13 July 2019 NZFTS War Cry

FAITH IN ACTION  13 JULY 2019 | Issue 6721 | $1.50

Celebrating Recovery at Northland Bridge

How Robbie Turned Her Disability into a Game Changer for Others Teens put on Birthday Parties for Children in Need How Owning a Pet Can Improve Your Health

Wildfire in Our Ranks: Sammy's New Zeal Sermon Chinese Church at Hutt City Corps

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WAR CRY The Salvation Army

New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa Territory TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Andy & Yvonne Westrupp | GENERAL Brian Peddle | FOUNDERS William

& Catherine Booth

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

MANAGING EDITOR Ingrid Barratt | GRAPHIC DESIGN Sam Coates, Matt Gillon | STAFF WRITERS Captain Jules Badger, Major Shar Davis, Louise Parry | PROOF READING Major Jill

Gainsford, Vivienne Hill OFFICE Territorial Headquarters, 204 Cuba Street, PO Box

6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141, Phone (04) 384 5649, Fax (04) 382 0716, Email warcry@salvationarmy.org.nz, www.salvationarmy.org.nz/warcry SUBSCRIPTIONS Salvationist Resources Department, Phone

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

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

How to Start a Revolution Captain Sammy Millar’s sermon at New Zeal a couple of weeks ago was a powerful experience. But seeing it again, in written form, provides a whole new depth of meaning (see p.20).

Personally, I have found sermons about the Holy Spirit frustrating at times— we often ask for renewal, without acknowledging that if we want to see change, we might actually have to make change.

Sammy’s sermon was a courageous call to repentance—a call to change, to turn back to the mission we first received. How many times have we got on our knees … and nothing has changed? she asked honestly.

Jesus never once asked us to worship him, he asked us to follow him, writes acclaimed author Richard Rohr. This is one of the most challenging sentences I have read in a long time. He is saying that raising our hands to worship Jesus is not the end purpose of our faith. The end goal is to act as Jesus did—which is invariably to uphold the outsiders, flip the world’s obsession with power upside down, and be willing to become nothing for his Kingdom.

So, Salvation Army leaders—are we willing to repent and reclaim true servant leadership? Salvation soldiers—are we willing to repent of claiming to know Jesus, but not actually doing what he asks of us?

If we actually did this, how could we not see renewal? In fact, how could we not see a whole new revolution?

Ingrid Barratt Editor

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.

Publishing for 135 years | Issue 6721 ISSN 0043-0242 (print), ISSN 2537-7442 (online) Please pass on or recycle this magazine Read online www.issuu.com/salvationarmynzftwarcry

www.salvationarmy.org.nz SalvationArmyNZFTS @SalvationArmyNZ salvationarmynzfts

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What kind of person should you be to someone who has fallen? The kind of person you will run to when you fall.

Carlos A. Rodriguez

Luke 24:46–47 This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations …

Ruka 24:46–47 Ko te mea tēnei i tuhituhia, ko te tikanga anō tēnei, ko te Karaiti kia whakamamaetia, kia ara anō i te hunga mate i te toru o ngā ra: Kia kauwhautia hoki te ripenetā me te murunga hara i runga i tōna ingoa ki ngā tauiwi katoa …

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any readers of War Cry will remember the remarkable story of Mark Basford, featured in February last year.

Mark, who was born in the UK, had his first drink of alcohol at age four, when he was at his grandfather’s house—he had to be rushed to hospital in an ambulance to have his stomach pumped. By the age of 12, he was sleeping rough under Brighton Pier.

It was then Mark met his father for the first time—who immediately told him to go out and get a bottle of whiskey. They drank together until he passed out. The next day, his father took Mark to a remote restaurant and was told he was going to be put to work there. He never saw his father again, but the alcohol stayed with him.

Mark managed to turn his life around when he emigrated to New Zealand—becoming a successful chef and restauranteur. ‘But it got to the stage where I would need a drink at 8 o’clock in the morning, just to get me started,’ he recalls.

Around five years ago, a life of alcoholism caught up with him. In severe liver failure, Mark walked into The Salvation Army in Upper Hutt—where thenCorps Officer Lieutenant Karl Foreman took him to the Bridge. ‘He saved my life,’ says Mark. An avowed atheist, Mark discovered that his ‘Higher Power’ could indeed take the burden and lead him to healing.

When we spoke to Mark over a year ago, he had been given six weeks to live. He had diabetes and liver cancer, and was in severe liver failure. We didn’t know whether Mark would make it to see his story in print.

But God had not yet written the last pages of his remarkable story. Mark defied the odds. At 11am on

27 September last year, he got the call to say a liver had become available and he was going to have a liver transplant. He had to get from Wellington to Auckland by 2pm that afternoon.

Mark went into theatre at 5am—during the operation he had to be resuscitated several times.

‘I died five times on the table, I don’t remember any of that, except I remember this very bright light and something saying to me, “I haven’t finished with you yet, get back in there”,’ recalls Mark.

It was a brutal three-month recovery in hospital.

But, today, Mark is cancer-free, diabetes-free, and he has lost 68kg. He has been given another 25 years to live—and best of all, he has just discovered he is going to be a grandfather. ‘I used to think I was going to die an alcoholic—I never thought I would live to have grandchildren, but here I am,’ smiles Mark.

Today, he gives back by visiting inmates in prison, participating in Recovery Church, and as a counsellor with the AA hotline. ‘I might get a call at any hour of the day or night, and I’ll ask, “How long has it been since you had a drink?” and it might only have been an hour, so I say, “Okay, well stay with me on the phone and we’ll make it two hours”.

‘There have been times in my life when I’ve had lots of money and lived the party lifestyle. I lost it all, but I can honestly say that I have never been happier than I am now,’ reflects Mark. ‘Once I found God, my life changed completely and utterly. If it can work for me, it can work for you.’

BY INGRID BARRATT

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Students are Life of A group of school students have partnered with The Salvation Army to give children in need a party to remember.

Boomerang Birthday Parties is the brainchild of Nyah Holland, Grace Nickel and Phoenix Dingle. The Year 13 Montessori school students came up with the idea while researching business ideas for the Young Enterprise Scheme.

‘There are over 70 organisations providing food, shelter and clothing for children, but none concentrating on providing a positive, fun experience for their crucial milestones,’ Nyah says.

Easy Tomato & Feta Tart 2 sheets (about 300g) pre-rolled flaky pastry, thawed 2 Tbsp tomato paste 1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp pesto 1 Tbsp water ½ tsp dried marjoram ½ tsp salt Grind of black pepper 250g small ripe tomatoes 1 small red onion ½ medium yellow or red capsicum, deseeded 1 medium zucchini 1–2 cloves garlic, crushed (optional) About 8 basil leaves, roughly shredded 2 Tbsp olive oil 100g feta cheese, crumbled Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Lay the first sheet of pasty on a light oiled or non-stick sprayed baking sheet.

Brush the pastry lightly with water, then lay the second sheet on top.

Press or roll the two sheets lightly together. Without cutting right through the pastry, run a sharp knife around the sheet about 1.5–2cm inside the edge, marking out a smaller square.

Mix together the tomato paste, dried basil or pesto, water, marjoram, salt and pepper. Spread this paste evenly over the surface of the smaller square, trying to keep the edge clean. Cut each of the tomatoes and the onion into 6–8 small wedges and slice the capsicum into strips about 1cm wide.

Halve the zucchini lengthwise and cut into thin (5mm) ribbons.

Combine the vegetables, garlic (if using) and basil leaves in a plastic bag or bowl. Add the olive oil and stir gently until the vegetables are well mixed and evenly coated with oil.

Arrange the prepared vegetables over the paste-covered base, then sprinkle the tart evenly with crumbled feta.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then bake at 200°C for 20–25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Serve hot, warm or cold with a green salad or as part of a picnic buffet.

Reprinted with permission from The Ultimate Vegetarian Collection by Alison and Simon Holst.

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The Salvation Army Community Ministries Manager in Lower Hutt, Liz Wolstenholme, nominates children for the parties, and then works with their families to help arrange the details— including transport if needed, food and the choice of venues.

‘There are people who want to help other families, and we can help to make that happen,’ Liz says.

It is never too late to be what you might have been.

George Eliot

SALLIEOF THEWEEK Bridget McLay

Ōamaru Corps Bridget McLay serves tirelessly as Ōamaru Corps’ volunteer Children’s Ministry Leader.

She’s involved in JAM (Jesus and Me) for primary-aged children, and ‘Escape’ for tweenies. She helps organise Messy Church each quarter, volunteers at the Family Store, and supports Hope Café—a fortnightly women’s ministry initiative. This superwoman can often be found serving behind the scenes in various areas of hospitality for the corps. Married to Leighton and busy mother of three, Bridget is a faithful volunteer who is actively working towards reestablishing Ōamaru Corps as an intergenerational church.

We salute you Bridget, as our Sallie of the Week!

the Party The social enterprise is funded through the sale of eco-friendly glow-in-thedark wristbands and tea towels, along with donations through a Givealittle page. Each party costs $500, and this money pays for transport, snacks, cake and a party at either Junglerama or Jumperama in Lower Hutt.

The child also receives a present.

These birthday parties have a ripple effect.

They don’t just affect the one child, but their nine friends who were invited, the children’s parents and their local community. One birthday can affect up to fifty people.

The idea of ‘what goes around comes around’ is behind the Boomerang name, and Nyah says this idea is at the centre of the initiative.

‘Each of us wanted to make a difference to children in poverty: it’s sad to see so much of it in such a beautiful country as New Zealand,’ says Nyah.

‘It’s important kids celebrate a crucial milestone like birthdays.’

TO DONATE | givealittle.co.nz/cause/ boomerang-birthday-parties-forkiwi-children

QUIKQUIZ

1 What place is known as the adventure capital of Fiji?

2 How many species of yams are there in the world? a) 35 b) 250 c) 600 3 Where is the Pulemelei Mound or Star Pyramid found?

4 Name one of the collective nouns for turtles.

5 Who was the first shepherd of the Bible?

Answers on page 22

TOPFIVE

Drama/Fantasy Yesterday (M) Directed by Danny Boyle

Yesterday tells the tale of Jack, a talented musician struggling to ‘make it big’ in the UK music scene—encouraged by his best friend and manager Ellie. Jack wakes up after being literally hit by a bus, to discover The Beatles no longer exist and no one has ever heard their music. Naturally, he decides to pass their songs off as his own. The fast ascent to stardom proves to be difficult for Jack—played by Himesh Patel who does an excellent job. While the film felt disjointed at times, the scenes where Jack performs iconic Beatles hits were beautiful and highlighted the magic of the Beatles’ songwriting skills. It (obviously) has an outstanding soundtrack, and an enjoyable, if slightly too predictable, plot.

(Reviewed by Julia de Ruiter)

In honour of the launch of the annual Self Denial Appeal next week, here’s our top five things we just can’t live without (but actually can): 5 Binging Netflix—Remember the bad old days when you had to wait a whole week for the next episode of your favourite programme?

4 GPS—But we don’t love the mangled place names. Does anyone know where Ta-pow is? It’s near Pute-a-roo-roo.

(That’s Taupō and Pūtāruru for those of us who aren’t computers!)

3 Body wash—When did we get too posh for a bar of soap?

2 Decaf almond triple-shot mochaccino—Or blow the barista’s mind and order instant coffee.

1 Google—remember when we used to wonder about things?

WARCRYINHISTORY

Weird of the Week: That clever chap Leonardo Da Vinci not only painted the Mona Lisa, he also invented scissors!

To promote the Self Denial campaign in 1911, Lieutenant M. Brown visited these ‘Austrian gum workers’ in the Far North to give them a War Cry. ‘These hardy men contribute annually to the Army’s work,’ said the article. We’re wondering, though, is this an historical typo that was meant to be ‘Australian’—or were these men very far from home? Let us know if you can shed any light on this!

Source: Booth College of Mission Heritage and Archives Centre 13 JULY 2019 WarCry 5

This ‘Dry July’ many Kiwi are giving up the booze to raise money for cancer research—it’s a great first piece in the puzzle towards sobriety.

And at the unique Northland Bridge programme, people are learning to put the pieces together to live a life free of alcohol and drugs.

BY JULES BADGER

À

ndrea Curtis knows exactly how hard some people must fall before asking for help with alcohol addiction.

‘I stopped drinking when my daughter was four. I woke up down a bank, minus a shoe. I had no memory of the night before—where I’d been, who I’d been with or what I’d done.

‘I had no idea where my daughter was. I hitch-hiked back into town to track her down. The friend [looking after her] said, “I’m not giving this girl back to you unless you get some help”,’ Àndrea recalls. ‘So, I started the journey of seeking recovery.’ Àndrea is now over 20 years drug and alcohol free, a Salvation Army soldier of Whangārei Corps, and works as the Clinical Team Leader at Northland Bridge—one of 17 Salvation Army drug and alcohol treatment programmes, known as Bridge centres, in New Zealand and Samoa.

‘My “lived experience” of addiction enables me to ask the hard questions,’ she says. ‘I can call people’s bluff. Women, especially, often present with deep shame around the terrible things that have happened when they are intoxicated, but I’ve been there so I can empathise and de-stigmatise that shame. Without “lived experience” I wouldn’t know to go there.’

A second chance Àndrea is not the only staff member at Northland Bridge who’s ‘been there’.

One of the first people you see when you walk through the doors is Centre Administrator Jennifer Johnston.

‘Growing up, my father was a very heavy drinker. I vowed I would never drink because I didn’t want to be like him. But after my first taste of alcohol at 17 years old, I was hooked.’

Jennifer had her first drink-driving charge at age 19. Marriage and children followed, and while life carried on, so did her battle with alcohol. ‘My drinking just got progressively worse and worse over the years. I repeatedly tried to quit but I just couldn’t do it on my own. I always failed,’ she explains.

But a second drink-driving charge resulted in court-appointed community service at The Salvation Army. ‘I helped at the foodbank, and then started going to church at Whangārei Corps where I heard about the Bridge programme and decided to give it a go.’

Jennifer did the programme and took on board what she learned—but continued to drink. ‘I prayed and prayed that God would take away my desire for alcohol. And then one night after a bender, I cried out to God in utter desperation. The next day the cravings were gone! I’ve been sober for seven years now.’

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Jennifer attributes her ongoing sobriety to God’s miraculous healing, the tools she learnt on the programme, the supportive environment she works in at the Bridge, and her close personal relationship with God. ‘Being close to God is crucial—he’s the antidote to the alcohol cravings that plagued me for all those years,’ she testifies.

A balanced approach Clients say that having staff with ‘lived experience’ is extremely helpful, confirms Northland Bridge Director Major Sue Hay. But at the same time, Sue celebrates that there is balance in her team.

‘People who have navigated the challenges of life without succumbing to addiction have another set of skills to offer to the treatment framework. Having both perspectives adds to what we are able to provide here,’ she affirms.

Sue is one of those people herself and has a strong Godgiven calling. ‘When I was at university I observed a group of drunk people and God placed this idea in my head that I was to work with addicts and minister to them in their addiction. My personal life mission is to facilitate hope and healing—so it is incredibly rewarding to see people leaving the Bridge with more hope and a greater sense of healing than when they arrived.

‘Dry July provides an opportunity for people to consciously sit back and reflect on their drinking habits. It’s a chance to discover benefits, like improved relationships, new financial options, clear skin and what it’s like to wake up without a hangover,’ says Sue. Current clients pursuing recovery from addictive substances like alcohol, cannabis and methamphetamine through the Whangārei Bridge programme completely agree with Sue. ‘Staying sober for a month will be a harsh reality check,’ one woman says. ‘Self-awareness increases as you become aware of your cravings and dependency on substances—what you’ve done to your body. But in a month your health can improve a lot, including your mental health. That’s what it was like for me,’ she recalls.

Another client explains that it took getting sober to understand that she had been unconsciously using substances to self-medicate from pain. ‘Getting off alcohol meant facing some really hard stuff,’ she admits.

Holiness in brokenness ‘Trauma is the biggest issue underlying substance use that we see,’ agrees Sue. ‘People are self-medicating. So, to stop taking 8 WarCry 13 JULY 2019

the substance that has numbed that pain means facing some incredibly painful life experiences. That takes a whole lot of courage. Firstly, just to put your hand up and ask for help; secondly, to admit that you are less than the person you want to be, less than the parent you want to be.

‘To be vulnerable enough to trust a bunch of strangers with your story, and then to achieve behaviour change and permanently turn your life around, that’s a massive undertaking.

I just sit back in awe of how hard people work on themselves and what they achieve here.’

Sue quotes Richard Rohr who says, ‘How clever of God to hide holiness in brokenness’. It’s a profound statement—one that helps Sue view people through God’s eyes. ‘We see people with horrendous criminal backgrounds, but that is of no consequence to us. What matters is helping people find a way forward into personal transformation.’

‘BEING CLOSE TO GOD IS CRUCIAL—HE’S THE ANTIDOTE TO THE ALCOHOL CRAVINGS THAT PLAGUED ME FOR ALL THOSE YEARS.’ A unique approach to treatment The Northland Bridge includes Whangārei, Kaikohe and Kaitaia, and functions differently to others around the country in terms of the suite of programmes offered. What’s unique is that there is no residential programme.

‘I’ve come to really love this model because you’re not removing people from their everyday environment. They get to go home every afternoon and practise the skills they’re learning, and then come back and share how they got on. As they make changes, the people around them are forced to adjust to that change. There’s a lot of evidence now that this is a very effective means of doing treatment,’ Sue explains.

‘We see 1000 clients annually across Northland. When you consider that those people are impacting 8–10 others in their whānau and wider community, that’s a significant proportion of the Northland population experiencing the effects of positive life change. And that’s our mission—to see whānau

Part of the Northland Bridge team: (from left) Jennifer Johnston, Major Sue Hay and Ándrea Curtis.

and communities transformed because individuals find healing,’ Sue affirms.

Sue desperately wants to see a shift in attitudes so that New Zealand can become a place where drinking happens without harm. ‘When drinking is restricted to 1–2 standard drinks at a time, the harm done is significantly reduced. But it is very hard to convince people of this.’

The cost of substance abuse But it’s not just alcohol. Cannabis use is rampant, particularly among young people, she says. ‘What we know is that if people start using cannabis during their teen years, they will do damage to their developing brain—losing IQ points and stunting their emotional development.

‘We see this as people enter treatment later in life. We also know that cannabis use means latent tendencies towards psychosis, and mental illness as severe as schizophrenia can be triggered by cannabis use. No one can predict if they will be one of those people this happens to, so cannabis and substance users are playing with fire,’ Sue warns.

And then there’s the meth epidemic. Northland wastewater studies, which calculate the levels of by-product for this region, reveal the highest use of meth per head of population in New Zealand. Wastewater is a very accurate way of measuring the problem, and Sue and her team are seeing increasing numbers of people presenting for treatment as meth addicts.

‘THAT’S OUR MISSION—TO SEE WHĀNAU AND COMMUNITIES TRANSFORMED BECAUSE INDIVIDUALS FIND HEALING.’ The Salvation Army is currently involved in a collaborative project with Police, the District Health Board and other addiction providers across Northland. ‘The goal is to improve access to the treatment and ensure that people are seen promptly the minute they put their hand up to seek help,’ she reports.

‘Police divert low-level users to treatment as their first option.’

But seeking treatment is much more complex than it may first appear: ‘It can be very tricky if you’ve been a dealer, or if you’re afraid of meeting your dealer in a treatment programme.

‘The biggest journey starts with the smallest step’— part of a mural at Northland Bridge.

We do our best to manage this sort of cross-over, but it’s complex. There are some high-profile drug users who just don’t want to be seen. Some may owe money or may have caused harm in the community and they desperately want to avoid meeting up with people they may owe emotional, physical or financial debts to,’ explains Sue.

What is success?

A lot of us assume that successful treatment means that people are fully healed and living functional, happy lives. But success in treatment is about the small steps, and looks very different for every person, says Sue. ‘Success can look like reducing substance use so that a person is functioning better within their whānau. It can look like restored family relationships, and the ability to maintain employment. It looks like better mental health outcomes and less criminal activity. It can look like the mum who is suddenly available to her kids, can put food on the table and actually get them to sports practice. It can look like the couple who entered treatment together and upon completion are able to regain the care of their children.

‘Success is the person who said: “My diminished mana has been restored”. Success is: “I arrived empty but now my kete is full of tools and skills to help navigate life”.

‘Success is the person who graduates from the programme saying, “I arrived lost and now I’m a little bit ‘saved’.”

‘And success is connecting our clients with a vibrant community of believers where they can belong before they believe, and grow into a faith experience. Both Whangārei and Kaitaia Corps do this exceptionally well here in Northland.’

Ultimately, success is simply taking the first steps towards healing—and Salvation Army Bridge programmes are there to help people put together the pieces of their life—and find a life of peace.

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Animal Instinct The concept of ‘emotional support animals’ has garnered a lot of discussion—and some giggles.

But science has shown that owning a pet greatly improves your mental health.

Ever giggled at the idea of a miniature pony boarding a plane as an emotional support animal (ESA)? What about a kangaroo or a squirrel? Would you consider a hedgehog or goat a viable alternative? Each of these creatures (and others) are legitimate emotional support animals!

Chances are most of us won’t find ourselves in need of a registered ESA, but there are plenty of benefits for our mental and physical health by spending some time with animals.

ANIMALS ENCOURAGE PLAYFULNESS, LAUGHTER AND EXERCISE, WHICH CAN HELP BOOST YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM AND INCREASE YOUR ENERGY.

According to Psychology Today, ‘Pet owners score more favorably on numerous mental and physical health measures’. They have more self-esteem, less fear and loneliness compared with those who live in a pet-free household. Owning a pet also increases the likelihood that you exercise and, therefore, are physically fit.

A study revealed that ‘pets inoculate people against the effects of social rejection’. Pet owners who wrote about their pets were less likely to feel low after being rejected, compared with the control group. ‘The pet friend and human friend were just as effective as a means of providing social support.’ The researchers concluded that ‘pets infuse substantial well-being benefits to their humans’.

Other studies have shown that dog owners are less likely to have depression. ‘Caring for a dog can help build greater resilience and coping skills to ward off depression, anxiety and dangerous levels of stress.’

Dogs and cats aren’t the only pets that provide health benefits— visiting an aquarium and watching fish swimming around can lower your pulse and reduce muscle tension. (Unless you’re petrified of sharks, of course!)

One of the therapeutic effects is that, ‘pets fulfill the basic human need for touch. Even hardened criminals in prison show long-term changes in their behaviour after interacting with pets, many of them experiencing mutual affection for the first time,’ says Helpguide.com.

Pets also contribute to a healthy aging process. As we retire from our career and our children move away, ‘caring for a pet can bring pleasure and help boost your morale, optimism and sense of self-worth’. Dogs, especially, can be a great conversation starter and help us to meet new people (which can get harder

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the older we get). If laughter is good medicine, then a daily dose of cats and dogs is just what the doctor ordered. Animals encourage ‘playfulness, laughter and exercise, which can help boost your immune system and increase your energy’.

If you don’t have a pet of your own, there are still ways to benefit from animal interactions. You could visit your local SPCA or adoption centre. Most allow you to hang out with the animals.

There’s nothing quite like 15 minutes cuddling a puppy or getting a kitten to chase a toy around the room. Some centres also care for rabbits, livestock and other domestic animals.

Perhaps Charlie Brown was onto something when he said: ‘happiness is a warm puppy’.

Pets help us make healthy lifestyle changes by: Increasing exercise.

Providing companionship.

Helping you meet new people.

Reducing stress.

Adding structure and routine to your day.

Providing sensory stress relief.

TESTIFY! A lifetime working in the corporate world meant Kevin Duxfield was the perfect fit as the Business Administrator at Northland Bridge.

After a long struggle with his physical health, Kevin says he has discovered spiritual wellbeing through this role.

I come from a Northland farming background and was raised in a Brethren family. I met my wife, Debra, when I was working for an insurance company in Wellington. She comes from a strong Wellington City Salvation Army family. Those were the days of the high neck uniform and bonnet— I thought she looked great! We married in 1982 and have attended the Army together ever since.

I worked in corporate finance for close to 40 years and have done everything from money lending and repossessing cars, to internal audits. But in 2005 I became unwell with recurring glandular fever, which later developed into chronic fatigue.

Eventually I was made redundant. So, in 2008—with our three children all grown up—Debra and I went to Aussie where we attended Chatsford Corps in Sydney, and I worked in risk management for a pharmaceutical company.

‘I LOVE THAT WELLBEING IS SUCH A FOCUS HERE—ESPECIALLY FOR STAFF. THIS IS TOTALLY DIFFERENT TO MY EXPERIENCE IN THE CORPORATE WORLD.’ skills, but I also love that wellbeing is such a focus here—especially for staff.

This is totally different to my experience in the corporate world.

I continued to struggle with my health, so with a grandchild on the way, we returned to New Zealand and brought our retirement plans forward.

We’d always agreed that Northland would be the place we’d settle, so in 2012 we surprised ourselves by buying an old Catholic church as our retirement home!

At the Bridge I can bring my whole self to work—I don’t have to check my faith at the door the way I often felt I had to in the corporate world. I can turn on my worship music and sing to my heart’s content and no one bats an eye. I love taking part in devotions each morning, and often go with our clients up to Whangārei Corps for waiata group.

Renovation costs determined that a return to work would be necessary.

I was hopeful that my skills might be useful to the Army, so I put some feelers out, and here I am! The Northland Bridge is such a good fit for me because I can serve and use my

Debra and I also go to Te Reo classes on Saturday mornings. It’s a no-brainer for us to be learning the language of the tangata whenua. If we were in France, we’d take French lessons, so why wouldn’t we learn Te Reo? The classes have been so special—a real eye-opener,

and this introduction to bi-culturalism has enriched my faith.

People are people, and while there are gaps and differences that the enemy likes to jump on, I’m just an ordinary Pākehā guy desiring unity. Recently, a Māori brother got enrolled as a soldier at the corps. I was delighted to be able to pray with him and say: ‘Truly you are my brother—in culture and in faith’.

I’m so grateful to God for the opportunity to work at the Bridge. At the end of the working day, I wander around the building closing windows and shutting doors and praying in each of the rooms for what will happen the next day.

The longer I’m at the Bridge, the more important this practise has become for me. I love it and I’m thriving!

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Robbie’s Ability When Robbie Francis, who was born with one leg, saw the appalling conditions of disabled people on the other side of the world, she knew she had to do something …

BY HUGH COLLINS

Originally from Hamilton, Dr Robbie Francis is the co-founder of The Lucy Foundation, a social enterprise that works with local communities to develop a culture of inclusiveness for those with disabilities. This is based around the building of a coffee trade that is environmentally, economically and ethically sustainable.

Robbie was born with a disability—the foundation is even named after ‘Lucy’—the pet name she gave her prosthetic left leg! She has done various political and NGO work around the world, and has a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Otago.

The inspiration for the enterprise came about when Robbie was interning in Mexico City for Disability Rights International.

It was here she was exposed to the atrocious treatment of those living with disabilities in developing countries. She recalls a particular visit to a place where disabled people were treated as ‘second class citizens’.

‘I had never seen anything quite like it, a huge number of people living in a very small space in torturous conditions,’ Robbie says. ‘That really became the turning point for me, where I understood that as a disabled woman with an education and a support network, I had a responsibly to stand up for my own community.

‘Coming out of that place it really struck me. I had Brooke Fraser’s words ringing through my head.

“Now that I have seen I am responsible, I will tell the world”.’

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A STRENGTH, NOT WEAKNESS

Back in New Zealand, Robbie and some old friends began thinking about how they could show the value of diversity through business and employment. With much of the world perceiving disability as a deficit, burden or weakness, Robbie wanted to demonstrate it as a beautiful variation of life.

‘It’s something I consider my strength, not my weakness,’ she says of her own disability.

‘It has its challenges for sure, I’m not debating that. But we really wanted to show that we can see it as a strength and recognise the value that disabled people bring to our communities and societies.’

Robbie and friends thought about their love for coffee and decided it could be a superb vehicle for change.

After a number of emails were sent off around the world, they stumbled upon Pluma Hidalgo—a coffee farming village in the state of Oaxaca in south-west Mexico. The isolated mountain community had a number of indigenous families affected by disabilities.

It wasn’t long before The Lucy Foundation established a team on the ground, with Field Directors Jessica PantojaSanders and Ryan Sanders moving to Pluma Hidalgo with their children in 2016.

The Pluma Coffee project has since worked to develop a sustainable value chain of coffee that is not only inclusive of disabled people, but works for the good of the environment, community and economy.

You will see people with disabilities in every step of the process in Mexico, from working the fields to serving in the cafés.

Lucy’s business partners in New Zealand, who also support the training and employment of disabled people, include coffee importer John Burton Ltd, the Able Coffee Collaborative roastery, Coffee Educators barista training school and Colab Cafe in Lower Hutt.

‘LITTLE WINS’ MAKE A DIFFERENCE Now, after three years of operation, the team in Pluma has made a number of achievements.

They have hosted more than 60 inclusive and accessible agricultural workshops with coffee-farming families and the wider Pluma community.

They have also created more than 6000 litres of organic bio-fertiliser and 600 litres of organic insect and disease treatment for crops. A before-and-after photo on The Lucy Foundation Facebook page shows how this fertiliser has transformed unhealthy coffee plants into ones that are fertile, green and lush.

Robbie says while the work has been slow and daunting, it’s the little wins that make it worthwhile and remind her why she does it.

She talks of Pepe, a young man who was originally unable to go to school because of a disability since birth.

‘Now he’s 21, is taking reading lessons and is reading at Level 3. He’s told us he wants to start a business and one day wants to run the Lucy Foundation.’

Another man has gone from being a social outcast with limited social skills to confidently interacting with others in the community.

‘His sister told us that before working with us people would mock and laugh at him. Now he’s considered one of the cool guys in town and can go do his own shopping and attends workshops on his own. She says

no one laughs at him anymore as he’s a valued member of the community who has a sense of belonging.’

Robbie also talks of the win of going from 15 to 600kg of coffee imports from Pluma to New Zealand.

‘Even though we’re not talking about huge amounts of coffee, to go from that much in the space of such a short amount of time on the smell of an oily rag is absolutely heart-warming.’

A major achievement of 2019 has been the transitioning of leadership to two local woman—a longer term goal of the foundation.

The next steps will now be about not only producing more coffee at a better quality, but distributing it around New Zealand. This will be aimed at those in work spaces and getting them to transition from standard office coffee, to coffee that supports human rights and environmental sustainability.

Other successes of The Lucy Foundation include: • helping Coffee Educators in Lower Hutt develop a local barista training programme in Pluma Hidalgo (also delivered in sign language) • setting up beehives to increase coffee quality through pollination while producing additional income for families • the support of three disabled people into paid, parttime contract work • launching their first batch of Pluma coffee and cascara tea in New Zealand in 2017 • increasing the quantity of Pluma products imported into New Zealand.

‘I truly believe that the model we’re working from has the potential to transform the way that we include diversity in business,’ Robbie says.

The Salvation Army has its own Fair Trade coffee brand Hamodava, check it out at www.hamodava.com.

NO ONE LAUGHS AT HIM ANYMORE AS HE’S A VALUED MEMBER OF THE COMMUNITY WHO HAS A SENSE OF BELONGING 13 JULY 2019 WarCry 13

Hutt City Chinese Fellowship Bringing a Touch of Culture to the Table ‘We will talk to people and bring them to Christ. That is our goal.’ Wai Phang and Swee Chan Wong tell their story about starting a Chinese Fellowship at Hutt City Salvation Army.

BY COURTNEY DAY

‘It was a progression, but our calling was to make a Chinese ministry amongst migrants.’ Swee Chan grew up as a Christian in Malaysia, and Wai Phang was baptised in Singapore in 1989 while they were working there.

When they migrated to New Zealand in 1996, they enrolled in the Bible College of New Zealand in Auckland.

‘Before we joined The Salvation Army, we were pastoring in different churches in New Zealand,’ Wai Phang recalls. ‘When we finished the course, we went back to Singapore for a year, then we felt God calling us to come back to New Zealand.’

When they returned to New Zealand in December 2000, they spent the next 10 years pastoring in Auckland, Christchurch, and later Wellington.

Wai Phang remembers moving to Hutt City Corps and working as a Finance Administrator, where they discovered numeracy and literacy classes run by English tutor Mike Carrington.

‘I helped with the advertising to get students in. After one or 14 WarCry 13 JULY 2019

two years we got more students and me and Swee Chan decided to start our own fellowship just for Chinese.’

They started the Chinese Fellowship in 2013, where they taught children’s songs and English phrases.

‘We always taught from the Bible, but most of the people who came were elderly and not Christian, so they didn’t want to listen to anything from the Bible,’ says Swee Chan. ‘Instead, we used verses from the Bible and translated it into Chinese, so people would enjoy learning.’

Running for 90 minutes every Thursday, the church grew bigger and more people became interested in the Christian teaching.

‘Some people would be keen to know what God is like. We would split into groups to answer quite pointed questions, like if they think God is real,’ explains Swee Chan. ‘They were interested because they could see similarities and differences to Chinese religions.’

The fellowship led on to running Chinese Bible Study sessions every Tuesday in addition to the church. Wai Phang and Swee Chan have also written their own workbook for the sessions, which include reading exercises and new English words.

SOME PEOPLE WOULD BE KEEN TO KNOW WHAT GOD IS LIKE. WE WOULD SPLIT INTO GROUPS TO ANSWER QUITE POINTED QUESTIONS, LIKE IF THEY THINK GOD IS REAL ‘The students contribute a lot. They are now able to relate their life to the Bible teaching,’ says Wai Phang. ‘We observe and listen. After we know them, we know whether they’re ready to take another step to accept Christ.’

As well as studying, the Chinese Fellowship likes to help the local community.

‘They want to feel useful,’ says Swee Chan. ‘We did a lot of recycling of old t-shirts and turned them into shopping bags for the Family Store.’

The Bible Study Group also knitted adult bibs for local retirement homes. ‘They wanted to help the community. It’s all about being with them, working together on projects and feeling like we have a common goal.’

Wai Phang and Swee Chan also host annual events to introduce Chinese to the Sunday church.

Their past events have been based around dumplings, handmade noodles and a Chinese banquet to raise funds for the corps.

‘It always centres around food, so this year we had a high tea. We called it “East Meets West” because it’s a mix of the two cultures.’

The high tea involved a buffet of Asian food, accompanied by English desserts.

‘We understand that Kiwi eat very little bits of food for high tea. In China, nobody eats a little bit. Everybody eats heaps, because that’s the meaning of “eat”,’ laughs Swee Chan.

The buffet included soups, dim sum, sushi, spring rolls, sumo rolls and prawn crackers, as well as English and Chinese teas.

Wai Phang says the annual events have prompted some of the students to attend Sunday services. ‘It’s an encouragement, because for a long time we didn’t know if people were taking in anything.’

He says although only half the Chinese Fellowship are Christian, it is about introducing them to God and supporting their journey. ‘In general, we are aware that people just come and go. We don’t mind that, the whole concept is to bring them to Christ, but it is like planting seeds.

‘Even though they may not become Christian, the message is there in their heart. They take it away; some of them stay here, and some of them take it back to China, so we never know what they think.’

Swee Chan explains a lot of the students who come through are grandparents looking after their grandchildren. Her favourite story is of an elderly couple who came through the church with their granddaughter: ‘They brought their grandkid to our playgroup and we befriended them. In the Chinese Church, they accepted Christ, which was special because they’re a family.

‘They weren’t able to bring their daughter or son-in-law to church, but they could bring their grandchild, so God can reach the younger generation.’

Prayer is also at the heart of their Tuesday and Thursday sessions. ‘Whenever we ask who wants to pray, only Christians would do it,’ says Swee Chan. ‘There was one gentleman who got ill and the ambulance was called. We had a group of 40 people,

Wai Phang and Swee Chan Wong, Chinese Fellowship, Hutt City Salvation Army.

and we got them to pray. Not everybody did, but it was an introduction.’

Since then, the fellowship has started to pray more confidently. ‘When another person fell ill, their immediate thought was to pray for them. They asked by themselves. So even though it’s a bad situation, something good has come from it.’

They also have the chance to attend a Chinese Alpha course, which is now fully run in Mandarin.

With encouragement from the Corps Officers, a small Chinese Sunday worship started in January. It is a unique Chinese worship style with the first half combined with the English congregation.

‘We’ve had many people coming forward and helping, which is very kind. For me, it’s a journey. You have to journey with people to grow.’

THEY WANTED TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. IT’S ALL ABOUT BEING WITH THEM, WORKING TOGETHER ON PROJECTS AND FEELING LIKE WE HAVE A COMMON GOAL.

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Indonesia ‘Undaunted’ by Earthquakes as it Celebrates 125 Years of Salvation Army As our territory joins together to raise money in the aftermath of the Indonesian earthquakes, the Indonesia Territory remained ‘undaunted’ as they celebrated 125 years of Salvation Army ministry.

Excitement and anticipation were tangible, as General Brian Peddle and Commissioner Rosalie Peddle (World President of Women’s Ministries) arrived in Indonesia for celebrations. As they were greeted at Jakarta’s international airport, the sight and intensity of sound as the cadets saluted the General with a fervent hallelujah was inspiring, immediately creating a sense of unity. Traditional scarves and flowers were presented followed by the first of many smiles, photos and strong handshakes!

The following day, the Peddles travelled to Palu, the epicentre of the damaging 7.5-magnitude earthquake in September 2018, where many parts of the city are being entirely rebuilt.

One memorable meeting was with Captain Susan AssahSereh at Jonooge Corps, where the new Salvation Army hall was destroyed. The captain told the international leaders the compelling story of how she and her son miraculously survived the earthquake. Recording a video message to Salvationists worldwide, the General described Indonesian Salvationists as ‘people of faith’ for whom ‘it is a long journey to recovery, but the spirit of the people is undaunted!’

Later, the General signed plaques for three corps buildings badly damaged by the earthquake but now refurbished. An evening meal was hosted at The Salvation Army’s Woodward Hospital, which had played an integral part in the early days following the disaster. The hospital provided medical services, including additional mobile clinics to remote villages and trauma counselling sessions for six months. The General expressed thanks for the outstanding work undertaken and difference made to the community.

A huge crowd of some 17,000 Salvationists and friends gathered at a football ground in the nearby village of Maranatha (which, fittingly, is also an Aramaic word meaning ‘our Lord is coming’). A local Muslim drum band performed and an official welcome was given by Mr Iwan Lapata, Mayor of Sigi and Dr Hidayat Lamakarate, representative of the Governor of Central Sulawesi.

16 WarCry 13 JULY 2019

Chief Secretary Lieut-Colonel Yusak Tampai—himself local to Palu—responded with words of appreciation before the General spoke. The international leaders, in common with other speakers, spoke powerfully about working together and interfaith harmony.

Acknowledgement was made of Salvation Army service and ministry in Indonesia featuring a 125-strong children’s choir. Testimonies of those who were directly impacted by the earthquake detailed their experiences and testified how God kept them safe. These were moving and poignant moments for all present.

Sacred moments followed General Peddle’s address when the invitation was given to come forward for prayer. People were literally ‘running towards prayer’, the General observed in a Tweet. ‘I watched people hold hands and run towards the place of prayer, so as not to miss a place to stand and be part of the dedication.’ The Holy Spirit was evidently moving during what was a time of healing too, as many responding had been directly impacted by the disaster.

FROM A REPORT BY ENVOYS KEVIN AND JANE SANDFORD To find out more about donating to ‘Together We Build’ and helping re-build officer’s quarters destroyed during the Indonesian earthquakes, email togetherwebuild@salvationarmy.org.nz

KiwiBuy Aims to Help Families Into Home Ownership With exorbitant house prices across the country, The Salvation Army and others have begun an initiative aiming to get more New Zealand families into home ownership.

KiwiBuy is a response to widespread calls for affordable housing options for low- and medium-income New Zealanders— launched in partnership with Habitat for Humanity, Community Housing Aotearoa and the Housing Foundation.

KiwiBuy campaign chair Major Campbell Roberts says KiwiBuy is partially a reaction to an out-of-control housing market that’s putting huge pressures on social, community and transitional housing.

He says while KiwiBuild—a government housing programme targeted at first home buyers—combats the issue of supply, it’s ‘no good’ when it comes to making houses affordable.

‘Kiwibuild is really looking at housing for households with incomes of around $90,000 north … well we’ve got a lot of people below a $90,000 household income and they just couldn’t consider KiwiBuild.’

Campbell says some people are even turning up to KiwiBuild with deposits of around three and four hundred thousand.

‘Getting people into homes of their own is not just about addressing the issue of supply, they need to be affordable.’

KiwiBuy, however, will follow solutions and models used by other community housing providers, such as ‘shared equity’ and ‘rent-to-buy’.

Shared equity allows people to buy their home slowly over a number of years. They start by buying a 60–70 percent share and over time are able to work towards owning the entire home.

Rent-to-buy enables people to start in a new house by paying rent, a portion of which goes toward a deposit. They slowly work towards buying the entire home when the household has enough equity.

Campbell says the community housing sector in New Zealand has proven these models are successful, one example being the Queenstown Lakes Community Housing Trust.

‘Both of those models and other solutions, which community housing providers had developed, were successful [in New Zealand] in getting the target market into housing. But the trouble is there’s not enough people getting in.’

However, Campbell makes it clear KiwiBuy is not about ‘knocking’ the KiwiBuild concept.

‘It’s saying “there is something else needed here” and that is the ability for people to be able to afford to buy, so you need to help them at that end, as well as providing the supply.’

Inside information suggests the government is beginning to take the idea of KiwiBuy seriously, Campbell says.

‘The important thing is that the pressure is kept on. We know this system works because it’s been proven already. We’re not asking them to take on something that’s unproven or might not get people into houses. We know it does get people into houses.’

Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Hutson of the Social Policy and Parliamentary Unit says KiwiBuy enables people to ‘start where they are’.

‘They’ll end up with some equity, whereas what is happening at the moment is people are stuck with rentals. And the price of housing means all that money goes to paying rent, it doesn’t go to anything they’ll ever own.’

BY HUGH COLLINS

As Seen on Facebook

Lieutenant-Colonels Ian and Lynette Hutson represented The Salvation Army at the Government’s Social Sector Budget lock up this year. And guess who they ran into? Old mate Jacinda Ardern—who looks very much like she’s wearing Salvation Army colours!

Congratulations to Napolioni Ratu from Saweni Corps Fiji, who made the Fiji Rugby 7s squad in March this year. ‘Praying God’s blessings upon you. Stay close to Him,’ said the corps FB page.

Sydenham Corps used food left over from a women’s event to make frozen meals for Community Ministries. What a fab way to reuse and repurpose!

At a Southern Division Women’s Ministries event, Sheila Moreton stood tall as she told her story of how she used to be bound to a wheelchair. But God told her, ‘Lean on me and I will deliver you.’

13 JULY 2019 WarCry 17

94-Year-Old Commissioner Parachutes Into Normandy Commissioner Harry Read made news around the world recently, when, at 94-years-old, he re-enacted his D-Day parachute jump into Normandy.

On 6 June, the distinguished WWII veteran from the UK joined the Red Devils troop to do a tandem skydive into Normandy, repeating the D-Day landing he took part in 75 years ago.

He had already done a ‘practice jump’ in September last year to raise money for Salvation Army anti-human trafficking work in the UK, and has so far raised almost £21,000 for the cause.

‘It is a stupid thing to do at my age,’ Harry told The Guardian. ‘Elderly men don’t do parachute jumps.’ Harry sat in seat 12 on the Dakota aeroplane, just like he did 75 years ago when he was a 20-yearold wireless operator in WWII. Back then, he was weighed down with a battery the size of a toolbox strapped to his leg. And to avoid attack, parachuting took place as close to the ground as possible.

Harry remembers the fateful day vividly: ‘One of the briefing officers, whether it was deliberately or an onrush of untoward honesty, I don’t know, but he said, “We ought to tell you, we are expecting 50 percent casualties on landing”. It was very sombre,’ he told The Guardian.

‘I remember, it was a bright sunny day. And I went to a quiet place in the camp. I sat down and thought very deeply about what I was going to do. I came to the conclusion I would do everything I could to live up to being a “para” in enemy country. I wouldn’t surrender. I would be ready for any opportunity when it came. I settled it within my heart and within my mind.’

On landing, it became immediately obvious there were a great many casualties. Harry had fallen into a flooded trench and was submerged underwater.

After an hour of pulling himself from one flooded trench to another, he met another ‘para’—they exchanged passwords and crawled through the swamp for the next 16 hours.

Harry says that 75 years later there was ‘a delight in jumping’, but his main thoughts were for the men that didn’t 18 WarCry 13 JULY 2019

Vi’ia le Ali’i! Samoa Celebrates 23 New Enrolments

make it. ‘I resonate more with the sacrifice than I do with the celebration. The sacrifice enabled the celebration to take place, of course. And I think of my mates who died.

‘I get very moved when I think about them. I have lived one of the most fulfilled lives that it’s possible for a person to live and they haven’t,’ he told the Press Association before the jump. ‘I will stand in that cemetery and I will be speechless and I’ll weep.’

But it was a strong sense of faith that gave Harry the courage to go ahead with the skydive. ‘At whatever age we are, we are more than capable of shrinking from something that we feel is beyond us. But, I believe we should not withdraw from a challenge—yesterday is not our best, our best is tomorrow,’ he said.

As a Salvation Army officer, Harry served as Territorial Commander in both the UK and East Australia, and as Chief Secretary in Canada.

In 2016, he was awarded France’s highest honour, the Chevalier, by order of the Légion d’Honneur for the role he played in the country’s liberation from the Nazis in June 1944.

To support Harry’s skydive against human trafficking, go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ harry-read

Apia Corps Plant in Samoa recently celebrated the enrolment of 23 foundation members of The Salvation Army Samoa. Following a series of successful membership classes held on a Sunday afternoon, the new members were ready for the enrolment Sunday.

The day started with the corps family gathering together for a time of prayer prior to the enrolment service. After an opening time of praise and worship, and reminding everyone of the requirements of being a soldier, Regional Leader Lieutenant-Colonel Rod Carey invited the nine new senior soldiers to come forward and sign their Soldiers Covenant.

Corps Plant Officer Captain Miriama Simanu offered prayer for the new soldiers.

Pauline Tanielu represented the soldiers by sharing her testimony, thanking God for his grace and blessings in her life. She looked forward to serving the Lord as a soldier of The Salvation Army.

The enrolment of nine senior soldiers was matched by the enrolment of nine adherents. After promising to follow Christ and serve others, along with a prayer of dedication, they were presented with their Adherent Certificates. Aitu Fesuiai represented the adherents by giving her testimony thanking God for his love and grace, and her mother Sala for her godly influence in her life.

Miriama then enrolled the five Junior soldiers, who recited their promises and Regional Leader Lieutenant-Colonel Jenny Carey gave them their Junior Soldier badge and certificate, before praying for God to guard and guide their lives. The

‘ … DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPACT YOU CAN MAKE.’ Apia Corps had 23 enrolments

corps family warmly greeted the five boys resplendent in their white uniforms.

During the Bible message, Rod challenged everyone to get involved with God’s mission in the world and to share the good news of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The enrolment service was followed by a celebration lunch (to’onai) with a Size 2 pig and traditional food. Pauline and Aitu cut the enrolment cake which was shared with everyone.

There are more people stepping up to dedicate their lives to serve Christ, so a second enrolment Sunday is planned for the one-year anniversary of the official opening, in August this year.

We praise the Lord for his faithfulness and blessing on the work in Samoa. Lives are being changed, people are dedicating themselves to the mission of building God’s Church and the Alcohol and Drug programme is offering new hope and destiny. Vi’ia le Ali’i (Praise the Lord)!

BY LIEUTENANT-COLONEL ROD CAREY Newly enrolled Adherents, Aitu, George and Sheree serving lunch

God has been prodding me lately, unsettling me, challenging me to step out and engage more with people …

Some days I just want God to stop it, but I know he is right to prod me. You see, I am part of a movement, The Salvation Army—Te Ope Whakaora—the Army that brings life. We are mobilised by God to care for people, transform lives and reform society.

Or, as our international mission statement says: preach the gospel of Jesus Christ and meet human need in his name without discrimination.

So, what is our role? A relationship, first and foremost with God and then with others, is the road our Salvation movement and we individually travel along. The Army is often described as ‘Christianity with its sleeves rolled up’: getting stuck in and engaged, journeying in relationship with individuals and their whānau, not giving up when things get tough.

If you, in whatever setting, have the opportunity and privilege of journeying alongside someone, don’t feel you can’t do it because you’re not trained or don’t know what to say. I have learnt that God goes before us, and often the simplest of actions can begin a relationship and make a huge impact for the kingdom—so don’t underestimate the impact you can make. Jesus said in Matthew 10:42, ‘And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely not lose your reward.’

If in reading this, you are thinking, ‘I can’t do this, it’s too hard, I don’t know what to say, or how to begin a conversation’, then take heart in how Jesus chose some unlikely people to be his disciples. Take Simon Peter, for example, a fisherman who was what we would call ‘rough around the edges’. Peter argued with the other disciples, even rebuking Jesus when he spoke of his upcoming death. If that wasn’t enough, he denied Jesus—not just once, but three times. On the face of it, Peter had more weaknesses than strengths. Yet Jesus used him.

Jesus didn’t pick influential, well-connected people to be his disciples. He chose very ordinary people who didn’t think they had much to offer, and on more than one occasion they let Jesus down.

Peter was an ordinary man who, after faltering more than a few times, stepped up to follow Jesus and ‘feed his sheep’. Jesus is still calling and using ordinary women and men to do extraordinary things for his Kingdom. Every day, there are fantastic examples of this happening right across our territory of New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

Captain Gerry Walker Assistant Secretary for Programme 13 JULY 2019 WarCry 19

fire, empowering for his purposes and filling his disciples (us!) with passion and zeal, restoring broken relationships, reforming communities.

If we truly want the Holy Spirit to ‘spread like wildfire in our ranks’, we need to get on our knees in prayerful expectation and real repentance, said Captain Sammy Millar, during her powerful talk at last month’s New Zeal service.

This is an abridged transcript of her sermon.

One of my own earliest encounters with the Holy Spirit was as a 15-year-old. As a child, I’d been taken to the Army by a friend of my mum’s. I grew up knowing Jesus and had a real sense of belonging in the Army.

But at the age of 15, because of a number of circumstances, I was in a really low place. I started to withdraw from my church family, and I was angry with God and with the people around me.

My corps officer at the time showed up to my house to deliver a Christmas hamper to our family. He asked me how I was, and I said I was fine. He kept asking until I finally shared … Standing under the carport of my house, my 20 WarCry 13 JULY 2019

officer prayed for me. As he prayed, I felt the physical presence of the Holy Spirit.

I can’t describe what it felt like in my mind—kind of like a swirling, my body felt warm and almost electric; there was a gentle breeze that surrounded me. It was like a physical weight was lifted from me. I felt a peace I hadn’t had in a long time, and a renewed sense of hope that things were going to be ok.

My circumstance didn’t change for a while after that encounter, but my ability to face the circumstance changed.

At different times, the Holy Spirit has ministered to me through encounters where I have experienced inner healing, or the empowerment I needed for different situations. But it hasn’t always looked the way I expected.

The Spirit of God is not dormant, the Spirit of God still moves among his people today, setting people free, breathing life into dry bones, renewing hope where there is despair, healing the broken (emotionally, physically, mentally and spiritually), bringing comfort to the grieving, advocating for the vulnerable, purifying and making holy with the

If we want to see the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire throughout the ranks, we need to position ourselves in prayerful expectancy.

Wind and Fire When the Feast of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Without warning there was a sound like a strong wind, gale force—no one could tell where it came from. It filled the whole building.

Then, like a wildfire, the Holy Spirit spread through their ranks, and they started speaking in a number of different languages as the Spirit prompted them.

(Acts 2:1–4) In Acts, the disciples are immersed in the Holy Spirit and the encounter sounds like a violent wind and looks like tongues of fire resting on the disciples.

The wind of God or breath of God symbolises the presence of God. It’s the breath of God that infused life into creation in Genesis; it’s the breath of life that resurrected Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones, bringing them to their feet and raising them up—a vast army. This breath that brings creation to life and has the power to raise a mighty army, now fills the place where the disciples gathered.

WE CONTINUE HOLDING ON TO THE THINGS THAT KEEP US COMFORTABLE. WE REFUSE TO STEP OUT OF OUR APATHY. TRUE REPENTANCE IS TURNING AWAY FROM THOSE THINGS THAT ARE STOPPING US FROM FORGING AHEAD AND LOOKING TO JESUS. Then, tongues of fire separate and rest on each of them. Fire also symbolises the presence of God—the same presence that spoke to Moses from a burning bush, that led the Israelites as a pillar of fire at night, that came like fire called down by Elijah to consume his enemy.

These flames of fire—the presence of God—rests on each of the disciples.

Entitlement is about what I’ve done and what I deserve, expectancy is about what God can do and acknowledges our need and dependency for God’s grace, mercy and his Spirit’s empowerment.

painful and uncomfortable, so we suit up and we make every effort to contain and extinguish a move of the Spirit. And then when it seems the embers are out, we pray again: ‘Send the fire today’.

On the day of Pentecost, the pouring out of God’s Spirit looked like a bunch of drunk people. That’s pretty out of the box!

And they begin to speak in different languages, declaring the wonders of God. The baptism of the Spirit empowers them to witness to others. So Peter begins to speak to the people, declaring the gospel and bearing witness to the truth of Jesus Christ.

I believe that a prayer movement born from the grass-roots level will be a powerful and mighty force for the Kingdom of God. History has proven again and again, that revival is born out of labouring prayer movements.

It only takes a few people to come together and start praying, to see an increase in salvations and communities transformed. Expectancy waits for the fulfilment of the promise.

Prayerful expectancy

A call to repentance

The coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was the fulfilment of a promise Jesus had given his disciples.

He told them they would receive an advocate—so the disciples were in a time of waiting for the fulfilment of the promise. They were expectant.

The word translated ‘expectant’ throughout the New Testament is the Greek word ‘prosdechomai’. It means to wait for the fulfilment of a promise.

In Luke 2, Simeon is described as a man of the Holy Spirit, who was led by the Spirit and who lived in prayerful expectancy. Anna worshipped day and night, with prayer and fasting expecting the fulfilment of the coming Messiah and his Kingdom.

And in Acts, we find the disciples carrying this same sense of prayerful expectation. They were waiting expectantly for the promised Holy Spirit.

‘They all joined together constantly in prayer,’ says Acts 1:14.

If we want to see the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire throughout the ranks, we need to position ourselves in prayerful expectancy.

We need to note that expectation is not entitlement. There’s a danger here that we might confuse the two. Entitlement is about me, expectancy is about God.

If we want to see the Holy Spirit spread like wildfire throughout the ranks, we need to repent.

On the day of Pentecost, when Peter addressed the crowd, he ended his address with a call to repentance, saying, ‘Repent and be baptised, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’

(Acts 2:38) As we join together as a territory for the New Zeal Season of Encounter, we need to repent. We’ve heard this call to repentance before as an Army—and we’ve gone to our knees and asked God for forgiveness, but not a lot has changed. We continue holding on to the things that keep us comfortable. We refuse to step out of our apathy. True repentance is turning away from those things that are stopping us from forging ahead and looking to Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is a consuming fire. But I wonder: if the Spirit is moving outside of the nice little box we’ve created, or the Spirit is beginning to consume the things that aren’t aligned with his purposes for our movement, do we suit up like a fire fighter to protect ourselves from the flames? We know that being transformed from the inside out can be

We need to repent for resisting the Spirit of God, and containing and extinguishing the flame. We need to repent from the fire retardants that slow the spread of the fire within the movement. These include apathy, pride (we’ve become proud of our name, the shield and what it’s grown to represent), cynicism, comfort, tradition, selfconfidence, and putting God in a box.

I have no doubt that the Holy Spirit is moving in pockets around the ranks, but we need him to spread like wildfire.

Without the Spirit we won’t see revival.

We need to put our apathy, comfort, tradition, religion, the boxes we’ve created for God to fit within, on the altar to be consumed by the living God. To truly repent and turn from these ways which have become engrained, we need a Holy Spirit encounter.

We need his Spirit, changing us from the inside out—changing the way we do things—with holy courage to step into the discomfort and to forge ahead: Spirit-led, Spirit-filled, reclaiming our name and living out our purpose.

… THE POURING OUT OF GOD’S SPIRIT LOOKED LIKE A BUNCH OF DRUNK PEOPLE. THAT’S PRETTY OUT OF THE BOX! 13 JULY 2019 WarCry 21

OFFICIAL ENGAGEMENTS Commissioners Andy (Territorial Commander) and Yvonne Westrupp (Territorial President of Women’s Ministries) 15–16 July: Territorial Governance Board (TGB) visit to Northern Division and ASARS, Auckland 22–25 July: Territorial Appointments Conference, Upper Hutt Colonels Suzanne (Chief Secretary) and Melvin Fincham (Secretary for Programme) 15–16 July: TGB visit to Northern Division and ASARS, Auckland 22–25 July: Territorial Appointments Conference, Upper Hutt 26–28 July: ‘Something Beautiful’—Central Division Women’s Conference, Palmerston North (Suzanne only) Colonel Heather Rodwell (Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries and Spiritual Life Development) 22–25 July: Territorial Appointments Conference, Upper Hutt 26–28 July: ‘Something Beautiful’—Central Division Women’s Conference, Palmerston North

PRAY Territorial Secretary for Chaplaincy Services, Thames Corps, National Māori Ministry, Offenders’ Employment Support in Christchurch, Tīmaru Corps, The Salvation Army in Malawi.

What A Ride!

by Judith Bennett

Counsellor & Ministry Support Couple Wanted

AVAILABLE NOW!

FreedomLife Te Nikau is a Christian-focused residential programme for people with addictions/compulsions.

We need a couple (at least one being a counsellor with general or addiction experience) who feel called to a ministry environment.

See TradeMe listing #2193253722 or contact Peter Carrington: 027 284 7755 –or– xroads@xtra.co.nz www.freedomlife.org.nz

Want to Know More?

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

‘ … helping women who are on their journey of faith and brokenness. to encourage them that they are beautiful regardless.’

Palmerston North Corps women’s conference July 26–27 Speakers: Colonel Suzanne Fincham, Chief Secretary

Colonel Heather Rodwell, Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries

Sheryn Adamson, former police officer, infertility advocate and style consultant.

Name Email Address

To find out more, and register, go to:

somethingbeautiful2019.com

Phone Send to: warcry@salvationarmy.org.nz or War Cry, PO Box 6015, Marion Square, Wellington 6141

Find SALVATION ARMY JOB OPPORTUNITIES: salvationarmy.org.nz/employment

Quiz Answers: 1 Pacific Harbour, 2 C) 600, 3 The island of Savai’i in Samoa, 4 Bale, Nest, Turn, Dole, 5 Abel (Genesis 4:2). Lego Maths Answers: 1 1, 2 6, 3 8, 4 0, 5 4.

22 WarCry 13 JULY 2019

Create your own mini-figure!

What will your mini-figure look like?

Consider their face, hair, clothing and more!

Do they wear a hat? Do they have accessories?

It’s all up to you!

Attention LEGO Fans!

Knock, knock.

Who’s there?

Lego.

Lego who?

Lego the handle and let me in!

a sk a do youleave? w o H Q: inja to Lego n

Lego maths fun!

1

, A: Say !’ o g a j ‘Nin

Using the studs on the bricks, solve these maths problems …

Hands up if you love playing with Lego.

We’re big fans here at War Cry. It’s lots of fun building a boxset and seeing it start to take shape, eventually looking just like the picture on the box.

Have you ever tried to build something with no instructions or picture, but just using your hands and imagination? Lego is designed so that the only way you can build something is by connecting pieces together. It’s important that the pieces are tightly connected, otherwise it can easily fall apart because it’s not strong.

2

Trying to live like Jesus is a bit like building with Lego. We start off with believing in Jesus (our faith) and then we start building—we connect a bunch of different things, like goodness, patience, self-control and love. All of these things help our faith to become strong. They all fit in to each other, just like Lego bricks, and each one helps the others to become stronger.

3 4

‘Do your best to improve your faith.

You can do this by adding goodness, understanding, self-control, patience, devotion to God, concern for others, and love,’ 2 Peter 1:5–7 (CEV).

5

I WONDER …

Answers on page 22.

Q: What do I have if I have 8 red bricks in one hand and 11 blue bricks in the other hand?

What is one thing I could do to build my faith and make it stronger?

A: Really big hands!

13 JULY 2019 WarCry 23