Faith & Friends May 2020

Rescued From Addiction

SAVED TO SERVE P.15

Hope for the Hopeless

There for Mom

BREAKTHROUGH P.10 THE DOOR PRIZE P.5

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

faithandfriends.ca

MAY 2020

Ordeal in the Operating Room AS DEBBY NELSON UNDERWENT BRAIN SURGERY, HER UNBORN CHILD’S LIFE HUNG IN THE BALANCE. P.16

Feeling Boxed In?

A lot of people feel trapped in the workplace. Too many of us are blindly running around, neglecting our families to keep pace with the incessant workload or stepping over our colleagues to get ahead.

Long before the proliferation of CEO biographies, business handbooks and manuals on corporate culture, Jesus put His finger on what should be your first job when you walk through the office door:

When workplace one-upmanship, titles and perks take priority over loyalty and jobs well done, satisfaction plummets, souls deaden and hearts wither. We wander aimlessly across the corporate landscape.

“ Do to others what you would have them do to you.”—Matthew 7:12 If we conduct ourselves with integrity, honesty and compassion, maybe we will finally begin to think “outside the box.”

To learn more about Jesus, visit our website at www.faithandfriends.ca or contact us at: The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H 1P4

May 2020

VOLUME 23 NUMBER 5

FAMILY TIME 5 The Door Prize

When Jeanette Levellie ran out of enthusiasm to decorate her mother’s apartment, an unexpected award energized her again.

LAUGHING MATTERS 8 A Thick Frog on the Road?

One letter can make all the difference, but no one needs a slice of dread.

SOMEONE CARES

10 Rescued From Addiction

SAVED TO SERVE P.15

Hope for the Hopeless

10 Tracy’s Breakthrough

A Salvation Army program provides hope for the hopeless.

FEATURES

There for Mom

BREAKTHROUGH P.10 THE DOOR PRIZE P.5

Faith&Friends

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I N S P I R AT I O N F O R L I V I N G

faithandfriends.ca

MAY 2020

Ordeal in the Operating Room AS DEBBY NELSON UNDERWENT BRAIN SURGERY, HER UNBORN CHILD’S LIFE HUNG IN THE BALANCE. P.16

16

COVER STORY 22

Cover Photo: Carson Samson

24

Saved to Serve

Vince Cusack was at his lowest when he encountered God and The Salvation Army.

Ordeal in the Operating Room

As Debby Nelson underwent brain surgery, her unborn child’s life hung in the balance.

A Snail’s Pace

In The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, our hero searches for his childhood friend.

NOW & THEN 24 Jeff Bethke

The bestselling influencer still loves Jesus, and is addicted to grace.

LITE STUFF 28 Eating Healthy With Erin

Sudoku, Quick Quiz, Word Search.

NIFTY THRIFTY 31 Thrifting Like a Pro

How to make the most of your next thrift store visit. faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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Faith&Friends

FROM THE EDITOR

The “Miracle Baby”

S

ometimes, the most touching stories in Faith & Friends have the most inauspicious origins.

Earlier this year, the editorial department received an email from General Linda Bond, the retired leader of the international Salvation Army.

A Canadian herself, she mentioned in passing how her niece’s son, 11-year-old Hayden, loves Faith & Friends, and that he often passes his time reading the magazine during Sunday services at The Salvation Army’s Heritage Park Temple church in his hometown of Winnipeg.

Well, such good taste just had to be investigated, so I contacted Hayden’s parents, Paul and Debby Nelson. It turns out that Hayden is still referred to by older members of the church as their “miracle baby.” When she was pregnant with Hayden, Debby had to undergo brain surgery due to a ruptured brain aneurysm, a procedure that could well have had dire effects for both mother and baby.

Both lives hung in the balance, and their story is on page 16.

Elsewhere in this issue of Faith & Friends, you’ll read about the caring Salvation Army staff who helped Tracy, overwhelmed by anxiety, see past her hopelessness.

As well, Jeanette Levellie shares how, when her enthusiasm to help decorate her mother’s front entrance waned, an unexpected “door prize” helped rejuvenate her again.

And funnyman Phil Callaway points out how some misplaced letters in a collection of children’s writings can make for hilarious consequences.

Ken Ramstead

4 • MAY 2020 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

Brian Peddle, GENERAL Commissioner Floyd Tidd TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS Geoff Moulton, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Ramstead, EDITOR

Brandon Laird SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Hannah Saley DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST 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) 422-6217 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

FAMILY TIME

The Door Prize When I ran out of enthusiasm to decorate my mother’s apartment, an unexpected award energized me again.

Photo: elm98/stock.Adobe.com

by Jeanette Levellie

W

hen Mom, an 86-year-old widow, moved from the big city to our rural town to live near us, I was thrilled but worried. I knew that saying goodbye to the friends and familiar places she’d known for three decades—not to mention finding a new home for

her beloved cat, Rufus—would be a rough adjustment, and I wanted to do all I could for Mom as her only remaining child.

I asked God for ways to show my love for her. Although I was no longer a child, I wanted to honour God by honouring her, like the Apos-

faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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Faith&Friends

FAMILY TIME

Maternal Bond Jeanette Levellie (left) with her mother.

Jeanette’s labour of love brightened her mother’s day

tle Paul told us to do in Ephesians 6:2. “Help me find some ways to be a blessing to Mom, and make her smile.”

I Can Do That!

Every Wednesday, I joined Mom in the dining room of her assisted-living facility for lunch. This became our weekly tradition. After we ate, we’d mosey back to her apartment and chat awhile before I had to return to work. It was usually the same topics we’d discussed the week before, but I didn’t mind. Mom got lonely, far from her friends. It made her happy that I listened. And I often prayed with her before I left.

My husband and I took her to eat after church occasionally, or had her to our house for a meal. She loved talking to our cats, looking at the family pictures that covered our walls and playing board games. We took Mom shopping, to movies and

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yard sales. But I wanted to do more.

I noticed that many of Mom’s neighbours decorated their doors for holidays. Mom liked to take us around the building and point out the prettiest ones.

I can do that! I thought. It will help Mom feel more a part of this little community. Since I enjoyed decorating my own home, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem to share the fun with Mom, adding a bit of bling to the outside of her apartment.

From Fun to Chore Near the end of winter’s gloomy days, I put up brightly coloured paper flowers and a “Welcome Spring!” wreath. For Valentine’s Day, pink and red hearts dipped in glitter danced across the walls leading to her apartment. In summer, a silk flower arrangement sat under her mailbox.

In the fall, I decorated the door with a wreath of pumpkins and a grinning

What began as a way to honour Mom and help her feel loved was now a chore. stuffed bear. And at Christmas, a “Jesus is the Best Gift” wall hanging reminded everyone why we celebrate this season.

This was an exciting and fun project. For the first year.

Then the newness wore off and it became a chore to take down old decorations, pack them and put up the new items. Since Mom lacked storage space, I had to haul the boxes of each season’s decorations home to store in our basement.

After four years of this routine, I wondered why I even started the beautify-Mom’s-space project in the first place.

What began as a way to honour Mom and help her feel loved was now a chore. Did it really make a difference to her if she had a wreath on her door or not? Why was I knocking myself out so glittery hearts could fill the walls?

Then I discovered why.

Worth Every Minute “You know those ladies who come from the church around the corner every week?” Mom said one Wednesday when I stopped by for lunch. “Well, yesterday they gave me a dollar!”

“Really?” I said, leaning forward in my chair. “Why did they give you a dollar?”

“They told me I won the door prize for the best fall decorations!”

She laughed like a young girl, and her brown eyes crinkled at the corners when she grinned. It made my heart sing.

I rejoiced with her over her “winnings” and forgot all about the chore of decorating her door and walls.

My labour of love had brightened her day. Not only had God helped me honour her, others had honoured her, too. I knew I was doing the right thing.

I even let her keep the dollar.

(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.

faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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Faith&Friends

LAUGHING MATTERS

A Thick Frog on the Road?

One letter can make all the difference, but no one needs a slice of dread.

Photo: Jacob Lund/stock.Adobe.com

by Phil Callaway

F

ew things make me laugh more than children. Here are some hilarious spelling errors they have made on tests and assignments.

I am not making any of these up: • “There was a very thick frog on the road last night and it made a car crash.” Ah, yes, watch out for those very thick frogs. Sounds like that car had to be toad. OK, I apologize for the puns. I just can’t help myself.

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• A little girl wrote, “The best place to put pants is somewhere warm and damp, where they can live happily.” I think she meant plants.

• “I didn’t get to sleep much all night because next door’s dog was baking.” That kid had a ruff night. A dog baking? Paws and think about it. Sounds like a dog’s breakfast to me.

• One boy wrote, “I like to pick up sea smells on the beach and

keep them in my room.” What a difference one letter makes.

• “Mr. Brown walked into the room and sat on his favourite choir.” I hope the child meant chair.

• And the final Bad Spellers Hall of Fame sentence: “Every morning Dad has a slice of dread before he goes to work.”

Allow the arrival of worry to trigger an acknowledgment of your own inadequacy and your need to turn it over to God. All’s Well …

Well, that one made me smile then stop and think a bit. Because this morning when I should have been eating bread, I got one letter wrong and picked up a slice of dread instead. Over family concerns.

Decisions. A relationship that

needs mending.

If you picked up a thick slice of dread lately, here’s something that’s helped me: Allow the arrival of worry to trigger an acknowledgment of your own inadequacy and your need to turn it over to God. There is no situation or circumstance that we face alone. Proverbs 15:3 says, “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” He is with us.

He cares. Matthew 6:8 says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” My wife sees my dread and sometimes jokes, “Why pray when you can worry?” If, like me, you find yourself worrying, talk to yourself this way: God is big enough to bring me through this, strong enough to carry this for me, and loving enough to cause all of it to work together for my good. According to Romans 8:28, it will be alright in the end; so if it’s not alright, it’s not the end.

I hope that brings a smile to your face today. And watch out for that thick frog on the road. I don’t want you to croak.

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

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Faith&Friends

SOMEONE CARES

Tracy’s Breakthrough A Salvation Army program in British Columbia provides hope for the hopeless.

by Linda Leigh

Photo: Courtesy of Jenn Thompson

Friendship and Connection Tracy (left) with Jenn Thompson, program co-ordinator for The Salvation Army’s Breakthrough program

T

racy arrived in Vernon, B.C., overwhelmed by hopelessness.

She couldn’t see past her pain and just wanted it to stop. In her mind, suicide seemed to be the only way out.

She needed people who cared about her. Little did she know that would be The Salvation Army.

Struggling to Survive In 2015, Tracy left her marriage.

“Living in an unhealthy relationship was difficult and I wanted to find happiness again,” says Tracy.

She moved to Vernon, where

10 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

family could support her while she sorted out her emotions. But after only three months, Tracy felt that living with family was causing too much stress and anxiety, so she removed herself from the situation.

She didn’t know where she would go or what she would do, but she knew things had to change or suicide was inevitable.

Tracy had no choice but to sell everything she owned from her previous three-bedroom home.

And when Tracy could no longer afford car payments or buy food, she sold her vehicle to help her survive.

For the next seven months, Tracy lived out of a suitcase and stayed with other family and friends— wherever she could land for a while.

Seeking Help “It was very depressing to not have a home or the support I so desperately

A Family “Women who attend the program are dealing with feelings of isolation and lack of support,” says Jenn Thompson, program co-ordinator. “We provide a safe environment where participants build relationships, learn life skills and improve their self-esteem.”

Tracy knew things had to change or suicide was inevitable. needed,” says Tracy.

She then moved to Victoria for two years where she enrolled in self-help courses and received counselling. But the loneliness never went away. She moved back to Vernon to be with the grandchildren who’d always brightened her life.

One day, Tracy walked into The Salvation Army, depressed, anxious and suicidal, seeking help.

There, Tracy received counselling and was directed to housing-support services. Before long, she began to volunteer with the Army’s meal program and food bank. It was through volunteering that she learned of the Breakthrough program.

Breakthrough sessions include forgiveness, healthy boundaries and relationships, self-esteem and conflict resolution. Participants engage in activities such as art days, cooking and movie days. The goal is that women find a place of belonging, friendship and support.

Today, Tracy is a cashier at a Salvation Army thrift store, helps with the organization of the store and interacts with clients. She has her own apartment and volunteers when she is able.

“When I came to The Salvation Army, I felt connected,” says Tracy.

“The Salvation Army is the family I never had, the one I always wished for.”

(left) Linda Leigh is manager of communications at The Salvation Army’s territorial headquarters in Toronto.

faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Saved to Serve VINCE CUSACK WAS AT HIS LOWEST WHEN HE ENCOUNTERED GOD AND THE SALVATION ARMY.

by Ken Ramstead

A

“

ddiction consumed my whole life,” states Vince Cusack.

“I’ve been locked up, homeless, suicidal, had withdrawals that almost killed me, overdosed numerous times and had to be revived with Narcan. I’ve been in numerous car accidents because I was high behind the wheel. I hurt my family and my friends and did things I never thought I would do.”

Vince posted this on his Facebook page this past spring to celebrate another year of sobriety.

“I had two options,” he went on to post. “Continue to self-destruct or surrender and admit I had a problem.

“I chose freedom. I chose to believe in God!” 12 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

Destructive Spiral Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, Vince “grew up in a family that was dysfunctional.” At the age of five, his family moved to Arizona, where Vince spent his childhood and teen years.

Unfortunately, his parents struggled with alcoholism.

“At an early age, I started drinking with them and that carried over into school,” says Vince. “Whether I was at home or whether I was at school, I was using substances and abusing them.”

By the time Vince reached high school, his life revolved around self-medicating, using drugs and alcohol, alone, with friends or with his parents. In his senior year, Vince

was expelled for possession and use of drugs.

From the time he was 17, he had been in and out of jail for public intoxication, disorderly conduct and shoplifting.

“All primarily so I could get funds to use,” says Vince. “I would use until I got into trouble, get arrested and the cycle would repeat.”

Things did not improve when he moved to Kansas City, Missouri, with his parents. By then, he was addicted to heroin and “was doing all kinds of horrible things to get high.”

Two Options It was at this point that the 22-yearold was arrested for forgery and identity theft. As this was his first

felony charge, Vince was told to find a drug rehab facility by the drug courts.

“And that is what brought me to The Salvation Army’s Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) in Kansas City.”

By this time, Vince was mentally, spiritually and physically bankrupt.

He had even contemplated suicide in the months leading up to this.

“I just was sick and tired of being sick and tired.”

So when Vince was offered the opportunity to attend a drug rehabilitation facility for a sixmonth, faith-based program, it seemed to him like God’s way of saying, “This is where I’m going to change your life.”

That Was Then … (opposite page) Vince Cusack in his younger days. “I did things back then I never thought I would do” Proud Pastors (left) Vince with Majors Michael and Mary Thomas, The Salvation Army Addiction and Rehabilitation Centre (ARC) pastors in Kansas City who helped Vince during his time there

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

“ I just was sick and tired of being sick and tired.” VINCE CUSACK

“I Surrender” Vince took his new life one day at a time.

The Salvation Army pastors and staff provided Vince with basic necessities that he’d stopped caring about.

“Even seemingly minor things—a place to sleep, a roof over my head, food, clothing—were a blessing to me.”

However, the ARC provided more than that.

In the six months he was there, he met with Christian counsellors and attended chapel services twice a week.

But he was also motivated by those around him.

“I saw God transform others like me, facing prison time or homeless, coming in with nothing and leaving with the confidence to go and build themselves back up.”

As well, Vince started to embrace the ministry and the mission of The Salvation Army.

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It was only a matter of time before Vince knelt at the chapel and told God, “I surrender.”

“Something Bigger” At around this time, the ARC pastors suggested that Vince find a home church. The closest one was a kilometre and a half away at The Salvation Army’s Eastside Corps.

He had already been to a Sunday service there thanks to the ARC, and attending services on a regular basis just galvanized his faith.

“Every Sunday, the pastors made me feel welcome and were invested in my faith and my Christian walk, and they took the time to answer my questions.”

Vince now knew that God had a purpose for his life, and he expressed an interest in becoming an official member of The Salvation Army.

“I wanted to serve,” says Vince.

“And everything I read about the Army’s doctrines and mission agreed with what was in my heart. The more

… This Is Now Vince today. “God continues to move mountains on my behalf”

I prayed about this to God, the more I realized that this is what He had in mind for me.

“I wanted to be a part of something bigger than me.”

Giving Hope Vince became an official member of The Salvation Army last year and threw himself into the life of the church.

“I was leading Sunday school, I was involved in the worship services, I did the media, read Scripture, I took guys from the ARC to AA meetings every weekend,” says Vince. “I could see how God was using me.”

“God, I can’t believe what You’re doing with my life,” he prayed one day.

“It’s one of those times you hear

the still, small voice of God, and He said, ‘This is what I have for you.’ ” That day, Vince started the paperwork to become a Salvation Army pastor. He is doing a full-time internship at Wichita Citadel church in Kansas and he expects to go into training next year.

“God’s used me in so many ways,” says Vince, “whether leading Sunday school, teaching a youth program, preaching or just being involved in the day-to-day activities of the church.”

When asked to encapsulate his life, Vince replies, “God loves us all and nobody’s ever lost. I want my story to be heard because if one person can identify with where I’ve been and where I’m at, that will give them hope.” faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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COVER STORY

Photo: Gorodenkoff/stock.Adobe.com

Faith&Friends

AS DEBBY NELSON UNDERWENT BRAIN SURGERY, HER UNBORN CHILD’S LIFE HUNG IN THE BALANCE.

by Ken Ramstead 16 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

Ordea Oper

eal in the rating Room

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Photo: Carson Samson

Bond of Love Debby Nelson and her son, Hayden. “In Hayden’s story, we’ve seen God’s grace in an undeniable way,” she says

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“ Doctors will tell you that when you suffer a ruptured brain aneurysm, nine out of 10 people are dead in 10 minutes.” PAUL NELSON THE SUNDAY MORNING service on May 5, 2008, had just started at The Salvation Army’s Heritage Park Temple in Winnipeg when an announcement was made to the congregation.

“Please pray for Debby Nelson, her husband, Paul, and their daughters as she undergoes brain surgery this morning. Her life is in God’s hands.”

Many in the stunned congregation stayed after the service to pray for the family. Others waited in hushed suspense to hear the outcome.

Left unspoken was the fact that Debby was pregnant—and that the operation was a dangerous one for both mother and child.

Out of Nowhere Paul, a fifth-generation member of The Salvation Army, had met Debby, a fourth-generation Salvationist, on a blind date. They were married with two young daughters—Kassandra, 15, and Micaela, 12—when they found out that she was pregnant.

“Hayden was a late-in-life surprise

we had been told by doctors would never happen,” smiles Paul. “My wife and I were thrilled at the new arrival and always thought God had a sense of humour.”

But this joy was shattered just five months into the pregnancy.

Thirty minutes after the couple had retired for the night on May 4, Debby sat straight up in bed.

“I feel like a knife just went through the back of my neck,” she cried out. The pain was searing.

What Debby was going through was a ruptured brain aneurysm.

“It came out of nowhere. There were no symptoms,” Paul says.

“Doctors will tell you that when you suffer a ruptured brain aneurysm, nine out of 10 people are dead in 10 minutes.”

The couple immediately went to the hospital. Fortunately, Debby hadn’t taken any headache medication.

“Basically,” explains Paul, “they’re blood thinners and Debby would probably have bled out if she had taken them.” faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Family Fun Hayden Nelson (centre) is surrounded by (from left) his parents Debby and Paul, and his sisters, Micaela and Kassandra

Grace Hospital personnel quickly diagnosed her but the facility wasn’t equipped for neurosurgery, so she was transported with a critical care team to Winnipeg Health Science Centre and its neurosurgery department. The five-hour surgery occurred on the Sunday morning.

Under the Knife “I remember it like ...” Paul starts. “... yesterday,” Debby finishes.

“The surgery may have happened to me but I was sedated, and Paul had to live it out in real time,” Debby continues. “Hospital staff were asking him whether I had a will and what my health plan consisted of, and he had to deal with a host of 20 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

other distracting questions. As well, he had our two young daughters, frantic with worry, to contend with.”

There was also the question of whether their unborn baby would survive the brain surgery Debby had to undergo. A full obstetrics team was on alert in the operating theatre next door in case things went awry.

Fortunately, Debby came through the surgery with flying colours, but the doctors had no idea which “Debby” would regain consciousness.

“The aneurysm had taken place in the memory cortex of Debby’s brain,” explains Paul. “For all the doctors knew, she was going to come out of sedation with full amnesia

God’s Grace Hayden is now a precocious 11-yearold who is into science, robotics and coding, but there are a number of people at Heritage Park who still refer to Hayden as their “miracle child.”

“He’s a very smart little guy who loves reading Faith & Friends when he should be paying attention to the Sunday service,” smiles his father, Paul.

“It’s not just that he reads them and tosses them aside,” Paul continues. “He keeps a lot of the issues

and we often have conversations about the stories in them. Just recently, he brought up an article he had read in the magazine about the homeless in our midst.”

Paul and Debby have had many discussions over the years about what took place and they’ve come to the conclusion that what happened really wasn’t about them, but about God’s grace.

“Hayden’s understanding, comprehension and empathy are remarkable for a boy his age,” Paul says. “Debby and I think he is meant for great things, but who knows what God’s plans are for Hayden’s life?”

Photos: Carson Samson

and with no idea who anyone was.

“Throughout the ordeal, the support from our Salvation Army church congregation was incredible,” Paul states. “Not just on the prayer side of things—I know people prayed for us throughout the morning’s operation—but on the practical side, too. Take food, for example. We had so many meals delivered to the house, to the point where we almost had more than we could eat!”

Family, friends and hospital staff were on tenterhooks as Debby regained consciousness, but when Paul was finally allowed in to see his wife, she was sitting up and smiling as if nothing had ever happened.

She recognized all of her loved ones, and within 18 months, she was back at work.

Best of all, Hayden suffered no side effects from his mother’s operation.

Avid Reader Eleven-year-old Hayden has read every issue of Faith & Friends from cover to cover since 2016 faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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FEATURE

Photos: Courtesy Nickelodeon Movies

Faith&Friends

A Snail’s Pace

IN THE SPONGEBOB MOVIE: SPONGE ON THE RUN, OUR HERO SEARCHES FOR HIS CHILDHOOD FRIEND.

by Ken Ramstead

“I

• His best friend, Patrick Star, lives under a rock, and is two doors down.

• SpongeBob’s neighbour, Squidward Tentacles, is the cashier at the restaurant.

But SpongeBob’s pride and joy is Gary the Snail. They’ve been constant companions since the youngsters met one summer at Kamp Koral.

Life is grand.

love my life!” proclaims SpongeBob SquarePants, who lives in a pineapple under the sea in a town called Bikini Bottom.

As portrayed in the long-running animated series and two movies, SpongeBob also loves his job as a fry cook at a restaurant called the Krusty Krab, run by a cantankerous red crab named—you guessed it—Mr. Krabs.

He also loves his friends:

22 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

• Sandy Cheeks is a squirrel from Texas who inhabits an air-filled glass dome and wears a diving suit to breathe underwater.

The Search Begins But one day, SpongeBob arrives to an empty home, no Gary to be found. A panicked SpongeBob canvasses all of his friends, but Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Patrick and Sandy haven’t seen Gary.

There’s only one conclusion: Gary’s been “snail-napped.”

“Let’s go find him,” says Patrick.

“I smell a road trip!” SpongeBob declares.

ing. SpongeBob and Patrick can drive Squidward crazy, whether they’re camping out in the backyard or playing with a big empty box. But deep down, he loves the little guys.

SpongeBob and his friends may not know it, but they are acting out biblical precepts. Friends love friends all the time (see Proverbs 17:17), they’re often more loyal than family (18:24) and can make one another better (27:17).

“ I smell a road trip!”

SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS

But SpongeBob finds he won’t be doing this by himself. Mr. Krabs, Squidward, Patrick and Sandy are coming along.

“Friends don’t let friends go on dangerous quests alone,” says Patrick.

The trail leads SpongeBob and Patrick to the “lost city” of Atlantic City. The duo vow to stay focused, but are tempted by the array of delicious treats offered there.

As they navigate delights and dangers on this perilous and hilarious rescue mission, SpongeBob and his pals prove there’s nothing stronger than the power of friendship.

Testament of Friendship As the gang in Bikini Bottom knows, friendships can be frustrat-

And by searching for Gary, which may turn out to be a dangerous mission, they are demonstrating sacrificial love. In that respect, the truest friend is Jesus. As He told His disciples: “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business.

Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father, I have made known to you” (John 15:12-15).

Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross was His truest testament of friendship.

By searching for Gary at whatever cost, SpongeBob and the gang are doing the same. faithandfriends.ca I MAY 2020

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NOW & THEN

Photo: Madison Diane Photography

Faith&Friends

Jeff Bethke The bestselling author, broadcaster and influencer still loves Jesus, and is addicted to grace.

In 2012, Jeff Bethke became a YouTube sensation with his “Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus” video (left).

Faith & Friends profiled the “Viral Visionary” in the September 2012 issue (top right), just as Jeff was on the cusp of worldwide fame. Profiled in Time as well as other major publications, Jeff is now married

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Married With Children (left) Alyssa and Jeff Bethke with their children, Lucy, Kinsley and Kannon

with three children but is still “just a nobody trying to tell everybody about a Somebody.” Here, he shares how he finds a balance not only with his job but also his relationships with his wife, family and God. Why do you think that first video went viral?

It was eight years ago now, but that was an accidental viral video. My friends and I were just doing it for fun, but it gave us this opportunity to do what we want. It’s been fun the last eight years to see how it’s taken shape.

You and your wife, Alyssa, have created a brand together. What is it that you do exactly?

There are a million different things that we do, but the thing I like to say is we work for the Internet.

Another way I put it is we like to make people think about Jesus in fresh and unique ways in our cultural moment. We’ve created a podcast, written books, participated in speaking engagements—just about anything, really. It plays out in a bunch of different ways and sometimes it includes Alyssa and sometimes not.

Viral Visionary

“A successful life is all about a relationship with Jesus,” says Jeff Bethke

How Jeff Bethke’s “Why I Hate Religion” became a YouTube sensation by Jayne Thurber-Smith

I

n his wildly popular YouTube videos, Jeff Bethke has a delivery as powerful as any stand-up comedian but with a much more serious message. He has all the “in your face” confidence of a rapper but none of the sleaze or profanity. Instead, the only four-letter word he favours is “love.”

As Jeff talks, he looks straight at the camera, without pretence, as if he has the best secret in the world he wants to share with you.

And he does. The equation is simple: Jesus > Religion. “A successful life is all about a relationship with Jesus, not rules,” Jeff states.

Time interview, his theology may not be “airtight,” but his intent in writing “Why I Hate Religion” was “to help people get the blurriness out of their eyes so that they could see Jesus for who He really is.”

Jeff has produced and written other inspiring yet controversial videos, the second of which, entitled “Sexual Healing,” is the antithesis of Marvin “Follow the King” And people are listening. His YouTube Gaye’s suggestive song from the ’80s. presentation “Why I Hate Religion, In the video, Jeff counsels: But Love Jesus” had six million views You don’t have sex with a body, three days after its release this past January. By June, the number was you have sex with a soul. more than 20 million. Along with the Dudes, think twice before you praise, the video has garnered cridesire her just ’cause she’s hot, tiques from pastors and columnists, ’Cause the truth is your body makes which Jeff weathers with disarming a promise whether you do or not. modesty. As he mentioned in a recent Jesus loves and accepts us 20

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Photo: © Alyssa Fenton

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Since you both work together most of the time, what are some of the hardest parts of that?

And the best parts?

Even though we’ve gotten pretty good at this, one of the hardest things is when you work with your spouse, you have to set boundaries, separating those moments together into separate categories. Is this a work moment? Is this a marriage moment? Is this a family moment?

Is this a kid moment? Is this a date moment? It’s one of the harder aspects, but it’s a gift, too. The best part is that you grow so much closer together simply by pure math. The more time you spend together, the closer you grow. It’s the amount of time, which is really enjoyable and special.

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Faith&Friends

NOW & THEN

“ Struggle is real.

Doubt is real. All these things are a normal part of the faith process.”

JEFF BETHKE

Do you have any tips or advice for people who are in similar situations?

Set boundaries and commit to times that you dedicate to work and times that you dedicate to date nights. We have something called a “business meeting.” On Sunday nights, we spend 30 minutes going through all the logistics it takes to run a family, a marriage and a business. We discuss our schedules for the upcoming week and we plan it all together. And then we have a date night, that’s separate from that, and absolutely no work talk is allowed. We rarely even talk about the kids that much; we use that time to connect our hearts on a deeper level. A lot of times, it happens that a date night can turn into a logistical meeting. And that’s when it gets convoluted and confusing.

26 • MAY 2020 I faithandfriends.ca

When do you find time for yourselves as individuals?

We are both morning people in the sense that we both spend the first two to three hours of the day alone.

We don’t see each other. We don’t talk. And that’s big for us.

Some influencers choose not to be open about their faith online because they’re afraid of the backlash. Do you feel this way?

The influencer industry paints this picture of perfection. The thing is, I think people want authenticity.

And usually, faith lends itself to you being vulnerable and honest, which is what people relate to.

Do you have any advice for anyone struggling with their relationship with God?

Just make sure you’re not trying to figure it out or do it alone.

Struggle is real. Doubt is real. All these things are a normal part of the faith process, but make sure that you’re leaning into the Lord and community and Scripture and surrounding yourself with boundaries and barriers that keep you on a focused path, so you don’t fall off a cliff, you know, metaphorically. Make sure that you’re around people who know you for who you truly are.

Reprinted from The War Cry (U.S.), February 2020

Faith&Friends Faith&Friends

MAILBAG

Breaking Through

GOD IN MY LIFE

Serving Bloor Central’s community meals allowed Kevin to focus on others rather than his own struggles.

When Kevin was discharged, he was unemployed and had no money.

Seeking assistance, the hospital referred him to a Salvation Army food bank.

For Kevin, The Salvation Army was a familiar place. “I’ve been to jail many times in the past, and The Salvation Army had always been there for me. I knew that this time would be no different.”

than his own struggles. Through the power of volunteering, Kevin no longer felt trapped in addiction; rather, he was connecting and building relationships with people in the community. He began to feel a new sense of purpose, make new friends and develop job skills.

“Volunteering at Bloor Central is something that is dear to me,” Kevin says, tears filling his eyes. “But more than that, the power of God transformed my life, and made me the person I am today. Bloor Central rejoices in that, and I am grateful.”

Faith&Friends

BETWEEN THE LINES

Good Book Turned Bad? Correcting misconceptions about the Bible.

by Andrew Stone

writing, but it would have been full of grammatical errors. You never find the grammatical errors in the translations, though—it’s always tidied up.”

Encountering God In an attempt to rectify such misconceptions, Nick has written The Badly Behaved Bible.

“The aim of the book is to come to the Bible and see what it actually is as a text,” he states. “We have to remember that it’s an ancient text, and its writers didn’t have the same categories of writing that we do. We go to it expecting the history parts to be our type of history. But the writers had no concept of writing history as we have.”

Nick makes his point by highlighting the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which has an account of God making the world in six days— something at odds with the scientific evidence of today.

“It doesn’t matter to me whether

or not everything in Genesis actually happened,” he disarmingly admits.

“Genesis is not a scientific treatise, so expecting it to be is wrong.

“The first two chapters of Genesis contain two different accounts of creation. The people who put Genesis together didn’t see any problem with including two accounts. So I don’t see that they were ever trying to deliver an absolute statement on how the earth was created.

“I see in Genesis primal stories about what it is to be human. Genesis tells us that human beings are made in the image of God. Now, that’s a massive statement, because it means that every human being is precious and unique.

“Genesis also talks about a God who has personal relationships— that’s a constant of the Bible in whatever part we’re reading, and I believe the Bible is a place where we can encounter God and begin a relationship with Him.”

Genesis of an Idea

Thank you for the article/book review in which Salvation Army officer Major Andrew Stone implies that one needn’t consider the Genesis creation account as literal (“Good Book Turned Bad?” February 2020).

It’s encouraging that this can be said publicly! I think more young people need to know that older members of The Salvation Army don’t all believe that God created the world in six of our days, but that we accept known science. As someone has said, “Science is man trying to figure out how God does it.”—Heather Allington

—Rebecca Gardner

A big thank you to you and your team for All in His Head including this article on postconcussion syndrome (PCS) in the latest Faith & Friends (“All in His Head,” March 2020). I can relate in so many ways, but especially to the words quoted from Philippians 4:6 at the end of the article: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

Photo: June Li

God bless you, Kevin R (“Volunteering to Recovery,” January 2020). My own story is similar.

My drinking ended after a devastating physical and mental breakdown. The Salvation Army stood by me and never gave up on me, even on days I had given up on myself. Five and a half sober years later, I am now an official member of The Salvation Army, in AA, have my family back and I’m working full time. At the time, I could not understand why it had to be me, but I now know God sent me my breakdown to give me the breakthrough I needed.

God has done for you and me what we could not do for ourselves.

Saved to Serve: “The power of God transformed my life,” says Kevin

Volunteering to Recovery

A simple question changed the course of Kevin’s life.

by June Li

ecovering from addiction is a long journey, and Kevin should know.

“When I first came to Bloor Central, I was in terrible shape,” he says.

“But that was six years ago. Today, I am sober and it is all because of this place.”

And all it took was a question.

26 • JANUARY 2020

Familiar Refuge After years of battling a drug addiction, Kevin ended up in the hospital for nearly three months as he recovered from heart surgery.

“I was addicted to IV drugs and, unfortunately, I had a fungal infection that affected my heart because I was using dirty needles,” Kevin explains.

Life Changer For four months, Kevin visited an Army food bank to help him make ends meet. Hopeful to make a positive change in his life, he began going to Alcoholics Anonymous and became physically and mentally stronger.

One day, he ran into Major Douglas Hammond, the pastor at the Army’s Bloor Central Corps (church) in Toronto.

“Major Douglas asked if I wanted to volunteer at their community meal program,” he says.

From that day, this simple question changed the course of Kevin’s life.

Volunteering helped Kevin escape addiction and stay sober. By serving Bloor Central’s community meals, he was able to focus on others rather

I faithandfriends.ca

Bell-Ringer A happy Kevin takes a turn at a Salvation Army kettle over the holidays

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uthor Nick Page has a surprising opinion on what is arguably the best known book in the world.

“We’ve been told wrong things about the Bible,” he says. “We’ve been misinformed.

“For example,” he continues, “sometimes we’re given the impression that God wrote every word in it, but the Bible is the writing of many people across thousands of years.

“Some other Christians treat the Bible like it is God and end up worshipping it. But the Bible isn’t God—it was written and created by men.”

Bible by Committee Another problem Nick identifies is that people do not always realize that

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Faith&Friends

the Bible is a collection of writings.

“Because it is bound together, some people think the Bible is one book,” he explains. “The fact is, it wasn’t bound together until about 350 AD. Before then, some of it would have been on scrolls and some on codices, early forms of books.

“In a sense, we need to unbind it.

Then we would have more awareness that these are different books written by different authors.

“As well as being bound together, it is also translated by committees, which flattens all the voices so that it sounds like it has one author.

“For example, the final book of the Bible, Revelation, was written in extremely bad Greek, by someone for whom Greek was their second language. It’s a very important piece of

Making Sense of Scripture “Genesis is not a scientific treatise,” says Nick Page, “so expecting it to be is wrong”

faithandfriends.ca I FEBRUARY 2020

I faithandfriends.ca

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FEATURE

C

orey Koskie went all the way from hitting rocks with a wooden bat on a farm outside Winnipeg to manning third base for the Minnesota Twins. After enjoying seven years with the Twins, he played for a year with the Toronto Blue Jays and then went on to the Milwaukee Brewers.

But three months into that 2006 season, Corey went from living the

taken to the training room, where he was diagnosed with a concussion.

When Corey got home that day, he thought he could just rest it off, but he continued to feel weird sensations, such as the room spinning and the floor moving when he tried to walk.

For a week and a half, he tried to minimize what he was experiencing and push through it, and finally the symptoms went away.

PCS

Forget about a baseball comeback— Corey feared he would never get his life back.

Faith&Friends

Three Lives, Intertwined

COVER STORY

Canadians Across the Pond Majors Shona and Keith Pike are Salvation Army pastors currently stationed at International Headquarters in London, England

I recall the day that John Pike Transplanted Love donated his kidney to his brother, Keith, and how grateful we all were in The Salvation Army Student Fellowship at Memorial University of Newfoundland that the transplant was successful (“Transplanted Love,” February 2020). I’m thrilled that Keith’s wife, Shona, was able to donate this second kidney. It seems that the recovery time was much shorter this time, probably due to improvements in medical technology and techniques, but certainly through God’s grace as well. Bless you both!

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.

Photo: Courtesy of National Recycling Operations

by Ken Ramstead

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—Paul Bishop

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dream to a waking nightmare. It began when he tried to chase down a routine pop-up in a game against the Cincinnati Reds.

THIRD-BASEMAN COREY KOSKIE THOUGHT NO ONE UNDERSTOOD HIS BATTLE WITH POSTCONCUSSION SYNDROME. BUT SOMEONE DID.

by Jayne Thurber-Smith

22 • MARCH 2020

I faithandfriends.ca

A Personal Prison “I sprinted to the spot where I thought the ball would land,” he recalls, “but when I looked up, the ball was behind me. I fell backward and got my glove underneath the ball. When my glove hit the dirt, the impact sent the ball back in the air. Our shortstop was right there to catch it. The crowd went wild.”

Unfortunately, as the game progressed, Corey began to hear all sounds as a jumbled mess, and the ground felt mushy underfoot. He tried to shake it off but couldn’t concentrate no matter how he tried. He finally told the trainer he didn’t feel well and was

“I felt great,” he remembers, “until I stepped on the field. After warming up, I felt sick.”

The team sent Corey back to the hotel to sleep it off.

“When I woke up, I had the worst head pain of my life,” he says. “My symptoms went from a zero to a 10, just like that. For the next two and a half years, I battled these symptoms.

Every day, all the time. I’d try to do little things around the house, and the room would spin. I had bouts of anxiety, depression and obsessive thoughts.”

Forget about a baseball comeback— Corey feared he would never get his life back.

Making him feel even worse was the fact that no one really understood what he was up against, because everything he suffered was internal. faithandfriends.ca I MARCH 2020

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—Karen Hollman Allington Have a comment on any articles you have read? WRITE to us at Faith & Friends, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4H 1P4. EMAIL us at faithandfriends@ can.salvationarmy.org or POST your comments at www.faithandfriends.ca.

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Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Eating Healthy With Erin SPANAKOPITA

Recipe photo: Erin Stanley

TIME 80 min MAKES 6 servings SERVE WITH tzatziki

454 g (16 oz.) frozen phyllo pastry 105 ml (7 tbsp) olive oil 375 g (12 oz.) fresh spinach 250 ml (1 cup) yellow onion, diced 2 garlic cloves, diced 125 ml (½ cup) fresh parsley 60 ml (¼ cup) fresh dill 1 ml (¼ tsp) salt 1 ml (¼ tsp) black pepper 2 eggs 250 ml (1 cup) crumbled feta 125 ml (½ cup) cottage cheese or ricotta cheese 15 ml (1 tbsp) melted butter

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1. Allow frozen phyllo pastry to defrost at room temperature and then place a damp cloth on it to keep moisture in.

2. Preheat oven to 160 C (325 F).

3. Brush a 22 x 33 cm (9 x 13 in.) baking dish lightly with olive oil.

4. Heat 45 ml (3 tbsp) olive oil over medium heat. Sauté spinach, onion, garlic, parsley and dill until spinach is limp, and onion and garlic are soft. Add salt and pepper.

5. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Once cooled, drain excess oil from spinach mixture and place in bowl.

6. Whip 2 eggs in bowl, then add spinach mixture. Add feta, and cottage or ricotta cheese.

7. Carefully spread sheet of phyllo pastry out and brush with olive oil. Make 8-9 layers.

8. Spread spinach mixture evenly.

9. Top with sheet of phyllo pastry and brush with olive oil. Make 8-9 layers.

10. Lightly brush top with melted butter.

11. Bake uncovered for 55-60 minutes. Remove once top is golden.

12. Cut and serve immediately.

I Still Believe

LOVE AND LOSS P.25

Help for Angie

A SAFE PLACE P.10

Fighting Addiction

ARMY HELPS P.12

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

faithandfriends.ca

APRIL 2020

Who Is This Man?

JESUS HAS BEEN DEPICTED IN EVERY CULTURE AND CORNER OF THE EARTH. BUT WHO IS HE? P.16

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Sudoku Puzzle

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

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QUICK QUIZ 1. Which film won the Oscar in 2020 for best picture?

2. On which continent is the Gobi Desert?

3. Who wrote the novel Don Quixote?

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© www.kevinfrank.net

HEAVEN’S LOVE THRIFT SHOP by Kevin Frank

Answers on next page.

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Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Word Search Beyond the Stars E D T P K S S S H Y H J I R S Q Q R D A X Y I C P R R E Q N V E S M R C K E L Q J Y O A L H G Q J T R M D J X L F O N I D M C E H X N A E H P N I T K O R N E V M E G C D R T C Z N I T F F O T F I L A S A C C U K O K F U R C V T N S L P N U T O P O D P V H E D E I P O A A R D I S M T K N A S E F R H S R C Y E I M T O S W X P S N O I T A C I N U M M O C O T S O O T L B C T C L N O B L A D V H P L Y R E H H E S I U T I J H R U E G L U Y U R D L U B R U R S A E Y L B O Z T F D O L R M I E A O S I D S E Z E X D O Z I R U X L D L C I O L F B K F T I O T D S P U T N I K M M N A V Y M J R E T S O O B Q A K E V F J K Q X G C T A O L A P H J L E T L APOLLO ASTEROIDS BOOSTER CANADARM COMMAND COMMUNICATIONS COMPUTER CRATER FOOTPRINT FUEL GEMINI HELMET

LANDER LIFTOFF MARS MERCURY MISSION CONTROL MODULE MOON PARACHUTE PRIMARY RE-ENTRY ROCKET ROVER

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SATELLITE SECONDARY SHUTTLE SOYUZ SPACESUIT SPLASHDOWN SPUTNIK STAGE TOOLS UMBILICAL VISOR VOSTOK

Quick Quiz Answers: 1. Parasite; 2. Asia; 3. Miguel de Cervantes.

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Faith&Friends

NIFTY THRIFTY

Thrifting Like a Pro How to make the most of your next thrift store visit.

High-quality items at discounted prices. Eco-friendly fashion.

Supporting local programs for people in need. What’s not to love about shopping at The Salvation Army’s thrift stores? Here’s how to make your next visit the best one yet.

Plan Your Visit Make a list of the specific pieces you are looking for.

Browsing online for outfits that reflect your personal style can provide a quick reference guide while shopping.

Look for Natural Materials Natural fibres look best in the long run, even if they come with a higher price tag.

Look for cotton, linen and leather, and try to avoid items made from polyester, nylon or pleather, which can wear out quicker.

Don’t Just Buy—Donate! Audit your wardrobe before you go and donate anything that you haven’t worn in the past four months. Not only will this free up space in your closet but it will give your items a second chance at life.

(left) May Strutt is an avid thrifter with more than a decade of shopping experience in thrift stores across Canada. She is also a communications and engagement specialist with The Salvation Army’s thrift stores.

Find a thrift store near you at thriftstore.ca.

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