17 minute read
Mopping Up
“I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.”–Isaiah 42:16
The Salvation Army has been a driving force in supporting blind and visually impaired individuals in Nassau, Bahamas, for decades. As in many societies around the world, there are little to no employment opportunities for people with visual impairments. The Salvation Army Adult Blind Centre and Workshop was created to address this gap and, in doing so,
Why a workshop in the Bahamas is “the happiest part of The Salvation Army.” by Kathy Nguyen
Man at Work Blind since the age of 15, Desmond has been working at The Salvation Army Adult Blind Centre and Workshop in Nassau, Bahamas, for more than 25 years
developed a program that teaches students vocational skills and helps them become employable. At this workshop, students learn how to make brooms and cushions; how to use yarn-cutting machines; how to bundle and pack mops; and how to label them. Here, their visual impairments are not seen as limitations or roadblocks. Here, they are given something that they sparingly receive—opportunity.
Branded Hope “There was a need to create opportunities for people who are blind and visually impaired,” says
Cleaning Crew Lt-Colonel Brenda Murray, The Salvation Army's director of world missions, watches as Desmond and the rest of the workers assemble their mops BEYOND BORDERS
the manager of the mop factory, Sidney Albury. “Most people with disabilities would stay at home, idle and unproductive. This workshop is a vital lifeline for them to have purpose and to earn a sustainable salary.”
These high-quality mops are sold all over the Bahamas. In hotels, government agencies, schools, cruise ships, business establishments and hardware stores, you’ll find a mop branded with the Salvation Army shield. The employees are compensated fairly, receiving aboveminimum wage and earning a commission for each mop sold.
12 • FEBRUARY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca 12 • FEBRUARY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca Positive Contribution This small but mighty factory employs six blind individuals who produce 300 mops every day. With their strength of character and fast-paced workmanship, it is easy to forget that they are blind. They exemplify what it means to be hard-working and dedicated. Walk into the factory and you can see that they all work at a quick rhythm, never missing a beat.
You’ll find Ervens, the youngest, with earphones on, listening to music while plastering labels on each mop. Next to him, you’ll find Kendal bundling the mops in
All over the Bahamas—in hotels, government agencies, schools, cruise ships, business establishments and hardware stores—you’ll find a mop branded with the Salvation Army shield.
sets of six. He hands them off to Elliot, who covers them in plastic. Next to the yarn-cutting machine, you’ll see a man with sunglasses vigorously cutting the yarn into the necessary sizes and assembling the mop pieces. This is Desmond, the patriarch of this little family. “At the age of 15, I went totally blind,” says Desmond. “Blind people have limited opportunities— not because we don’t have the abilities, but because society doesn’t understand that people who are blind or visually impaired are able to make a positive contribution.” Desmond has been at this factory since 1994, with no signs of stopping. Every day for more than 25 years, he has enjoyed going to work, utilizing his skills, and enjoying the companionship and camaraderie with his co-workers and friends. “We always say that this is the happiest part of The Salvation Army,” he says, grinning from ear to ear.
Setting an Example Nearly 60 years ago, Salvationists came together to address a profound need in society—a need to employ people who, though visually impaired, were willing and capable to join the workforce.
The Salvation Army Adult Blind Centre and Workshop provides more than just employment and productivity. This is also a place where vulnerable people are given fulfilment and a purpose. “Our factory sets an example for what can and should be done for persons with disabilities in the rest of this country, and the world,” says Sidney.
(left) Kathy Nguyen is the office co-ordinator at The Salvation Army’s world missions department in Toronto.
Race Against Time
IN THE MOVIE 1917, IN THEATRES NOW, TWO BRITISH SOLDIERS ARE TASKED WITH A DARING MISSION. IF THEY FAIL, HUNDREDS WILL DIE. by Ken Ramstead
It’s the spring of 1917. For more than two years, German, British and French armies have been mired in unremitting trench warfare on the western front, where thousands of soldiers have perished in bloody attacks, and advances have been measured in metres.
When the Germans pull back to new positions on the Hindenburg Line, British forces seize the opportunity to prepare a massive
assault that will end the war once and for all.
But the British troops are about to advance into a trap.
Aerial intelligence has revealed the bolstered German defences and uncovered the carefully laid trap. With field communications knocked out, lance corporals Blake (DeanCharles Chapman) and Schofield (George MacKay) are given the task of delivering the message and halting
the attack.
“If you fail,” says their commanding officer (Colin Firth), “it will be a massacre. Good luck.”
This is no walk in the park. The two soldiers have to navigate their way across the apocalyptic landscape of no man’s land—shattered trenches, foul mud, rats, decaying bodies strewn on rusted barbed wire, smoldering ruins, waterlogged shellholes—to deliver the all-important message.
The clock is ticking. If they fail, hundreds of men—including Blake’s own brother—will be slaughtered.
Mission Accomplished? This is the life-and-death premise of 1917, the First World War movie directed by Sam Mendes, in theatres now.
The movie was inspired by the director’s grandfather, who published a memoir of his wartime experiences. “From the very beginning I felt this movie should be told in real time,” Sam Mendes said in a behindthe-scenes featurette. “I wanted people to understand how difficult it was for these men. Every step of the journey, breathing every breath with these men, felt integral. And there is no better way to tell the story than with one continuous shot.”
Because this technique required the use of 360 degrees of each exterior, 1917 could only be shot using natural light, a process that made the shooting schedule entirely dependent on ideal weather conditions. A five-minute window of the sun ducking behind clouds sent cast and crew scrambling into position. “It was like a piece of theatre on every take,” actor George MacKay says. “Once you start, you can’t stop. If something goes wrong, you just have to keep going.”
The shooting mirrored the plot of the movie itself. Blake and Schofield cannot stop despite the many obstacles in their path. Neither moments of bravery nor horrific events are dwelled upon for the two soldiers. What matters is accomplishing their mission.
Run for Your Life Most of us will never be asked to undergo an arduous mission through enemy lines to save hundreds from certain death.
But that doesn’t mean that we lead uneventful lives. Our actions—or inactions—have consequences, even when we think no one is watching. Like Blake and Schofield, Christians are also running a race, the race to stay true to God. Sometimes the path is uneven and temptations abound, and we stumble and fall. But what keeps us going is God’s abiding love. As the Apostle Paul said, “My only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24).
That race is as life-saving as the one in the movie.
KEITH AND SHONA PIKE ALWAYS TOOK THE “IN SICKNESS AND IN HEALTH” PART OF THEIR MARRIAGE VOWS SERIOUSLY, BUT NEVER MORE SO THAN WHEN KEITH NEEDED A NEW KIDNEY. by Ken Ramstead
Transplanted Love
Canadians Across the Pond Majors Shona and Keith Pike are Salvation Army pastors currently stationed at International Headquarters in London, England
Transplanted Love
The Pause That Refreshes Keith receives a blood transfusion
THERE ARE AS MANY WAYS to celebrate Valentine’s Day as there are people to celebrate it, but few can match how Canadian Salvation Army pastors Majors Keith and Shona Pike spent February 14, 2018. “I was in a hospital room being prepped to donate a kidney to my husband,” says Shona.
“When we met 39 years ago, I knew we were a pretty good match. But now we have medical science to back up how compatible we are!”
“Normal” “I tell people it was love at first sight for Shona,” smiles Keith, “but she doesn’t quite remember it that way.” Both members of The Salvation Army, the 15-year-olds met while on an exchange trip between their respective church’s musical groups in 1980. They continued to correspond even after Keith’s pastor parents were transferred to Newfoundland and Labrador. The friends lost track of each
other after some years but reconnected through a mutual friend. Shona was attending university in Toronto, and the two started corresponding again. As it happened, Keith had some health concerns, which necessitated his journeying to Toronto for a consultation with a nephrologist in 1986.
The two stayed in touch, and romance blossomed.
“There was always a certain attraction,” says Keith, “and we connected on so many levels.”
“We also felt the same calling to ministry,” adds Shona.
Both trained to become Salvation Army pastors, she in Toronto and he in St. John’s, N.L. After commissioning, they were married in 1990.
Over the next 29 years, the Pikes were posted to various appointments throughout the country. “And life was ...” starts Keith. “... normal,” finishes Shona.
Out of Time In early 2017, though, Keith’s doctor informed him that his healthy blood levels were beginning to decline, an indication that the kidney transplant he’d had in 1988 was failing. Keith says, “I was thankful for the time I’d had with the first kidney,” which was donated by his brother, John. “The average lifespan for a transplanted organ is about 15 years, so I was fortunate it lasted almost 30.”
Of course, Keith’s doctors knew this would eventually occur, so the process of looking for a donor kidney began in earnest that summer. Keith’s sister was an obvious transplant choice and began preliminary testing to donate her kidney. She had to be excluded due to some complications that required further testing, which would take a year to rule out—time that Keith’s failing kidney did not have.
A Gift of Love Shona is prepped for surgery
Ace in the Hole At around this time, Keith and Shona received orders transferring them to Salvation Army International Headquarters (IHQ) in London, England. “IHQ knew that the transplant— when it happened—would be done in Canada, and they were willing for us to work remotely until it did,” explains Shona.
In the meantime, the couple had to undergo routine medical examinations in preparation for the move. “I asked my doctor what my blood type was,” says Shona. “She didn’t know, but since they were doing all the blood work anyway, they’d find out.”
When the results came back, Shona discovered she had Type O, which meant she was a universal donor.
“Keith has Type B, so I could be considered as a donor for him.”
Mere curiosity did not prompt her request.
“We didn’t know at that time that his sister would be excluded,” Shona says, “but I wanted to be there for my husband.”
Safe for Surgery And so Shona began rigorous medical tests.
“I had to move through the testing and consultation phases and pass each one before they’d move me to the next,” says Shona. “Health questionnaires, blood tests, X-rays and
20 • FEBRUARY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca scans. I was even interviewed by a social worker to make sure that I was mentally prepared to become a donor.”
In late 2017, Shona was cleared for surgery. An October transplant date was scheduled but just as the couple was leaving the hospital after the pre-op appointment, Keith’s specialist called.
“We have to put the surgery on hold,” he told them.
Keith’s hemoglobin levels had dropped to a point where there was a danger in performing the surgery. “We were devastated,” he says. Rigorous testing determined that Keith’s body had built up resistance to one of the anti-rejection medications that helped him produce hemoglobin.
As a result, Keith needed regular transfusions while the specialists sought out which medication was the culprit, but each transfusion ran the risk of building up antibodies to Shona’s blood.
Hard as it was to hear this news, the Pikes continued to trust the wisdom of the medical team and God for the best possible results for Keith’s long-term health.
Fortunately, once the problem medication was discovered, Keith’s hemoglobin levels improved to a level considered safe for surgery.
A Gift of New Life A tentative date was set for March 2018 when Shona and Keith received
a call from their donor co-ordinator, asking them if they would be available for a surgery date of February 14, due to a cancellation on the surgery schedule. The couple was thrilled.
“We’d been waiting for God to answer our prayers and then all of a sudden things just started moving forward,” says Shona. “We had less than a week to prepare for a Valentine’s Day surgery.”
Keith was admitted to the hospital on the evening of the 13th to prep. Shona came in the next morning and was taken right into the operating room.
The same doctor performed both three-hour surgeries, one after the other.
“I was out of the hospital after
three days, while Keith was in for 10,” says Shona.
“We experienced an overwhelming sense of God’s peace and protection on the journey, and we’re grateful for the gift of new life.”
Stronger Together Still stationed in the United Kingdom, the Pikes are an important part of the IHQ team in the youth and children department.
And in terms of their relationship, the transplant made a strong marriage even stronger.
“We took the ‘for better or for worse, in sickness and in health’ part of our marriage vows very seriously,” says Keith.
“We discovered that when you love somebody, it means sharing all of life,” says Shona. “It means the good days, the challenging days, the unexpected journeys, everything. This was certainly our experience, but we knew that whatever happened, we were going to be stronger together.”
Three Kidneys, Two Transplants John Pike (left) donated one of his kidneys to his brother, Keith. When that one failed after almost 30 years, Shona stepped in
The Red Geranium
WHEN I WAS FACED WITH MY POOR ATTITUDE, A SURPRISE GIFT HELPED ME CHANGE MY WAYS. by Jeanette Levellie
As my husband, Kevin, and I started our afternoon walk from our house across the parking lot of the church he pastors, the air exploded with angry voices. At the entrance to our church, a pickup truck and a van faced each other. The air above their heads turned blue with embarrassment as a young man and a 40ish woman exchanged obscenities. I raised my voice another notch. “If you don’t leave right now, I’m calling the police!” That’s when the woman stepped forward.
“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I’m his mom, and he just ran out of gas. Now, I’m going to have to go into town and then bring it all the way back here to him!”
Now I was not only irritated but appalled. What kind of mother
Now I was not only irritated but appalled. What kind of mother screams at her son like that? JEANETTE LEVELLIE
Photo: womue/stock.Adobe.com The closer Kevin and I came to the two, the worse their language seemed to become. My boss had chewed me out earlier that day and I was not in the mood to listen to another shouting match. I marched closer and yelled over the din, “Can you please take your fight somewhere else? We don’t want to hear it!”
The young man faced me and said, “Sorry,” but immediately resumed his fight. I don’t usually holler at strangers. But after all, they were in front of our church only a few metres from the highway. What will people think? screams at her son like that? I wanted these people and their nasty words out of my space, and now. “Well, you need to take your fight elsewhere, because there is no excuse for your language,” I volleyed back. Finally, they drove away in the mom’s van, leaving the pickup in front of the church.
Act of Contrition As Kevin and I walked, I began to think more clearly. My outrage moved out to make room for embarrassment. “I wasn’t a very good example of Jesus’
love with those two,” I told Kevin, feeling the heat of shame creep up my neck. “Do you think I should write a note apologizing for my outburst, and leave it on the truck?”
“Yes, it would be good to say you’re sorry you lost your temper.” I made my note simple: “I apologize for being so hard on you earlier. I hope you got the help you need.” Then I signed my first name and taped the note to the pickup’s windshield.
The next morning when I went to the church building to pray, I found a two-page letter taped to the door and a potted red geranium on the porch. In the letter, the mother apologized
profusely for the day before. They were in the process of moving, she explained, she’d worked a 5:30 a.m. shift that day, and her son hadn’t shown up to help them pack.
“Then I saw him parked in your church parking lot, out of gas,” she had written. “That’s when I pulled over and gave him a piece of my mind and you saw me and my son yelling at each other. I try to be a good person every day. I ask for a forgiving heart and patience to get me through the day. But today I was weak and you witnessed it.”
She ended by saying how ashamed she was for her behaviour and
that my note on her son’s windshield helped her get through the rest of the day. Then she signed it, “I’m leaving this flower for you as a thank-you. With all my love, Candy.”
Sharing Grace I gazed down at the red geranium, feeling about as low as the dirt in which it was planted. I was a pastor’s wife; I had no excuse for yelling at Candy and her son, just because they were screaming at each other in my earshot.
What kind of hypocrite am I? I asked God. Instead of telling them to take their fight elsewhere, I should have asked them how we might help them. That would have shown Your heart of kindness to them—not given them the idea that Christians are too good to listen to swear words.
I prayed for Candy’s family, that their move would go smoothly, that God would bless their relationships with each other, and that somehow they’d discover Jesus loves them and wants to help them, in spite of my poor example.
I wondered where to plant the geranium. I chose the planter under the church sign, hoping that Candy might drive by and see it. Then she’d know I accepted her apology and appreciated her gift.
But the red geranium wasn’t only for Candy. I, too, needed this bright reminder that God’s grace is deeper than my sin and shame. And since I never know what kind of day someone is having, I need to remember to share that grace with them.
(left) Author of five books and hundreds of published articles, Jeanette Levellie and her husband make their home in Paris, Illinois. Jeanette’s hobbies include spoiling her three grandchildren, pampering her cats and inventing new ways to avoid housework. Find her splashes of hope and humour at www.jeanettelevellie.com.
