Faith & Friends February 2018

Pooch on the Loose

DOGGONE IT! P.5

Double the Recipes

LITE STUFF P.26

Love at Any Age

MARRY ME? P.13

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

FEBRUARY 2018

THE COUPLE WERE SEPARATED

BY HALF A WORLD, BUT LOVE FOUND A WAY P.16

From Bermuda to Fiji

“ My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favouritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, ‘Here’s a good seat for you,’ but say to the poor man, ‘You stand there’ or ‘Sit on the floor by my feet,’ have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

“ Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?” —James 2:1-5 James’ words are no less true today.

We are all created in God’s image, and the size of our bank account or our wardrobe count for nothing if we are poor in faith. In God’s reckoning, the poorest person on earth is the richest if that person has faith.

To learn more about God’s kingdom, visit your local Salvation Army church (SalvationArmy.ca/locator) or email us at faithandfriends@can.salvationarmy.org.

Photo: Used with permission. © Ray Majoran, compassiongallery.com

Rich Man, Poor Man?

February 2018

VOLUME 21 NUMBER 2

13

COMMON GROUND 5 Doggone It!

Phil Callaway was afraid his family might never find Abby again. Where could she be?

SOMEONE CARES 8 Something to Live For

When Take had lost everything, The Salvation Army gave him hope.

LOVE & LIFE 13 Love at Any Age

Joyce Starr Macias wasn’t looking for another man. But then Everett walked into her life.

FEATURES

10

COVER STORY

16 22

Cover photo: Yoshi Kawai, Ocean Studio Fiji

22

Life on Crews Control

Addiction to pornography almost ruined Terry Crews’ life.

Two Islands, Two Hearts

They were separated by half a world, but love found a way.

Down a Slippery Slope

There’s a reason why slopestyle skier Nick Goepper wears a cross on his goggles.

LITE STUFF 26 Eating Healthy With Erin

Word Search, Sudoku, Quick Quiz.

FAITH BUILDERS 29 Forgive and Forget?

In Forever My Girl, a musician must deal with the consequences of all that he left behind.

REFASHIONISTA RULES 31 Romance in a Jar

This year, give the gift of thrifty love for Valentine’s Day.

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

•3

Faith&Friends

FROM THE EDITOR

For Better or Worse

W

hen editors work with writers for a long enough period of time, friendships can grow out of collaboration. That means as much celebrating the birth of their children or a spouse’s promotion as it does the publication of a new article. It can also sometimes mean commisserating in times of trial, such as an illness or a death in the family.

I’ve grown to count Joyce Starr Macias as a friend as much as a contributor, so when she lost her husband, I grieved, too. When she moved to Arizona to be closer to her son’s family, I supported her from afar as she transitioned into a new chapter in her life. And when she met a man named Everett, I was thrilled to hear the news that she had found someone she cared about, and who cared back. Of course, I was overjoyed when they decided to get married. But the editor in me knew there was a tale there that needed to be told, and the couple’s love story is in this month’s issue.

We’re all about Valentine’s Day here at Faith & Friends, so besides Joyce’s story, we have some other articles that will definitely speak to the romantic in you. Tamiko Ramabuke never expected to meet her perfect match halfway across the world. It took a caring godmother, mutual friends and a prayer chest to make it so.

Her story is on page 16.

Last but not least, we also look at Forever My Girl, a love story out in theatres in time for the 14th.

I firmly believe that every couple has their own love story that needs to be told. If you think you have one, contact us at faithandfriends@can. salvationarmy.org. Maybe next year’s February issue will feature you!

Ken Ramstead

4 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

Mission Statement To show Christ at work in the lives of real people, and to provide spiritual resources for those who are new to the Christian faith.

Faith & Friends is published monthly by: The Salvation Army 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M4H 1P4 International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4P 4EP, England William and Catherine Booth FOUNDERS

André Cox, GENERAL Commissioner Susan McMillan TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel Jim Champ SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS Geoff Moulton, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Ramstead, EDITOR

Brandon Laird DESIGN AND MEDIA SPECIALIST

Timothy Cheng SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Pamela Richardson, COPY EDITOR, PRODUCTION CO-ORDINATOR

Ada Leung CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR

Kristin Ostensen STAFF WRITER, PROOFREADER

Giselle Randall STAFF WRITER Scripture Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from New International Version Contact Us P. (416) 467-3188, F. (416) 422-6120 Websites faithandfriends.ca, salvationist.ca, salvationarmy.ca Email faithandfriends@can.salvationarmy.org Subscription for one year: Canada $17 (includes GST/HST); U.S. $22; foreign $24 P. (416) 422-6119 circulation@can.salvationarmy.org All articles are copyright The Salvation Army Canada & Bermuda and cannot be reproduced without permission.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064794 ISSN 1702-0131

Faith&Friends

COMMON GROUND

Doggone It! I was afraid we might never find Abby again. Where could she be?

Photos: www.ranchretrievers.com

by Phil Callaway

Special Deliveries Sophie Callaway showing off the 11 new arrivals

M

y mother sang me nursery rhymes to prepare me for the perils of life, I suppose. Nursery rhymes in which Little Bo Peep lost her sheep, blind mice lost their tales, and Humpty Dumpty lost his balance and was never quite able to pull himself together again. I listened as the weasel went pop, and an old man went to bed and bumped his head and couldn’t get up in the morning.

Mom also sang a sad little song that depressed the life out of me:

O where is my kitty, my little grey kitty?

I wandered the fields all around I looked in the cradle and under the table But nowhere could kitty be found.

I took my hook, and went to the brook To see if my kitty was there; But there I found that she had been drowned And so I went home in despair.

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

•5

Faith&Friends

COMMON GROUND

Maybe there’s a longing within each of us to know that Someone finds us worth looking for. PHIL CALLAWAY I longed for a happier ending.

Something like: So I took my hook and went down to the brook To see if she’d gotten that far.

I say unattested That she’d been arrested And charged for driving my car.

Prayers for Abby I love happy endings, don’t you?

My son, Jeff, and his wife, Raelyn, sure do. They live on a farm surrounded by cats and horses and piglets that sometimes get loose and make life exciting. When they decided to add golden retrievers to the mix, my wife and I shook our heads and smiled. Soon enough, Abby, the friendliest dog you’d ever want to let near your face, was extremely pregnant. She looked the same width from the side as from the front.

All was well. Until someone left a door open and Abby escaped. Jeff and Raelyn looked in the cradle and under the table but nowhere could Abby be found. They scoured the yard, the field, the woods. My granddaughter, Sophie, did her best to

6 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

pick up the scent. She’s two. “Abby, where you go?” she said. “Come Abby.” But no Abby. When they were about to give up, they remembered that God loves all creatures great and small. And so they prayed.

It was early March. A cold front arrived. The temperature dipped to -20 C. The wind howled. Papa dog Henry howled. Still no Abby. They prayed again. So did we. But the dog had been missing two days now.

Henry to the Rescue And then one morning, Henry simply closed his jaws on Raelyn’s coat sleeve, pulled her to the door and took off running. Raelyn followed.

She found papa Henry standing by an old tree stump wagging his tail like proud papa dogs do in the movies. Beneath that stump was a small hole in the ground. From the hole came the unmistakable sound of whimpering.

Jeff arrived. He pulled a very cold Abby from that tight little den in the ground. Raelyn took the dog inside to warm her up. And Jeff put his arm down that hole and began pulling out puppies. He brought them into

(left) Proud Mama Abby, with Sophie looking on, poses for the camera

the house two at a time. Four puppies. Six puppies. Very cold puppies.

He gently plunked the last five into a big bucket and brought them to his very wide-eyed wife. Eleven puppies.

All warm and whining and looking for mama.

Lost and Found Ever since I was a child, I have loved few things more than a story of the lost being found. Maybe the seeds were sown with that nursery rhyme about a poor little kitty. Or maybe there’s a longing within each of us to know that Someone finds us worth

looking for. That Someone calls our name and doesn’t stop searching until we’re back in the kennel.

Jesus is that Someone. He told stories of lost sheep and lost coins and lost boys. He said He came to seek and to save that which was lost.

This weekend, I will visit Sophie.

And we will stand beside that tree stump along with two or three or 11 puppies. We’ll point and laugh.

Later, I’ll rock her to sleep while telling her of how Jesus found me.

Then perhaps I’ll sing her a nursery rhyme or two—with happy endings.

(left) Phil Callaway’s Laugh Again radio program airs 700 times a week in Canada. Visit him at laughagain.org.

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

•7

Faith&Friends

SOMEONE CARES

Something to Live For When Take had lost everything, The Salvation Army gave him hope.

by Linda Leigh Everything Lost “The Salvation Army lifted me out of a dark place,” says Take

H

ow would you feel if suddenly you had no income?

This was the devastating consequence for Take (pronounced Tochy) after a ski accident prevented him from working.

“I never thought that something so unexpected would happen to me,” says Take. “Or that my life would

8 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

change so drastically.”

From Good Life to Eviction For years, Take lived his Canadian dream. An immigrant from Japan, he was a self-employed auto mechanic in Vancouver and enjoyed Canadian culture. Life was good.

Then, in an instant, everything

“ My first meal was a bowl of soup with steam coming out.

I wanted to cry.” TAKE changed.

“In 2012, I injured my lower back in a ski accident,” he says. “I thought I’d bounce back quickly, but my back pain worsened and I couldn’t work.

At the beginning, my finances were OK, but eventually the money ran out. I had to skip meals, couldn’t pay the hydro bill or the rent, and was evicted.”

Suddenly Homeless “I came home one afternoon and the locks on my apartment were changed,” continues Take. “I had no family in the country or friends who could help out. It was winter— cold and damp. With my backpack and $10 in my pocket, I walked the streets in search of shelter. Every step brought more pain and less hope. It was early evening and the shelters I visited were full.”

When Take walked through the doors of The Salvation Army’s Harbour Light Emergency Shelter in Vancouver, he was thankful there was a bed for him.

“I can’t tell you the relief I felt having a bed to lie down on, a roof over my head and heat,” Take says. “My

first meal was a bowl of soup with steam coming out. I wanted to cry.”

Moving Forward “When I arrived at The Salvation Army, I’d lost everything—my car, money, job and hope,” he goes on to say. “Everything in my life seemed negative. I often thought, What is the point of living?”

With help from The Salvation Army, Take’s situation began to improve. Staff helped him complete documents to collect welfare and secure permanent housing. Access to the centre’s computer lab enabled him to connect with family in Japan.

And caseworkers encouraged him to complete his high school education.

In June 2015, Take graduated with a high school diploma.

“The Salvation Army lifted me out of a dark place and gave me hope,” he says. “Today I volunteer at the Harbour Light drop-in centre as a means of giving back. Moving forward, I want to be a counsellor for the homeless or at-risk youth.

“I have something to live for, and that’s all thanks to The Salvation Army.”

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

•9

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Life on Crews Control ADDICTION TO PORNOGRAPHY ALMOST RUINED TERRY CREWS’ LIFE.

by Julie Houghton

W

hen we read about movie stars in glossy magazines, it’s tempting to believe that they have perfect lives and inhabit a world that most of us can only aspire to.

Star of The Expendables movies trilogy, as well as television’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine and a host of successful quirky commercials for Old Spice shaving products, actor Terry Crews is a case in point.

Prior to his acting career he was a successful NFL football player, married to former beauty queen and model Rebecca King with five children.

On his Twitter feed, Crews describes himself as “lover to my wife, father to my children, friend to my friends and servant to my Lord

10 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

and Saviour Jesus Christ.”

While this description is definitely true, there is one thing missing that destroyed this perfect picture and nearly wrecked Crews’ happy marriage: his addiction to pornography.

Descent Into Addiction While life on the surface was happy and glamorous, Crews bravely confessed to the world in 2014 that he had previously been in the grip of an addiction to pornography. He now wanted to bring the subject out of the darkness into the light, and help others who were also victim to this obsession conquer it, as he had done.

In his autobiography Manhood: How to be a Better Man or Just Live With One, Crews made public his longstanding pornography addic-

Photo: The Canadian Press/Broadimage/REX/Shutterstock

tion and admitted it had seriously affected his marriage and his life before he entered rehabilitation.

Later, he made a video, Dirty Little Secrets, which is part of his personal mission to help people caught up in a similar struggle.

Crews told Relevant magazine that he hit a low point after years of addiction, and said the pornography made him think about people as objects and things to be used rather than people to be loved.

“If day turns into night and you’re still watching, you probably have a problem,” he said.

Crews-ing Along: Actor Terry Crews is walking on air now, but things weren’t always so rosy

In Dirty Little Secrets, he encourages other pornography addicts not to struggle alone and hide the addiction.

“By not telling people, it becomes more powerful. But when you tell and put it out there in the open, it loses its power.”

It’s a credit to Crews’ honesty, determination and faith in God that he has been clear of his addiction for several years, and has manfaithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 11

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Pornography made Crews think about people as objects and things to be used rather than people to be loved. vision career. He is said to be an accomplished flautist, so Crews manages to combine artistic, musical and sporting talent with acting ability.

During his struggle with pornography addiction, Crews always felt that God was with him, even in the midst of his personal torment, he told Relevant.

“You can find meaning in suffering,” he insisted. “You don’t learn it before you go through it.

It’s like God speaks to everyone and tells them what the right move is.

But you’ve got to be open.”

With his struggle with and triumph over addiction, Crews’ tweet that Jesus Christ has been his Saviour certainly rings true.

“The kids have brought new meaning to When the Saints Go Marching In!”

12 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

© J.Sanko/C. Layton, 2018

by John Sanko

Struggle and Triumph Born in 1968 in Michigan, he won an Art Excellence scholarship to Western Michigan University as well as a full athletic scholarship to play football. He played football for six years in the NFL with various teams and was able to combine his artistic talent with his sporting prowess by painting a line of NFL licensed lithographs.

After his NFL retirement in 1997, he moved to Los Angeles to act, and his first break was on the extreme sports show Battle Dome.

In 2000, his first movie, The 6th Day, started a busy film and tele-

OH MY WORD!

Reprinted from The War Cry (Australia), October 21, 2017

aged to save his 17-year marriage to Rebecca.

Faith&Friends

LOVE & LIFE

Love at Any Age Neither of us was looking for another mate, but we found each other anyway.

Photo: Lilly Cruea

by Joyce Starr Macias

Two Hearts ...

Everett, 85, and Joyce, 84, were married this past April

A

fter my husband died, I thought I’d never find love again—until Everett Griffin walked into my life.

Well, he didn’t exactly walk into it. He just happened to sit down next to me.

I was attending a grief support group, and Everett showed up there, too.

We sat at opposite ends of the room and didn’t pay any attention to each other at first. I planned to go to dinner after the meeting with four other widows I’d met there the previous week. As I walked through the parking lot in the late afternoon of

that wintry day, I saw Everett sitting in his car, staring straight ahead, almost as if in a trance. I thought it was odd but kept going toward my own vehicle.

When I drove past, however, I noticed he was still sitting, staring, in his car. I didn’t even remember his name, but I couldn’t drive off without seeing if something was wrong. Maybe he needed a doctor.

He snapped out of it when I knocked on the window, and told me he was all right. But he thanked me profusely for checking on him.

“No problem,” I said, and went on my way.

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 13

Faith&Friends

LOVE & LIFE

My plans had no room for another man.

I was trying to build a new life for myself as a single woman. JOYCE STARR MACIAS Fateful Date Fast forward to the following Tuesday. We both showed up at the meeting and, when it was over, he asked if he could take me out to dinner. Kind of a thank-you-for-caring sort of thing.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “It’s nice of you to ask but it’s really too soon.

I’m just not ready to go out with anyone.”

Just then, I saw the four women heading toward the door, and I hurried to catch up with them. They said they were going to the same restaurant and asked me to join them.

One woman turned and noticed Everett standing alone in the foyer.

“Hey, Ev, why don’t you come with us?” she asked.

He did, and ended up sitting right next to me. I tried to ignore the chemistry I felt happening between us almost right away. My plans had no room for another man. I was trying to build a new life for myself as a single woman. A retired, older single woman with white hair, that is. One who was definitely out of the dating scene.

But we talked and laughed our way through dinner, and I had to

14 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

admit to myself that I had a great time with him. He was charming and full of fun.

And, later, I realized I couldn’t get him off my mind.

Unexpected Love That night, as I was saying my prayers, I asked God what was going on. How could I possibly be developing feelings for a man I didn’t even know?

I was stunned by the immediate answer I got. Not a literal voice, mind you, but that awareness in your heart and mind when God is trying to tell you something. The message was startling to say the least: “Everett is my gift to you.” And deep down, I knew it to be true.

(As if my experience wasn’t enough, Everett had a similar one the moment he awoke the next morning.

“You’d better marry that woman or you’re going to lose her,” was what came into his mind as soon as his eyes opened!)

We hadn’t exchanged phone numbers, so we had to wait for the following Tuesday’s meeting to see each other again. I could hardly think of anything else all week. And

Standing Tall Joyce’s plans had no room for another man

I guess he couldn’t, either, since our whirlwind courtship began almost immediately.

We spent time together every day—sightseeing, going to concerts and church, dinner dates and talking about everything. Being together seemed as natural as breathing. It wasn’t long before we were talking marriage.

Everett and I attended different churches, but we had both committed our lives to Jesus many years earlier. Prayer was important to us, especially for our families.

We each had adult children, and we prayed that they’d accept our latein-life romance. I was blown away by one of God’s answers. That happened

the night I’d cooked a meal for Everett for the first time. Later that night, he dropped me off at my son’s house where I was living at the time.

My son loved to tease me about my cooking, and that night was no exception. I was glad Everett hadn’t come inside.

“Well, is Everett still alive?” my son quipped as I walked toward the living room.

“Yes, and he enjoyed dinner,” I joked back.

But his next question floored me: “Well, then, did he ask you to marry him?”

When I got my voice back, I answered that he had indeed, and we planned to marry on April 2.

Imagine my shock when my son started laughing out loud. He finally revealed that the whole family had been betting on whether we’d get married in March or April. And we thought we’d been so discreet!

Everett and I still can’t explain just how we fell in love. Neither of us was looking for another mate, but we found each other anyway. The only thing we knew for sure was that we were in God’s will. He put us together, and we couldn’t be happier about that.

It’s been wonderful to learn that love can happen to anyone, at any age.

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 15

Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Two Islands, Two Hearts THE COUPLE WAS SEPARATED BY HALF A WORLD, BUT LOVE FOUND A WAY.

by Tamiko Ramabuke

(right) Tamiko and Atonio

16 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

Photos: Yoshi Kawai, Ocean Studio Fiji

“SLIM TO NONE.” THOSE were the bleak odds a relative gave me during a telephone call one day 10 years ago this month, when I asked him what he thought the chances were that I would find a husband at the age of 36—one who had never been married and who had no children.

If I’d been a gambler, I’d have to say that I wouldn’t have touched those odds, either. Fortunately, God didn’t think I was such a long shot.

Lini took me to see her Godmother Mere. During the visit, the godmother noticed that I was not married and showed me a small “treasure chest” of prayer requests that people had given to her and that she promised to pray for. She asked me to write down my own prayer for what I was looking for in a husband.

“A handsome, God-fearing husband who loves the Lord (and me),” I wrote.

The godmother and I prayed over

Prayer in a Treasure Chest My love story starts in 1997, when I met a fellow member of The Salvation Army at an international youth forum in South Africa. Ulamila (Mila) was from Fiji, and over the years, we kept our long-distance friendship going.

Fast-forward to 2007. By now, my friend had become the first single female Salvation Army divisional youth secretary in Fiji. Captain Mila invited me to another international Army conference in New Zealand, and on my way home, I arranged for a stopover to spend time with her on her home island.

On one of those days, Mila was tied up with work, so she asked Carolyne (Lini), the teenaged daughter of two Salvation Army colleagues, to show me around.

(above) “Yes!” Tamiko’s answer to Atonio’s wedding proposal was all of one word faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 17

Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

the chest together and then I left to continue my vacation with my friend. Days later, I headed home to Bermuda.

Unbeknownst to me, a couple of months earlier, a man named Atonio (Tony) went to visit that same godmother. He, too, wrote out all the qualities he was looking for in a prospective wife, and Tony and Godmother Mere said a prayer over the request and placed it in the chest.

Three months after my visit, Tony was sitting in the living room of his home during a family gathering and the topic of marriage came up.

“I’ve got a friend that matches what you are looking for,” his cousin Lini 18 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

told him. “She lives in Bermuda.”

“Where’s Bermuda?” he asked.

“A tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean,” she explained. Knowing that Fiji was located in the Pacific Ocean, Tony knew that we were worlds apart!

But despite the distance—and 15-hour time difference—that night, I received an email from Tony.

Love at First Text Although it was rather strange to receive a message from a complete stranger half a world away, from the beginning there was a connection.

Tony was two years older than me, unmarried with no children.

Almost immediately, he asked me about my vision for the future and what God was doing in my life. And he used the exact same words I had used in my private prayer request.

While he was in university working on a degree in business, he’d prayed for a wife with a similar degree in business administration and a similar vision. Not only did I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in business administration but the dreams for our future dovetailed almost exactly. It turned out that we have similar faith backgrounds, as I am a member of The Salvation Army while Tony’s father is a pastor. We also have similar

(above) Happy Day Tamiko, Atonio and their bridal party dressed in traditional Fijian garb for the couple’s wedding day

musical interests—both of us know how to play the guitar and the piano.

That was the start of daily Skype conversations and email exchanges.

It soon became clear to both of us that we’d fallen in love without ever having met!

Tony’s proposal was as unconventional as our courtship.

One day while we were texting, he typed, “Would you like to get married?”

I replied with one word: “Yes!” faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 19

Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Tamiko and Atonio’s wedding day combined the best of both their cultures, including (clockwise from top) a Salvation Army band, an Army dance troupe and a Salvation Army pastor in attendance

20 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

It was rather strange to receive an email from a complete stranger half a world away, but from the beginning there was a connection. TAMIKO RAMABUKE Fiji Meets Bermuda We finally met a year later in early 2009, when I travelled to Fiji. Neither of us was nervous about this first encounter, just excited. We’d spent a year talking to each other about everything under the sun, so there was a comfort level in place. Indeed, it felt as if we had known each other for years.

I was in Fiji for two weeks, where I stayed at the hotel he’d recommended for our wedding reception, and I was able to spend time with his family and experience Fijian culture and hospitality.

Most importantly, Tony and I got to spend time together. If anything, it only confirmed how fortunate we were to have found each other. God had placed us together where we needed to be.

Our wedding that August encapsulated all we held dear. There were more than 50 of my family and friends who came from Bermuda, Canada, the United States and South Africa to celebrate our union, and an equal number from Tony’s family and friends from South Korea

and Australia. We had a traditional island wedding, where my bridesmaids and I were dressed in Fijian attire. We then changed to western dress for the reception, which was a mix of Fijian and Bermudian cultures. We had traditional Fijian music as well as a Salvation Army band.

Happily Ever After Today, Tony and I have been married for almost nine years and we are the proud parents of a baby boy whom we adopted in Fiji. We named him Matteo, which means “gift from God.” We split our time between both islands and we are happier than we have ever been in our lives.

We are active with The Salvation Army, helping to feed the homeless and volunteering during the Christmas season. I still practise with the church worship group and direct our puppet ministry.

Only God could bring two people from two islands, half a world apart, together through the power of prayer. And prayer is what sustains us, now and forever. faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 21

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Have Skis, Will Travel: Nick Goepper’s love of skiing started when he was 11

THIS MONTH, SLOPESTYLE SKIER NICK GOEPPER HAS HIS SIGHTS SET ON THE WINTER OLYMPICS, BUT THERE’S A REASON WHY HE WEARS A CROSS ON HIS GOGGLES.

by Jayne Thurber-Smith 22 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

Photo: USOC/NBC Olympics

Down a Slippery Slope

L

ate-night talk-show host David Letterman interviewed fellow Indianan Nick Goepper in January 2014, just before Nick flew to Russia to compete at the Sochi Winter Olympics. Letterman commented on the unlikelihood of a professional skier coming out of southern Indiana, with its scarcity

was going to try my first backflip. It was one of the most nerve-wracking days of my life. I did my backflip and landed it, and that was the moment when I realized, ‘Hey, I’m OK at this! And I want to pursue this as a career.’ ” Nick didn’t take the nine months without snow sitting down. On his

“ More and more, I’m about embracing the journey instead of focusing on the end result.” NICK GOEPPER of snow and mountains. Nick, now 23 years old and skiing all over the world, is living proof that “where there’s a will, there’s a way.”

Going for the Goal Nick’s hometown of Lawrenceburg was near the Perfect North Slopes ski resort, and Nick started skiing at the age of five. It was only a 300-foot mountain, with just three months of skiing a year on manmade snow, but it was good enough to learn how to do a few tricks.

“I was 11 when I went out one day with a couple of my friends,” he told Letterman. “It was the day I

YouTube channel, you can watch him as a young boy industriously hosing down a makeshift rampand-rail setup, with boards on the ground covered with netting, to actually ski over and practise his tricks in the off-season. It also shows him at a training park a few hours away in Ohio: dirt biking over moguls, doing flips off of a skateboard into a foam pit, skiing down a ramp fully clothed to perform multiple twists and turns before landing in a huge swimming pool.

“I would often practise jumps I had seen online on the trampoline faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 23

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

and transfer that to the slopes,” Nick says. “Bouncing on the trampoline is still one of my favourite things to do. It has helped me immensely, working on different moves. It’s good for tricks when you are comfortable being upside down.”

When he outgrew Perfect North Slopes, Nick was determined to take his talents to the next level. As a young teenager, he did various odd jobs—from babysitting to landscaping to selling candy on the school bus—to raise money toward that goal.

“I hustled a lot as a kid,” he laughs.

“I didn’t make tons of money but my effort and determination showed my parents and friends that I was passionate about skiing and I was going to achieve my goals. I was able to win an athletic scholarship to Windells Academy in Oregon.”

Bringing Home Bronze As important as skiing has always been to Nick, being a part of their local church was also important to him and his family. He often wears a cross on his ski goggles, and credits his faith in God for helping him deal with anxiety and depression.

“Growing up, we were very involved in the church,” he says, 24 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

“and praying is a priority for me.

Before I drop in for a run, I say a short prayer under my breath. That lets me know I am a part of something bigger than myself. Especially if it’s a big event or the conditions are bad, praying gives me a confidence boost.”

As Nick’s portfolio of tricks grew, the freestyle sport that would become his specialty, slopestyle skiing, was also growing in popularity. It originated with the Winter X Games as an event in which athletes ski down a course, mastering a variety of obstacles including rails and jumps. Nick had medalled in slopestyle at the Winter X Games a few times before the sport made its debut at the 2014 Winter Olympics, and he was honoured to bring home the bronze medal from that competition.

“Being the competitor I am, my initial reaction was, ‘Shoot, I wish I had stepped it up on my second run,’ ” he remembers. “Of course I wanted the top spot! But as the adrenaline wore off I came to terms with it. I really was stoked to be on that podium at the Olympics, with my family there watching as the flags rose.”

Photo: Courtesy of Nick Goepper

Bound for Gold This month, Nick sets his sights on the Winter Olympics

On to Korea Last June, Nick took a break from skiing to assist in Rwanda with Kids Play International. It gave him a true appreciation for the opportunities and lifestyle he has access to every day.

“That was a great experience and I am super thankful for them having me along,” he says. “The local Rwandans were so happy that we were there. It was amazing to see the different ways of life in a developing country. That trip put things into perspective for me, showing me that happiness and fulfilment is a relative thing. The people there weren’t driving fancy cars or sitting on plush furniture, but still seemed like they felt they were fortunate.”

Nick’s next trip will hopefully

be to PyeongChang, South Korea, to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“It’s fun travelling with the other American Olympians even though we are all trying for the top spot,” he comments. “We are a tight group, but of course it can get competitive. At the end of the day, we are experiencing the same things and are good friends. More and more, I’m about embracing the journey instead of focusing on the end result.”

Any practical tips for the young Olympic hopefuls to come?

“Work your butt off!” he advises from his experience. “You might only get one chance and you don’t want to look back saying, ‘I wish I had tried harder.’ ” faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 25

Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Eating Healthy With Erin GARLIC RAPINI LINGUINE TIME 30 min MAKES 4 servings SERVE WITH shrimp or chicken

1 L (4 cups) fresh rapini 30 ml (2 tbsp) salt 750 ml (3 cups) dry linguine 60 ml (¼ cup) olive oil 3 garlic cloves, minced 250 ml (1 cup) grape tomatoes, halved 1 ml (¼ tsp) red pepper flakes 60 ml (¼ cup) grated fresh parmesan cheese or to taste salt and pepper to taste

1. Trim 5 mm (¼ in.) off rapini stalks. Rinse and dry well. Bring large pot of water and salt to boil. Place rapini in pot and boil for just over a minute or until rapini takes on a bright green hue. (This removes bitter taste from rapini.)

2. Drain rapini and place in bowl of ice and water for 3 minutes, then drain and pat dry.

3. Cook linguine. Meanwhile, heat skillet over medium heat with oil.

4. Once oil is heated in skillet, add garlic and cook until soft. Add rapini, red pepper flakes and tomatoes. Cook 3 minutes, stirring so it does not stick.

5. Drain linguine and then pour entire skillet over pasta. Stir well so oil covers the pasta.

6. Grate fresh parmesan on top.

RASPBERRY KALE SMOOTHIE 2 bananas 175 ml (3/4 cup) raspberries, fresh or frozen 15 ml (1 tbsp) maple syrup 500 ml (2 cups) milk 15 ml (1 tbsp) almond butter 125 ml (1/2 cup) kale 60 ml (1/4 cup) shredded coconut as garnish (optional)

26 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

1. Blend first six ingredients together until smooth.

2. Sprinkle shredded coconut on top if desired.

3. Chill and serve.

Recipe photos: Erin Stanley/veganvirgin.ca

TIME 5 min MAKES 2 servings SERVE WITH chocolate chips

Church to Catwalk

A MODEL LIFE P.12

Jonathan Butler

ALL THAT JAZZ P.22

NBA’s Chris Paul

THE ROCKETS’ MAN P.8

Faith&Friends I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

JANUARY 2018

Subscribe to Faith&Friends

• inspiring true stories of hope and salvation • practical resources that will rejuvenate your spirit • uplifting articles that you can share with friends The True Top Chef THE SALVATION ARMY’S ALVIN CHONG SERVES MORE THAN MEALS P.16

Visit faithandfriends.ca/subscribe or call (416) 422-6119 today!

Sudoku Puzzle

6

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3 × 3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

QUICK QUIZ 1. The Statue of Liberty was a gift to the United States from what country?

2. What popular toy means “pocket monster” in Japanese?

3. What is the capital of New Zealand?

9

7

8

8

6 1

8

1

9 2

4

5 4

3 1

9

7 1

7

2

1

8

7

1 5

2

9 7

8

9

3

1

© www.kevinfrank.net

HEAVEN’S LOVE THRIFT SHOP by Kevin Frank

Answers on next page.

4

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 27

Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

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

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

6

1

7 9

4

3

6

4

3

7

9

5

1

2 1

9

2

5

8

7

3

6

8 4

8 7 5 1 6 2 4 3 9

6 4 1 7 3 9 8 2 5

9 3 2 5 8 4 6 1 7

3 2 7 9 1 6 5 4 8

4 9 8 2 5 3 7 6 1

Quick Quiz Answers: 1. France; 2. Pokémon; 3. Wellington.

1 5 6 8 4 7 3 9 2

28 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

2

RAVISHING ROMANTIC SEXY SWEETHEART TENDER THOUGHTFUL UNFORGETTABLE UNSELFISH UPBEAT WISE

5

INTOXICATING IRREPLACEABLE LOVABLE LOVE OF MY LIFE MAGNETIC MANLY MARVELOUS MESMERIZING PASSIONATE PLAYFUL PRECIOUS PRETTY RADIANT

8

ADORABLE ATTRACTIVE BEAUTIFUL BEWITCHING BREATHTAKING CAPTIVATING CUTIE-PIE EXTRAORDINARY FABULOUS GORGEOUS HANDSOME HUGGABLE INCOMPARABLE

Faith&Friends

FAITH BUILDERS

Forgive and Forget?

In the movie Forever My Girl, a musician deals with the consequences of all that he left behind.

by Ken Ramstead

Return to St. Augustine Forever My Girl, in theatres now, is the story of the steep price Liam pays for that decision.

Fast forward eight years.

Liam’s touring the world to sellout crowds when he hears of the death of his best friend from high school.

Unexpectedly ditching the tour, he returns home to St. Augustine, Louisiana, to pay his respects, but in

doing so is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind—including a seven-year-old daughter, Billy (Abby Ryder Fortson), he never knew he had.

It turns out that Josie only found out she was pregnant with Liam’s child after he’d left town, and though she called him to tell him she had something important to say, he Photos: Jacob Yakob, Roadside Attractions/LD Entertainment

I

t seems like a fairy-tale story come true. Josie (Jessica Rothe) is waiting at the altar to marry her sweetheart, budding country singer Liam (Alex Roe), a hometown hero who has just gotten a record contract and whose fortune seems on the rise.

But the fairy-tale ending never happens. A shattered Josie is left at the altar when Liam leaves her for the bright lights of Nashville, Tennessee, choosing fame and fortune instead.

Happy Family? Will Josie (right) and Billy ever accept Liam into their lives?

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 29

Faith&Friends

FAITH BUILDERS

“ Liam, it’s because you left us all that day. The entire town. You don’t belong here anymore.” JOSIE never returned the call. But Liam never erased her last message to him, either, and replayed it on his old flip phone every day over those last eight years.

Now, faced with issues that need resolving, Liam’s determined to stay in St. Augustine and make things right again, for however long it takes.

But it’s not that simple.

“Have you noticed in the past eight years, no one—and I mean no one— in this little town of ours has ever spoken to the press about you or your life here, ever?” an angry Josie asks him. “Have you also noticed that no one’s taken a picture of you, posted it on Facebook, Instagram, nothing?

Now why do you suppose that is, Liam?”

“Because I walked out on you,” Liam replies.

“Liam, it’s because you left us all that day. The entire town. You don’t belong here anymore.”

Will St. Augustine ever forgive him? For that matter, will Josie, or their daughter, Billy?

It Takes Two “We’ve all been in a situation where we need a second or third or even fourth chance, where we need forgiveness,” says Pete Shilaimon,

30 • FEBRUARY 2018 I faithandfriends.ca

Forever My Girl’s producer. “The forgiveness part of it is what I loved the most about the movie.”

As a person of faith, Shilaimon is well aware of how forgiveness resonates throughout the Bible, especially the New Testament.

In fact, one of Jesus’ last acts as He was dying on the cross was to forgive those who were crucifying Him: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34).

“Forgiveness is one of the most beautiful acts you can show anyone,” Shilaimon says.

For Liam, asking forgiveness is one thing. But he quickly realizes that sometimes it takes more than asking.

“We all mess up, sometimes,” he’s told by Josie’s brother. “But it’s what you do after you mess up that counts. You show up. You be there.”

Shilaimon agrees. “You’ve got to work a little bit, maybe work a lot.

“But,” he continues, “the other people have to work equally hard to allow you to come back into their lives after you’ve wronged them. You embrace people who are lost, who are going through hard times. That’s what I hope people will take away from Forever My Girl.”

Faith&Friends

REFASHIONISTA RULES

Romance in a Jar This year, give the gift of thrifty love for Valentine’s Day and create some heartfelt and oh-so-quirky romance jars: Step 1 Grab a jar from your recycling bin, remove the label and give it a thorough clean.

2

Step 2 Purchase a fabulous, unique gift for your valentine at your local Salvation Army thrift store.

Step 3 Neatly pack your gift(s) into the jar.

Step 4 Embellish the jar with decorative bits from around the house and present it to your sweetheart on Valentine’s Day.

3

1 4

(left) Sheri Pavlović is the do-it-yourself diva behind the Confessions of a Refashionista book series, channel and blog, which are full of step-by-step upcycling tutorials for everything from clothing and accessories to home décor. She is also a creative expert for The Salvation Army’s thrift stores. Find a thrift store near you at thriftstore.ca.

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2018

• 31

PM 40064794

For address changes or subscription information contact (416) 422-6119 or circulation@can.salvationarmy.org. Allow 4-6 weeks for changes.