: ka tae te koronga, ko te rākau ia o te ora.

Photography: Ezra Gillon

‘H

ave you taken your meds today, Dad?’ asks my 13-year-old son while spreading peanut butter on his sandwich. We are in the middle of our morning routine getting ready to leave for school, and there’s a little bit of wiggle time, so I probe.

‘Why’s that, what would happen if I didn’t?’

‘You’d be Cranky-Dad,’ he answered without skipping a beat or adjusting his voice. We both know he’s right. But it’s also a rare day that I forget, as it’s been a daily routine for me for most of the last twenty years—and while the medication helps, my kids will tell you that Cranky-Dad still visits on a more frequent basis than I’d like.

The next evening, with the experience of the previous morning still fresh in my mind, we head off in the car. Always the bargain hunter, my wife had booked discount tickets to visit a local immersive experience called, ‘Van Gogh Alive’. So, at eight o’clock we donned our jackets and mismatched beanies, packed the four kids into the car and headed into town.

I confess to being ignorant of Vincent van Gogh’s life and paintings, aside from those that crop up in popular culture. I knew about the ear incident, that he was a struggling artist and something to do with mental illness, but I didn’t know the details.

Thankfully no knowledge was required to enjoy the outdoor show, and under the starry night sky, we listened to an emotional musical journey

to match the multiple slideshows projected onto every surface you could see. Vincent’s art—full of colour details, shapes, emotions, faces and places— flooded our senses for 45 minutes.

I’m glad that my son can speak freely to me about medication, and as a family we can talk openly about mental health. While as a society we are continuing to gain understanding and insight into behaviours and disorders of the mind, we still have work to do.

We have come far in the time since Vincent’s death by suicide. We have come far since I struggled through my teenage years and was plagued by thoughts of the same. But even today, Aotearoa has much room to improve the wellbeing of our young people and we haven’t got it altogether just yet.

It can be difficult to know how to help those who are struggling. They often strike out in anger, grief or pain without even knowing why. CrankyDad can be a hard guy to love. I try my best to keep him under control, but it is a battle I don’t always win—and I’ve had the benefit of years of working with a therapist and being on medication. (Yes, my wife is amazing.)

Perhaps an easy yardstick is to remember these words by van Gogh: ‘There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people’. It sounds a lot like the encouragement of Jesus to ‘love one another’, or, ‘to love our neighbours as ourselves’. So, love each other well—grab a paint brush, get stuck in and get messy.

BY MATT GILLON 03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 3

Poet’s Corner War Cry writer Captain Jules Badger is the 2020 winner for MiNDFOOD magazine’s Inaugural 2020 Poetry Competition (see back cover).

Jules says that the poem describes her journey to recovery after a mental health breakdown, and uses the metaphor of this time in her life as a disintegrating piece of old lace. The poem then progresses through to the end where she expresses an awareness that God had put her back together once, and would do so again.

The poetry competition was judged by writer Tim Saunders and MiNDFOOD Senior SubEditor/Writer Gill Canning. Saunders says the poem is original and bold as well as fragile and tender. He says, ‘The poet has shown a beautiful control of language that touches the reader’s heart’.

Gill Canning said they received dozens of entries and Jules’s poem ‘…stood out as a confident new voice with something important and relevant to say’. She identified the delicacy and strength of the poem and said it left a sense of ‘…confidence, optimism and solidarity’.

Documentary Drama The Social Dilemma (Available on Netflix) Directed by Jeff Orlowski Do you have a cellphone? Outside of turning your alarm off, when is the first time you check it in the morning? For many of the 3.5 billion smartphone users, it is the last thing they see at night and the first thing in the morning. This documentary takes a critical look behind the scenes of social media, by interweaving a dramatisation and interviews with some of the very people that shaped its meteoric rise to success. Not just success, but now a force that has the ability to shape human behaviour and make vast sums of money in doing so. The documentary does an excellent job of positing real ethical questions about who gets to profit from this interaction, and whether the ‘human versus machine’ is still a fair fight. (Hint: it’s not.) An easy watch that is designed to inform and provoke while asking if we should have raised the alarm already. (Reviewed by Matt Gillon)

Congratulations Jules! War Cry looks forward to sharing more of your poetry.

WARCRYINHISTORY

This illustration, which was published in the 2 April 1927 War Cry, was created by an artist from the British War Cry to visually depict how a Salvationist’s thoughts might differ from a member of the general public, highlighting values such as public testimony, giving, prayer and visiting the sick.

Source: The Heritage Centre & Archives at the Ploughman Resource Centre, Booth College of Mission

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Moana Turner (Papakura Family Store Manager) Moana Turner always has a smile for the customers, staff and volunteers. Lieutenant Mike Bryant has nominated Moana for ‘Sallie of the Week’ because she’s concluding her service to care for husband Dave, who has also been a store volunteer. Under Moana’s leadership the store has become so much more than just a place to shop—it’s a destination! At her farewell, someone said that although Moana only has small feet, she leaves behind big footprints to fill! On behalf of the wider Salvation Army, we wish Moana and Dave all the best for the next part of their journey. Arohanui ki a korua.

TOPFIVE

As we inch towards the sunny season, this week we are reflecting on five movies with famous scenes in the rain.

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Fritters ½ cup dry macaroni pasta 25g butter 1 small onion, diced ½ cup milk 1 cup grated tasty cheese 2 eggs, beaten 2 Tbsp self-raising flour 3 Tbsp canola oil, for frying

Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of salted water until tender. Drain well.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan.

Sauté the onion on low heat until softened, for about 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk, cheese, eggs and flour. Add the macaroni. Stir until thickened, then remove from the heat.

Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium. Add a little oil. Add tablespoons of the mixture leaving about 2cm between each fritter. Fry until crisp and golden. Turn over and cook the other side (they are ready to turn when the mixture is almost set on top, and when gently nudged, will slide easily in the pan).

Tip: Serve with Salad

Source: eatwell.co.nz

QUIKQUIZ

Weird of the Week: In Switzerland, it is illegal to own only one guinea pig, because they are social creatures and considered victims of abuse if they are on their own.

5. S ingin’ in the Rain—Gene Kelly’s rain-soaked dance routine is iconic, charming and bound to put the title song in your head for the rest of the day.

1 Known as the Second Opium War, France and the United Kingdom declared war on which country in 1857?

2 Albert Uderzo, who passed away earlier this year, was the creator of which comic book series?

Photography: Albert Harlingue

SALLIEOFTHEWEEK

3 Auguste Rodin was a French artist who mainly worked in which artistic medium?

4 Autumn King, Figaro and St Valery are all varieties of which vegetable?

5 What do ointment and perfume do, according to Proverbs 27:9?

Answers on page 22

4. F our Weddings and a Funeral—The ending, where the central couple confess their feelings for each other in the rain, is probably its best-known scene.

3. Breakfast at Tiffany’s—Another reconciliation in the rain … we’re sensing a rom-com pattern.

2. Th e Notebook— See above.

1. The Truman Show— A very clever use of rain, if we do say so, as Truman realises that the raincloud is quite literally following and only falling on him.

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As leaders in the church, Captains Jules and Mat Badger believe they have a unique perspective to bring to the conversation of mental health. In 2012, Jules experienced a breakdown and Mat was thrust into the role of a support person. They hope their upcoming book which they are writing, called When the Light Goes Out, can help people suffering from poor mental health and encourage the church to become a place of refuge and healing.

BY BETHANY SLAUGHTER

When Jules Badger began documenting her lifelong struggle with mental health, which almost took her life, there was no intention for anyone else to read it. However, she soon wondered whether her story as a church leader wrestling with depression and anxiety could serve a purpose beyond personal reflection. Her husband Mat also recognised that he too had a unique perspective which would be helpful to capture, as the person who had gone through the process beside her.

They are currently working on their book, When the Light Goes Out, which contrasts the experiences of someone in the middle of a mental health crisis and the loved one trying to walk with that person out of the darkness. From their unique viewpoint as Salvation Army officers, Jules and Mat hope they have created a resource for those journeying through a similar experience, as well as others who might not understand the complexity of mental illness.

‘Covid-19 is one of the epidemics of our time, but actually if you took that out of the picture, the major epidemic of our time is poor mental health,’ Mat says. ‘And maybe it’s not that it hasn’t always been there, but it’s becoming easier to discuss.’

After living with undiagnosed mental illness, Jules’s first breakdown occurred in 2012, a culmination of toxic factors, unresolved grief and trauma, all mixed in with what was diagnosed as a natural chemical imbalance.

‘I lived with anxiety and depression, particularly anxiety, all through my high school years when Dad was sick. I self-medicated with alcohol and drugs through university. And when I became a Christian, I self-medicated with service.

‘My faith was very much my job. I fell into what professionals refer to as “overidentification with the role”, so I became someone who thought I was indispensable.’

At the time, Jules and Mat were the corps officers at East City in Howick, Auckland. On rostered days off, Jules felt the need to go into the office, keep busy or make sure the house was immaculate. In her quest for perfection, she thought everybody had their eyes on her, expecting her to live up to those high standards.

Jules didn’t sleep. Plagued by rising anxiety and racing thoughts, she lost her appetite and would wake up feeling like there was a rock in her gut. She thought 03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 7

this was how everybody felt, that they were trying to handle their stress just like she was. Even when her doctor suggested she begin taking antidepressants, Jules did not believe she was mentally unwell, certainly not depressed. After all, she had a wonderful husband, beautiful children and a ‘great life’.

Jules thought she was going inexplicably crazy. How could she be a church leader and yet not ‘take every thought captive’?

Where was God? Because as far as she could tell, he had abandoned her. Her mental health eventually deteriorated to the point where she wanted to take her own life.

‘That’s what an unwell brain thinks is a logical thing to do to stop the racing thoughts, to stop the intrusive thoughts. I thought I was going crazy and that my family would genuinely be better off without me. The only thing that stopped me was knowing I’d lived without a parent and been through that grief and I couldn’t do that to my kids.’

Instead—with great difficulty—she told Mat. The crisis team became involved and it was decided that she needed to enter respite care.

At first, Jules admits she felt ashamed to be a pastor in a mental health facility. However, through several visits from their colleagues and friends, including then-Northern Divisional Commander, Colonel Heather Rodwell, she was reassured that her church could and would accept her as she was.

‘Heather was like: “Jules, in this moment, you’re not the pastor. You’re just Jules, and you are having a thoroughly human experience. We love you and what you’re going through is okay and it’s going to be okay”.’

Reconnecting with God Jules’s breakdown became the turning point to regaining her connection with God and transforming her mental health.

With the help of medication, therapy and pastoral care, along with implementing greater rest and slowness into her life, healing was possible. Far from an imposter, Jules was the proof that you could be a Christian leader and still suffer from depression, the same way a Christian leader might live with a physical injury.

‘We don’t try and pray away a broken leg. We don’t say to someone who’s got a heart condition, “stop taking your pills, have faith”. And yet sometimes when it comes to mental illness, we’ve set people up to fail,’ Jules says.

‘I’m not suggesting that some people haven’t had miraculous experiences but, for me, my miraculous experience 8 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

was a combination of intelligent medical professionals who God had gifted, who have studied the brain, and the love and care of my family, the body of Christ and The Salvation Army.’

When Jules returned to work after three months, it was never again for a sixty-hour week. She eased back upwards from part-time hours, and if she ever worked overtime, she knew to rebalance the scales.

Even so, Jules describes 2017 as ‘the perfect storm’. There were work pressures, their daughter Gabbie became unwell and it was the twenty-fifth anniversary of her father’s death.

However, this time Jules had strategies in place and went through the year knowing God was present, which turned a terrible year into a time of healing.

‘The God I know now, who walked with me through the valley of the shadow of death, is a God that I trust. Because I’m able to look back in hindsight and see where he was. Sometimes when I couldn’t feel him, the body of Christ was there. Sometimes when I couldn’t feel him, Scripture was still there.’

…THE MAJOR EPIDEMIC OF OUR TIME IS POOR MENTAL HEALTH. Supporting the Supporter Thankfully, Mat was surrounded by his own support network.

Even when Jules was out of action, he wasn’t leading East City alone. ‘I had great people in place who knew their jobs.

Basically, I went through a season of just checking in with them, making sure they were on track.’

Work colleagues made sure he wasn’t putting too much on his plate and, where necessary, made him leave the office early.

About six months later, Mat took a trip to his parents to rest.

‘I must have slept for seven or eight days.’

‘Reading the book has been quite moving for me,’ Jules says.

‘Mat will write a chapter and I’ll go, “Oh, my gosh, I hadn’t considered that was happening for you”.’ For example, ‘Mat writes a part where he then went out to Muriwai one day and just sat in the car alone and tried to process everything, and I didn’t know that’.

The familial and work support, as well as remaining involved with sport, was important in making sure Mat stayed

THE GOD I KNOW NOW, WHO WALKED WITH ME THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, IS A GOD THAT I TRUST, BECAUSE I’M ABLE TO LOOK BACK IN HINDSIGHT AND SEE WHERE HE WAS. on top of his own mental health while taking care of Jules, their family and the corps.

‘We saw the body of Christ at its best,’ Jules says. ‘We were very blessed in that season to be so well cared for by our own congregation. We were the pastors that got pastored for a good six months, and we’ll always be really, really grateful to the East City community for that.’

Their experience is symbolic of what churches can offer mental health sufferers if they have compassion, can understand and recognise symptoms and know the best way to respond in emergencies.

‘The night that everything turned to custard for Jules, there were things going on for her physically where her skin hurt, where she was pacing around,’ Mat says. ‘There was a guy in East Auckland who we helped to get into care and when I first met him, he was pacing around, his skin was hurting … I was like, oh, I already know what’s going on here.’

Change in the Church For someone whose job description was to offer and spread the news of God’s grace, in the thick of her mental illness, Jules gave no grace to herself. Realising she didn’t have to be perfect for God to love her, or for her to be a good leader, was a revelation, and Jules worries that this is emblematic of how many church leaders feel.

In particular, the work of Christchurch-based counsellor Richard Black (Director of Mind Health), which found that the pastor role can be toxic to the emotional health and intelligence of the person in it, has spurred Mat and Jules to push the conversation of mental illness within the church, particularly amongst its leaders.

‘We can so quickly fall into perfectionism and overidentification with the role and focus on the wrong things.

It happens to so many pastors, and he [Richard] even says some end up having affairs or committing fraud, they sin to get out. They self-sabotage to get out.’

Both of their current positions with the Army—Mat is the Territorial Youth Secretary, while Jules is Assistant Writer for War Cry—enable them to help others and advocate in the mental health space. Starting with The Salvation Army they want to stamp out any lingering, outdated ideas that struggling with mental illness is a marker of lacking faith.

‘In the same way someone has terminal cancer and ends up dying from cancer, you can end up dying from mental illness through suicide—not because you’ve chosen it, but because death seems like the logical solution,’ Jules says.

‘One of the things that often happens in church circles is that you have very well-meaning people with good intentions, who simply have this idea that we can pray this stuff away,’ Mat adds.

Jules and Mat now see instances of mental health struggles in the Bible—such as the Psalms and Proverbs—that change the way they read Scripture.

‘My interpretation as I read Elijah was he was burned out, and he went into the desert and what did God give him? Rest, care of his physical needs and an encounter with him. And for me, that’s a really good summary of what happened,’ Jules says.

With the enormous waiting times for affordable mental health care, not everyone has equal access to crucial support.

The Salvation Army is renowned for providing wraparound services; it is integral that everyone involved at each level knows how mental health sinks its teeth into the many issues they are dealing with, and how they can respond effectively.

‘The vulnerable and marginalised in Jesus’ day may have been tax collectors and prostitutes and lepers. I would say today it is the mentally ill, the poor, LGBTQIA+ communities,’ Jules lists. ‘We have the marginalised and vulnerable of our generation and we need to give them greater love and attention, just as Jesus did.’

‘It’s challenging, not just The Salvation Army, but the wider church, to up our game and the way that we engage with people who have poor mental health—not just leaders, but people in general,’ Mat says.

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 9

So Long, Farewell…

Not every goodbye is as simple as hugging your kids as you walk out the door or waving to your coworker as you leave the office. Sometimes saying goodbye is a huge relief. Other times, farewells are gut-wrenching. Relationships end, families move, people embark on long-term travel and loved ones pass away. Plus, it is not just humans or pets we say goodbye to. You can grieve the loss of a family home, leaving a secure job or the end of an experience.

Goodbyes are a necessary part of life, but that does not make them easy. If there is an ending on the horizon which you are dreading, here is some food for thought.

1. Take time to reflect on the good and the bad. Don’t try to dwell on all of the worst parts to spur you into leaving; this might seem easier at first, but can be problematic later in life. Rather than clouding the experience with completely light or dark memories, reflect honestly.

2. Decipher your feelings by putting them into words. Have a conversation with a friend or family member. Explain that you are trying to sort out your conflicting emotions and need someone to listen.

LLOW ROOM FOR A RANGE OF A EMOTIONS … GIVE THEM ALL SPACE SO THAT YOU CAN PROCESS THESE (SOMETIMES CONTRADICTORY) FEELINGS.

3. In anticipation of a goodbye or immediately following one, do things that make you feel comfortable. Go to an exercise class, see a movie, read and chill out in a well-lit café. Take up a hobby you have always wanted to try, and make the first inroads into your new life.

4. Allow room for a range of emotions: sadness, excitement, guilt, anger, happiness, relief, longing, hurt… Give them all space so that you can process these (sometimes contradictory) feelings.

5. Remember it is okay to have mixed emotions or to feel relieved. Even if you have great memories, everything reaches a natural stopping point.

6. Once you have said your goodbye(s), give yourself time to adjust. Loss comes in all different forms, and there will be a period where you feel strange or uncomfortable at the beginning.

7. Know that feeling anxious or upset about moving into a new situation or leaving behind the old one does not mean the decision was wrong.

It helps to be honest with yourself. Do you need to cut yourself some slack because this goodbye is taking too much of a toll?

10 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

Or are you treating a short-term goodbye like it is permanent?

Process your feelings, but don’t fixate on them. As John F. Kennedy was once quoted, ‘Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or the present are certain to miss the future’.

Sometimes, goodbyes are going to be harder for the people around you. For example, if you are leaving for university, you might feel disappointed that your family are not as thrilled. Or, it may be frustrating when you are excited to move into your new house, but your kids are dragging their heels. Empathy is the most important way you can help them through the goodbye—be there and listen to them as they work through their range of emotions.

Source: psychologytoday.com

TESTIFY! Zoe Knauf has a passion for music and is a singer in the Miramar Corps worship team. She shares with Bethany Slaughter from War Cry who she is, how singing fills her with confidence and how she came to follow Jesus.

My name is Zoe Knauf. I have never been out of New Zealand, but my greatgreat grandparents were Scottish. I live a normal life. I am the second eldest of four kids in my family. Because I am not able to have a pet, I love to walk my neighbour’s rescue dog (who is a pug named Momo).

My favourite hobby is singing. It is hard to explain, but I feel like music ignites my soul. It makes me feel happy.

I have a few favourite songs, but my absolute favourite is ‘Coffin Dance’ (even though that song actually has no words). When I am singing, it sparks something inside of me. I feel like I can do anything. I also love to dance and sing along to Spotify music at home— I started learning violin too, but I didn’t have the time to practise.

We go to Miramar Corps. I am in fact part of the worship team, and I do that about once a month or so. My favourite thing about belonging to Miramar is that we are all so close and we know each other really well. In particular, Hannah Medland is an adult who has always been a special friend to me at church.

When I was about five or six years old, I finally started believing in what my mum

WHEN I AM SINGING, IT SPARKS SOMETHING INSIDE OF ME. I FEEL LIKE I CAN DO ANYTHING.

I WISH THAT THE WHOLE WORLD KNEW THAT JESUS WAS KIND AND THAT HE LOVES US… and dad believed. Before that, when I was smaller, I couldn’t understand. The Bible was a huge part of learning who God is. I love all of the stories in the Bible, but my personal favourite is the one about Adam and Eve, because it tells us that God can create something out of nothing! I love learning about all the amazing things done by Jesus, the Holy Spirit and God.

In the future, I want to do my part to turn around global warming and help people to achieve their peace so that there are no more wars. I wish that the whole world knew that Jesus was kind and that he loves us, because some people all have very different opinions about Jesus. I love his love for us, and I have a very positive feeling when I know I am close to him.

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 11

Hope for Generations It’s not easy being a young woman in today’s world—the development of a healthy sense of ‘self’ is not a given in this era of fickle social media influences and pressures. The erosion of wellbeing and decline in mental health among young women is, sadly, increasingly common.

BY JULES BADGER

Growing up in a Christian home, or being part of a church, doesn’t necessarily make you immune to some of the challenges of life. But there is hope!

Kerry Petrie is the Director of A Girl Called Hope, a programme run by a dedicated team of professionals who provide support, care and offer life-development training for young New Zealand women aged between 16 and 28 years, with a view to strengthening their resilience, self-esteem and wellbeing.

‘Girls come to us for a variety of reasons, but what’s most common are young women facing considerable challenges because of anxiety, depression, dis-ordered eating, self-harm and suicidal thinking. Many of the young women have low self-esteem, which can be caused by a lot of things, such as hardship, abuse, unrealistic expectations, bullying, trauma and so on. There’s always something behind what they are experiencing,’ Kerry explains.

Gabrielle Herbert (Session Community Church, Pakuranga, Auckland) was 18 and the child of Salvation Army officers when she entered A Girl Called Hope in 2018.

‘Nothing was working. I was struggling with anxiety and depression as well as self-harm. I needed something a bit more intense and focused and to get away from my normal circumstances where change seemed impossible.

I felt stuck. And while I found being away from family very hard, going to the ‘home’ gave me the gift of time to reflect without distractions, work on my stuff and rebuild my relationship with God.’

Holistic Healing

Holly Cormack of Upper Hutt Corps was 27 when she entered the programme in 2017. ‘I was dealing with bad depression and PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and was lost as to what to try or seek next. I felt like I didn’t have any more options.’

A close friend suggested the programme during a group counselling session that included Holly’s husband. But when Holly discovered it was a 6-month residential programme based in Auckland, her initial response was, ‘Nope, I can’t do that! We have a young family—a 2-year-old, 4-year-old and a 9-year-old—how on earth could it work?’

Holly was astounded when her corps family came together to provide support. ‘We had a big group meeting with people who I see as family—friends and wise people

Hope believes in finding freedom and a future, is the clarion cry of A Girl Called Hope, and the team is passionate about seeing young women restored to full health, discovering their lives’ purpose, and bringing value to their world as productive and thriving individuals. Based on the Te Whare Tapa Wha model of health, A Girl Called Hope aims to provide a place to heal and grow in strength, by showing the girls they are valued, have purpose and, above all, have a reason to live. The unique programme uses an holistic approach based on Christian principles and values that address the physical (tinana), emotional and psychological (hinengaro), spiritual (wairua) and relational (whānau) wellbeing of each young woman.

12 firezone.co.nz 03 OCTOBER 2020

‘…I FELT COMPLETELY SUPPORTED AND SAFE.’ Time to Heal

Top: Gabrielle and husband Nathan. Bottom: Holly with husband Che and children, including Leo who was born after Holly completed the programme.

HOPE BELIEVES IN FINDING FREEDOM AND A FUTURE, IS THE CLARION CRY OF A GIRL CALLED HOPE. who know me and my journey. And it just so happened that out of that meeting everything for my husband and kids was worked out. To this day, I believe that the only reason I was able to go, given my set of circumstances, was because God made a way—I was meant to go there.’

Holly found being away from home extremely difficult, but she says that the team was ‘incredibly accommodating, because it wasn’t just about me but also my kids and husband. Being in a community with other girls and all the support systems in place meant that I was more willing to share, because I felt completely supported and safe. It helped knowing that what I was going through was okay and I wasn’t alone on that journey. My eyes were opened to what I was truly capable of because of the tools I was given. As hard as it was being away from my family, I would do it again in a heartbeat,’ explains Holly.

Gabrielle says, ‘I learnt so much about myself during my time at A Girl Called Hope and now have a really good tool kit that I actively and regularly use. The mood-tracker tool helps me live my life with greater confidence. I’m able to recognise when things are going to custard and get help before it becomes a crisis. That’s the biggest learning— being able to recognise my emotions, own them and process them appropriately. My life had also been ruled at the time by the lie that I was stupid. Because I dropped out of school to attend the programme, I had to work extra hard to replace that lie with the truth that I’d made a wise decision to invest in my mental wellbeing. I spent

hours every day practising saying that truth out loud.

It took the full six months for me to believe that I was fearfully and wonderfully made and not stupid’.

Motivated to Heal Acceptance into the programme is based on self-referral.

In other words, a young woman must willingly choose to apply and engage in the intake process, because motivation to change is imperative to healing. Kerry explains that there are three phases: intake, residential and transition. ‘During the intake phase the coordinator is trying to identify if the girl has made a decision that she wants to change, and that she is motivated to do the work for change.’

Both Gabrielle and Holly agree emphatically that if you’re considering applying, you have to be ready to do some hard work. ‘Don’t think it’s going to be easy. It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done—facing my stuff. But it’s worth it in the long run,’ says Gabrielle.

‘You also need to understand that the ‘home’ is not a quick fix,’ affirms Holly. ‘You’re not going to go and come back completely better. The journey continues when you get home. You have work to do there and also work to do with your family and friends after the residential part is over.’

MORE INFO | agirlcalledhope.org.nz

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 13

From left: Major Nigel Luscombe, Lieutenants Tamotsu and Terumi Yoshida and Major Brenda Luscombe in Japan.

Reverse Culture Shock

BY JULES BADGER

People who serve overseas affirm that such an experience is a life-changing privilege. While many would embrace another overseas service opportunity in a heartbeat, returning home is not always straightforward—far from it.

Reverse Culture Shock is experienced to varying degrees by returning officers and lay people; War Cry looks at how we can engage in the re-entry process for returnees in an increasingly fulsome way.

In Crossing Cultures: How to Manage the Stress of Re-entry—a book that has become a helpful resource for those returning from overseas service—General Paul Rader (retired) writes: ‘Generally speaking, those who have served overseas are resilient and adaptive. Even so, the pain experienced on returning can be disorienting and sometimes damaging. Facilitating their transition back into their home culture is in everyone’s interest.

It reduces unnecessary trauma, enhances their capacity to function effectively at home, and increases the likelihood of the officer or lay-worker being available for future opportunities across cultural divides.’

Many of us naturally want to support returnees, but sometimes there is a disconnect between what returnees need and what we offer. War Cry interviewed New Zealand Officers Majors Brenda and Nigel Luscombe (Japan), Majors Alister and Anne Irwin (Fiji) and Lt-Colonels Michelle and Milton Collins (Papua New Guinea) to glean some insight into how we can better support returnees.

14 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

Unexpected surprises For Lt-Colonels Michelle and Milton Collins, the opportunity to serve in Papua New Guinea (PNG) was unexpected but fully embraced.

‘It was only two years, but it might as well have been 20 years in terms of the formational impact on my life,’ explains Michelle. ‘But I found the returning home transition so hard—I just wasn’t the same person when I came back. People expect that you will just slot back into being who you were and how you functioned before you left, but you’ve been profoundly changed.’

It was also a surprise to be asked to serve overseas for Majors Alister and Anne Irwin, but they responded with enthusiasm and delight. However, being called home early was a devastating blow for the pair. ‘I just burst into tears,’ says Anne.

‘Emotionally and spiritually it was gutting knowing we were leaving good friends and good people,’ continues Alister. ‘Our transition to Fiji was excellent and just so exciting. Coming home has taken some getting our heads around.’

‘BUT I FOUND THE RETURNING HOME TRANSITION SO HARD—I JUST WASN’T THE SAME PERSON WHEN I CAME BACK.’ Majors Brenda and Nigel Luscombe also served unexpectedly in Fiji (2011–13) but more latterly in Japan. Nigel had felt a strong pull to serve in Japan since obtaining a bachelor’s degree in Japanese. Over time Nigel’s dream became Brenda’s, too, and together they first asked to be considered for an appointment in Japan in 1998. Twenty years later they found themselves finally bound for the nation.

As the end of their three-year term loomed large, Brenda and Nigel were informed by International Headquarters that they were needed back in New Zealand for appointments beginning mid-year. ‘The timing was a complete shock, and with Covid-19 we weren’t even sure we could get back,’ explains Brenda.

‘The most gut-wrenching part of leaving for us was that Covid-19 meant we couldn’t physically say goodbye to people.

Normally, farewells are really important times for closure and saying thank you and goodbye to those you’ve ministered alongside. We felt like we were leaving through the back door because we couldn’t say our goodbyes in public. It was devastating, actually,’ reflects Nigel.

For many officers, an overseas appointment is a welcome surprise, but returning home is jarring and re-entry emotionally complex.

Welcome home ‘When people say, “Welcome home”, it’s lovely,’ says Brenda, ‘but it’s also very hard because home still feels like Tokyo. When I’m picturing home in my mind, it’s not our new place in Newtown— not yet.’

‘I found it much harder to leave PNG than I thought I would.

In effect you’re coming home to your family and the things you

know, and you think it’ll be no problem. But on our second day home we went Christmas shopping—something I would normally love. I walked into the food court and couldn’t decide what to eat, and I was overwhelmed by the choices, the comparative wealth and the waste everywhere. I collapsed into a blubbering mess. My poor sons were like, “Who are you and what have you done with our mother?” It was just so confronting. And suddenly the whole experience of being in PNG seemed so very costly because I saw the world differently. I was not prepared for that,’ says Michelle.

Nigel reflects that you can see it in people’s eyes that they don’t believe there is such a thing as reverse culture shock.

‘When you tell people that you didn’t get culture shock when you went into the new culture—it’s all so exciting and there’s work and ministry to throw yourself into—but that you’re struggling with reverse culture shock now coming home, they look at you like you’re mad.’

‘It’s also mentally and physically exhausting adjusting back to life in your home country,’ says Brenda. ‘The only way I can describe it is to say that everything is the same, but everything is different.’

‘Coming from a temperature of high heat and humidity where we’d given everything we had in that space—we just wanted to sleep for days on end,’ says Milton.

‘IT REALLY IS JUST GIVING RETURNEES THE TIME AND SPACE TO ADJUST. WE’RE GRATEFUL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO JUST LISTENED AND SOUGHT TO UNDERSTAND.’ A new normal

Majors Alister and Anne Irwin.

Navigating life back in New Zealand after time overseas is often an accumulation of everyday grief-inducing moments, which Nigel describes as ‘straw upon straw’—and we all know about the straw that breaks the camel’s back. ‘It’s the strange little things that hit you at unexpected times,’ he says.

Brenda gives an example: ‘Japanese kitchens are very small, which means everything you buy is small, and you shop daily for food. We would buy a pack of frozen peas that was just a few grams, instead of a kilo like here. It’s adjusting to how to shop again. Things you would never have anticipated can trigger your grief and set off your emotions. You get caught off guard’.

Coming from Fiji, Anne explains: ‘It was the sheer amount of noise that hit me—so much traffic and so many people. I didn’t know what to buy because the choices were overwhelming, so I ended up buying nothing. And when I did start buying things again, I would automatically say “Vinaka” and then start apologising for forgetting to use English’.

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Helpful spaces The Luscombes have been to the annual inter-denominational missionaries retreat and found that space so helpful, and strongly recommend it to other returnees.

‘Everyone present had served overseas, including the facilitators, so instantly people knew what you were talking about—you didn’t have to explain what you meant because they just got it,’ explains Nigel.

The Salvation Army offers various types of support to returning officers, like counselling, supervision and spiritual direction. Nothing is compulsory other than a returning interview with Personnel, which means officers are free to choose what works for them.

‘I’m appreciative of the support the Army endeavours to give, and I’m repeatedly being told to take my time—to be kind to myself. I’m hearing those words which is reassuring,’ says Brenda.

‘There are people like me who come back from overseas whose heart and passion is still very much in that country. I figure if I start lying about what’s going on for me, then that’s going to take me to a dangerous place,’ says Nigel with honest transparency.

Overall, for the officers interviewed it’s been the informal support from others who’ve served overseas that’s been most helpful. Michelle affirms that going forward she feels a strong sense of calling and responsibility to support other returnees as they transition back to life in New Zealand.

Listen and include

‘THE MOST GUT-WRENCHING PART OF LEAVING FOR US WAS THAT COVID-19 MEANT WE COULDN’T PHYSICALLY SAY GOODBYE TO PEOPLE.’

So how can everyday Salvationists support those returning from overseas service?

‘One of the key things is people just taking the time to listen and not rush the resettling process. Giving us space to come up to speed with what might seem like basic stuff is important because the grief of leaving our home and friends in Japan is magnified under stress,’ says Brenda.

Milton agrees emphatically with Brenda: ‘It really is just giving returnees the time and space to adjust. We’re grateful for the people who just listened and sought to understand’.

Michelle suggests that a practical way of helping with re-entry is for Salvationists to open their homes to returnees and simply share a meal together.

‘I’d been a Salvationist my whole life and lived all over the country, and yet when I came home I felt incredibly lonely at first, because the people who’d been my daily companions for the past two years in PNG were missing from my life.

Making ‘home’ feel like home again by actively re-establishing friendships and a sense of belonging is something Salvationists could really help with. Don’t wait for the returnee because they may be second guessing themselves. I am grateful to those who took the time to hear me and to answer my questions. There were people who sat across the table from me and engaged, who I could sense were genuinely interested and happy to let me talk.

They opened a door and left it wide open,’ says Michelle.

Milton and Michelle reveal that it took the better part of a year before they could fully engage again within the New Zealand context, but they are so grateful to the people of Auckland City Corps. ‘They need to be commended,’ says Milton.

‘They were so kind, gentle and caring. They listened to our stories and gave us time to get ourselves together. I don’t think they realise how much that meant to us.’

‘Affirming people in their new mission space as they adjust is really important too,’ Michelle explains. ‘People were so gracious with me—I got onto the platform again as a corps officer which should have been like falling off a log for me, but I was wreck those first few times,’ she adds.

Alister, now serving at the same corps, agreed, adding, ‘It’s a challenge for any corps to receive new officers. And in one sense it doesn’t matter where they’ve come from, because having new officers to learn to work with is change enough. That said, God has placed us in the perfect returning home appointment because the corps is situated in Mt Wellington, which is a strongly Pasifika community. This is a real joy for us and has helped the transition home.’

For Anne, knowing it would take some time for their belongings to arrive in New Zealand, it was especially touching to discover their new quarters in Ellerslie had been stocked with food, the beds made up, and crockery and utensils provided by the corps family. Having these practical things taken care of was an act of love and care that helped smooth the transition.

Lt-Colonels Milton (top) and Michelle Collins during their time in Papua New Guinea.

16 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

Aux-Captain Amiria Te Whiu Commences Role in Community Ministries Territorial Headquarters (THQ) has welcomed Auxiliary Captain Amiria Te Whiu into the building in the role of National Māori Ministry Development Coordinator for Community Ministries (CM).

Her new role sees her working closely with Jono Bell and the CM team, together with the Chair for Māori Ministry Lt-Colonel Ian Hutson. Amiria also sits on the Māori Ministry Council, as a CM representative, and on the newly-formed Kōkiri team.

‘The interim role is still being defined by the three of us as I find my feet at THQ. Suffice to say, I have been tasked with a few exciting projects and contributed to some interesting kōrero already,’ Amiria says. ‘What blesses me most is being with real people and not virtual images on a screen, and keeping up-to-date with the current affairs of the nation, what’s happening in the TSA territory and the rest of the world.’

Amiria has come to Wellington from Waitangi in the Bay of Islands, where she served her people as an ordained Amorangi minister for Te Aka Puaho, Presbyterian Church for many years. ‘My iwi is Ngāpuhi, Tainui, Te Arawa waka and Tūhoe, not forgetting my Ngāti Ingarangi whakapapa [English descent].’

She is married to Wimutu, and they have six adult children, thirteen grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren. ‘We have our own hapū! We call ourselves, “hapū Te Whiu”.’

In her early years, Amiria trained as a teacher and tertiary educator where she developed programmes for social services. She was appointed to the Northern Correctional Facility at Ngawha in 2009, as Coordinating Chaplain; then in 2012 she was seconded to Auckland Correctional Facility as Lead Chaplain at Mount Eden Prison; and she was later appointed National Link Chaplain for PCANZ (Prison Chaplaincy Services of Aotearoa New Zealand). Amiria has served on several boards, the Presbyterian Support Northern Board, including the PARS (Prisoners’ Aid and Rehabilitation Society) board. In 2017, Amiria was also appointed the Officiating Chaplain to the Royal New Zealand Navy.

Although Amiria decided to retire a few years ago to study theology, she changed her mind about leaving the

workforce at the end of 2019. ‘I just thought, This is not me, I’ve still got a few years to contribute to society in meaningful ways,’ she says. ‘Through thoughtful prayer with God, I asked him to show me where it was that I could serve the people.’

Amiria was familiar with The Salvation Army, having previously been asked to facilitate a consultation process at divisional level to gather feedback about the effectiveness of Māori Ministry around Aotearoa. She decided to read through the doctrines and statements of The Salvation Army and felt an affinity with them.

Through conversations with Lt-Colonel Ian Hutson and former Territorial Chief Secretary Colonel Suzanne Fincham, Amiria decided to apply to become an officer.

While Covid-19 delayed her arrival at THQ, she is excited to finally be working with the CM team in person.

She was officially welcomed into the building with a mihi whakātau, on Monday 7 September.

‘Kua tae mai au, I am here, and totally blessed to be a part of The Salvation Army. Someone said to me—which I shared at the whakatau—“Are you sure you’re not making a mistake by joining The Salvation Army?” And I replied, “Well, if I am, it's the best mistake I've ever made”.’

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 17

New Dunedin Foodbank Partnership is the Reel Deal Dunedin’s foodbanks are freshly stocked with fish, thanks to a partnership with Port Chalmers Fisherman’s Co-operative and Harbour Fish.

Dunedin Community Ministries receives a regular delivery of frozen fish to be shared amongst local charities, including Presbyterian Support, St Vincent de Paul and Mosgiel Community Foodbank.

In case clients are not familiar with cooking fish, Port Chalmers Fisherman’s Co-operative are also providing recipe cards which utilise common foodbank staples.

Dunedin Community Ministries Manager David McKenzie was first approached with the proposal two months ago, and they are already receiving approximately 100kg of frozen fish to distribute each week. David credits the efficient turnaround to the local connections between the fishermen and processing plant.

‘They'd done a lot of work already behind the scenes and we were able to make it happen quite quickly.’

When he and Dunedin Corps Officer Captain David McEwen met with the fishermen and staff, they were impressed by their passion, ‘they just wanted to see fish on people’s tables’.

‘The level of need in Dunedin has not been as high as what we hear from Auckland, but we are waiting with bated breath to

see what happens over the next few weeks as the Winter Energy Payment and Wage Subsidy, etc, comes off,’ David explains. ‘In the last three weeks, we’ve certainly seen an increase in people seeking help.’

The Foodbank has also had access to mince over the past six months through Silver Fern Farms. The ability to provide meat, which has typically been tough to source regularly, has enabled variety in what they can offer clients.

‘The types of foods that are easily stored and keep for a long time, sometimes they’re not necessarily the most healthy,’ David explains. ‘Providing a good quality meat product really helps the standard of the food parcel.’

GAZETTE Bereavement: Captain Logan Bathurst, of his grandmother Elizabeth Woodward, from Wellington, on Friday 11 September 2020. We ask you to uphold in prayer Captains Logan and Suzanne Bathurst and other family members, at this time of grief and loss.

Major Maree Stone, of her brother David Crowley, on Thursday 10 September 2020, from Perth, Western Australia. We ask you to uphold in prayer Maree, and extended family, at this time of grief and loss.

Retirement: Major Glenton Waugh, on 18 September 2020. On his retirement, Major Glenton Waugh will have completed 34 years and 8 months of active officer service. Glenton and his wife Pamela (Pam) entered the Training College from Wellington South Corps in 1984 as cadets in the ‘Guardians of Truth’ session. Following their commissioning on 18 January 1986, Glenton and Pam were appointed as Corps Officers, Te Awamutu Corps. This was followed by appointments as Corps Officers, Petone Corps (1987); Divisional Youth Secretaries, Central Division (1991); and Corps Officers, Tawa Corps (1996). A change of ministry focus came in 1999 as Glenton and Pam were appointed to Porirua as Directors, Community and Family Services. An additional appointment was given to Glenton in 2005 as Chaplain to Employment Plus, Porirua. A move into Wellington in 2006 saw Glenton appointed as Mission Director/Community Worker Oasis-Problem Gambling Services. In 2007 Glenton was given an additional appointment as Executive Officer to the National Youth Band. In 2008 Glenton was appointed as Mission Director to Employment Plus for Northern and Midland Divisions with an additional appointment as Chaplain to Employment Plus Hamilton and Ngāruawāhia (2008), Grandview and Cambridge (2009). In 2010 Glenton became Associate Mission Director to Employment Plus, responsible for Northern and Midland Divisions. This was followed

18 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

by an appointment as National Mission Director, Employment Plus, in 2011, and continuing in this role when Employment Plus changed their title to Education and Employment in 2014. In 2015 Glenton was appointed Territorial Secretary for Chaplaincy Services and Territorial Headquarters Chaplain. It is from these appointments that Glenton retires from active service, however he will continue these as Appointments in Retirement. During Glenton’s chaplaincy on THQ he has been The Salvation Army representative on the Prison Chaplaincy Service of Aotearoa New Zealand, the Inter-church Council for Hospital Chaplaincy and Chair to the Chaplains Leaders Forum for 4 years. In addition to this, in 2019, Glenton also became the Senior Denomination Chaplain for the New Zealand Defence Force. It is with sincere thanks and appreciation that we honour Major Glenton Waugh for his servant leadership and faithful service to God. We pray God’s blessing on both Glenton and Pam in the years ahead.

Envoy Service: Effective 2 November 2020: Wi Pirihi, Community and Corps Pastoral Care Leader, Whangārei Corps. Please pray for Wi as he prepares for this transition and for his future ministry.

Effective 14 January 2021: Semi and Verenisi Drotini, Corps Assistants Suva Central Corps, Fiji Division. Please pray for Semi and Verenisi Drotini as they prepare for this transition and for their future ministry.

Service Conclusion: Effective at General Change 2021: Corps Leader David Medland. Having served faithfully since January 2017, we honour David for the valuable service and contribution he has made to the mission of The Salvation Army in Miramar. We thank God for the ongoing legacy of his ministry and pray God’s blessing on David and his family.

Campbells’ Chat I (Mark) played basketball as a teenager.

I remember frantically bouncing that round ball down the court for a layup and, at times, stopping to shoot for a longer shot into the ring for a 3-pointer.

Imagine playing basketball without a ring to aim for, or having no goal posts, or no try line in a rugby game. I just couldn’t imagine that! There would be no purpose to the game.

I attended a leadership course several years ago and the purpose was to take people who were led by Jesus, to lead more like Jesus, to lead more to Jesus. I thought that was a great purpose statement and I have made it my own. What is your personal purpose statement?

The Gospel of Luke talks about Jesus and his purpose: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18–19).

Te Ope Whakaora, the Army that brings life, has the same purpose as Jesus: caring for people, transforming lives and reforming society by God’s power.

I find this a very motivating purpose— or mission statement to aim for!

Imagine what our world would look like if every person, in every mission centre, was achieving their purpose.

NGĀ MIHI NUI, COMMISSIONERS MARK & JULIE CAMPBELL

‘...THE THINGS WE COULD SO READILY DEPEND UPON ARE SUDDENLY NO LONGER AVAILABLE…’ Like most Kiwi, our family has been hanging out for a holiday break and a chance to get away. Well, the time to take a few days of annual leave has arrived.

But where to go? A ‘staycation’? Seems too close to lockdown to me—been there, done that. The attraction of a holiday at home has well and truly worn off.

A trip ‘over the ditch’ or to ‘the Islands’ perhaps? With the borders closed and the bank balance pouring scorn on that idea, I can take those options off the table.

With Covid-19 levels going up and down and restrictions being applied regionally, who knows where or what will be open for business?

I don’t need to tell you that we are living in strange and uncertain times; the things we could so readily depend upon are suddenly no longer available—access denied.

While the world around us is uncertain and ever-changing, there is something— or rather someone—who we can absolutely rely on. God is constant, his love is not locked down or locked out by Covid-19 or anything else. He is available and accessible to anyone, anywhere. While the world goes into lockdown, God through the ministry of The Holy Spirit remains open for business, the business of redeeming and transforming lives. The good news is: he is only a prayer away.

It says in Jeremiah 33:3, ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know’.

Yes, our God who promises to never leave or forsake us, who confirmed that nothing in all creation can ever separate us from his love—not trouble, or hardship, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword, or Covid-19. This God invites us into an intimate relationship with him.

So while I may have some limitations in where I can spend my annual leave, it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things. I am a child of God, loved and living freely in his infinite mercy and grace and that’s what truly matters.

I pray today that you too would reach out and come to know the full measure of God’s love at work and in your own life. Remember, he’s only a prayer away.

Lt-Colonel Stephen Jarvis Assistant Territorial Secretary for Personnel

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 19

Get Your Hopes Up!

I’m sure at some stage during your life someone has warned you not to get your hopes up. They’ve said something like, ‘Now don’t you go getting your hopes up—you’ll only be disappointed’. Perhaps you’ve even said these words to someone else?

Well, if ever there was a time to stop speaking to each other like this, it’s now.

BY JULES BADGER

We are living in days when hope is desperately needed. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we have the opportunity to be beacons of hope when confusion and despair threaten to overwhelm. And the good news is that the hope we have in Christ is real and tangible and more than just the, ‘I hope things will improve’, kind of hope that the world offers. So, it’s time to get our hopes up!

20 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

Beacons of hope If you’re a Lord of the Rings fan, you’ll recognise this ‘beacon of hope’ reference. In the movie trilogy’s third instalment The Return of the King, Gandalf and Pippin ensure the beacons of Minas Tirith are lit, signalling to King Theoden in Rohan (thousands of miles away) that the city of Gondor is calling for aid. Gandalf says, ‘Hope is kindled’ as he looks out across the plains to the mountains and sees the next beacon burst into flames (that scene still sends shivers down my spine every time I see it). Hope is kindled. The author JRR Tolkein did something special there, and as a man of faith it was clearly no accident. He knew the power of hope.

All Black great Sir John Kirwan knows it too. You may recall the television campaign from the website depression.org, with Sir John’s powerful ‘hold on to hope’ messaging. For many struggling with mental illness, holding on to the hope of a better future is a key recovery strategy.

Hope is a powerful concept. But hope in Christ takes things to a whole other level, because as people of faith we do not hope as the world does. It’s one thing to say, ‘I hope I win Lotto this week’, and another thing entirely to hope in Christ. Unlike the vague uncertainty of maybe winning lotto, there’s nothing vague or uncertain about the person of Jesus Christ.

Certain benefits Biblical hope is not just positive thinking, it’s more than an attitude or state of mind. It’s not just wishful thinking, and it’s certainly not subjective or dependent on feelings or circumstances. It’s a deeper—absolutely certain—objective outworking of the benefits of what Jesus

FOR MANY STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS, HOLDING ON TO THE HOPE OF A BETTER FUTURE IS A KEY RECOVERY STRATEGY.

AS DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST, WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE BEACONS OF HOPE WHEN CONFUSION AND DESPAIR THREATEN TO OVERWHELM. Christ has done for us now and in the future.

So, what is hope? Hope is defined as waiting expectantly for what we know with absolute certainty will come to pass. We read in Hebrews 11:1, ‘Faith is the evidence of things unseen, the substance of things hoped for’.

Our hope has substance because our hope is in the person of Jesus Christ. And I know this to be true because when I was terribly unwell with clinical depression, I was caught in a cycle of despair. I thought I’d lost my faith and with it all hope. Doctors kept saying to me, ‘Hold onto hope’. But I realised that hope without Christ was like an empty promise. It had no substance. A dear friend kept repeating, ‘Jules, hold onto Jesus’. I began to turn the corner when I discovered once again that putting my hope in Jesus gave substance to my faith.

A new definition In Greek and Roman times, before Jesus came on the scene, the Greek word for hope, elpis, had a neutral meaning: an expectation of either a good or a bad outcome. In other words, there was no difference between saying, ‘I hope I get my dream job’, or, ‘I hope she falls down the stairs and breaks her leg’. The meaning was neutral—the expectation of good or bad.

But then Jesus came, and the definition of elpis took on a new and deeper meaning. In the New Testament, elpis is never used to indicate a vague or fearful anticipation, but always the expectation of something good and certain.

The Apostle Paul describes Jesus in 1 Timothy 1:1, as ‘Our hope’. In Christ—by his death, resurrection and ascension— we have been given hope. Romans 15:13 says, ‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit’. This means that we have been given hope by the power of the Holy Spirit at work within

us! But not only that, hope has been gifted to us by the grace of God. By the grace of God hope is in you, if you have given your life to Jesus and been filled with the Holy Spirit—hope is in you!

Hope is not something we do. It’s not even something we choose. It is who we are in Christ. Hope is in you!

OUR HOPE IS NOT JUST AN EMPTY WISHY-WASHY CONCEPT—IT IS A CONCRETE REALITY FOR THOSE IN CHRIST. Our anchor Hebrews 6:9 says, ‘We have this hope as an anchor for the soul—firm and secure’.

Hope in Christ gives us certainty, meaning that we can declare: I don’t just hope Jesus loves me— I know he does!

I don’t just hope that he has a plan— I know he does!

I don’t just hope I will one day be with him for all eternity—I know I will be!

So, we really can ‘get our hopes up’. Our hope is not just an empty wishy-washy concept—it is a concrete reality for those in Christ. So, don’t let anything rob you of the hope you have been given— hold on to Jesus. He changed my life and brought me out of the ravages of depression by rekindling the hope that was buried deep inside of me and setting my faith alight once again.

Do you have that kind of hope? Holding on to hope is one thing, holding onto Jesus is another thing entirely, and he’s knocking on the door of your heart, desperate for you to get your hopes up!

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 21

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS Colonel Gerry Walker (Chief Secretary) 7 October: Spiritual Day School for Officer Training Fiji (online) 14 October: Undertakings Class SFOT Fiji (online) Colonel Heather Rodwell (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries and Spiritual Life Development) 7 October: Spiritual Day School for Officer Training Fiji (online)

PRAY Miramar Corps, Territorial Mission Section, Moral and Social Issues Council (MASIC), Mosgiel Corps,

Mount Maunganui Corps; The Salvation Army in Hong Kong and Macau.

2

1

3

7 1 2 4 4 9 5

7 4 6 9 8 6 4 9 8 7 1 9 7 4 5 3 6

2 4

6

Each Sudoku number puzzle has a unique solution that can be worked out logically (not mathematically). The numbers 1 to 9 appear once in every row, column and 3x3 square. Source: opensky.ca/sudoku

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FATHER & KIDS WEEKEND

30 OCT –1 NOV

I would like: to learn about who Jesus is information about The Salvation Army The Salvation Army to contact me prayer for the following needs:

WHO Father and kids aged 6–13 years.

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you working together and growing as a team.

Create lasting memories and give Mum a break!

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To subscribe, contact Salvationist Resources, p: (04) 382 0740, e: mailorder@salvationarmy.org.nz Quiz Answers: 1 China, 2 Asterix, 3 Sculpture, 4 Carrot, 5 ‘Rejoice the heart’.

22 WarCry 03 OCTOBER 2020

Create a WORDOKU! A WORDOKU is just like a Sudoku—just with letters instead of numbers! The puzzle below uses the word NOVELS. Each letter in the word appears on each row (across), column (up/down) and in smaller 3x2 segment. There’s a small example on the right using the word LION.

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‘May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.'

Romans 15:13

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J.M. Barrie, the author of Peter Pan, left the rights to his beloved novel to Great Ormond Street Hospital in England.

The royalties from the novel have helped to pay for upkeep of the hospital since 1929.

What a gesture!

Design a book cover for your own life!

What is the title going to be? What colours will you use?

What inspirations will go into the artwork?

The Guinness World Record for the most people balancing books on their heads was set in Sydney, Australia in 2012, by 998 people.

What are some of your favourite things to read? Hopefully War Cry is one of them, as well as your Bible!

There are so many wonderful books out there, but one of my childhood favourites is The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. This was the first novel that my parents read to me and my siblings. It is a great story about four kids—Lucy, Edmund, Susan and Peter—who discover the magical land of Narnia through the back of a wardrobe.

The book was written by C.S. Lewis, a famous Christian author, as the second book in his series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and it has been adapted into a film and TV series.

A lot of people have found some similarities between The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the crucifixion story in the Bible. Lewis said that this was not his intention when he wrote the novel, but that it just happened naturally as a result of his faith.

Wouldn’t it be cool if our lives were like that too? If our faith was so strong that love, kindness and faithfulness started spilling out of us in all sorts of ways, without us even realising it?

THINK ABOUT...

What it might look like if your faith and love for Jesus started to overflow into your weekly life.

03 OCTOBER 2020 WarCry 23

RE-MADE

by Jules Badger

She's dangerously fragile Like lovely old lace disintegrating over time Too delicate for even the lightest gaze to fall upon Even the gentlest touch threatens to graze and bruise And reduce her to tears And yet like a strong pulse in a wrist scarred with old pain Something of her original beauty and strength remains She's been here before This hanging by a thread place Memory of it lingers just beneath the surface She closes her eyes and Remembers she was mended He stitched the torn fabric of her With love and care He re-made her to last This time she will hold together