War Cry 4 July 2020

4 July 2020 20p/25c

Heads and tales

MonologueS series has brand new cast

The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity providing services in the community, particularly to those who are vulnerable and marginalised. Motivated by our Christian faith, we offer practical support and services in more than 700 centres throughout the UK to all who need them, regardless of ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual orientation. To find your nearest centre visit salvationarmy.org.uk/find-a-church

What is the War Cry? The Salvation Army first published a newspaper called the War Cry in London in December 1879, and we have continued to appear every week since then. Our name refers to our battle for people’s hearts and souls as we promote the positive impact of the Christian faith and The Salvation Army’s fight for greater social justice.

WAR CRY Issue No 7481

Editor: Andrew Stone, Major Deputy Editor: Philip Halcrow Production Editor: Ivan Radford Assistant Editor: Sarah Olowofoyeku Staff Writer: Emily Bright Staff Writer: Claire Brine Editorial Assistant: Linda McTurk Graphic Designer: Rodney Kingston Graphic Designer: Mark Knight Email: warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk The Salvation Army UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN Tel: 0845 634 0101 Helpline: 020 7367 4888 Subscriptions: 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email: subscriptions@satcol.org Founder: William Booth General: Brian Peddle Territorial Commander: Commissioner Anthony Cotterill Editor-in-Chief: Major Mal Davies Published weekly by The Salvation Army ©The Salvation Army United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland ISSN 0043-0226 The Salvation Army Trust is a registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399.

Printed by Walstead Roche Ltd, St Austell, on sustainably sourced paper

ONLINE a warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk @TheWarCryUK TheWarCryUK

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salvationarmy.org.uk/warcry

2 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

EDITOR From desk From the editor’s desk MANY of the measures to halt the spread of coronavirus are due to SINGING good for you.(Saturday So say scientists quoted on thelibraries be lifted in is England today 4 July). Museums and BBC Future The experts singing can boost can open theirwebsite. doors again, childrensaid canthat access the equipment moods social connection. inour play parksand andsense more of households can enter the homes of family Perhaps it is visiting. with these benefits in mind that people have been members when joining online choirs during lockdown.

In this The news perhaps most eagerly awaited by week’s many isissue, that the War Cry’s Sarah Olowofoyeku joinsagain. a virtual rehearsal of yet the ‘back London hairdressers can open their doors Things are not to International Gospel Choir is to being discover for herself the pleasures normal’, but huge progress made. people have though, found ofthings singing with others.

For some, willalone, neveryet be together the same.

Maybe this Meanwhile Austen Hardwick has found similar who valuehave in running. is the time to remember the thousands of people been This week’s War Cry also includesWhile an interview the marathon bereaved because of coronavirus. millions with breathe a sigh found thatmeasures his sport helped himrolled to regain life after ofrunner relief who that lockdown are being back,his others will he suffered three strokes while in his early forties. continue to mourn their loved ones.

However, it was not only running helped Austen’s recovery.

Dealing with an unexpected death that is never easy, but hope can Hisfound Christian faiththe played a vital part in him a positive be beyond bereavement.

That hastaking been the experience to all that he faced. ofapproach Nadim Ednan-Laperouse during the four years that have passed ‘When I was in hospital,’ Austen says,died ‘I asked to take what since his 15-year-old daughter, Natasha, afterGod having an allergic I was going and to transform me through it.’ reaction to a through sandwich.

Christians believe that God candid take situation anything The takeaway sandwich’s label notany state that it or contained that they do oran face and useto it to make a positive in others’ sesame seeds, ingredient which Natasha wasimpact allergic. lives theirinown. hasI been thesave experience of painter ‘Sheordied frontThat of me. couldn’t her,’ Nadim says Oliver in Pengilley. an interview in this week’s War Cry. ‘It was the worst thing ever to Oliver had developed a successful career as an artist with some happen.’ ofHowever, his work through selling for sums as hefrom tells thesignificant support he andof hismoney. family But, received the War Cry thischurch week, that he grew frustrated. members of the Natasha had attended, Nadim found didn’t see the meaning of it,’ he says. Now he travels to that‘IGod helped him. churches over to paint pictures duringhim worship ‘When I all went to the himworld with my burdens and asked to take them sessions and Nadim his faith-based artwork peoplewho in away, he did,’ says. ‘I began to has see helped God asother my Father, their own faith for journey. cared so much me.’

It is anlove amazing truth that anyThey skill are a person has God’s and care are notGod onlycan for take Nadim. available any situation facing and transform into something toorall who are sadthey and are struggling.

Godcan is able to help itanyone through thattoughest can change their thealllives the people them. their times andlives giveand them theyofneed to facearound each day.

Contents

What is The Salvation Army?

FEATURES 3

All by themselves

Monologues series returns to BBC One

4

Tribal tensions

David Lammy on need to conquer divisions

6

A day like no other

Memories on the 15th anniversary of 7/7

8

‘I’m a different man’

A father’s response to his daughter’s death

REGULARS 12

Team Talk

13

Now, There’s a Thought!

14 Puzzles 15

4

War Cry Kitchen

6

Front-page picture: BBC/London Theatre Company/Zac Nicholson

8

TELEVISION

Now you’re talking

TV series meets lockdown requirements, writes Sarah Olowofoyeku Hytner who, without hesitation, agreed to remake the series. They began to assemble a cast and crew of the best in the business. Everybody had to adapt to a different way of working, which for the actors meant rehearsing over Zoom, driving themselves to set and doing their own hair and make-up with remote instructions. The distinguished cast included Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville, Martin Freeman and Jodie Comer.

Despite the challenges, each actor was thrilled to be taking part. Tamsin Greig thinks that Talking Heads resonates with audiences because ‘the characters are drawn with such compassion, the language so delicately chosen, the situations are so heartbreaking and oddly intriguing’.

The monologues deal with loneliness, longing, secrets and insecurities, among other relatable themes. Audiences act as confidante to the characters and see their complexity. Nicholas says: ‘Alan’s work often hates the sin but loves the sinner – he has infinite compassion for and empathy with the people he writes about, even when they behave in shocking ways.’

That is how we all want to be treated. When desire or isolation drive

us to do things we may be ashamed of, we want compassion rather than judgment.

Christians have found that compassion in a relationship with God. He knows the worst that we have done and still offers us his love.

One Bible writer explains: ‘If we confess our sins to God, he can always be trusted to forgive us’ (1 John 1:9 Contemporary English Version). It does not matter what we have done wrong, God’s forgiveness is available to us all.

If we talk to him, we can experience his love and acceptance.

BBC/London Theatre Company/Zac Nicholson

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ORE than 30 years ago, TV viewers were captivated by Alan Bennett’s characters in the six-part series Talking Heads.

Unlike in soaps and more usual dramas, each character told their own story, alone, while speaking directly to the camera. A decade later, audiences were introduced to six new characters in Talking Heads 2. In recent weeks, ten of the episodes have been remade in a new adaptation which also includes two new monologues. The final two episodes are scheduled to be broadcast on BBC One next week and all twelve are available on BBC iPlayer.

Alan Bennett has been praised for his writing in the monologues since the first episodes were shown in 1988.

The dramas have even been studied by students as part of the A-level English syllabus.

Today, they have unexpectedly been brought to the fore again. When the coronavirus lockdown was imposed, parts of the BBC were no longer able to create their normal programming.

Piers Wenger, head of BBC drama, had the idea of remaking Talking Heads. With social distancing rules in place, monologues were the only type of drama he could imagine commissioning.

He contacted director Nicholas

Tamsin Greig in her episode

Alan has compassion for the people he writes about

Elizabeth Viggiano/Netflix

4 July 2020 • War Cry • 3

Com W

HILE some protesters bring down, petition against or paint on statues, others surround them ready to defend them.

Political figures and the public tweet and counter-tweet about inequality, the criminal justice system and immigration. All in a country where referendums have been decided by fine margins.

In the media and in parliament, shadow justice secretary David Lammy challenges fellow MPs and the public on the political issues of the day. In a new book he interrogates a phenomenon that can be detected in the debates taking place in society.

David tells me that his writing of Tribes ‘was driven by a sense that we were living in more divided times.

‘I had seen an acceleration in the racist abuse that I was receiving, partly because of the proliferation of social media, but also in letters and emails.

After the referendum on Brexit, the country felt terribly divided.

‘The word “tribes” rightly fell out of fashion, because it came to be seen by modern anthropologists as a deeply patronising, colonial throwback which described anyone who was not white and European. I’m not seeking to rehabilitate it, but the divides that we’re seeing, the populist nationalism, the way social media is making us behave, the problems with identity politics, the

4 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

DAVID LAMMY tells Philip Halcrow about the need to conquer divides in society challenges with loneliness and mental health are part of a phenomenon that I describe as “new tribalism”.’

David believes the phenomenon has grown since the financial crisis of 2008.

‘There has been rising inequality, and significant numbers of people have experienced hardship. If you add to that a type of nationalist politics that seeks to scapegoat and doesn’t face up to the challenges that we have as a country – whether that’s where goods are manufactured or an ageing population – you’re in for tough times.’

The long-serving MP for Tottenham acknowledges that politics has been part of the problem. The new tribalism can be sensed in wrangles between parties and even within them.

He also believes that people have come to be ‘very conscious of their rights but not their responsibilities. It feeds into a sense in which identity politics has been at the centre.’

In Tribes David defines ‘identity politics’ as broadly denoting ‘political movements in which oppressed groups

mobilise and adopt political positions with the aim of correcting a perceived shared injustice’.

He tells me: ‘I’ve stood up for the rights of ethnic minorities in Britain.

But that does not mean I believe it is the only thing that matters. It can’t be the beginning of every political conversation, because common purpose is the most important thing.’

David sees the benefits of ‘a culture where we encounter one another’.

In exploring a sense of belonging, he is conscious of ‘the tribes’ that made him. ‘In my book I boil them down to Tottenham and the Caribbean community in which I grew up, and Peterborough where I spent seven years at boarding school – and then I took a DNA test and found that my ancestors are from Niger.’

The human need to belong to a group, says David, can result in an increase in wellbeing but also challenges. The balance between national and local government has to be right, because ‘if you don’t attend to the needs of local identities so that

After the referendum, the country felt terribly divided

INTERVIEW

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mon cause

Black Lives Matter protesters in London call for social justice

people feel comfortable in their own skin, it’s hard to make the case for things that we can deal with only globally, such as coronavirus, the refugee crisis or climate change’.

In trying to address divisions and pursue a common endeavour, David gains insight from another part of his identity.

‘I’m on the left of the spectrum, I’m progressive – however, my faith also would make me want to emphasise family and neighbourhood. I don’t believe the State is the answer to everything, so I can relate to a social conservative and why they may choose to emphasise the things they do.’

David attended church while growing up in Tottenham and Peterborough, where he was a cathedral chorister.

‘I still go to church, and my faith is important to me,’ he says. ‘I couldn’t do this job without it, because I’d probably take things way too personally. And, while I’m a very happy socialist, The Guardian is not sufficient for me. I need the Bible too.

‘Anyone familiar with Christian socialism will see it running through my writing and speeches. It’s the understanding that Jesus upended the Temple, it’s that power and that redemptive force. It’s a call for social justice.’

Calls for social justice have been ringing out in the past few weeks, as Black Lives Matter protests have taken place in the US and elsewhere.

David sees in the protests and reactions to them – from politicians and

My faith would make me want to emphasise neighbourhood

the public – aspects of new tribalism ‘but also the common purpose that we’ve got to forge’.

Ultimately, however, David sounds optimistic.

‘When I meet young people, I’m hopeful. I’m heartened when I look at those who are protesting about issues, because they’re black and white and they’re fired up to do something about climate change, they care about refugees and about structural racism. That excites me, but they are some way from power, so in the meantime, we’ve got some challenges.’

l Tribes is published by Constable 4 July 2020 • War Cry • 5

INSIDE THE NIgel Bovey

CORDON

On 7 July 2005, multiple terrorist attacks hit parts of London.

Major NIGEL BOVEY was the editor of the War Cry at the time and,15 years on, he recalls his experiences that day as he went in search of the news

I

T starts like an ordinary day. I step off the commuter train, walk the short distance from the station to my office in Elephant and Castle, southeast London, and launch into my sandwichshop breakfast. Suddenly, Neil, a Salvation Army film cameraman with whom I’d worked in Iraq, bursts in.

‘There’s been a big incident at King’s Cross,’ he says.

Within minutes, Neil jumps on his bike, stills camera in rucksack, to pedal the three miles to King’s Cross station.

Knowing that a team from The Salvation Army would be supporting the emergency services, I gather my camera and notepad, call my wife to tell her I’ll be late home and go in frantic search of a south-of-the-river taxi.

‘Where to, guv?’ asks the cabbie.

‘King’s Cross, please.’

‘Dunno if I can. There’s been a bomb.

Traffic’s backed up for miles.’

‘Just get me as close to the police cordon as you can, please.’

Right enough, 15 minutes later at the top of Gray’s Inn Road, he lands me right beside the police tape. A credentials check with the duty officer – it also helps that I am in Salvation Army uniform – and I am inside the cordon.

The first thing I notice is how quiet it is.

Normally the streets would be thronged with traffic. They are empty. It is eerie.

At the Salvation Army canteen, stationed outside the mainline terminus, a couple of firefighters are sipping tea. I say: ‘Good morning.’ They tell me what

has happened. The useful briefing is interrupted by a call from head office, asking me to check a nearby Salvation Army centre that works with vulnerable women, Faith House. I walk to the centre.

‘I felt the explosion,’ Captain Estelle Blake tells me. ‘I rushed to the end of the road, where a police officer was cordoning off the area. I asked him how The Salvation Army could help.’

While chatting, I receive another call.

Will I be the Army’s media spokesperson?

And ‘oh, Sky News needs to see you.

Can you make your way to King’s Cross station?’

Sky’s would be the first of many livebroadcast cameras – British and foreign – I answer questions in front of that day.

Interviewers, desperate for ever-new

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Flowers are left outside King’s Cross station after the bombings 6 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

FEATURE

Nigel provides drinking water at a vigil two days after the bombings

How the ‘War Cry’ reported the attacks at the time insights to offer their audiences, want to know everything from whether I have met any of the victims to what The Salvation Army is doing here.

I tell them what I know. I tell them when I don’t have the answers to their questions. Having been on the scene of a number of terrorist incidents in Northern Ireland earlier in my ministry, supporting emergency personnel, I know that from such chaos truth emerges slowly.

In the meantime, rumour and speculation can run riot.

My primary task today is to gather my own story of what The Salvation Army is doing to support those who are regularly emerging from the Tube tunnels, having witnessed scenes of gut-wrenching carnage.

I hear how, in those first moments of

devastation and confusion, Estelle and her staff served refreshments to commuters and emergency personnel.

Faith House became a sanctuary – a focal point for counselling and prayer for travellers and rescuers.

Later, Estelle has enlisted the help of a nearby Burger King to provide hot food to emergency personnel and civilian engineers. I spend the day talking with police officers and firefighters. Actually, it’s listening rather than talking. Most of it is off the record: dad to dad, not source to journalist. Today is a day for me to wear two hats.

‘As soon as I came on the scene and

I spend the day talking with police officers and firefighters

saw the Salvation Army canteen, I knew we were in safe hands,’ one police sergeant tells me, unaware that he has just gifted me the first line of the article I would eventually have to write.

It is a hot day. A colleague has a bright idea – let’s give commuters a bottle of water for their journey home. He tries to make a call but has no signal. The authorities have shut down the networks.

He calls from Faith House and reports that a supermarket will provide hundreds of bottles. Problem is: they are outside the cordon, we are inside.

It’s late afternoon when, in the distance, figures appear in ones and twos, walking in the middle of the Euston Road. It is home time. Public transport is down.

The mobile phone networks are down.

Traumatised commuters are heading for the station.

It starts to rain. They are tired, wet and don’t know how, when or whether they will get home. They can’t phone home. They can, though, take the opportunity to vent to someone – and a free bottle of water – from The Salvation Army. Distributing drinking water was something we continued to do at the vigil two days later.

After an interview with an Italian news channel – thankfully I am translated by Captain Estelle – I learn that Salvation Army centres are put on standby to provide overnight accommodation.

It’s late evening. The roads have reopened. Tube and buses have not. I catch a lift home. The next day, I will visit the scene of the Russell Square bombing.

It too will be no ordinary day.

4 July 2020 • War Cry • 7

From anger to faith after daughter’s sandwich allergy death Nadim Ednan-Laperouse tells Claire Brine how a family tragedy was followed by forgiveness

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Natasha Ednan-Laperouse was allergic to sesame seeds 8 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

UNDAY 17 July 2016 started off as an exciting day. Nadim Ednan-Laperouse woke early, ready to take his daughter, Natasha, and her best friend, Bethany, to France for a short holiday. After a happy trip to Heathrow and a smooth check-in, Nadim and the girls grabbed a quick sandwich to eat before boarding their plane. Luggage stored and seatbelts fastened, the holidaymakers were finally on their way.

Then the unthinkable happened.

About 30 minutes into the flight, 15-year-old Natasha said she was feeling unwell. A little later, she said it again.

Quickly, the situation became serious.

Natasha’s body was suffering a severe anaphylactic reaction to the sandwich she had eaten before take-off. Over the next few hours, Nadim felt helpless as he watched his young daughter sink into unconsciousness and her life slowly slip away.

‘I was her father, but I couldn’t make a difference,’ he tells me in a broken voice.

‘A father is meant to look after his child.

Instead she died in front of me. I couldn’t save her. It was the worst thing ever to happen.’

In the months after Natasha’s death, Nadim and his wife, Tanya, felt numb with grief. Adding to the trauma was the knowledge that her death could have

INTERVIEW

Nadim Ednan-Laperouse been easily avoided. They discovered that the sandwich Natasha ate before the flight contained sesame seeds, to which she was severely allergic. But the ingredient was not listed on the packaging.

The week after Natasha died, Nadim, prompted by his feelings of despair, injustice and hopelessness, went to church. At the time, he was not a Christian. He prided himself on being a successful toy company owner who didn’t need God, preferring to do things in his own strength.

‘But I didn’t know where else to go,’ he says. ‘Church seemed the best place to mend my wounds. My family and I have been going ever since.’

Before Nadim reveals more about his journey to faith, he reflects on the life of his daughter.

‘Natasha was fearless. I loved the gutsiness of her. She wasn’t afraid to try skydiving or microlight flying with me. She loved to laugh. She cared about her friends.

‘But Natasha was also hyper-vigilant because of her allergies. When she was six months old, she nearly died after having an anaphylactic reaction to a banana. As she grew up, we discovered that she had other allergies, including a very strong allergy to sesame seeds. As a family we became astute at reading food

labels – Natasha especially.’

At the weekends, Natasha went to church in Wimbledon with her friend, Bethany. She enjoyed the singing. She took part in the youth club. One day, Natasha asked her parents if Bethany could come on holiday with them.

Nadim recalls: ‘The plan was that I would take the girls to my parents’ holiday home in France for five days, while Tanya would stay behind with our other child, Alex. We booked the first flight of the day to Nice, which meant an early start at the airport. Tanya dropped us off, and Natasha gave her a quick peck on the cheek goodbye. The girls were desperate to get their holiday started.

‘One we’d checked in, we went to Pret A Manger to buy some sandwiches. As always, Natasha was very careful. She picked out a vegetarian sandwich and checked the label to make sure it was OK in terms of her allergies.

I did the same. It looked absolutely fine.

Then we sat down and ate together.

‘Fairly soon after we had eaten, Natasha said she felt a bit unwell. Thinking it was just an itchy throat, she took a few swigs of Piriton from the bottle and we boarded the plane.’

Natasha’s itchy throat didn’t go

I was her father, but I couldn’t save her

away. She started to feel worse and became agitated.

‘She went to the toilet and when she came back to her seat, she showed me her midriff, which was covered in huge red welts. Her skin was like a giraffe’s. I’d never seen anything like it before.

‘Gasping for breath, Natasha asked me to inject her with her Epipen, something she carried around as an allergy sufferer.

We hurried to the toilets. I wasn’t panicking, I believed the Epipen would completely reverse the allergic reaction.

I jabbed the pen into her thigh, relieved that we had it. But Natasha’s panting just got worse.’

Nadim injected Natasha with a second Epipen. Seconds later, she fell unconscious.

‘A flight attendant helped me to move Natasha to a nearby seat, then I put an oxygen mask on her face,’ he says. ‘But the internal swelling of her throat meant no air could get through. I begged the attendant to find out if there was a doctor on the plane who could help us.

‘A young man who had qualified as a doctor the day before stepped forward.

He started performing CPR on Natasha, who had gone into cardiac arrest.

‘I kept talking to Natasha, saying: “Come on baby, you can do it.” I wanted

Turn to page 10

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4 July 2020 • War Cry • 9

From page 9 her to hear my voice constantly so that she knew that her daddy was with her.’

Finally, the plane landed. Five paramedics stormed on board and took over the CPR. In cramped conditions, they fought to save Natasha’s life.

‘They were dripping with sweat,’ Nadim says. ‘The chest compressions they gave Natasha broke her ribs. They were determined not to give up.

‘Suddenly, with the help of a defibrillator, Natasha’s heartbeat came back. We all high-fived each other.

We were so happy. But then the beep disappeared as I saw angels.’

It can only be described as an extraordinary part of Nadim’s story. He tells me what he saw.

‘Five angels that looked like little humans with wings popped up in front of me. They were hovering over Natasha’s body, and they were made up of a bright yellow light. They filled my vision.

Everything else blanked out.

‘I was so shocked. I hadn’t prayed for angels. I didn’t even have a faith. But I feared their presence meant that they had come to take Natasha away, so I whooshed them away with my hand. They disappeared.

‘At that moment, the beep recording Natasha’s heart rate stopped. The paramedics looked at each other in disbelief.’

As Natasha was taken to hospital and hooked up to various machines, Nadim phoned Tanya, urging her to fly out as soon as possible. Then he received some devastating news.

‘The doctor said that Natasha was severely brain damaged and had just a 5 per cent chance of living. I broke down.

You never want to hear those words about your child. But I knew that was it.

‘Bethany and I went into Natasha’s room and sat with her. Bethany prayed and played her some music. I didn’t pray. As I talked to Natasha, I saw that her cardio signal was getting weaker.

I phoned Tanya, who was waiting to catch her flight, and said: “Natasha’s about to die. You’ve got to say goodbye now. I’ll hold the phone up to her ear.”’

Tanya said what she needed to say.

Then Natasha’s cardio signal flatlined.

‘I was broken,’ says Nadim. ‘Numb.

Shocked. Lost. I became suicidal. I didn’t know what to do.’

The week after Natasha died, Nadim went to church – Natasha’s church – for the first time. His broken heart was stirred by people’s compassion.

‘They were so warm,’ he says. ‘Their love was like a huge feathery pillow for me to fall into. I cried a lot – and that was OK. ‘At first, I felt angry at God. My grief was so intense that I had fits of rage towards him. But then I learnt that I could ask God for help – and he embraced

Natasha with younger brother Alex, mum Tanya, and dad Nadim me. When I look back on my anger now, I reckon God could see it coming. He knows me so well.’

Nadim noticed that the more he went to church, the better he felt.

‘God was listening to me,’ he says.

‘When I went to him with my burdens and asked him to take them away, he did.

I began to see God as my Father, who cared so much for me.

‘I also began to reflect on the angels I had seen. I felt that God had sent them to me to say: “I’m taking care of you. The angels are bringing Natasha to Heaven.

It’s going to be OK. Your dear child is with me.” God was changing my life completely.’

In 2018, when Nadim and Tanya had to face the inquest into their daughter’s death, they relied on their Christian faith to carry them through. Their prayer was that the truth – however painful – would be revealed. It was a distressing experience.

‘After the inquest, I knew I wanted to meet the boss of Pret A Manger and talk with him,’ Nadim says. ‘Praying that I wouldn’t be angry about the company’s failings, I approached him and put one hand on his shoulder and the other on his heart. I said: “I forgive you. I say this because you are a father with daughters, and you need to be the best father you can. I don’t want this to be hanging over you any more.”

‘The act of forgiving put me in a much better place. I stopped looking to blame someone for Natasha’s death.’

Natasha’s inquest attracted global media attention. Determined to use their new-found platform for good, Nadim and Tanya set up the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation. During World Allergy Week, which ends today (4 July),

Five angels with wings popped up in front of me

10 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

it has been working with supermarket Tesco to raise funds for research into allergies. All year round it aims to help people with allergies by raising awareness and providing education in schools, supporting scientific studies and campaigning for changes to food laws. Last September, the foundation celebrated a milestone when Natasha’s

INTERVIEW

I stopped looking to blame someone for Natasha’s death

Law was laid in parliament. From October 2021, all food businesses will be required by law to include full ingredients labelling on their pre-packed food for direct sale.

‘This is a law about life and death,’ Nadim says. ‘There has to be transparency in the food business. What happened to Natasha can’t happen again.’

This month marks four years since

Nadim and Tanya lost their daughter. They still miss her greatly, but Nadim explains that he is no longer consumed by his grief.

Life is full of joy – and hope.

‘Every night, I thank God that my child is with him,’ he says. ‘I know that Heaven is an amazing place. I have complete faith that Natasha is there. I can’t wait to see her again one day.

‘At the same time, I want God to use me to tell people about him. He has made me a better person. My life is now fulfilled. Because of God, I’m a different man – and for that I’m grateful.’

l For more information visit narf.org.uk 4 July 2020 • War Cry • 11

EXPLORE

Prayerlink THE War Cry invites readers to send in requests for prayer, including the first names of individuals and details of their ­circumstances. Send your Prayerlink requests to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk or to War Cry, 101 Newington Causeway, Lon­don SE1 6BN. Mark your correspondence ‘Confidential’.

j

Becoming a Christian

There is no set formula to becoming a Christian, but many people have found saying this prayer to be a helpful first step to a relationship with God

Lord Jesus Christ, I am truly sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. Please forgive me. I now turn from everything that I know is wrong.

Thank you that you died on the cross for me so that I could be forgiven and set free.

Thank you that you offer me forgiveness and the gift of your Holy Spirit.

Team talk

talk

Team talk

‘

Claire Brine gives her take on a story catching the attention of War Cry reporters

’

TODAY is going to be a busy day for Joe Public. First of all, he’s getting a haircut, then he’s planning on catching a film at the cinema, followed by lunch at his favourite restaurant. In the afternoon he’s hoping to visit a museum, then the bingo hall, then his local pub. He can do all those things in England because it’s Saturday 4 July – a day when many businesses are back open and aiming to get booming once again.

Today is a positive day for customers. After months of being shut indoors, they have the freedom to go to their favourite places again.

It’s also an important day for bosses and employees. Time for many of them to get back to work, opening the doors that have been closed for so long.

While it feels as though today is all about ‘getting things back to how they used to be’, I hope we remember what we have all been through. I hope we remember to pace ourselves, to keep one metreplus away from those we want to hug and to wash our hands.

But more than that, I hope we remember that many businesses are still riding the coronacoaster.

Their doors may be open, but I imagine it will be a long time before they feel anything like normal again. Furloughed staff could well have found the past three months the most stressful times of their lives. Many of them are returning to jobs that won’t be anything like the ones they left. There may be less money, absent colleagues, new practices, new pressures.

Workers who are delighted to be back at the office – whatever that office may look like – may also be terrified that they aren’t through the woods yet.

So I hope those of us who are customers will be kind to them when they are finding their feet. I hope we can show patience and compassion when problems occur, which they will.

As people all over the world move forward into a new unknown and want to seek comfort from familiar places, let’s remember that everything in the world is different. Let’s do everything we can to help one another.

Staff may be returning to new pressures

Please come into my life by your Holy Spirit to be with me for ever.

"

Thank you, Lord Jesus.

Amen

Tick one or more of the options below, complete the coupon and send it to

a

War Cry 101 Newington Causeway London SE1 6BN

Basic reading about Christianity Information about The Salvation Army

Looking for help?

Contact details of a Salvation Army minister Name Extract from Why Jesus? by Nicky Gumbel published by Alpha International, 2011. Used by kind permission of Alpha International

12 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

Address

Or email your details and request to warcry@salvationarmy.org.uk

EXPRESSIONS

Now, there’s a thought!

q

quick quiz 1

2

Which French artist painted the 1872 work Impression, Sunrise?

Who played the title role in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer?

a 3

4

5

6

What is the name given to a small ornamental mat made of lace or paper?

In what year did Alaska become the 49th US state?

What astronomical term describes the explosion of a star?

Which British group, who had a string of hits in the 1980s, derived their name from a character in the sci-fi film Barbarella?

ANSWERS

by Barbara Lyne

Peace wasn’t a casualty on the evening I spent at A&E

M

ANY people have enjoyed watching BBC One’s Casualty on Saturday evenings over the past 30-plus years. I’m not one of them, but twice in recent months, I have been a casualty myself and had to spend the whole evening in A&E. The most recent incident was when, after a fall, I needed to be checked over for injuries. My x-rays showed no broken bones, but a later scan revealed that all the bruising was internal. It was very painful.

Lying on a trolley in my own cubicle for four hours, I was able to spend a lot of time praying that I would be able to go home to my own bed. Thankfully, later that night, I was.

There are three things I learnt from my experience. The first was that I should take more care where I put my feet. The second was that the NHS is as amazing as we keep hearing it is. The final thing was that, wherever any of us land on any given day, whether planned or unexpected, God is there with us.

I felt him wonderfully near as I lay on that trolley. When I prayed, I knew he was listening, and I was able to wait in peace and calm for the results.

That sense of calm is something that Christians have experienced for centuries. Paul, an early church missionary who faced many unexpected and challenging circumstances, wrote: ‘The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Philippians 4:5–7 New International Version).

Many of us are living in days that we could never have anticipated and that have posed significant challenges. But we remember that we can take our worries to God and he will, in return, allow us to spend our evenings, and days, with a sense of peace.

When I prayed, I knew God was listening

4 July 2020 • War Cry • 13

1. Claude Monet. 2. Sarah Michelle Gellar. 3. Doily.

4. 1959. 5. Supernova. 6. Duran Duran.

CROSSWORD CROSSWORD

PUZZLES

QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS 1. Balloted (5) 4. Wind instrument (5) 8. Recede (3) 9. Savoury jelly (5) 10. Poetry (5) 11. Exclamation (3) 12. Clemency (5) 13. Ailment (7) 16. Determine (6) 19. Recapitulate (6) 23. Infamy (7) 26. Sufficient (5) 28. Mire (3) 29. Foreign (5) 30. Irritated (5) 31. Male offspring (3)

32. Luscious (5) 33. Bugs (5)

DOWN 2. Candle (5) 3. Rotted (7) 4. Acquire (6) 5. Judge’s hammer (5) 6. Viking (5) 7. Board game (5) 9. Targeted (5)

14. Forty winks (3) 15. Ocean (3) 17. And so forth (3) 18. Tavern (3) 20. Dodging (7) 21. Trample (5) 22. Nearly (6) 23. Disgrace (5) 24. Improper (5) 25. Compact (5) 27. Fire bar (5)

SUDOKU Fill the grid so that every column, every row and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 to 9

HONEYCOMB HONEYCOMB

Answers QUICK CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1. Voted. 4. Organ. 8. Ebb. 9. Aspic. 10. Verse. 11. Aha. 12. Mercy.

13. Illness. 16. Decide. 19. Repeat.

23. Scandal. 26. Ample. 28. Mud. 29. Alien. 30. Irked. 31. Son. 32. Sweet. 33. Germs.

DOWN: 2. Taper. 3. Decayed.

4. Obtain. 5. Gavel. 6. Norse. 7. Chess.

9. Aimed. 14. Nap. 15. Sea. 17. Etc. 18. Inn. 20. Evading. 21. Tread.

22. Almost. 23. Shame. 24. Amiss.

25. Dense. 27. Poker.

HONEYCOMB 1. Remedy. 2. Off-key. 3. Tariff. 4. Caddie.

5. Shadow. 6. Speech.

8 5 3 6 7 1 2 4 9

2 1 4 9 3 5 6 7 8

9 7 6 8 2 4 5 3 1

4 2 1 5 9 8 7 6 3

5 6 9 3 4 7 8 1 2

7 3 8 1 6 2 4 9 5

6 8 5 4 1 3 9 2 7

1 4 7 2 8 9 3 5 6

3 9 2 7 5 6 1 8 4

SUDOKU SOLUTION

8 5 7 9 5 8 2 6 7 4

Wordsearch BACK IN THE USSR

CAN’T BUY ME LOVE DAY TRIPPER

FROM ME TO YOU HELLO GOODBYE HELP!

HEY JUDE

I FEEL FINE

LADY MADONNA LET IT BE

LOVE ME DO

PAPERBACK WRITER PENNY LANE

PLEASE PLEASE ME SHE LOVES YOU TICKET TO RIDE

YELLOW SUBMARINE YESTERDAY

6 4

2 6 4

14 • War Cry • 4 July 2020

4

6 9 8 7 1 2 6 2 3 8 3 1 6

9 2 5

ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch ordsearch

Each solution starts on the coloured cell and reads clockwise round the number 1. Medicine for disease 2. Not in the correct pitch (3-3) 3. Tax to be paid 4. Person who carries golf clubs 5. Dark area 6. Formal address delivered to an audience

8 2

4

Look up, down, forwards, backwards

8 and 2 diagonally 9 4 5on the 7 grid 6 to 1 find 3 these Beatles songs 5 1 7 2 6 3 8 4 9 3 4 6 1 9 8 5 7 2 C H F R X B D W J J V C N S E I O M Z L E E D K 6 9A M C 8 5T N Q C M Q 3 1 4 2L B W 7 C A N T B U Y M E L O V E D U A T D 7 3 2 9 4 6 1 8 5 E D A I X Z T J S Z Q S H F C P E H D Y L R E W R R H S A K Y K V U K E 1 5 4 8 7 2 3 9 6 I M Y W X P I F E E L F I N E E B Z 2 6 5 7 8 4 9 3 1 R A N K P R P R L B L N P V Y T X Y O D N C I 4 Y P P O Z 7 3 6 T 1 P 9J B 2 I 5J E R 8 T O E A P Q E W V H E U D T G S K S 9 8 1 3 2 5 7 6 4 T N P B X S R C E L C O E V T Z Y I

E N I R A M B U S W O L L E Y W N J K A N E G B S Q Y G V V R Y H Q E W C K L P P S R Z O E Y D E E C K V Z I P U A R N H L U Y A S Y M F X S N T V Z P Y K L O Z Y B J K Z E T Z W F R O M M E T O Y O U D F G J D J E L V B V H R R C P D L H O D W J O J V T A W W K W P E Z U V F Z G Q G T

7 8 1

3

D Mac and veg slices Ingredients

Method

100g macaroni

Cook the macaroni in boiling water for 12 minutes, until just tender. Rinse with cold water to cool quickly, then thoroughly drain.

1tsp vegetable oil 1 pepper, deseeded and chopped 1 small courgette, grated 100g frozen peas 4 eggs 2tbsp semi-skimmed milk 50g grated reducedfat cheddar 2tsp dried mixed herbs Black pepper Salad, to serve SERVES

4

Heat the vegetable oil in a nonstick pan and stir-fry the pepper for 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the courgette and frozen peas. Add the macaroni and mix well.

Beat the eggs and milk together, then stir in the cheese and dried herbs. Season with black pepper.

Pour into the pan and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes, without stirring, to set the base.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium-high. Place the pan under the grill and cook for 5 minutes until the surface has set and is golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve hot or cold with salad.

Beefed-up sarnies Ingredients

Method

1 carrot, grated

In a bowl, mix together the carrot, beetroot and red onion with the vinegar.

Season with black pepper.

1 cooked beetroot (vacuum-packed), grated ½ small red onion, thinly sliced 2tsp vinegar Black pepper 8 slices wholemeal bread 8tsp reduced-fat mayonnaise 100g mixed salad leaves 4 slices lean roast beef, fat trimmed off

Spread each slice of bread with 1tsp mayonnaise, then top 4 of the slices with the mixed salad leaves and the roast beef. Share the beetroot salad between them, then sandwich together with the remaining slices of bread.

SERVES

4

Slice each sandwich in half and serve at once, or wrap and keep cool in the refrigerator to serve later.

Recipes reprinted, with permission, from the Public Health England website nhs.uk/change4life

4 July 2020 • War Cry • 15

May the God oF

hope fill you

peace as you trust in him

Romans 15:13 (New International Version)

with all joy and