5 September 2015 NZFT War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION | 05 September 2015 | Issue 6625 | $1.50

SUPPORTING SCHOOLS IN POST-QUAKE CHRISTCHURCH 10 SEPT: WORLD SUICIDE PREVENTION DAY SPACE PROGRAMME GIVES PARENTS AND BABIES A GREAT START FIREZONE: LIFE LESSONS FROM DADS

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Kia ora The power of community WAR CRY

The Salvation Army Te Ope Whakaora New Zealand, Fiji & Tonga Territory FOUNDER William Booth GENERAL André Cox TERRITORIAL COMMANDER Robert Donaldson 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

Major Christina Tyson GRAPHIC DESIGN

Lauren Millington, Amber Wilkinson STAFF WRITERS

Ingrid Barratt, Robin Raymond, Vanessa Singh CONTRIBUTORS

Kris Singh (music reviewer) PROOF READING

Major Jill Gainsford OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141 Phone (04) 384 5649 Fax (04) 382 0716 Email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org www.salvationarmy.org.nz/warcry SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department Phone (04) 382 0768 Email mailorder@nzf.salvationarmy.org $75 per year within NZ PRINT MANAGEMENT MakeReady | www.makeready.co.nz

If there’s one thing the Canterbury earthquakes taught us, it was the richness that comes through community. After the earthquakes, we immediately saw people pulling together to help each other. Neighbours who’d hardly ever connected before showed their care in the most practical of ways. Those who had, were moved to give to those who were without. People who were at first isolated and afraid found themselves supported and comforted. Strangers became friends.

As time has gone on, the emotional impact of the Canterbury earthquakes continues, making the support of community even more important.

This edition profiles the work of the amazing people who have been part of The Salvation Army’s Christchurch Primary Schools Support Programme, which was established in June 2011 to help schools facing practical and emotional challenges after the February 2011 quake. I was so proud to read about the ongoing, dedicated service given by those involved in this programme. From buying coffee and fish and chips for stressed teachers, to shovelling snow, teaching music and spending time with traumatised children, there’s no doubt that this team is helping to bring healing to schools and families.

When the ground gives way in life—literally or figuratively —that’s when we discover the power of community. It’s also when the power of the church community is very evident.

The church doesn’t exist for itself; it exists for the world around it. More than that, it’s said that the church exists primarily for those who never go near it! As Art Gish says in Living in Christian Community, ‘The church does not have a mission; the church is mission.

It’s a wonderful thing when the resources of the church community are available for the needs of others, with no strings attached.

Christina Tyson Editor

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Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association.

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

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

BIBLE VERSE

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Matthew 7:24 English Standard Version

‘[Jesus said,] “Anyone who hears and obeys these teachings of mine is like a wise person who built a house on solid rock.”’

Matiu 7:24

‘Nā ko te tangata e rongo ana ki ēnei kupu āku, e mahi ana hoki, ka whakaritea e ahau ki te tangata mahara, i hanga i tōna whare ki runga ki te kāmaka.’

Publishing for 132 years

ISSN 0043-0242, Issue 6625

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WISE WORDS

Read and study the Word not to get a mass of knowledge in the head, but a flame of love in the heart … Read it not that you may know, but that you may do.

Heart Talks on Holiness Samuel Logan Brengle

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Let’s Talk | 03

Photography: Michelle Sullivan

BY ROBIN RAYMOND

Y

esterday marked five years since the first Canterbury earthquake struck, starting years of pain and suffering for the people of the region. As a Cantab, it was a day that changed my life. Some people have told me—or friends who suffered much more—to get over it. Some avoid the topic, or assume the impacts go away. Others seek to reason about the earthquake and God’s place in it.

A photographer I worked with at the time told me how, having narrowly avoided being killed by his collapsed house, he was out working on 4 September when a woman walked up to him. ‘I knew Christchurch would get punished for all of its sex,’ she told him. Later, I heard of someone interrupting a church meeting to say the earthquakes were God’s judgement on Christchurch, and of people being told their house was destroyed because, ‘God must have wanted to teach you something.’ Seeing pain and suffering, we often want to lay blame or give neat, simple answers.

In his short book The Question that Never Goes Away, Phillip Yancey talks about what he’s learned from travelling the world talking with people after tragedy.

The Bible, he says, doesn’t lay out a systematic argument for why suffering happens. Reasons, he points out, don’t usually lessen the pain of what’s happened. Instead, the Bible’s emphasis is on the response to suffering. God calls people to help the suffering, not give them platitudes.

One of the most memorable earthquake-related stories I’ve heard came from former Salvation Army officer Mike Douglas. While working in the city after the 22 February earthquake, Mike went to reassure an old man standing in

a liquefaction-covered drive that help was on the way. The man’s house was also filled with liquefaction and his wife was hysterical inside, Mike said.

‘He burst into tears and just sat down smack bang in the liquefaction. I didn’t know what to do so I just sat down in the liquefaction with him and burst into tears myself. It hit me, the devastation and destruction of people’s lives. After a wee while I picked myself up and had a chat, I prayed with them and then got back into it.’

Mike’s reaction is very similar to the one repeatedly modelled in the Bible, especially by Jesus. Through the gospels we see Jesus walking alongside people, responding with compassion and healing, not trying to reason pain away. At Lazarus’ grave, Jesus cried with the mourners, before giving a glimpse of the hope he came to bring, by raising Lazarus from the dead.

As Yancey writes, we can use suffering to learn and grow in significant ways, but that’s not a reason for it. God’s plan was for a world without suffering. Everything in the Bible suggests God hurts when we suffer and encourages us to honestly shout (yes, even at God) and cry about it—and to combat it. God also works with us to help build something better, in anticipation of his plan to redeem this messed up world.

Or, as Yancey sums it up: ‘Christian hope promises that creation will be transformed. Until then, God evidently prefers not to intervene in every instance of evil or natural disaster, no matter how grievous. Rather, God has commissioned us as agents of intervention in the midst of a hostile and broken world.’

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Bookshelf Social History Remembering Christchurch Alison Parr This book turns Christchurch into a rich celebration of lives. Although the city’s earthquakes linger in the background, Remembering Christchurch is essentially the life stories of 19 diverse residents, captured in first-person by oral historian Alison Parr. Born between the ’20s and ’40s, each character provides very personal insights into what has become national history— Eric talks about trying to find food during the Depression, and Meg recalls delivering babies during WWII. But perhaps most fascinating are the small details, like the first cars in Christchurch, going to the movies and the city’s popular milk bars. (Random House)

Playlist

Self Help Fitting In Standing Out Dr Harold Hillman Apart from annoying self-helpisms like ‘finding your sweet spot’, this book tackles a fairly realistic worklife dilemma: how much should you stand out from the crowd? Harold Hillman’s take is perhaps surprising, simply because it is well-balanced and thoughtful. He acknowledges that there are times when it’s appropriate to try and fit in, such as when you’re starting a new job.

But what if fitting in comes at the cost of ‘turning your own voice down?’ Hillman challenges people not to simply ‘make a lot of noise and follow your own agenda’, but explore what it means to find your authentic voice in the workplace.

(Penguin Random House)

Salvationist History Crown of Glory, Crown of Thorns Shaw Clifton In his 10th book, retired General Shaw Clifton undertakes ‘the most comprehensive analysis of The Salvation Army in wartime’. He begins at the outbreak of the Boer War, with words from William Booth that are astonishingly relevant today—Booth urges Salvationists to ‘never encourage the spirit of war’, avoid taking sides, not enter into ‘sensational accounts’, and pray daily. This political neutrality continues through the World Wars, with Bramwell Booth calling the Army ‘a friend to all, an enemy of none’. A fascinating collation that justifies the philosophy of a spiritual—rather than physical —army. (Salvation Books)

Reel News

Soul/Reggae Water for Your Soul Joss Stone Water for Your Soul is Joss Stone’s seventh studio album, and marks a significant departure for the singer. It explores a huge range of genres and influences, but noticeably draws from R&B and reggae, as well as ethnic Irish and Indian world music. ‘Love Me’ opens the album with a strong reggae groove, giving way to the Motown strings of ‘This Ain’t Love’.

Highlights from Water for Your Soul include the melancholy and deeply groovy ‘Star’, as well as the Latin-tinged ‘The Answer’. Despite the remarkable range of styles and genres, Stone’s silky smooth vocals align everything into an enjoyable and interesting record.

Folk/Electronic Neon Steeple Crowder Neon Steeple is an appropriate name for this album—the mash of aesthetics serves as a great counterpoint to Crowder’s mix of guitar folk and electronic pop. Coupled with strong lyrics, sensitive song dynamics and creative hooks, it’s a satisfying listen. Highlights include Southern rock-influenced ‘Lift Your Head Weary Sinner’ and the atmospheric, beautifully hymnal track ‘Come As You Are’. Neon Steeple would find a home on contemporary radio if it wasn’t so spiritually aware, with Crowder exploring themes of faith, redemption, forgiveness and salvation without reservation. For a creative and inspiring album, look no further than this!

GIVEAWAY To win a copy of Remembering Christchurch, tell us what you have learnt from the Canterbury Earthquakes.

War Cry Giveaway, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org. Entries close 21 Sept.

Comedy/Drama Me and Earl and the Dying Girl Alfonso Gomez-Rejon / Rating: M (offensive language) Greg’ has one simple goal for his final year of high school: to make it through ‘without mortal enemies or embarrassment’. But his strategy of ‘cleverly cultivated invisibility’ goes awry when Mum nags him to spend time with Rachel, recently diagnosed with leukaemia.

And so, Greg rides the ups and downs of Rachel’s illness and the pair’s friendship—sometimes generously, but most often with tremendous awkwardness. Greg has none of the suave confidence of Gus in last year’s The Fault in our Stars to carry him through. But then, this isn’t a love story like Stars; it’s a story of a friendship that feels far less contrived and far more reflective of actual teenage friendship. Warts and all.

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is hilarious at times and consistently clever from start to end. There’s the awfully wonderful parody movies that Greg and Earl make (Sockworth Orange, My Dinner with Andre the Giant, and Vere’d He Go?). There’s the heartache and loneliness, even self-hatred, teenagers feel at times. There’s the pain of parents as they accept that some of their children’s choices are guaranteed to be short-sighted, even dumb.

Thomas Mann is excellent as Greg, as is R.J. Cyler as his ‘co-worker’ (not friend—Greg has intimacy issues!), and Olivia Cook in the difficult role of Rachel. Despite the title, there’s still considerable suspense. There are also plenty of takeaways to mull over. One of the best is an offering from Greg’s unbelievably cool teacher, early in the movie, as he reflects on his own teenage brush with death: after someone is gone, their life keeps unfolding itself to us—as long as we keep paying attention.

Go to

salvationarmy.org.nz/saresources

Feature | 05

By Robin Raymond ‘Whatever you need’ … Serving Shaken Communities

BY ROBIN RAYMOND

‘Whatever you need’ …

Serving Shaken Communities It began with a volunteer cleaning a kitchen. Four years on, The Salvation Army’s Christchurch Primary Schools Support Programme supports 12 schools and thousands of pupils.

The Schools Support Programme began in June 2011 when then Salvation Army earthquake recovery manager Bruce Coffey and staff member Jocelyn Smith began discussing ways to help struggling schools after the Canterbury earthquakes.

Jocelyn approached Woolston School, offering to do whatever they needed. The first thing she did was clean the school hall kitchen, unused since the quakes. Then she made the teachers cups of tea and listened to them talk.

In five weeks, Jocelyn was leading a rapidly expanding schools team that has worked in more than 21 low-decile schools, with more than 3000 children.

The problems were huge: earthquake trauma, job losses, families living in overcrowded, broken, damp, freezing houses or garages, and increased illness. The support worker’s motto became ‘to bring help, hope and smiles’. They sat with sick kids, organised meals, ran holiday programmes, bought stressed teachers coffee, and connected parents in desperate need with Army services.

‘We used to talk about how many people we made cry today

—in a good way,’ Jocelyn says.

Four years on, in a house converted to offices next to Sydenham Corps, Jocelyn listens to Schools Support workers Tracy Boon and Beaven Turner discuss their work with tears in her eyes.

These days, individual Salvation Army corps (churches)— Christchurch City, Linwood, Sydenham and Christchurch North (previously Belfast)—oversee the programme in their area. The support workers have changed, the schools and children have changed, and they’ve added new programmes, but ‘it’s the same heartbeat,’ Jocelyn says.

Dream job Across town, at Christchurch City Corps, Hannah Kendrew chats enthusiastically about doing her dream job. Hannah works at Mairehau and Shirley Primary Schools and has been a Schools Support worker since 2012.

Her story is typical of what the support workers do. She runs a First Steps with Music group, a before school breakfast, an adults and children playtime, and coaches hockey and basketball. Some

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children didn’t have the right hockey gear and risked missing out, so the school and corps combined to find a solution, she says.

Much of the support workers’ role is devoted to children with behavioural issues or learning difficulties. Hannah uses the friendships she builds with the children to support them in class.

Since February, she’s been helping a pupil in a first steps to literacy class for seven and eight-year-olds.

‘He couldn’t do the alphabet,’ Hannah says. ‘He could say it, but not put the cards in the right order. I was able to work with him one-on-one for an hour a week and now he only occasionally gets “m” and “n” muddled.’

In a shed turned into an office at Linwood Corps, Hayden Mundy oversees support workers in seven schools. Hayden has worked with troubled kids for 17 years and with the Schools Support programme for four.

He says, ‘People ask me what a typical day is. I say, “I’ve had days digging hāngī pits, days shovelling snow, and days sharpening pencils.” There’re some standard things you do, but if there’s a crisis, we drop what we’re doing and help. For me, I see the hope and potential for kids. Seeing that one child that breaks through is great.’

Hayden credits cooking and personal time with one of his best successes. ‘I spent a lot of time one-on-one with one kid. He had a history of truancy and involvement with youth services, but he was a really lovely kid. I took him cooking, helped him with healthy eating, which was good because I know he was often left at home to fend for himself. Eventually, we started cooking lunch for the staff, rebuilding the trust that was well and truly broken. My aim for him was to go on school camp and then get to to the end of the school year without being kicked out, and we made it!’

At each site, it’s a different version of the same story.

Beaven has been working at Wharenui School since April and coaches two teams and runs an Aspire group. Anna Chirnside does a cooking class and mentors a group of girls at Linwood College, while the school garden is central to Nakita Halleen’s work at the new Rawhiti School in New Brighton.

‘When it’s play time, I jump in the veggie patch and the kids come too,’ Beaven says. ‘If I’m not there, they come and ask, “Why aren’t we doing gardening today?” [The job is] such an opportunity to build relationships with the children in a fun way.’

One-on-one or small group time gives the children a focus they don’t often get, and the confidence to take risks and be who they are, especially with someone who’s not a teacher, Anna says. ‘A lot of kids need someone to have time to look past the behavioural issues and see the potential they have. If you give them the opportunity of responsibility, it’s incredible how they step up.’

Serving amid quake stress Much of the Schools Support work is about building confidence and social skills battered by quake stress and regular life issues.

There’s a sense among Cantabrians that the rest of the country is sick of hearing about the earthquakes. Cantabrians are sick of them too—physically sick and emotionally drained.

Canterbury school children had twice the rate of flu this winter to anywhere else in the country. They’re battling years of daily disruption—house moves, school mergers, still damaged roads, closed shops and broken buildings. Behaviour problems are up, and new entrant teachers are increasingly doing preschool work as the first children who’ve known nothing but earthquakes reach school.

Beaven tells an all too common case of a boy whose family have moved into a motel while their house gets earthquake repairs.

‘In the last three weeks, he’s only been at school five days. It’s the combination of being sick, stressed and not having a home, just a motel room to go to and a change of clothes that has to be washed every day. He may have been sick before, but this is all on top of that.’

Tracy sums up the feeling of many when she says, ‘For myself, I haven’t been not tired in five years. I don’t remember what it’s like to live like that.’

The support workers are there to help teachers as well. They do everything from making staff lunches to finding volunteers for fun days so teachers can join in. Last month, Linwood Corps organised business donations for surprise pamper packs to help teachers at a school that’s doing it tough. Some staff become friends outside of school, and Tracy was asked by teachers at Waltham to be in their staff photo this year.

The Schools Support programme motto became ‘to bring help, hope and smiles’.

They also work closely with parents. Emily Smith-Johns, one of the original support workers, says in the early days they organised a lot more large-scale practical support. The needs are still there, but now tend to be dealt with individually at a more personal level, she says. A mum broke down last week, opening up to Emily about her depression and urgent budgeting issues. Hannah is also supporting a grandmother with cancer.

Hayden says he still gets surprised by the impact small gestures can have. ‘Last week, we had a whole lot of wallpaper dropped in. It was huge amounts, so I put it out and said to the families, “If you want it, grab it.” One woman ran over and bundled up a whole arm full. She said, “You don’t know how much this means. Our house isn’t insured. We’re trying to do it up one room at a time and now I can wallpaper my daughter’s room. It won’t be fixed, but it will cover some of the cracks.” ’ They’re also looking to the future, helping empower disempowered parents. Nakita is helping parents advocate and find funding for a community garden to be included at the new Rawhiti school site, when it’s built. At Waltham School, Tracy helped establish a parents group. This year, the parents have taken over running a school soup day Tracy ran. They set up a Hot Food Friday, heating children’s lunches, are organising a swap meet and, with Tracy’s support, have formed an informal parents’ association that meets with the principal and works on initiatives to strengthen the school community.

‘The cool thing for me now is that I’ve been working myself out of a job. So, I’m now working out what’s the next phase—and it’s about building those relationships deeper,’ Tracy says.

Wider support programmes Salvation Army churches have developed programmes to further support the school work.

Tuesday afternoon and 40 children carrying instrument cases weave in a crocodile line across a business centre carpark and into the old office/shop space that serves as the Christchurch City Corps’ hall. Inside the hall, which has half its ceiling panels missing, tutors are setting up for the Just Brass programme that teaches children from Mairehau and Shirley Primary School to play brass instruments.

Started last year, Just Brass provides pupils free instruments,

Feature | 07

small group lessons and a weekly band time. Teachers and parents tell them it improves children’s concentration and self-confidence.

Some join the corps junior band. Some come to their Friday night Seven Up kids drop-in, Hannah says.

Back at Linwood on a Thursday afternoon, 11 kids are having a blast, playing games and making cupcakes at the weekly afterschool Core Kids programme for children from each of Linwood’s seven schools. Core Kids started as a homework club, but gradually become a wider after-school programme, Hayden says.

‘We had two kids who, the first week, wouldn’t get out of the car,’ he remembers. ‘The second week, Mum was trying to drag them out of the car and they were clinging on to the door frames.

I’ll never forget it. They just didn’t want to be around people and crowds. But after a few weeks, they were asking to get here early.’

Seventy school families attended a recent movie night. Some also send their children to a monthly Kids Sunday service, though all the support workers are careful that they go to serve, not preach and don’t discuss their faith unless asked to.

Looking back, Emily says the Army should be proud of what they achieved. After the quakes, many organisations offered help but had to reduce services over time. despite ongoing needs, while the Army was able to remain.

The support workers’ worry is that their funding, originally from The Salvation Army Canterbury Earthquake Appeal Fund, is running out and they could be the next agency forced to stop. They’re hopeful someone will come along and support them to keep going.

In the meantime, there’s an ongoing sense of hope and excitement from a group who speak of landing a privileged role through unusual times. ‘If you tried this in another city, I highly doubt you’d have the same result—it wouldn’t work,’ Beaven says. ‘It’s a job, but I don’t look at it as a job. Every day I go in acknowledging the privilege of doing this.’

Breaking News …

Belfast Corps has been renamed Christchurch North Corps and is holding Sunday services and monthly family nights at Northcote School hall. The final Sunday service at Belfast Corps was held on 16 August. People are invited for a Father’s Day service on Sunday 6 September. See you at Northcote School hall at 10 am!

Construction is due to start in the next few weeks on the new Christchurch City Corps building at the corner of Colombo and Salisbury Streets. The new building is scheduled to open in late 2016. The old corps building on Durham St North was damaged beyond repair in the Canterbury earthquakes.

Serving Aranui Primary School For an independent view on the Schools Support programme, I head to Aranui Primary, where it has been working since mid-2012.

It’s a slow, frustrating drive, weaving through potholes, around road works and road closures. Inside, principal Mike Allen does a tour, showing off the classrooms, brightly repainted by the Deliberate Acts of Love to All team (another post-earthquake Salvation Army programme, that gives jobless people volunteer work on community projects).

It was very different when the street’s sewer main burst in the 22 February earthquake. ‘All this was flooded in sewage,’ Mike sweeps his arm to take in most of the school: paths, a sports court and the field. Children and staff waded through sewage to their emergency assembly area to find it had turned into giant hole, so they waded back. On windy days, the liquefaction increased already rising respiratory problems. They removed eight trucks’ worth.

The one road leading to the school hasn’t been fully open since. It’s been pulled up and re-laid six times, with two more to come. Mike has school parents working three and four jobs to get by and families with 14 people in a three-bedroom house.

Through it all, staff work hard to give a calm, positive space for children and a fresh learning experience—and the children are more engaged than ever, he says.

Schools Support workers Hayden Mundy and now Emily Smith-Johns have been invaluable, he says.

Emily does a communications course with some pupils. She takes others for a cooking class; they’re kids who work better in a small group and it helps them have fun, Mike says. However, Mike’s first description of how Emily helps is, ‘By being happy, bringing chocolate and coffee!’

Those small caring acts—like Hayden coming back in his free time to help with kapa haka—make a community who’ve lost so much feel special, he says.

‘We had a snow day in 2013. We didn’t have many kids, but the staff were here, and Hayden went out and bought everyone fish and chips.

The staff were really grateful. It made them feel cared for.’

At the end of this year, Aranui Primary and three other east Christchurch schools will close, replaced by one new school. When asked if he’ll advocate for a support worker at the new school, Mike barely pauses before describing it as being just as important as getting the right teachers. ‘It’s critical,’ he says.

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LIFESTYLE

ENVIRONMENT

In Praise of Dads

The Ultimate Mancave

It’s official: Dads rule. Research has shown that kids with involved fathers do better in pretty much every part of life.

When your children asked what you wanted for Father’s Day, you probably said ‘a hug’. What you really meant was, ‘Some time alone, my adorable yet exhausting progeny.’ What you need is a mancave.

This Fathers’ Day, let’s hear it for the boys! The weight of research shows that from birth, babies with involved dads are more likely to be emotionally secure, confident in new situations and eager to explore their surroundings.

Parenting magazine reports that by age three, toddlers with involved fathers are better problem-solvers and have higher IQs. When they get to school, they do better academically.

‘Girls with involved fathers have higher self-esteem … Boys show less aggression,’ says the magazine. Children of involved fathers are more likely to achieve in education and work, with better overall wellbeing. Adults who had involved fathers are more likely to be tolerant and understanding, have close friends and have long-term successful marriages.

A father’s input into his children differs from a mother’s in four typical ways: ΕΕ Playing: ‘… Characterised by arousal, excitement and unpredictability’.

In other words, dads are more exciting to play with. ΕΕ Encouraging risk: Mums worry about safety, whereas dads encourage children to extend themselves. ΕΕ Protecting: Fathers appear to be better at keeping bad influences from harming their children. ΕΕ Disciplining: Mums discipline more often, but dads do so in a firmer manner, and both approaches are complementary.

Kids of separated parents, where Dad has good contact with his children, are likely to do just as well. You also don’t need to be doing anything flash —it’s the everyday activities of eating together, washing dishes, watching TV, reading a story and simple leisure activities that form the greatest bonds.

Of course, many single parents out there are doing the job of both mum and dad, and these tireless carers deserve the greatest recognition. We don’t want to suggest that children cannot be successful without both parents.

But on Father’s Day, we do recognise the vital role of dads and reckon they deserve to put their feet up. But only for a day though … research also shows that dads who do housework, have higher achieving daughters!

Anyone who tells you fatherhood is the greatest thing that can happen to you, they are understating it.

Mike Myers

Experts say that having your own space is psychologically healthy for dudes, because houses tend to be women’s spaces. So you see, a mancave is not a want, it’s a need! ΕΕ Choose your space: Ideally, it will need to be wired for power, cos a man without technology or power tools is a caveman—which is very different from a man with a cave. If you have a spare room or shed, you’re sorted. But you could also convert a garden shed, old caravan or bus. ΕΕ Let your inner child loose: Think about how you want to play—model trains, gaming, war figurines, darts, DIYing, or artisan cheese making.

Hey, there’s no judgement here. ΕΕ Plan it: Have designated spaces for watching TV, lounging, man-friendly snacks, and a work bench for hobbies. ΕΕ Create ugly interiors: Whatever has been banned from the lounge takes pride of place in the mancave. Set yourself up with an old Lazyboy, put technology on show—including the cables! Decorate with sports-themed or sci-fi posters. If you really want to offend your wife (of course that’s not the idea, but …) go for a themed room—such as sports, cinema, nautical or log cabin. You are only limited by your sense of good taste. ΕΕ Think about seating: If you want this to be a social space, for gaming or watching sports, create some stadium-style seating. Grab yourself a second-hand lounge suite and line up the couches in rows, right in front of ... ΕΕ An offensively-sized TV: If your budget can stretch, this is a must have. And feel free to make it the focal point of the room. If a giant TV is not an option, what about picking up some older TVs cheaply and creating a multiscreen wall?

To be honest, most of us will never have the space, time or budget for a real mancave. But doesn’t imagining it make you feel just a teensy bit better? Happy Father’s Day!

Brown Mushroom Soup

A robust soup that can be made from portobello mushrooms | Serves 4 2 medium-sized onions 3 Tbsp butter 1 tsp (1–2 cloves) minced garlic 4–5 large flat brown mushrooms ¼ tsp dried thyme 3 Tbsp flour 2 cups vegetable stock, or 2 tsp stock powder and 2 cups water ½ tsp salt pepper to taste 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 cups milk

Peel and finely chop onions. Melt butter in large pot, add onions and cook over medium heat for about 5 mins until onions are evenly browned, then add garlic and cook for 1–2 mins longer. Chop (cleaned) mushrooms finely and add to onions with thyme. Cook for 5 mins, stirring often.

Stir in flour, cook until it has lightly browned too, then add stock (or stock powder and water), salt and pepper, and vinegar. Stir well to mix, bring to boil, then simmer for 5–10 mins.

Stir in milk and heat until almost boiling. Serve with sliced rolls that have been buttered or bushed with oil (and pesto if you like), then grilled until lightly browned.

From Very Easy Vegetarian Cookbook by Simon and Alison Holst. Go to www.holst.co.nz

Lifestyle | 09

Q&A When does gambling become a problem?

Gambling is a form of entertainment lots of people enjoy. But for some people that ‘entertainment’ crosses the line, becoming a habit that feels impossible to break. It can put pressure on other areas of life, including finances, relationships, mental or physical health and work.

Social gamblers feel in control of how much time and money they spend gambling. If they want to stop, they can. But that’s not the case for everyone.

Even if gambling starts as a harmless social activity, it can slide into an addiction. Gambling offers an addictive thrill and people can get hooked into thinking they might win their money back, and so keep trying to beat the system. Younger people might get started because of peer pressure. Eventually, gambling may become a damaging activity in which the gambler no longer has control, leading to feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

It’s not true that a person has to gamble every day to be a problem gambler. If someone’s gambling is causing financial, emotional, mental or legal problems for themselves or others, they have a gambling problem.

It’s also not true that there’s a certain ‘type’ of person most at risk of having a gambling problem.

Gambling addiction cuts across all ages, economic, cultural and socioeconomic categories. However, people are more likely to turn to gambling as a way of dealing with difficult emotions, such as the onset of retirement, the loss of a loved one, or being lonely.

If you’re gambling more than you would like or if you’re concerned about a friend or family member’s gambling, contact The Salvation Army’s problem gambling service.

Phone 0800 530 000 or visit www. salvationarmy.org.nz/gambling. You can start to reclaim all that gambling has stolen from you.

Source: First Steps Out of Problem Gambling, by Lisa Ustok & Joanna Hughes (Lion Hudson)

Testify After a career as a professional musician, Bruce Roberts has found his calling, passing on his skills to children in low-decile Christchurch schools.

I began tutoring for the Just Brass programme when it began last year. Based on an Australian model, we provide up to 40 children aged 8–11 from Mairehau and Shirley Primary Schools with brass instruments, music and lessons for free.

On Tuesdays, the children come to Christchurch City Corps for a band rehearsal and we run holiday programmes. We have three bands for the children’s different levels of ability.

Before joining Just Brass I was Principal Trumpet in the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra. Just Brass came at the right time as I was ready for a change. Being involved in such a worthwhile project helps me repay a debt of gratitude to the teachers who selflessly invested hours of their time teaching me to play.

My parents were Salvation Army officers, so I was raised in an environment where serving people was highly regarded. Over the years, I have taught in many different schools and always thought it was a shame some of our disadvantaged children miss out on a music education.

Just Brass was a way to offer the opportunities I had as a child and it’s been a privilege.

We have nine Just Brass children who have joined the corps’ junior band, and one has shown interest in attending

Sunday services at the corps.

The children come from a wide variety of backgrounds.

Some come from challenging home situations, but everyone is treated with the same care and respect. Some behaviour can be a challenge, but you understand there’s a reason behind it, and some have made big improvements. They understand if you care about them and their lives—that provides the context in which you can teach them.

Their talent, focus and desire to grasp this opportunity amazes me. Sometimes when I’m having a break in the staffroom, kids come knocking on the door saying, ‘Can you open the music room? We want to practise!’

At both schools we have the understanding and support of staff. When I go into school I am conscious of taking children away from their lessons, but often the teacher will smile and say,

Family friendly, local fun days are happening from late August until the end of September —focusing on living a healthy lifestyle and raising awareness of the dangers of harmful gambling.

Visit salvationarmy.org.nz/GamblefreeDay for more info on events near you.

‘This is a wonderful opportunity for them.’ We know from other research and talking to teachers that music helps build selfconfidence, concentration and other academic and motor skills.

I do small group lessons at school and we always have a chat at the start. A girl came in one day looking a bit down. I asked her what was going on. She said, ‘I’m leaving school this year. I won’t be in the programme anymore. What am I going to do?’ I said, ‘That’s easy, you can join the junior band.’

She said, ‘What about when I go to High School?’ I said, ‘You can join the senior band,’ and she said, ‘Does that mean I can play for the rest of my life?’ She was jumping up and down with joy.

I still perform with groups and teach in other schools, but doing Just Brass is such a blessing, a privilege and a joy. I am grateful beyond words for this wonderful opportunity.

Let’s Talk I would like: to explore what it means to follow Jesus information about Salvation Army worship and activities prayer for the following needs:

NAME: ADDRESS:

Please post to: War Cry, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wgtn 6141 or email: warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org

10 | WarCry 05 September 2015

Advice

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It’s a difficult topic to talk about, but when someone is at risk of committing suicide, talking can help ease the pain. World Suicide Prevention Day, on 10 September, aims to get us talking.

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QUICK QUIZ 1 2 3 4 5

Talking About Suicide

What is the more usual name for a sand trap in golf?

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Who is third in line to the British throne?

Which organ is affected by hepatitis?

What two men saw a chariot of fire drawn by horses of fire?

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Although 70–80 per cent of people who commit suicide have some related mental health issues, this alone is not usually the cause. Nor is it true that one traumatic event will cause someone to commit suicide. It will usually be an accumulation of things that cause intense, prolonged emotional pain.

Most people feel conflicted about whether or not they want to end their life. For this reason, there are almost always indicators that someone is suffering severely —and reaching out to them could literally be a life saver.

About 80 per cent of people who attempt suicide send out warning signs to those around them, says the International Association for Suicide Prevention. Some signs to look out for include: • talking or joking about suicide or dying • making preparations for death, such as giving away significant possessions, making a will, writing a suicide note, clearing up loose ends • a previous suicide attempt; the suicide of someone important • being persistently depressed or down for more than a couple of weeks, protracted anxiety or agitation, extreme mood swings/bipolarity, outbursts of rage, grief and violence • isolation, withdrawal from previously enjoyed relationships and activities • lethargy, lack of interest, low energy, insomnia or oversleeping • increased use of alcohol or drugs • uncharacteristic high risk activity, impulsive behaviours • expressions of hopelessness, helplessness, purposelessness • low self-esteem, low self-worth, self-contempt, anger toward self

Find more Cartoons by McKerrow on www.facebook.com/cartoonsbymckerrow

• significant loss(es), such as important relationship, health, identity, economic security, freedom.

If you are concerned about someone you know, it’s always better to ask the question. It’s even more important to listen.

Dr Paul Quinett—a trainer in suicide prevention—recommends empathetic, ‘active listening’. He advises …

Make no judgments. Calm your own fears so you don’t bring that to the conversation. You don’t ‘know’ what they are going through—just listen and demonstrate respect for their thoughts. Repeat back what they have said, to make sure you have heard them properly.

Leave your own problems at the door. This is not about you, so don’t relate it back to you. Give them your complete attention, stay focused on what they’re saying, and use affirming body language. Listening means sharing the burden of your loved one’s pain.

Let them offer a solution.

Listening means paying close attention while your loved one devises a solution to their problem. Ask questions that may help them find a solution, but don’t find the solution for them.

Avoid confrontations. Never be confrontational and do not argue.

You are there to hear what your loved one needs to say, not to have your own opinions heard.

The simple words ‘tell me more’ inspires hope. People struggling to find a way to live with their pain need to be listened to, sometimes many times and for hours at a time. Active listening helps them find a way to continue living.

Sources: Active Listening: A Skill For Life,’ by Linda Foster, and the International Association for Suicide Prevention.

Read the new Moral and Social Issues Council (MASIC) Talk Sheet on Suicide Bereavement at www salvationarmy.org. nz/masic

Close Up | 11

BY HEATHER RODWELL

Time for Some Spiritual Spring Cleaning?

God is present in every season—in winter’s darkness and in the newness of spring While the calendar has thankfully done us the favour of announcing that spring is here, the cold of winter may continue to hang around like a lingering guest reluctant to leave the party.

I’m not certain how actively the tradition of spring cleaning is practiced these days, but in times past it probably made sense that as warmer days approached we felt the desire to refresh our homes. If families had hunkered down for winter, possibly living communally in the room where a fireplace offered heat, spring cleaning celebrated the approach of longer days, matched with a desire to make way for the new.

I find it helpful to think of how the cycle of seasons that occurs in nature is similarly matched by seasons in our spiritual lives. Think about the times of joy and lightness that feel like a summer in our soul.

We are warm and confident, with a lightness of spirit. Conversely, we know there are times of darkness when we’re heavy laden, when God seems absent and when we’re looking longingly for signs that our prayers are in the process of being answered. We long to see a sign that something new may be on its way.

The benefit of thinking seasonally is the reminder that every season is necessary and yield benefits. God is actively present in every season of nature, just as he is in every season of our faith experience.

When I see a tree that has shed its leaves and stands starkly against the sky in the middle of winter, I know it is living, even though it looks dead. When we hit what feels like winter in our spiritual journey, we can be sure there’s still a whole lot of divine activity occurring that will soon be revealed.

Last month, a five-day ‘Sounds of Silence’ spiritual retreat took place in the Wairarapa. Sixteen people took the opportunity to step out of the traffic of their regular responsibilities to focus on quality time in God. With the aid of daily teaching, expanses of free time, the opportunity to enjoy the ruggedness of the environment and progressively longer periods of communal silence, each participant experienced significant encounters with God. On arrival, many of those who came to this retreat described their current weariness and longing for refreshing. In the process of being on retreat God began to answer that prayer.

Here’s the deal: we are each responsible for the vibrancy of our own spiritual life. For some of us, going on retreat is a necessary annual

practice to sustain our spiritual health. Others find that mindful withdrawal for shorter periods and more regularly is most effective.

It’s not so much how we retreat as that we retreat which makes the difference.

In his book Renovation of the Heart, Dallas Willard says: ‘Our soul is like a stream of water that gives strength, direction and harmony to every other area of our life. When that stream is as it should be, we are constantly refreshed and exuberant in all we do because our soul itself is then profusely rooted in the vastness of God and his kingdom, including nature; and all else within us is enlivened and directed by that stream. Therefore we are in harmony with God, reality, and the rest of human nature and nature at large.’

Sickness of the soul requires intentionality, energy and action. It also requires honesty.

Conversely, when the soul is suffering from the toxic consequences of living in the 21st century, we can adopt the same strategy as when we get physically sick. Because we desire health, we’ll attack the sickness in multiple ways: medicine, exercise, rest, healthy eating, and whatever else the medical professionals tell us we must do. Sickness of the soul requires intentionality, energy and action. It also requires honesty about the seriousness of our condition. The soul whose health is not consistently fought for will erode spiritually, emotionally, relationally, and in every other way.

John Ortberg’s book and DVD curriculum Soul Keeping focuses on how we can care for ourselves by attending to the debris that inevitably accumulates as the seasons of our lives progress. Just as the fallen leaves of autumn block the drains and lead to flooding in the first downpour of winter, we too suffer when the debris from the past blocks the free flowing stream of God’s life flowing into us.

The Bible often tells us to get rid of anything that prevents us from fully enjoying the beauty of each new season. Sounds to me like it could be spring cleaning time!

Major Heather Rodwell is Territorial Secretary for Corps Growth and Spiritual Life Development.

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By Van

essa S

ingh

It’s Father’s Day—which means it’s time to thank Dad for all the great stuff he’s been teaching us over the years.

Dads get a pretty hard time sometimes. They get mocked for their terrible jokes, their cooking skills (or lack of), their inability to read maps or hear us when we’re talking to them. Although some of these things may or may not be true for some or all dads (and others are simply grossly exaggerated), we can actually learn a lot from these stereotyped images of dads.

This Father’s Day, we thought it would be awesome to celebrate all the cool things dads taught us without even realising it. Obviously, none of these things are true about any of our dads …

Dads think they can fix everything:

Dads are dorky and embarrass us:

Dads totally think they’re the bee’s knees at fixing anything and everything. We’re never allowed to throw anything out, because ‘I can fix that with some wire, glue and elbow grease’. Anything from toys, to microwaves to cars—dads like to think they know how to fix anything that goes wrong. You might not see that toy, microwave or car for the next six months, but Dad will have a good go getting it right.

While dads may think they still have the coolest dance moves out, that their stone-wash jeans and sneakers are still hip, and that telling our friends about the time we put chewing gum in our own hair and had to cut it out is hilarious, we don’t always agree. Some things are best left in the family (or back in the ’80s where they belong).

But dads just don’t seem to get this.

Life lesson: Believe in yourself. Dads believe without a doubt that they can fix stuff.

We should put the same faith in our own skills and abilities.

Life lesson: Be yourself and forget the haters. Dads just don’t care what other people think, and get on with being themselves. They are the personification of Taylor Swift’s ‘Shake it Off’.

Dads like to control the TV remote: When Dad sits down to watch TV, the remote belongs to him. If the news, rugby or ‘his show’ is on, don’t even bother trying to complain or change the channel—the TV is a no go zone.

Dad is choosing FOR YOU (and for the rest of the family) what you’re watching tonight ‘so there are no fights’. With the TV remote comes great responsibility— something Dad is qualified to handle.

Life lesson: Take control of the situation/your life.

Sometimes we do need to be confident, ready to step up and take charge of what’s happening in our lives and to help make things better for others.

With the TV remote comes great responsibility— something Dad is qualified to handle.

05 September 2015 WarCry | 13

Thank God for Dad Jokes …

Dads are more at home in the garage than kitchen: Dads are loud and proud: Dads love to make noise—particularly from their bodies. It’s probably safe to assume most of us learnt about good burping technique from our dad (or from a mate who learnt from their dad). Dads also love a good fart joke or showing off their own trumpet-esque abilities (yet they’re happy to tell us off if we do the same).

Life lesson:

We all remember those times Mum had to go away for work or was going out for the evening, and Dad was left to take care of the kids. The sense of dread we’ve all felt knowing Dad was going to be on cooking duty. Thank goodness dads are also wise enough to just take the kids for takeaways instead! We all know that when Dad ‘spoils the kids’, it’s really them spoiling themselves and avoiding the cooking!

Life lesson:

Be proud of who you are and of your achievements. Dads never try to hide who they are … unless they’re at a fancy dinner.

You don’t have to be perfect. Not everyone is good at everything. So have a good go, but also recognise your strengths and weaknesses and be ready to work with what you’ve got.

Dads have selective hearing:

Dads struggle with maps:

Dads have this incredible ability to blur out any ‘background’ noise and focus on the one thing they want to hear.

Dads are extremely skilled in blocking out all those other ‘nagging’ noises that you might hear around the house, in the car or at work. They can easily pick out the sounds and details they want to hear and forget the rest.

We’ve all been there: we’re on a family road trip to the middle of nowhere, wondering why it’s taking so long when we realise Dad has no idea what turn off to take or even where we are.

Finally, Dad admits he’s maybe a little lost and eventually asks for directions.

(We’re pretty sure that’s why the Bible says it isn’t good for man to be alone —God created women to read the map on family road trips!)

Life lesson: Focus on what’s important. Dads are great at reminding us to block out the things that don’t matter and to focus on the here and now.

Life lesson: It’s okay to ask for help. Sure, it’s good to give things a go, but we also need to be ready to admit to those around us that we need them and can’t do everything on our own.

Some of these stereotypes may stem from truth; others may be complete myths. But we reckon dads are awesome and that they pass on so much wisdom, insight and encouragement into our lives. Dads are cool because they’re caring and fun-loving, they know lots about life—and they also let us get away with so much more than mums do!

Whether your dad was the coolest dad on the block or even if he wasn’t the greatest guy, no earthly dad comes close to the greatest father of all time: God, our heavenly father.

God is the ultimate dad. He cares, he loves and never gives up on us; he created us and never wants to stop hanging out with us. He totally knows it all and wants to journey with us as we learn to be more like him.

So, when you’re celebrating your earthly dad and giving him some new socks and a box of scorched almonds this Father’s Day, remember to thank your heavenly father for being the ultimate father too.

Me: ‘Hey, I was thinking …’

My dad: ‘I thought I smelled something burning.’

Whenever we drive past a graveyard, my dad says, ‘Do you know why I can’t be buried there?’

And we all say, ‘Why not?’ And he says, ‘Because I’m not dead yet!’

When I went to choir practice …

Dad: ‘Don’t forget a bucket.’

Me: ‘Why?’ Dad: ‘To carry your tune.’

We were getting takeaway when the lady at the window said, ‘Any condiments?’ My dad responded, ‘Compliments? You look very nice today!’

My dad’s name is Phil, and whenever I finish eating and say, ‘Dad, I’m full,’ he always replies, ‘No, I’m full; you’re Jenny.’

I asked my dad for his best dad joke … and he said, ‘You.’ Source: Buzzfeed

Northern Division Youth Councils: Rebuild, Restore & Renew BROOKE DALY

Over the weekend of 7-9 August, youth of the Northern Division were back at Camp Adair for another awesome weekend exploring how God wants to ‘rebuild, restore and renew’ our lives. Camp began with members of the Māori Ministry team welcoming the youth and leaders with a pōwhiri.

This year was especially significant, with our youth leading the karanga for the manuhiri.

Lieutenant Hana Seddon did a fantastic job of guiding Kansas and Santana through the process of such an important aspect of the pōwhiri and Māori culture.

We were led by an outstanding worship team—a mix of experienced players and young people stepping up for the first time. Lieutenant Missy Ditchburn brought a captivating message that God can rebuild our lives, seen through the story of the woman who touched Jesus’ cloak and was healed.

Saturday morning began (a little too early for some) with adventure-based learning, facilitated by James Adams and Lauren Eilering. Lieutenant Daniel Buckingham

ONE WILD LIFE: SOUL Gungor

After lunch, the youth were able to chill out and enjoy the activities at Camp Adair. Some braved the high ropes, ultimate flying fox, confidence course or the freezing cold water from the mudslide, while others played rugby and did crafts. Some guests came to camp in the afternoon to run some pretty awesome workshops.

LYRICS

testimonies of some brave individuals who shared so honestly about their journey with God! Saturday night ended with a giant game of Rob the Nest. With over 200 teenagers running around camp, it was as chaotic as you’d expect—a Captain Mat Badger classic!

There were some fantastic moments at camp, like the love offering for the work in Nepal, which raised $271.50. One of our divisional youth secretaries, Captain Ralph Hargest, was serving in Nepal with its earthquake rebuild at the time, which added insight about why we were raising the money.

Esther Elliot from Equippers Church popped out on Sunday morning to bring the final message. She spoke about the renewing work of Christ and how we must live out our faith through action. The morning ended with a worship session, before the big clean up and goodbyes.

The Saturday night session gave opportunity to connect with God through prayer and worship. Emma Buckingham and the team did an amazing job of setting up a prayer and reflection space—it was incredibly moving. It was also really encouraging to hear

Pop/Experimental Rock

Gungor’s latest release One Wild Life: Soul continues to push creative and genre boundaries. Utilising a vast array of influences and sounds, One Wild Life is a record with a great sense of musical and lyrical depth. There’s a real sense of experimentation present, especially in the disjointed but oddly satisfying track ‘Lion of Rock’. Everything from extended guitar, synths, brass, strings and ethnic percussion is tied together into interesting rhythmic ideas. Perhaps the greatest strength of this record is that Gungor manages to chain all of these elements into very human, very relatable songs. Worth more than one listen.

MUSIC

‘They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.’ (Isaiah 61:4)

preached in the morning session about the restoring work of God, talking about King David and Bathsheba.

GOD CONTENT

Thank God for our youth, leaders, planning team and the camp that was. Most importantly, thank God that through him alone, our lives can be rebuilt, restored and renewed!

FEEL THE NIGHT Strahan

Folk/Worship

Auckland folk artist Strahan is back with his latest five-track EP Feel The Night. Following his 2012 album Posters, this EP expands on Strahan’s acoustic folk sound, augmenting his already rich harmonies and strong lyrical imagery with a far more expanded range of sounds and instrumentation. This is most evident in the track ‘War’, with massive percussion driving an atmospheric vocal hook. The larger soundscape of this EP lends extra weight to its superb lyrics and imagery, punctuating its themes of love, faith and expectation with power and authority. A great EP! Strahan will be the featured worship leader at the upcoming Creative Ministries Conference in September. Visit www.creativeministries.nz for info and to register!

MUSIC

LYRICS

GOD CONTENT

Our Community | 15

Top Award for Driver Mentoring Programme The Salvation Army’s Education and Employment (E&E) Community Driver Mentor Programme in Christchurch is celebrating after winning the inaugural Community Initiative of the Year category at the 2015 Deloitte Energy Excellent Awards on 12 August. This is a partnership with NZTA, AA, Chevron, NZ Police and Gary Cockram Hyundai motors The awards were held to recognise a wide range of activities and campaigns within the energy industry over the past 12 months. The Community Initiative of the Year category was established to recognise ‘an outstanding initiative that has demonstrated wide reaching benefits to both the organisation and the community involved’.

This new category was one of the most popular categories in the 2015 Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards, with the judges saying it was the only category in which they couldn’t agree on three finalists and so decided to run with four. Other finalists were: • Mighty River Power & Tauhara North No2 Trust —for Mauri Wairakei, focused on harnessing the life force of geothermal energy for community good • Meridian Energy—for their partnership work with KidsCan • New Zealand Aluminium Smelters—for their Kapapo Recovery Programme.

Jeremy Clarke (Policy, Government and Public Affairs Manager for Chevron New Zealand), said the Community Driver Mentor Programme epitomised the qualities the new excellence award was looking for.

He was ‘honoured and humbled’ to receive the award in front of 650 guests from across the energy industry, government and other organisations.

Thanking those who had contributed to the programme’s success, Jeremy also spoke about the significant impact the programme was having on its youthful participants and their communities.

The NZTA-approved Community Driver Mentor Programme is hosted by E&E’s

‘U Build 4 the Rebuild’ project, which trains people to work in the Christchurch rebuild in civil infrastructure, building and painting, where the skills are in high demand.

The initiative is primarily focused on giving young drivers aged 16 to 24 the resources and support to gain driving experience and pass their restricted license. Many face real barriers to achievement, including difficult family backgrounds, poverty, and struggles associated with cultural disparities and low selfconfidence. While the learner drivers are focused on gaining driving skills, their trained volunteer mentors are focused on seeing other life-changing

transformations as well. Often, gaining a restricted licence helps these young people increase their employment opportunities.

Course coordinator Keran Tsering achieves a 92 per cent pass rate first time with her trainee drivers—the national average is 55 per cent.

Gregory Fortuin, National Director of E&E, said, ‘We are so encouraged by our Community Driver Mentor Programme team.

Their dedication and expertise is making a positive difference by giving greater opportunities to young people. This collaboration is transforming lives and making young drivers safer on the roads.

Go to www salvationarmy. org.nz/E&E

New Programme Launched to Target At-Risk Youth A new programme to assist young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) was launched in August—a collaboration between The Salvation Army and children’s charity Variety.

The two-year programme, called ‘Kiwi Next Generation’, will provide more than 725 young people, aged 16 to 18, with the resources, support, confidence and motivation to succeed in their chosen education and employment.

Territorial Commander Commissioner Robert Donaldson said the programme was made possible by funding from The Warehouse Group Gala Dinner. Held at Vector Arena on 14 August, the event was The Warehouse Group’s 24th annual charity dinner and supplier awards.

It raised $725,000—a new benchmark for funds raised. Special guests at the black-tie event included Prime Minister John Key, a number of government ministers, as well as suppliers and business partners of The Warehouse Group and leaders in the community sector.

Kiwi Next Generation draws on the expertise, experience and infrastructure of The Salvation Army and Variety. The Salvation Army will facilitate individual mentoring and education for each young person through its Education and Employment (E&E), which is New Zealand’s longest running Private Training Establishment and a provider of the government’s Youth Guarantee programme. Variety will provide critical material and social support to ensure candidates go

on to acquire further education or employment.

The programme had been designed to address young people who have fallen out of mainstream education and need help getting back on track. Commissioner Donaldson said the two charities were pleased to be collaborating to foster the full potential of New Zealand’s young people. ‘For some of our young people, their family and personal circumstances create barriers that make success challenging to imagine, let alone achieve. We believe no young person should be left behind,’ he said. continues on page 16

16 | WarCry 05 September 2015

Tongan Girls Focus on the Beauty of Purity The Tonga Region recently held its first ‘Junior Miss Camps’.

These camps are run regularly

by The Salvation Army in some countries to empower young women to focus on God’s plan for a life of purity. They provide a chance for young women to spend time with their peers, listening and learning to one another, and having fun in a safe and healthy environment.

Tonga has an increased rate of teenage pregnancies among young women aged 11 to 19 of around 130 every year, so the Junior Miss camps are able to help young women better understand the negative effects of unwanted teenage pregnancies. They are also able to talk about the impact of peer pressure and share ideas about how to stand up against this. The Junior Miss Camps support the ‘God’s Culture’ goal in the Tonga Region’s Strategic Vision and Mission Plan.

Twenty-six girls aged 13 to 19 and four leaders attended the camp, which was held at the FIFA soccer grounds in Veitongo from 31 July to 2 August. Each of these girls wanted to look beyond their physical beauty to how they could display the beauty of God in their lives.

The theme ‘The Beauty of Purity’ (‘Eseta Ma’alahi) was based on the life of Esther, with teaching from five different

speakers: Captain Sila Siufanga (Regional Commander), Iuniti Tuiono (Youth Leader, Nuku’alofa Corps), Sister Sinā Lelea (a representative from the local Catholic school), Captain Asena Sifa (Corps Officer, Talasiu Corps) and Captain Malia Siufanga (Regional Director of Women’s Ministries). Each talked about value, decisionmaking and purpose.

Campers were reminded that their body was the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19 –20). When doing something wrong with their bodies—such as taking drugs, abusing alcohol or getting involved in immoral sexual behaviour—they were

undervaluing the place where the Holy Spirit lived.

In emphasising the importance of wise decision making, speakers talked about the need to be with the right people, at the right place, at the right time, for the right reason, and with the right purpose.

It was important to resist the temptations that can come when socialising with bad company.

Initi Tuiono spoke about the struggles she faced while growing up. She thought all hope was gone until she met and accepted Christ. However, all the struggles that had troubled her had also helped shape her in a positive way so that she could

New Programme Launched to Target At-Risk Youth continues from page 15 Both organisations have high expectations for the programme, which, if successful, could lead to new approaches in services and programmes for young people.

‘Gaining the support of The Warehouse Group and its suppliers and business partners—who each year make a significant contribution to community development—has ensured this innovative programme can go forward,’ said Commissioner Donaldson. ‘We are immensely grateful for their invaluable support for this programme, as well as for the support provided by last year’s dinner, which has supported more than 500 young people through our year-long Aspire programme.’

Mark Powell, Chief Executive of The Warehouse Group, said the company and the community owed a debt of gratitude to its suppliers and business partners who had participated to make the gala dinner such a success. ‘We’re proud to be able to facilitate what is one of New Zealand’s most important charity events, but its success is due to our suppliers and business partners who get behind it to raise money for what is always an important cause,’ he said. ‘We see great potential in the Kiwi Next Generation programme and see this as a great contribution to community development.’ (l–r) Mark Powell, Chief Executive Officer The Warehouse Group; Comm Robert Donaldson; Andrew Webster, President Variety—The Children’s Charity; and Sir Stephen Tindall, Founder of The Warehouse and the Tindall Foundation.

now see God’s purpose for her life. It was important to learn from problems. ‘Our God is a great God and we expect great things,’ she said.

On Sunday, all 26 young women signed a pledge to keep their bodies, soul, mind and spirit pure, and to live a holy life with a strong personal relationship with God. Julia Sifa is 18 and attends Talasiu Corps. She said attending the Junior Miss Camp was a real blessing. ‘I’ve made new friends and heard inspiring messages and testimonies,’ she said. ‘I was inspired with the first message shared by Captain Sila Siufanga.

He talked about Queen Esther

Our Community | 17

Typhoon Can’t Stop Taiwan Anniversary Celebrations and how she was beautiful not only in appearance but inside as well. I’ve learned that courage isn’t about being the strongest, but about doing the right thing—and most importantly to put God above ‘I also learnt that we have what it takes to be used by God if we surrender all, heart, body and soul. He will make our life beautiful.’ She had been reminded that God had incredible plans for her and wanted to lead her in the right path. ‘I’ve learned that we aren’t perfect, but it’s trying that makes the difference. God wants us to be good, loving and courageous like Esther.

‘My life was a mess, but God tidied it up for me. He made my life beautiful and pure. Being part of this camp has made me see things clearer. I signed my vow to fix my eyes on Jesus and His Kingdom’s culture, and not to look down on myself because God made me special as his daughter. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” ’ The testimonies shared by everyone at the Junior Miss Camp confirmed that the true beauty of a person comes from within.

With reporting from Talahiva Palu Hola

Not even a typhoon could keep Salvationists and friends from celebrating the 50th anniversary of the recommencement of The Salvation Army’s work in Taiwan on 8-9 August. Although Saturday events had to be cancelled because of Typhoon Soudelor, the weather cleared for Sunday meetings at Sun Moon Lake, in the centre of the island nation.

Among those present for the anniversary was Leslie Lovestead, who—while serving with USA forces after the Second World War—was responsible for The Salvation Army recommencing its ministry in Taiwan.

General André Cox and Commissioner Silvia Cox (World President of Women’s Ministries) led the celebrations, with the General enrolling five senior soldiers in the Sunday holiness meeting.

In his Bible message, focusing on ‘One Army serving in self-denial’, the General said believers should live their lives as exampled by Christ. While the world emphasised people insisting on claiming personal ‘rights’, Salvationists needed to be counter-cultural, he said. The General brought his message to

GAZETTE Retirement Mjrs Dean and Edwina Herring entered retirement on 30 Aug, having completed 22 years and seven months of active service. Dean and Edwina entered training from Invercargill Corps in 1991 as cadets of the Followers of Jesus Session. Following their commissioning on 16 Jan 1993, they were appointed to Gore as Corps Officers. Edwina was also appointed Director of Community and Family Services, Gore. In 2000, Dean and Edwina moved to Christchurch to

a conclusion by referring to John the Baptist, who said of himself concerning Jesus: ‘I must decrease, he must increase!’ A number of people responded to the challenge given by the General to lead Christ-like lives.

In the second meeting of the celebration, Commissioner Cox challenged the congregation by saying, ‘We have a future by doing something now—faith without action is useless.’

Referring to the step of faith the Israelites had taken by crossing the River Jordan, she encouraged everyone present to ‘step into the future’, adding, ‘We need to be personally ready,

Linwood Corps as Corps Officers, with Edwina also having responsibility for Community Ministries. In Aug 2007, the couple were appointed to Timaru as Corps Officers. In addition, Edwina was appointed Director, Community Ministries, and Mission Director, Bramwell Booth House, Temuka. Jan 2012 saw a change of work as they moved to Supportive Accommodation, Addington, Christchurch. Dean as Director and Edwina as Assistant Director. In Jan 2013, Edwina was appointed Positive Lifestyle Facilitator

by the power of God, to go into the future.’

Regional Commander LieutColonel Jennifer Groves said, ‘It was great to have the region all together to celebrate 50 years of ministry. We had been planning and praying for this event for many months, which was to support the launch of our 2015 mission theme and strategic plan. Our theme is ‘Rise Up’, with specific goals to: • nurture children and youth • make soldiers • develop leaders • move towards financial stability.

‘Rise up; this matter is in your hands. We will support you, so take courage and do it (Ezra 10:4)—is the verse that motivates us and on which everything is based.

Although the typhoon meant events had to be cancelled, we did not allow it to distract from our purpose.’

Lieut-Colonel Groves said, ‘Salvationists are committed to rising up to make a difference for God in this island nation. The matter is in our hands and we need to be courageous and do what God is asking us to do for him. God bless the region as we honour him!’

(Christchurch). It is with sincere thanks and appreciation that we honour Mjrs Dean and Edwina Herring for their loyal and faithful service to God through The Salvation Army New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga Territory. We pray God’s blessing on their retirement.

Accepted for Training Andrew and Maree O’Brien from Waitakere Corps have been accepted for training in the Messengers of the Gospel Session—Ngā Kārere o te Rongopai­ (2016–2017).

18 | WarCry 05 September 2015

LEADERSHIP LINKS

Tell them that you love them.

Father’s Day is an emotional time for many—some will be remembering fathers who have passed away; others will be thinking about those still living and that they are no longer in contact with. For all of us there can be sad or happy memories, and sometimes a mix of both.

The truth is there isn’t an instruction manual that comes with becoming a father. In our family, we were blessed because Kristine’s parents were nearby and provided practical advice and support. This is something we took for granted at the time, but over the years we’ve grown to appreciate it more, especially as we’ve seen this isn’t the experience of many parents, who grapple with the pressures of parenting largely on their own.

As fathers we are only human, so we do make mistakes.

Every father—myself included—will at some time have said or done something hurtful to their children that we later regret.

Sometimes this hurt can lead to separation. The passing of time can bring perspective and healing, but in some families, the hurt, regret and pain seem only to deepen, making it harder to reconnect and reconcile.

I’ve seen instances where a great gap has developed between fathers and their children, with those on both sides wondering what could have been. In some cases, the regret at this failed relationship and the anguish that has occurred has gone with people to the grave. What a tragedy when that happens!

You may have watched television programmes where people search for lost family members, perhaps ending with a meeting of (usually) a parent and child. The circumstances around what led to the separation vary. It might be because of an adoption, or the separation/divorce of parents, for instance. We enjoy watching as some of these families reconcile.

The Salvation Army provides a Family Tracing Service from our Territorial Headquarters in Wellington that works alongside other Salvation Army Family Tracing Services around the world.

If you’ve lost contact with your child or parent and want to reconnect, you may like to consider approaching our service (visit www.salvationarmy.org.nz/familytracing).

We men are generally less forthcoming than women in demonstrating our feelings through hugs and by telling our children we love them. We may say we show our love in other ways, by providing for our families, fixing things around the home, and so on. While that is often true, can I suggest to those fathers reading this that if you are privileged to be able to, make the effort to hug your children irrespective of how old they are—not just on Father’s Day but often. If you can’t do that because of distance, make contact and tell them you love them.

Life is too short and our children are too precious not to make every moment count.

Captain Gerry Walker Territorial Secretary for Personnel

Accepted for Training MESSENGERS OF THE GOSPEL SESSION —NGĀ KARERE O TE RONGOPAI (2016-2017) Chantelle and Mike Bryan, Far North (Kaitaia) Corps Chantelle and Mike emigrated from the North West of England with their family. They have lived in Kaitaia since 2005. The couple have been involved at their corps in various ways since then. They have three sons: Eric (20) who is at Massey University, Stuart (18) who has a boat building apprenticeship in Auckland, and Paddy (16) who is a student at Kaitaia College. Mike also has an older son, Walter, who lives and works in Auckland.

Despite choosing not to listen for a very long time, Chantelle finally listened and accepted God’s call to accept, heal and testify. ‘Being somewhere dark, hurting and lost is not nice, but God does have the power to see you into the light via the truth of the Gospel through Jesus,’ she says. ‘It’s not been easy, and it’s a continuous journey, but God wants us be victorious, not victims, whatever’s happened.’ Chantelle worked as a budget advisor until January 2015 and now works part time in the Family Store.

Mike accepted Jesus in January 2013 after trying to keep God at arm’s length for a number of years. He identifies with Jonah, who went to great lengths to run away from God’s plans for his life.

‘I thought that I could be in control of my own life and that I did not need God, but God had other ideas and in the end I stopped resisting and fell into line,’ Mike says. ‘Since then, life has not been easy by any means, but at least I know that I am mostly on the right track.’ Mike is a high school science teacher who helps with the children’s ministry at the corps.

Following the Call An officer is a senior soldier who has responded to a calling from God to devote all their time and energies to the service of God. The road can be hard, but it brings incredible joy and immense fulfilment.

REGISTER YOUR INTEREST Speak to your local Divisional Candidates Secretary or talk to your corps officer. The application process that follows gives time and space for God’s will to be tested and confirmed.

Go to www salvationarmy.org.nz/officership for more info

Mission Matters | 19

BY RACHAEL BOWIE

Salvation Army Joins SPACE Programme The Salvation Army and SPACE NZ Trust are working together to help new parents and are looking to increase that support around the country.

Thirty-three thousand new parents are ‘born’ in New Zealand each year. Becoming a parent for the first time can be hard, and parents are often left to take this journey unguided, uninformed and alone.

Lack of social support, parenting education and community connection can all contribute to stress and sometimes to the breakdown in relationships within families.

So, The Salvation Army’s National Consultant for Early Childhood Education Sue Henshaw, knew she was on to something when she first heard about the SPACE programme from some colleagues, and then heard researcher Dr Sarah Te One speak about the benefits of SPACE for families and communities back in 2011.

SPACE is a parent and child education programme developed by the SPACE NZ Trust. It provides full-year support for a group of mainly first-time parents and their babies who get together each week with a trained facilitator to learn about parenting, discuss issues with other parents, and deepen bonds with their new babies through music and play.

Dr Te One’s research showed SPACE had great outcomes for parents and babies, and those benefits also flowed to the wider community. The research showed parents who attended SPACE had increased knowledge and information, better networks, developed deeper relationships with their children, and had more confidence as parents.

Sue immediately recognised that The Salvation Army and SPACE had the same vision: to care for families and to grow strong communities. ‘SPACE is a perfect fit to support our work within communities. It gives us an opportunity to work alongside them to understand their personal circumstances and develop ongoing relationships,’ she says.

Sometimes people are facing more stress than just a new baby, and so the programme also helps parents with wider issues. The support from a shared community is hugely beneficial for new parents, Sue says.

‘I think people would be surprised to know how many parents out there are feeling lost. I have seen parents attending a Salvation Army SPACE programme start the course feeling anxious, isolated and

unsure, and end up more confident and knowledgeable. They have new friendships, and understand their new baby better. We know strong families build strong communities and partnering with SPACE is a really exciting opportunity for The Salvation Army to be part of.’

The Salvation Army already runs SPACE programmes in Queenstown and Wellington, and a new SPACE centre will shortly be opening at the Auckland City Corps in Mt Wellington.

SPACE in Queenstown has been supporting local families since earlier this year.

Captain Karen Baker, Corps Officer and Director of Queenstown Community Ministries, says SPACE has already helped strengthen the Queenstown Corps’ community links. ‘We have found SPACE to be a real catalyst for strengthening our bond with our community,’ says Karen. ‘We’ve had 15 families join our playgroup after completing SPACE. Five families have come through to our Sunday church services and some of the mums have come to women’s ministry events.

‘We’ve also helped local parents on the pathway to employment through SPACE—three parents have gone on to become fully trained SPACE facilitators.’

In partnership with the SPACE NZ Trust, the SPACE programme is easy to set up. It can be run using a mix of volunteers and facilitators who can either be trained or provided by SPACE NZ. It can also run in a wide variety of locations depending on a centre’s needs.

There is strong demand for SPACE programmes from parents throughout the country, and funding may also be available.

Could SPACE Work for You? If you are interested in running SPACE in your area, contact Sue Henshaw, p: (04) 384 5649 or e: susan_henshaw@nzf. salvationarmy.org Go to www space.org.nz for more information about SPACE.

20 | WarCry 05 September 2015

Seeing the Invisible God God is nowhere and everywhere in the Old Testament book of Esther, says Carla Lindsey.

If you were in Jerusalem on the evening of 4 March this year, you could be forgiven for wondering what was going on. You would have seen people making donations to the poor, giving gifts to friends and feasting. You would have found families heading off to synagogue with their children in costumes. And if you’d followed them, you might have been disturbed when they started shouting during the Bible reading!

They would have been reading from the book of Esther. Their shouting would have been at the villain of the book, with the children dressed as the story’s main characters. These things—along with feasting and gift giving—have become part of the tradition of Purim, the commemoration of the events recorded in the book of Esther.

Why is Esther’s celebration named ‘Purim’? Well, the festival gets its name from the Akkadian word pur which means ‘lot’. Now, what do ‘lots’ have to do with the book of Esther? Another good question! To answer it we need to explore the story a little more.

Last time, we learnt (from Esther chapter one), that the Persian King, Xerxes, deposed his disobedient wife Vashti, creating an opening for a new queen. Now, we move on to look at chapters two and three, where we are introduced to the three key players in the drama and find out what ‘lots’ has to do with this story.

Introducing Esther After Vashti’s departure, King Xerxes embarked on an unsuccessful campaign against the Greeks. This kept him occupied for a while, but it seems that once he returned home he began to miss Vashti. His advisors suggested that he solve that problem by making a search throughout his whole kingdom for a new queen.

The advisors had all the beautiful young virgins from the empire brought to the palace. There, before meeting the king, the girls were given 12 months of beauty treatment.

Sounds wonderful, doesn’t it?!

Well, if you call taking an adolescent girl away from her family forever and forcing her to sleep with an older man ‘wonderful’ … but I think for these girls, it would have been terrifying.

Yes, the girls lived in luxury at the palace, but they had no freedom.

They were young. They were alone. They were sex objects, simply there for the king’s pleasure. Each girl would have one night with the king.

After her night, she would live in seclusion with the other concubines, like a widow till the day she died. Unless the king happened to summon her again by name.

This wasn’t so glamorous!

Fathers didn’t volunteer their daughters to go to the king; officials went in search of them and took them, forcibly if necessary. Among the girls taken for Xerxes was Esther.

Esther was a Jew and an orphan. Her Hebrew name was Hadassah, which means ‘myrtle’. But it seems she was known by her Persian

PART 2 OF 5

name, Esther. The name Esther is derived from the Babylonian fertility goddess Ishtar, from which we get the words estrogen and Easter.

Esther was lovely in ‘form and features’. But she wasn’t just beautiful to look at; there was something special about her. On arriving at the palace, Esther found favour with Hegai (the eunuch in charge of looking after the girls), and when she had her night with the king, she won his favour, too. So much so, that King Xerxes ‘set a royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti’ (Esther 2:17).

Now, from the time of her arrival at the palace, Esther had never revealed that she was a Jew. Why not? Because her guardian, Mordecai, had told to keep her race a secret. But why?! We don’t know. Perhaps there was anti-Semitic feeling among the Persians. Perhaps being identified as a Jew would have lessened Esther’s chances of becoming queen. But then it is hard to know why a Jew would want to become a queen at all if it meant having to marry a pagan king?

For whatever reason, Esther chose to conceal her racial identity —and she has been harshly criticised for that. Esther stands in direct contrast to Daniel. Both Esther and Daniel were in similar situations, forcibly taken into a foreign palace. But Daniel was quick to identify himself as a Jew, to make it known he would be different and would not conform to pagan ways. Esther, on the other hand, seems to have blended right in. So, are there other things going on here?

Introducing Mordecai When Esther’s parents died, she was cared for by her relative Mordecai.

Some say the book should have been named after Mordecai, since his name is mentioned 58 times and he is key to many of its events.

Attempts have been made to identify Esther’s Mordecai as the Mordecai mentioned in Ezra 2:2 and Nehemiah 7:7, or as an official named Marduka who is documented in cuneiform records from the period. Some scholars propose that Mordecai was a eunuch, as he seems to have had some access to the women’s quarters at the palace.

But we don’t know any of these things for certain.

We do know that Mordecai was Esther’s guardian and advisor, and that when she was taken to the palace he found ways to stay close and to keep an eye on her. On one of his visits to the palace, he happened to overhear a conversation between two of the king’s bodyguards who were plotting to assassinate Xerxes. As it happens, around 14 years later Xerxes was assassinated, but this time the right person was in the right place to stop it happening.

Mordecai told Esther what he had overheard and she reported the plot to the king, giving credit to Mordecai. ‘When the report was investigated and found to be true, the two officials were impaled on poles’ (2:22). Nice!

Ancient historians Herodotus and Thucyclides verify that kings at this time recorded memorable events, such as this, in books of annals.

And that is exactly what Xerxes did. The events were ‘recorded in the book of the annals in the presence of the king’ (2:23). And there it was left. Not a reward, not even a thank you to Mordecai.

Why not? Good question!

Soul Food | 21

Babylon

Susa

Haman was so angry that he didn’t just want to kill Mordecai; he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews …

Introducing Haman Now we meet our villain. His name is Haman, and the author tells us he is an Agagite. That’s significant because an Agagite is a descendant of King Agag, the Amalekite king (see 1 Samuel 15, Deuteronomy 15:17-19). The Amalekites were enemies of the Jews, and we see that longstanding racial tension continue with Mordecai and Haman.

In contrast to Mordecai, who did something good and got no reward, Haman was rewarded by the king for no stated reason. He was promoted to prime minister, which meant people were to kneel and pay honour to him. But Mordecai wouldn’t bow.

People noticed. People were bothered. Royal officials questioned Mordecai day after day, but he still wouldn’t comply. Was it just that he resented Haman being rewarded when he wasn’t? Was it that Haman was an Amalekite and would never bow to one of Israel’s enemies?

Was it that bowing to Haman would have been breaking the first commandment and worshipping another God? Although the reason for Mordecai’s non-compliance isn’t clear, it is most likely that he considered bowing to be an act of worship. A clue that supports this is that the Septuagint (a translation of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek dating around 300BC) has an extra verse. In this extra verse we hear a prayer in which Mordecai states that he will not bow down to anyone but God. When Haman heard Mordecai wouldn’t bow, he wasn’t impressed!

His pride was wounded. He flew into a rage. When he found out Mordecai was a Jew, Haman was so angry he looked for a way to destroy all the Jews throughout the whole kingdom. That escalated fast! From one insignificant person not bowing, to ‘let’s wipe out an entire race’. The reaction seems more than a little out of proportion.

Now, here’s where we learn what ‘lots’ have to do with Esther.

Being a very superstitious people, the Persians cast lots to determine the proper time to do things. So, with the help of an astrologer or magician, Haman cast a lot (or pur). This determined that the Jewish people would be destroyed in the month of Adar.

Haman then went to the king with his plan. He told Xerxes, ‘There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different ... and they do not obey the king’s laws; it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them’ (3:8-9). He sneakily doesn’t mention who these people are. He focuses on the fact that they are different and gets the king on board by depicting them as a national threat.

Xerxes doesn’t need to be told twice. ‘Do with the people as you please’ (3:11), he told Haman, and he gave his signet ring to Haman, giving him all authority.

If you’re following this series, you’ll notice a pattern. Xerxes doesn’t do a lot of thinking for himself. In chapter one, he didn’t know how to deal with the rebellious Queen Vashti, so his nobles told him what to do. In chapter two, it is the king’s personal attendants who propose that the king find a new queen and set out the way this should be done. Here, yet again, Xerxes is prepared to wipe out an entire race without even asking any questions. How foolish!

And so Haman got what he wanted. His plan was set in motion.

His plan was written up in a decree. The decree was sent out via couriers on the very efficient Persian postal system. It informed all people throughout the kingdom what was in store for the Jews. This meant that the non-Jews could prepare to help ‘destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews—young and old, women and children’ (3:14).

Haman was very thorough!

As chapter three concludes, we see the decree going out and Haman and Xerxes sitting down for a drink. But the people of Susa are left bewildered, wondering, ‘Did we miss something?’

So many questions are left unanswered from the book of Esther.

Most often in biblical narratives, the authors not only tell us what is happening, they tell us why. Often, the authors know the motivation behind the characters actions. But not here. Here we are given no glimpse into the minds of the characters. We simply see what they do.

And so we are left wondering ‘why’?

Did you ever wish you could read people’s minds? When people do things that don’t make sense, don’t you wish you could understand ‘why’? What’s really going on for them? But we can’t read minds, so the best we can do is remember that there is always more going on under the surface. As the saying goes: ‘Everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about. So be kind—always.’

Points to ponder How do you respond when other Christians don’t do what you think Christians should do?

How do you respond when you don’t get the credit for something?

How do you respond when your pride is wounded?

How easy is it for you to try to understand people when they do hurtful things sometimes?

22 | WarCry 05 September 2015

International Bible Reading Challenge

CALENDAR SEPTEMBER 4–6: Thought Matters Forum / Australia Eastern Territory 5: Safe to Serve Accreditation / Northern Division 5–6: Otago Regional Weekend / Southern Division 10: General Change Announcement 11–13: Top of the South Women’s Camp / Southern Division 13: Divisional Prayer Gathering / Northern Division 17: Crown Prince’s Birthday / Tonga Region 18: Regional Lunch (Whangarei & Far North) / Northern Division 18–20: Creative Ministries Conference / Silverstream 19: Te Kete Waitua / Central Division 19: Moral and Social Issues Council / Wellington 19–20: Children’s Camp / Tonga Region 19–20: Southland Regional Weekend / Southern Division 21: Divisional Community Ministries Conference / Midland Division 22: Leadership Module (TSMP) / Northern Division 25–27: Youth Councils (Rotorua) / Midland Division 26–28: Kids Camp #1 / Northern Division 27: Corps Mission Sunday / Tonga Region 28: Centerbury (South) Anniversary 28–2 Oct: Kids Camp #2 / Northern Division OCTOBER 2–4: Recovery Church 20th Anniversary / Auckland

WEEK 36 Philippians 2–Colossians 2 WEEK 37 Colossians 3–1 Thessalonians 3 Go to www.salvationarmy.org/biblechallenge for daily reading guides and more.

Calling Salvation Army History Buffs Can you help Lieut-Colonel Bill Allott make sure his historical timelines of Salvation Army corps and social services work are correct? He is looking for people with knowledge of Salvation Army history in their area to check facts like dates and names.

Go to www.billallott.blogspot.co.nz—corrections, additions and additional info can be made in the ‘comments’ section, or email wjallott@gmail.com.

New Resource on Suicide Bereavement The Moral and Social Issues (Ethics) Council (MASIC) has released a new Talk Sheet on the topic of Suicide Bereavements aimed at raising understanding and support for those who have lost a loved one to suicide. You may like to use this Talk Sheet as a personal or small group resource. It includes a number of helpful discussion questions.

The MASIC Talk Sheet on Depression is another resource that may be helpful in conjunction with its Talk Sheet on Suicide Bereavement.

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS Commissioners Robert (Territorial Commander) and Janine Donaldson (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries) 5 September: Queenstown and Alexandra Men’s Fellowship (TC) 6 September: Alexandra Corps 10 September: Wellington Recovery Church 11–13 September: Top of the South Women’s Camp (TPWM) 13 September: Wellington South Corps 15–18 September: International Moral and Social Issues Council, London (TC) 19–22 September: Fiji Divisional Review (TPWM) 20–26 September: General’s Consultative Council, London (TC) 26–27: National Council of Women (TPWM)Colonels Willis Howell (Chief Secretary) and Barbara Howell (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries) 4–6 September: Tauranga Corps 8 September: Auckland Harbour Bridge Bungee Fundraiser (TSWM) 9 September: New Lynn Home League 11–13 September: Top of the South Women’s Camp (TSWM) 19–20 September: Thames Corps 22 September: Levin Home League 25–28: Tonga Region

PRAYER FOCUS Please pray for: Auckland City, Auckland City Korean, Ba, Blenheim, and Cambridge Corps, Police Chaplains, The Salvation Army Caribbean Territory.

View our Catalogue Online The Booth College of Mission library in Upper Hutt has everything you’ve been looking for to build your knowledge and faith.

Hours: The library is staffed Monday to Friday, 8:30 am – 4:45 pm.

Membership: Officers and staff may join the library without charge. Others may apply to become external borrowers ($50 annually). Postal charges may apply.

Circulation Policies: Loan period: Six weeks / Renewals: May be made by phone, email or in person. All titles subject to recall / Reference books and assignment books: not available for loan.

Contact: Librarian Beverley McKenzie, p: (04) 528 8628, e: library@nzf. salvationarmy.org, web: salvationarmy.org.nz/boothcollege

Go to www.salvationarmy.org.nz/masic or e: masic@nzf.salvationarmy.org

New International Positional Statement The General has authorised a new International Positional Statement for The Salvation Army on Alcohol in Society.

The Salvation Army encourages an alcohol-free lifestyle as a way of enhancing the wellbeing and health of all people. As a witness to this, Salvation Army soldiers choose to live an alcohol-free life. The Salvation Army recognises the harm alcohol causes in individuals, families and communities. It advocates for reducing the consumption of alcohol, and offers its services to support and restore people negatively impacted by alcohol use.

Go to www.salvationarmy.org.nz/PositionalStatements for a link to the new Positional Statement

To advertise your event, email: warcry@nzf.salvationarmy.org Crossword Answers: Across: 1 Partnership, 7 Sir, 9 Saves, 10 Penknives, 11 Translate, 12 Needs, 13 Operate, 15 Stun, 18 Isn’t, 20 Plateau, 23 Actor, 24 Interpret, 26 Challenge, 27 Drama, 28 Lay, 29 Arrangement. Down: 1 Position, 2 Revealed, 3 Nests, 4 Replace, 5 Hunters, 6 Peninsula, 7 Soviet, 8 Resist, 14 Australia, 16 Decrease, 17 Subtract, 19 Thinner, 20 Pattern, 21 Parcel, 22 Steady, 25 Ridge. Quiz Answers: 1 A bunker, 2 Three, 3 Prince George, 4 The liver, 5 Elijah and Elisha (2 Kings 2:11).

Help Women and Children in Fiji BECOME A FAMILY CARE CENTRE SPONSOR Our Family Care Centres are safe houses for women escaping domestic violence, homelessness and human trafficking.

For $25 a month, you can help support this work.

Become a sponsor today Contact Major Helen Knowles (Child Sponsorship Secretary), e: helen_knowles@nzf.salvationarmy.org, p: (04) 384 5649 or download a form from our website

www.salvationarmy.org.nz/FijiFamilyCentreSponsor

Minecraft wordsearch M B K T P D Q H V C Q C R E E P E R

L I H K O I E E I H K H O F L I N T

A D N V E R G K L D L R O W O E P Q

O Y A E I R C S L C I S B O S S I X

C N V S C O S H A R E K W O N H C J

D A J S C R D T G K R E A D J E K P

Y M E T C K A O E K V L F D O E A I

R I G O L C B F R E V E L J H P X L

Fun4Kids | 23

S T E N S E N T T A L T P V H H E X

E E X E M J U S W R M O N S T E R S

W O T S D N O M A I D N I R D U P I

coal

skeleton

cows

steel

creeper

Steve

diamonds

stone

dynamite

torch

flint

villager

Minecraft

wood

monsters pickaxe pigs sheep

paint-by-numbers

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2 = grey 3 = brown 4 = black 5 = blue 6 = green ‘But when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you will be filled with power ...’ Acts 1:8 (Good News Translation)

Central Division Kids Camp: Power to Make a Difference for God Almost 130 kids and 47 leaders and helpers had a great time at El Rancho Camp from Friday evening to Sunday lunch time last month.

The theme of the weekend was ‘Dynamite!’ Weekend speaker Lieutenant Missy Ditchburn said the idea came from the game Minecraft.

‘In Minecraft, your mission is to create the best world you can,’ she said. ‘But sometimes when you’re building, things get in the way and so in Minecraft you use this awesome tool called dynamite, which completely change everything.

‘Christians are God’s dynamite. God wants to make this world the best work possible. Sometimes things get in the way: pollution, people being treated unfairly, poverty and other things that God doesn’t want. So God wants to use to make the biggest difference and help to remove these bad things.’

But dynamite doesn’t work on its own—it needs something to light it. Those who play Minecraft know how important it is to find flint and steel to light their dynamite in Minecraft. ‘We talked about how the Holy Spirit is out flint and steel. We need the Holy Spirit—God with us—to give us the power to make a difference and create the best world we can.’

Sleep out to raise awareness and funds for New Zealand’s homeless

EVENTS RUNNING IN: AUCKLAND, NAPIER, NEW PLYMOUTH, PALMERSTON NORTH, WELLINGTON & INVERCARGILL.