Where possible The Salvation Army will assist people who

there,’ Daniel explains. ‘But I’ll also be camping out in the jungle. It’s dense rainforest that’s never been cut down and it’s the wettest place on Earth, so it’s really swampy. I’ll be facing issues from pests, parasites and tropical diseases, and if I don’t take care of my feet I’ll have problems there. I’ve travelled in jungles before and I feel like the environment itself will be all right. It’s the political side, the people side, that might not.

‘Instinctively people in that part of the

‘‘ I’ve travelled in jungles before and I feel like the

world will fear someone like me. They’ll straight away think I’m American or British and they’ll say “spy, spy”! I have to explain that I’m working. They’ll be quizzing me on who I am. Am I trying to interrupt their business? Am I a freedom fighter? Have I got a political motive? They seemed to be fine with me in Panama when I came across the military there. They quizzed me for three days but once they realised why I was there it was brilliant.’

Throughout the entire ordeal, Daniel

environment itself will be all right. It’s the political side, the people side, that might not

’’ will be keeping a video diary. This will document his interaction with the wildlife – including jaguars, anacondas and pit vipers – and his conversations with people along the way. Through this he plans to shed light on the lives and cultures of the indigenous people of the Darién Gap, while also providing them with a voice of their own.

SNAPSHOTS OF GOD’S WORK IN SCOTLAND

Divisional Commander Major David Burns (North East England) reviews the book All Glory Tae God by David Armistead

AS the title All Glory Tae God suggests, this book recognises the moving and blessing of God. It is a very readable overview of the birth and the remarkable growth of The Salvation Army in Scotland. The author charts the early origins of the Army as it was birthed in Glasgow and then how, by the Spirit of God, it spread to other Scottish cities, towns and villages. These ‘snapshots’, as the author describes them, capture the moving of the Spirit in the lives of ordinary people who opened themselves to the call of God.

The book is a testimony of the outworking of that call, recounting faithful individuals with one common desire – to follow the God who called them to ‘the great salvation war’. David Armistead also captures the challenges that were present as the Movement grew, but also the significant Kingdom victories that allowed the Army to go from strength to strength.

Throughout the book is the power of individual testimony and lives transformed. The reader is given a glimpse into the way God worked in and through the lives of the early Scottish Salvationists. It also shows the organisational challenges faced by the Army as it grew and how it sought to meet the needs of an ever-changing Scottish demographic. At its core, this book is a testament to the mighty things God does when we make ourselves available to him.

The author crams much into the book’s 98 pages and clearly evidences that the move of God and his plan has not slowed down – indeed the final chapters highlight the ways present Scottish Salvationists, inspired by God, are seeking to proclaim the gospel in new ways.

O All Glory Tae God is available from SP&S priced £4.99 (plus postage and packing)

A STORY TOLD IN A SERIES OF SHORT, FAST-MOVING SCENES

John Coutts (Stirling) reviews Age Of Consent, a play by Les Ellison

LES Ellison, a soldier at Chester, is a versatile and experienced dramatist. His latest play deals with the sad themes of human trafficking and child prostitution, which today’s Salvation Army is still fighting to defeat. Age Of Consent takes us back to London in the 1880s, when the pioneering Salvation Army campaigned with the journalist W. T. Stead to expose the shameful sexual exploitation of young girls. It was a noble cause; but in order to make the truth of his sensational story stand up, Stead had to ‘buy’ and ‘abduct’ a potential victim – the 13-year-old Eliza Armstrong. This could be done only with the reluctant help of Rebecca Jarrett – a converted procuress. In the end the ‘Maiden Tribute’ campaign triumphed and the age of consent was raised to 16, but Stead and the unfortunate Jarrett were sent to jail.

Les Ellison has created ‘a low budget touring show’ exploring ‘the dilemma of committing a crime in order to combat an evil’. The still-relevant story is retold in a series of short, fast-moving scenes. Staging is simple and the acting space can be small, but successful performance requires a team of at least six competent and confident actors able to share up to 13 different parts. These include the future General, Bramwell Booth, the brothel keeper, Madame Mourez, Eliza’s drunken father – who wasn’t really her father at all – and Justice Lopes, who sent Stead and Jarrett to jail. This is a play that calls for a professional or at least a skilled amateur company.

Sadly The Salvation Army has never produced its own theatre group to match, for example, the International Staff Songsters. So how about a well-rehearsed reading – at corps level – to be followed by a discussion of the ethical and spiritual questions that the play raises in our own very different times? This could be a good idea, though the unavoidable sexual content might be a bit much for some.