All The World (July 2013)

SNAPSHOTS demonstrates One Army Emergency response in MALI Tornado clear-up in the USA Mission:CUBA makes a difference

VOL 51 NO 3

Photo: Martin Künzi

Swiss band rocks Europe JULY–SEPTEMBER 2013

CONTENTS

JULY–SEPTEMBER 2013

Visit ALL THE WORLD at: www.salvationarmy.org/alltheworld

03

UPFRONT From the Editor

05

MALI Assisting displaced people

08

HOME AND AWAY Reflections from here and there

10

FACTFILE Vital statistics

11

BANGLADESH Stepping in to meet a need

12

SWITZERLAND A Eurovision adventure

14

CUBA On a mission

17

USA The story of a response

21

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN The brutal truth

22

SNAPSHOTS News from around the world

11

5 14 12 14 20

22

17

22 Front page: Ninety-five-year-old Emil Ramsauer, double bass player in Swiss Eurovision Song Contest entrants Takasa

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F R O M T H E E DI T O R

Do something!

WELCOME to a ‘have a go’ issue of All the World!

The story of Salvation Army Founder William Booth responding to his son’s report of people sleeping rough on the streets of London has become part of the movement’s DNA. ‘Go and do something!’ the General is recorded as telling Bramwell.

It’s become the Salvation Army way – see a problem, be the solution.

Reading about a mission team in Cuba, Captain Douglas McClure’s emergency service or the work with displaced people in Mali, it’s easy to link the need and the response. It may be less straightforward to understand the ‘need’ that resulted in a Salvation Army group being entered in the Eurovision Song Contest, but when you read how the venture has raised awareness of The Salvation Army being more than a social services provider, it becomes clearer that there was an imaginative attempt to ‘go and do something’.

I, too, have taken up the baton to ‘have a go’ at something – by answering the questions that make up the ‘Home and Away’ feature. It was an interesting, educational experience to put myself in the position in which I have placed others. My usual thinking went something along the lines of: ‘These are simple questions – it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.’

I discovered that it was not as simple as I thought!

Considering the answers to even simple questions made me think over aspects of my life, faith and place in The Salvation Army in a way I had not done before. I take part in worship pretty

much every week – and have done for as long as I can remember – so why was it so tricky to pick a favourite song?

Some questions were difficult for other reasons. My whole working life is spent getting to know The Salvation Army and passing on that knowledge to others. Saying what’s special about the Army is easy – keeping it down to a short paragraph far less so!

It was interesting to think about what I would do if I became General of The Salvation Army. I get the impression that this is the question that causes the most headscratching from my usual ‘Home and Away’ victims!

Unlike some participants, I’m not going to be in the position where I could

Kevin Sims, Editor

in waffle (of the words rather than edible variety!).

Working through the ‘Home’ questions felt a bit like editing me – stripping away the unnecessary to allow the real Kevin to shine through.

I’d suggest there could be similar benefits for any of you, the readers of All the World. How would you answer these deceptively simple questions?

Send your answers to me at IHQ-alltheworld@salvationarmy.org and we’ll feature the best ones in a future issue of the magazine.

Perhaps, I’d suggest, this is the perfect opportunity to suggest a mission statement for All the World. Read, be inspired – then ‘go and do something’.

The Founder would certainly approve!

‘It’s become the Salvation Army way – see a problem, be the solution’ become General, so I don’t have to be careful just in case my words come back to haunt me! However, it’s fascinating to try to put yourself in a ‘what if?’ position. It also gives a tiny insight into just how difficult the top job must be.

Probably the thing that came across most clearly from working through the list of questions is that it was a really useful task to focus my thinking. As an editor, part of my role is to cut down on the unnecessary to allow the important to shine through. A long piece of writing may contain some great insight, but the reader won’t pick up on it if it’s buried

Editor Kevin Sims

Founder William Booth

design and Artwork Berni Georges

CHIEF OF THE STAFF Commissioner André Cox

Editorial Office The Salvation Army International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street London EC4V 4EH, United Kingdom

Editor-in-Chief Major Sandra Welch

Tel: [44] (0)20 7332 0101; fax: [44] (0)20 7332 8079

Published by The General of The Salvation Army

Email: IHQ-alltheworld@salvationarmy.org

Printed in the UK by Lamport Gilbert Printers Ltd

© The General of The Salvation Army 2013

J UL Y – S E P TE M BE R 2013 | ALL THE WORLD |

3

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4 | ALL THE WORLD | JULY–SEPTEM BER

2013

MALI

EMERGENCY

Hope for better days

by Captain Brad Watson

A

LEXANDER had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day! He thought he might move to Timbuktu.

So says the classic children’s story by Judith Viorst (the Australian version, at least – the original has Alexander wanting to move to Australia!). It’s a favourite read when I’m at home – a book my wife and I often share with our two young children.

Everything goes wrong for Alexander.

There’s kissing on TV – and he hates kissing. He has a dentist appointment – and he hates the dentist. Even his ice cream falls off its cone. So he wants to run away. And where better to go than the fabled city of Timbuktu?

At the end of the story, his wise mother simply reminds Alexander that ‘Some days are like that. Even in Timbuktu.’

Sadly, though, Alexander’s (firstworld) problems really can’t compare – nor does the sentiment of the book do justice – to the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days experienced by some of the people of Timbuktu, in the west African country of Mali, this past year. Far from being a fabled representation of distance and retreat, a place of the imagination at the end of the earth, it is a very real city that has experienced very real problems.

Fadimata is from Timbuktu, which was her home until mid-2012. There’s a degree of the indefinable in Fadimata; indeterminable age, mysterious and ‘All she was able to take was proud air, strength and vulnerability displayed. a water bottle for her children interchangeably She is a widow, I discovered when I met her, and was raising seven – no food, no clothing’

Above: Fadimata, from Timbuktu

children on her own. In March 2012, elements of the Malian military staged a coup and, despite an interim government being installed, civil war ensued. By late April rebel groups effectively took control of the northern provinces including Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu.

It was then that Fadimata took the decision to run.

It was not the rebel groups, including the MNLA (a local militia), which frightened her. It was not the people of other tribal groups that had joined in the rebellion. Her fear arose from the Islamist Maghreb that had seized the opportunity to move south into Mali and commence the imposition of sharia law.

J UL Y – S E P TE M BE R 2013 | ALL THE WORLD |

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MALI

What followed was horrendous. Ancient texts from all faiths in the revered study cells and mosques were burned as idolatrous. The city’s walls were whitewashed. People were publicly flogged for all manner of ‘crimes’. In one case an unmarried mother and her partner were publicly, repeatedly, whipped by a group of men and then forced to marry. Non-Muslims were persecuted.

For Fadimata, a Christian, the risk of living in this environment was too great.

She saw no hope and feared for her life.

Her ‘terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days’ were all coming at once.

Taking her seven children with her, she fled south. All she was able to take was a water bottle for her children – no food, no clothing. They walked 25 kilometres to a junction with the River Niger. Here they met with around 40 others who were also fleeing.

The next stage of their journey was almost unimaginable.

Taking some wooden canoes, they floated down the river for four days without food or water, to the city of Mopti, hiding from militants as they went.

I cannot imagine my children – or me – in that situation. Fadimata tells the story as a matter of fact. Her strength is incredible. It shines through, although I am aware that the situation was fuelled by utter fear.

When they arrived at Mopti they were assisted by some locals who gave them food and helped them on their journey further south to the capital, Bamako.

Fadimata was welcomed into a safe house at Niamakoro, just south of the capital, and then moved to where she is staying now, in Niamana. There a couple of nuns are quietly, heroically, welcoming in displaced people and providing sanctuary and healing. At the moment they have 16 families in their care.

When you speak to these families, Fadimata’s new friends, you see in them a group of people that has been 6 | ALL THE WORLD | JULY–SEPTEM BER

2013

through hard times but found hope.

Some tell of husbands that sent them south, whom they haven’t seen since.

Some are separated from children, others are separated from parents. They form a miniscule percentage of the 475,000 people driven out of their homes by this war – 301,000 internally in Mali and 174,000 who have fled as refugees to Niger, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Mauritania and elsewhere.

This ongoing situation is ripping the heart out of a great country.

Previous editions of Lonely Planet tell you that if you visit one country in West Africa it must be Mali. Naturally beautiful, exotic and historic, it was the seat of Islamic learning for many centuries, and the home of some of the world’s greatest blues and traditional musicians.

But it is also a poor country and has little resources to deal with the problems at hand.

Locally, Fadimata and her friends form part of an overwhelming situation that the country is ill-equipped to deal with. Mali is among the least developed nations in the world, ranked 182 of 187 by the United Nations (UN). According to a UN report, 86 per cent of the population lives in chronic, multidimensional poverty.

Life expectancy is only 52 years and the infant mortality rate is as high as 178 per 1,000 live births.

In this complex and volatile environment, many agencies are working together to bring back better days – including The Salvation Army.

The Army began working in Mali in 2007, overseen by the Nigeria Territory.

Growth in Mali saw it designated a separate ‘region’ in 2011. But The Salvation Army in the country remains relatively small. There is a handful of officers and candidates operating a number of corps (churches) and projects, trying to further the mission amid war, poverty and a population that is 95 per cent Muslim.

To help respond to the current emergency, representatives from The Salvation Army’s International Emergency Services team deployed to bolster the capacity of the fledgling region. The team is working with the UN-coordinated system to introduce interventions that are targeted at the displaced people of the north who are concentrated in the southern regions.

This is how I met Fadimata. She had joined a number of other women in a workshop to learn some skills that

'She turned and looked squarely at me, affirming how privileged she felt’

MALI

Far left: a soap-making scheme; left: working together as a new community; below left: a community meetingw

would help generate income for herself, her family and her community. This first workshop focused on the production and sale of soap. A simple idea, but one that increases independence, income, hygiene, social inclusion and hope – all through a couple of small bars mostly comprised of shea butter and coconut oil.

Facilitated by International Emergency Services and Major RoseNicole Ntoya (Regional President of Women’s Ministries), these workshops are spreading among a range of southern communities containing internally

displaced persons. Not only is training offered, but the families are also receiving the equipment and initial production ingredients necessary to start their own businesses, thanks to sponsorship from The Salvation Army’s Canada and Bermuda Territory.

Other interventions include the distribution of non-food items to displaced people identified for The Salvation Army by the UN registration system. Further project ideas are also being investigated to look at the best ways in which help can be offered, keeping in mind the limited resources of the Mali Region.

If Fadimata had not already reached well into my soul with her story, she finished in quite an incredible way.

She turned and looked squarely at me, affirming how privileged she felt. She was grateful that she and her children were safe. She had been given comfort and shelter by the nuns of Niamana. She had been provided with community by the people around her. She had been given knowledge and independence through the workshops being offered by The Salvation Army. She thanked God, and then thanked us, for giving more hope to her, her family and her people.

Fadimata and her friends loudly offered prayers of thanks (and dances of thanks!) for the many blessings they have, the people who have come ‘with compassion’ and the lives that have been spared. My French is not good, but I know what I hear when a prayer has dozens of ‘merci’ statements littered throughout!

I feel fraudulent. I have no standing beside her greatness, her faith and her spirit. As Fadimata finishes her story, she turns from me in a brief moment of tears, feebly attempting to hide a pang of pain. I reach out to her – but without anything useful to say except to offer my thanks to her and join her in a prayer for better days.

Since the French military intervention of January 2013 and the approval of incoming UN-sponsored peacekeepers there is a rising spirit in Mali. Many people, especially in the south, believe that the worst days are behind them.

There is hope for the new elections scheduled for July this year.

While groups such as The Salvation Army continue to offer help, the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days should diminish.

Even in Timbuktu.

Captain Brad Watson, from The Salvation Army’s Australia Southern Territory, was on deployment in Mali with International Emergency Services J UL Y – S E P TE M BE R 2013 | ALL THE WORLD |

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HO U MN E TARNYDOARWTAHYE M E C

Photo by Lindsay Maggs

A series looking at the thoughts and experiences of people working for The Salvation Army in their country of birth and others giving service abroad

KEVIN SIMS INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS

Since the ‘Home and Away’ section was introduced to All the World in 2010, a number of people have asked the magazine’s Editor, Kevin Sims, when he was going to answer the questions he was happy to ask others. He now realises that the answers don’t come quite as easily as he thought they did! Kevin was born and brought up in the United Kingdom. He is based at International Headquarters in the heart of London.

HOME

What would be your typical day?

Lots of International Headquarters (IHQ) staff get into the office very early (and leave appropriately early too!) but I drop my eldest son at school and get in a little later. This also means I’m still in the office when the west coast of America comes online! The magazine itself takes up a relatively small proportion of my time. Much of my day is spent in correspondence or working on news releases and other items for the international website, or proofreading. That’s without thinking about working with our designers on various projects or preparing displays and exhibitions for the public. It’s a very varied role – which is something I love!

How did you meet The Salvation Army?

I didn’t meet it, really – I was born into it! My parents are both hugely active Salvationists and I can’t remember a time when life didn’t revolve around The Salvation Army.

Do you have a ‘claim to fame’?

I’m the first non-officer Editor of All the World and its second-longest-serving. Only 18 months to go until I can match Lieut-Colonel William Nicholson’s 16 years!

Do you have a ‘hero of the faith’?

It would be hard to think past my four grandparents, especially my dad’s mother, Aux-Captain Muriel Sims.

In retirement she set up a charity to help the poor in Romania, and she provided immense practical and spiritual support when The Salvation Army began work in the country. Her role was recognised with an award from the Eastern Europe Territory.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

‘If God is for us, who can be against us?’ (Romans 8:31 New International Version).

What is your favourite Salvation Army song?

Howard Davies’s ‘Many are the Things I Cannot Understand’ (failing that, pretty much anything by John Gowans or Albert Orsborn).

How do you think that working in the UK differs from working elsewhere?

The main difference for me really comes from working at IHQ. It’s so important that we have a world view, even to the extent that if I’m asked about something happening in the UK I often have to shrug my shoulders and say: ‘I don’t know – it’s just one of the territories’!

8 | ALL THE WORLD | JULY–SEPTEM JU LY–SEPTEMBER BER 2013 2013

What do you like most about the UK? Our ability to laugh at ourselves.

What aspects of another country’s culture do you wish were present in the UK? It’s hard to say, because this is already such a melting-pot of cultures (especially in London). I think I’d add the open celebration of success found in America, and perhaps a dash of continental relaxation!

If you were elected General, what would be the first thing you would change?

I’d try to address the attitude that officership is the only valid calling for a Salvationist. Don’t get me wrong, it’s vital that people respond if they are called by God to be Salvation Army officers – but it’s also important that everyone responds to the particular calling on his or her own life. At a commissioning service some years ago I felt a certainty that God didn’t want me to become an officer! However, I believe that I am now doing what he wants from me. This is my calling – validated

by God! If you could choose to work for The Salvation Army anywhere else, where would you choose and why?

It would be difficult to move from IHQ because I cherish the internationalism that runs through this building, right at the heart of The Salvation Army. My only wish would be for greater resources to reach people with the news of what God is doing through his Army – so I guess that would mean heading to the USA. What skills do you use most in your work?

Wordsmithery! The ability to look at things objectively.

Knowledge and experience of the workings of the international Salvation Army.

What skills do you have that you would like the opportunity to use more?

Creative writing – especially songs.

How would you like to be remembered?

With a smile!

What’s so special about The Salvation Army?

I’ve worked for the Army for more than 18 years yet I still feel like I’m only scratching the surface. Through the efforts of thousands of officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers, it really does strive to live up to the Apostle Paul’s challenge to be ‘all things to all people’ (1 Corinthians 9:22).

&

away

MAJOR PHILIPPA SMALE ... originally from Cornwall in the United Kingdom, is currently appointed to The Salvation Army’s Germany and Lithuania Territory. She has previously served in the UK, at International Headquarters and in the Czech Republic, with much of her officership spent in editorial and literary work.

&AWAY

What is your role in The Salvation Army?

I am the projects officer in the Germany and Lithuania Territory, which includes the Poland Region. I also work with sponsorship and Helping Hand projects, write articles for the German periodicals and help with German-to-English translation. Later this year I will also be teaching officer-cadets a course on the right of women to preach – fortunately all four cadets in training at the moment speak English!

What would be your typical day?

One great thing about working in Cologne on Territorial Headquarters is that I don’t have to travel far to get to work! It’s bliss after four years of London commuting. My journey to work consists of three flights of stairs from flat down to office. Most of my day is spent at the computer sorting out project proposals from Poland and Lithuania and fielding all the other work that comes across my desk. I have just come back from a visit to Lithuania to see the work there and hope to go to Poland in the autumn.

How did you meet The Salvation Army?

I was at Drama School in Cardiff and in my last term found myself sharing a flat with a Salvationist. She was absolutely determined I was going to become a Christian and took me along to the nearby corps (church). There was a very good youth fellowship there and I saw that the young people had something I was lacking – when I finally realised it was faith in Christ, I gave my life to the Lord. I was enrolled as a soldier at Regent Hall in London in 1978 and went into training about 18 months later.

&AWAY

Do you have a ‘claim to fame’?

I worked in the Czech Republic for six years – from 1996 to 1999 and from 2005 to 2008. The first time I was there I restarted the Czech Salvation Army paper, Prapor Spásy [Banner of Salvation], after more than 40 years of proscription. It is still going today.

Do you have a ‘hero of the faith’?

Brigadier Josef Korbel stands out as a hero of the faith for me.

He was a Czech Salvation Army officer who was imprisoned for 10 years by the communist regime a few years after the Second World War. His faithfulness, dedication and determination to do God’s work in spite of incredible hardship are an inspiration and a challenge. His experience makes me wonder what I would have done in the same situation.

What is your favourite Bible verse?

This is a difficult question to answer, but when I was the training officer in the Czech Republic the cadets and I had a Bible verse which carried us through some challenging times and which is still very special to me: ‘“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”’ (Jeremiah 29:11).

What is your favourite Salvation Army song?

Albert Orsborn’s ‘I Know Thee Who Thou Art’ is absolutely wonderful. I always feel a shiver down my spine when I sing the last verse (‘Let nothing draw me back or turn my heart from thee’).

How does working in Germany differ from your experience in the UK? Being a projects officer in Germany is vastly different from my previous appointment as a literary editor in the UK. It’s work I’ve never done before and would never have thought of doing.

However, I asked the Lord for a new adventure...

What do you miss most about your home country?

Watching Pointless (a popular quiz show in the UK) every weekday.

What do you like most about Germany?

I like the people I work with very much and Cologne is a beautiful city.

If you were elected General, what would be the first thing you would change?

I don’t know if it actually counts as changing anything, but I think it would be a good idea for as many officers as possible to experience working in a different country/culture.

If you could choose to work for The Salvation Army anywhere else, where would you choose and why?

Please could I go back to my beloved Cornwall? In my opinion, it is the most beautiful place in the world.

How would you like to be remembered?

I hope people will remember that I loved the Lord, appreciated the way he shaped my life and enjoyed all the adventures he sent my way.

What’s so special about The Salvation Army?

It is amazing to see the immense diversity of work undertaken by the Army in so many different places – but something that is really special to me is that wherever I go in the Army world I feel I belong. We are a great family!

&AWAY

UL EPPTE BE 2013 | | ALL JJUL M YYON ––SSETH –TE MMM ON BE TH RR 2013 2012 ALLTHE THEWORLD WORLD | |

99

N FACTFILE

PAKISTAN

Bangladesh

INDIA

BANGLADESH

For centuries, the area that is now Bangladesh was part of the Bengal region of India.

It was ruled by the same empires that ruled central India. When the British took control of the region and created their Raj in India (1858-1947), Bangladesh was included.

The flag of Bangladesh has a simple design, consisting of a red disc on a bottle-green background.

The background colour symbolises the greenery of Bangladesh, with its vitality and youthfulness, and the disc represents the rising sun and the sacrifices made in the fight for independence.

The main language of Bangladesh is Bengali (also known as Bangla). English is commonly used in some urban areas, and a small proportion of the population is Urdu-speaking.

When the flag was first made and raised – at Dhaka University in 1971, during the Liberation War – the red disc also featured a map of Bangladesh, in gold. The map was soon left off the flag – probably as a means of simplifying the design!

• Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the first

leader of Bangladesh, from 1972 until his assassination in 1975. The current Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina Wajed, is his daughter

• Bangladesh is home to around 163 million

people, making it the eighth most-populous country in the world. This is despite having a landmass not much more than half the size of the United Kingdom (which has a population of almost 100 million fewer people!). More than a third of the population is under 15.

The magnificent Bengal tiger is a national symbol of Bangladesh. The tiger population of around 400 is the second-largest in the world (behind India).

• Almost 90 per cent of Bangladeshis are

Muslims. The second-biggest faith group – Hindus – make up 10 per cent of the population (though this is the third-largest Hindu community in the world!). Around 0.3 per cent of the country is Christian – a proportion that is smaller in only seven other countries.

Akbar celebrating Mughal victory in Bengal. The rich and fertile region was described by the Mughals as the Paradise of Nations in India

• Recent history in Bangladesh is dominated

by the Liberation War with Pakistan. India’s independence from Britain in 1947 saw a compromise with regards to the Muslimmajority states of Punjab, in the far west of India, and Bengal, to the east. Punjab became Pakistan, with Bengal becoming East Pakistan – officially part of the same country, even though the two halves were separated by 1,000 kilometres of Hindumajority India! In March 1971, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared independence from Pakistan, leading to the Liberation War. In January 1972, Bangladesh became an independent parliamentary democracy.

10 | ALL THE WORLD | JU LY–SEPTEM BER

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The Salvation Army in BANGLADESH Salvation Army work in Bangladesh began officially in 1971. At the end of the Liberation War with Pakistan, thousands of people moved from refugee camps in Calcutta, India, to the newly independent country of Bangladesh. They were accompanied by a team of Salvationists that had been working in the camps. This was not the first ministry carried out by The Salvation Army in the country – a year earlier relief operations had been carried out in what was then East Pakistan following a severe cyclone. (For many years The Salvation Army Year Book reported the 1970 emergency response as the official starting point.)

In 1997, Salvation Army work in Bangladesh was upgraded to command status. Before that, the administration was overseen by the India Northern Territory.

• Much of the country is at sea level, leaving

According to The Salvation Army Year Book 2013, there are 1,885 senior soldiers in the Bangladesh Command, 757 adherent members and 262 junior soldiers. There are currently 85 officers serving in the command, and 292 employees.

• Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest

The Salvation Army in Bangladesh has undergone remarkable growth in the 16 years since it was upgraded to command status.

The 1997 Year Book recorded 413 adherents and 81 junior soldiers. The number of senior soldiers was 425 – less than a quarter of today’s soldiership. Then there were nine corps (churches) and 10 outposts, compared to 32 corps and 12 outposts today.

large areas prone to flooding – particularly during monsoon season. In an average year, almost 20 per cent of the country will suffer flooding. Around 30 million people were affected by floods in 2004 – the worst flood season in recent years. exporter of textile goods (mainly clothing).

Working conditions can be substandard, making schemes such as The Salvation Army’s ‘Sally Ann’ programme increasingly important.

• Canadian Goverment figures acknowledge

the extreme poverty found in Bangladesh but point out that the news is not all bad. The proportion of the population living below the national poverty line fell from 59 per cent in 1991 to 31.5 per cent in 2010-2011.

One of The Salvation Army’s great success stories in Bangladesh is its ‘Sally Ann’ programme, which provides employment to 960 workers, with goods sold in the developed world through partnership with The Salvation Army in Scandinavia.

See www.sallyann.com for more information.

BANGLADESH

EMERGENCY

by Lieut-Colonel Marieke Venter

I

T was just before nine o’clock in the morning, and more than 3,000 workers (mostly women) were on duty in the garment factories at Rana Plaza, on the outskirts of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. Some cracks had appeared in the building and the shops on the ground floor had not opened – but the factory owners had declared that the building was safe and that work would go on.

Then the eight-storey building started to crumble. The horror of those moments can hardly be imagined. Some people jumped from the building as it fell, while others were trapped inside. Reportedly, 1,129 people lost their lives, and more than 2,000 were injured. In a few minutes, a normal day was turned into a nightmare. Rescue workers were soon on the scene, while anxious crowds gathered to look for their loved ones. The dreaded task of identifying bodies would last for almost three weeks.

The officers (church ministers), staff and cadets of The Salvation Army’s training college and Integrated Children’s Centre, just a kilometre away from the disaster, were soon informed. The first questions were: ‘What can we do? How can we help?’

Initially there was a request from local hospitals for medical and first aid supplies. These were soon purchased and delivered. Officers, soldiers and cadets then started to prepare and provide meals for those who were gathering to wait for their loved ones to be rescued, Above: distributing essential supplies; below: visiting people who were wounded in the building collapse

Fulfilling a need or to identify the bodies of their family members. Of course, emotional and spiritual support were much needed – and lovingly provided.

As the emergency response continued a new problem emerged – there was nowhere safe to store the bodies that were being removed from the disaster site. The potential for the spread of infection and disease was severe.

Soon the questions came: ‘Could The Salvation Army provide material for the wrapping of bodies?’ ‘What about air freshener and bleaching powder to counteract the effects of rapid decay in a tropical climate?’

‘Of course!’ came the reply – The Salvation Army serves suffering humanity in life and in death.

Because of the disaster many families have been plunged into poverty. Some families have lost their main breadwinner, while many people who worked in the building now find themselves unemployed.

The Salvation Army is providing substantial food parcels to assist these families while they put the pieces of their lives back together. The parcels – which include rice, oil and

lentils – will sustain a family for about a month.

Weeks after the building collapsed, people still gather around the empty space where Rana Plaza stood. Some hold photos of their loved ones who have not been found. They are still waiting, still hoping.

With God’s help, life will go on in Savar, Bangladesh. Families will recover from the tragedy, injuries will heal and new jobs will be found. It is to be hoped that, because the world witnessed this disaster, buildings will be built more safely in future. Perhaps the working conditions and safety of factory workers will improve.

As for us, members of The Salvation Army in Bangladesh, it is our prayer that the memory of a kind gesture in time of need, a word of encouragement or a whispered prayer, will linger and point the way to God, who is indeed our ‘refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble’ (Psalm 46:1).

Lieut-Colonel Marieke Venter is the Command President of Women’s Ministries in The Salvation Army’s Bangladesh Command J UL Y – S E P TE M BE R 2013 | ALL THE WORLD |

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SWITZERLAND

F

OR Eurovision Song Contest fans of The Salvation Army, 2013 was the year of Takasa! A Swiss Salvation Army project to raise awareness and change attitudes in Switzerland ended up capturing the imagination of people around the world.

In September 2012 The Salvation Army in Switzerland worked with Hitmill music production studio to put together a song featuring Swiss Salvationists. The song was called ‘You and Me’, and the group took the name Heilsarmee (German for Salvation Army). The song was entered into the competition to find a song to represent Switzerland at the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest.

After two weeks of online voting in October, ‘You and Me’ was in the top nine songs, and so went on to take part in a live TV broadcast in December to select the Eurovision entry.

Martin Künzi, Head of Marketing and Communications for The Salvation Army’s Switzerland, Austria and Hungary Territory, commented: ‘I think it’s a unique opportunity to show within The Salvation Army and publicly that we have God-given talents among us. We would like to represent a true picture of the Army.

‘The song is about difficulties in today’s society and invites people to connect with each other. The title of the song is “You and Me” but it can obviously also mean Jesus Christ and me.’

At the live final Heilsarmee proved to be unstoppable, gaining 37.54 per cent of the vote – more than double that of the second-placed act.

The members of the six-piece group – Michel Sterckx, Katharina Hauri, Christoph Jakob, Sarah Breiter, Jonas Gygax and 94-year-old self-confessed ‘old crock’ Emil Ramsauer – were delighted to be chosen to represent their country in Malmö in May 2013.

It wasn’t all plain sailing, however.

Even as the celebrations were dying down, news came through that the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) had concerns that the group fell foul of its restrictions on ‘political groups’ or the promotion of commercial interests.

Out but not

The Salvation Army’s board in Switzerland had a decision to make – keep with the original concept and name but face being thrown out of the competition, or move away from the original concept in order to be allowed to carry on.

In the end, the decision was made to carry on. Martin explains: ‘Because the song is already known as the “Salvation Army song” our board decided to participate anyway.’

So it was goodbye ‘Heilsarmee’ and hello ‘Takasa’, which means ‘to make pure’ in Swahili. (It also happens to be the initials of The Artists Known As Salvation Army!)

The uniform was replaced by a look that was still identifiable with The Salvation Army – dark blue trousers and ties with white shirts bearing the logo (used by The Salvation Army in The Netherlands) ‘Together We’re One’. This choice was made before the theme was announced for the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest: ‘We Are One’!

Arriving in Malmö, Sweden, ahead of the live semi-final, Takasa was hit by a whirlwind of media requests and promotional appearances, with particular interest shown in Emil (who by now had turned 95) as he prepared to become the Eurovision Song Contest’s oldest participant. Martin says that throughout this, the members of the band were aware of the prayer support they received from around the world.

In an interview with esctoday.com (the most popular Eurovision Song Contest fan-site), Takasa’s members seized the opportunity to talk about the message behind ‘You and Me’: ‘We believe that only supportive relationships can last in the long run and finally create a healthy community. It’s about respect, trust and love ... A better world begins with every individual person and the ‘The song is about difficulties in will to build long-lasting today’s society and invites people relationships.’

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after they narrowly missed making it into the top 10 which would see them through to the final.

The group refused to be downhearted, however, saying: ‘We always believed that God’s behind the project. We know that the knock-out is part of his plan ... We are grateful for all relationships and experiences in the Eurovision Song Contest adventure.’

There was huge interest from around the Salvation Army world. A live streaming of the semifinal on the international headquarters (IHQ) website was watched by up to 8,000 visitors from almost 70 countries, and the IHQ Facebook page reached an astonishing 150,000 people. Messages of support and promises of prayer arrived at regular intervals.

Takasa went from the high drama of the semifinal to another contest in Malmö – Second Chance, a talent show for people who have been helped out of difficulty by The Salvation Army.

The adventure may be over but only God knows the long-term benefits for The Salvation Army in Switzerland and elsewhere. Martin says that the imaginative plan to take part in the Eurovision Song Contest has created ‘great interest in the Army ... not just in Switzerland, but internationally. Many doors have opened to speak about the Army and the gospel.’

He concludes: ‘The Salvation Army is often thought of as only a social organisation. But the longer the press covered the issue the more it spoke about The Salvation Army as a church.

The unbelievable story of Takasa brought The Salvation Army to the people and showed that its members are human beings – the same as everybody else but with an inner joy for life.’

For more information about Takasa go to www.takasa.ch, or visit www.togetherwereone.org to hear a whole album of music by members of Takasa and Salvationists from across Europe.

SWITZERLAND

a Eurovision adventure

down

You and Me

by Georg Schlunegger, Roman Camenzind and Fred Herrmann When the times are getting rough, gold and silver turn to dust.

People build their barricades out of jealousy and hate.

But there’s one thing they could never, never ever separate: Aaaah, let it hear from near and far, This is how it’s meant to be, we’re together you and me.

Aaaah, nothing can tear us apart, Sailing on a stormy sea, we’re together you and me.

We build castles with our hands, on a solid ground they stand.

They’re our shelter from the storm, to keep us safe and keep us warm.

No, there’s nothing that can hurt us, whatever there may come Chorus Time is flowing to the sea but it’s still you and me Nothing’s like it used to be, but we’re here, you and me Chorus Aaaah, nothing can tear us apart Sailing on a stormy sea, we’re together you and me.

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MISSION

CUBA

– Learning to serve

Mission:Cuba

By Christin Davis

W

HEN Doug Morton was a police officer in London, Ontario, in Canada, he took a filthy man to a detox centre rather than having to search him upon arrest. ‘Two people greeted him with so much love and compassion that I was embarrassed,’ he recalls.

It was Doug’s first experience of The Salvation Army.

Later assigned to oversee the courthouse chaplain programme, Doug learned that a former police colleague had become a Salvation Army officer and was stationed at Erin Mills Corps (church).

‘Practically in my backyard,’ he says.

A few Sundays later, Doug was sitting at home and decided to go to his former colleague’s corps. He’s been attending ever since – nearly five years.

While at a Salvation Army men’s camp in 2009, Doug saw a poster advertising Mission:Cuba 2. He says he was so interested that he ‘actually took the poster off the wall’.

Started by Majors John and Brenda Murray, the Ontario Central East Division’s Mission:Cuba has for the past Above: carpentry skills are much in demand!

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five years organised self-funded projects, in partnership with the Cuba Division, to improve facilities for The Salvation Army in Cuba. With initial support from Commissioners William and Marilyn Francis (then leaders of the Canada and Bermuda Territory), in five years more than 150 volunteer team members from Canada have completed 13 capital projects across the island.

Commissioner Bill Francis, an American, recognised that Canada is uniquely placed to partner with Cuba and support missions there. The Francises attended dedication services in the first four years of Mission:Cuba.

‘I was amazed at the strength of the Army there,’ says the former territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda Territory. ‘The people have kept the joy of the Lord. That’s a wonderful verse, but when you see it embodied in people it takes on new meaning.’

Doug Morton – who learned stonemasonry from his dad – went on Mission:Cuba 2, and each subsequent one. He assisted in a number of advance trips as well, at a personal cost, to scope projects for the team.

‘On our second Sunday on Mission:Cuba 2 in Baragua, I was

overwhelmed with how little the people have and the grace they show,’ he said.

‘The Salvation Army in Nicaragua had just opened, and the corps took a special offering to support the work there. If you couldn’t give that day, a paper was being passed around so you could pledge support.’

One of few remaining socialist states espousing communism, Cuba’s turbulent history – from the 1898 SpanishAmerican War to the establishment of the Communist Party of Cuba in 1965 and continued tension with the United States – has saddled the island’s lush beauty with decay.

Cubans can receive monthly food rations from the government, and there is free education and free health care, but for many the struggle to survive is real. For those who can get a job, average monthly earnings total roughly US$20. The Wall Street Journal and Heritage Foundation’s 2012 Index of Economic Freedom ranked Cuba 177 out of 179 countries.

Teresa Matos, a soldier of Havana Central Corps, was born in Cuba, taken to the USA as a toddler, and lived in New York for 19 years. She returned to Cuba in 1980 and, due to various circumstances, has not been able to leave since.

CUBA

‘The problem here is economics,’ she says. Teresa teaches English to raise a small income but she does not have a computer or TV. ‘When you look around, it looks like everybody is living normally.

But it’s very hard.’

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1992, its subsidies to Cuba ended and the island country entered a rapid depression known as the Special Period. Ever since, supplies have become more difficult to find, and more expensive. Raul Castro, president since 2006, has repeatedly lamented that Cuba imported around 80 per cent of the food it consumed between 2007 and 2009, at a cost of more than $1.7 billion a year.

Things are slowly improving under the second Castro’s presidency. Bans on Cubans owning mobile phones and computers have been lifted, and in 2011 citizens were allowed to buy and sell houses and cars. Yet, like the 1950s cars Cubans manage to keep running, the people must scheme and dream in order to survive in this land of gritty street rumba.

‘If people don’t want to turn to the Communist Party, then they turn to church looking for betterment in life,’ says Teresa.

The Salvation Army began work in Cuba in 1918 with missionary officers and operated until 1958 when the last overseas officer left the island upon signs of revolution, according to Captain Below: Cuba Divisional Commander Captain Julio Moreno with Diezmero Corps members following the dedication service

‘The people must scheme and dream in order to survive in this land of gritty street rumba’ Julio Moreno, a former inspector for the government who is now The Salvation Army’s divisional commander in Cuba.

For 10 years, says Captain Moreno, Cuban people continued the Army’s work without the knowledge of International Headquarters in London, England.

Cuba ‘was without any link to The Salvation Army outside the country’ he explains, until a Cuban officer went to an event in Jamaica. Soon after Cuba became part of the Caribbean Territory, until the formation of the Latin America North Territory in 1998.

The Cuban Communist Party removed atheism as a prerequisite for membership in 1991 and amended the constitution to deem itself a secular state rather than an atheist state. Yet to each faith community, the Office of Religious Affairs (ORA) assigns representatives to sporadically attend events and bring any concerns to the government.

The Salvation Army in Cuba today operates 22 corps and two social services projects – a senior home and an addictions recovery programme. There

Above: typical street scenes in Cuba

are 24 officers (ministers) and the Army is a member of the Cuban Council of Churches.

Maria Delos Angelas Perec, a senior ORA official representing the Christian churches – though not an attendee of any church – says: ‘According to the constitution we guarantee the freedom of religious expression as in any other part of the world. Essentially, we work together – the church and the government – to better help people. We work with legality and love to build good for people, to love people as we love ourselves.’

Maria reveals that the ORA approved 9,000 religious visas for foreigners coming to Cuba in 2012.

‘As the government, we appreciate the church,’ she says, ‘but we know the community appreciates it more. The Salvation Army is a church for service to the people, the community. The best thing Cuba has is the people.’

For The Salvation Army, too, the people are key.

‘These people have become almost family,’ says Major Brenda Murray. ‘They said they had been praying for God to send someone, and I’d been praying that God would use me. What’s so strong about this is that it isn’t about Canadians showing Cubans how to do things, but partnering together so that everyone benefits.’

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CUBA

Left: members of the Mission:Cuba 5 team; below: since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba has had to reassess its spending priorities, leaving less vital programmes, such as the upkeep of minor roads, poorly funded

‘As the government, we appreciate the church,’ she says, ‘but we know the community appreciates it more’ Each Mission:Cuba begins in August with a ‘pre-team’ visit to Cuba to meet with Salvation Army staff and survey areas of priority need with a contractor.

An itemised list of materials is sent to the Cuban Government for approval, after which every item is shipped in a 40foot container. Members of the pre-team have to be on-site when the container is approved for release, generally in January. The materials are stored with The Salvation Army in Cuba until the spring, when the projects can start.

Major John Murray says: ‘After five years, the profile of The Salvation Army has increased dramatically here, and the government has a better understanding of the role and function of The Salvation Below: mission team member Neil Leduke shares a smile with Carmeneta at Diezmero Corps

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Army and what it can do to assist in disaster and humanitarian projects.’

His point is backed up by the Cuban Government’s request of assistance from The Salvation Army following hurricanes in recent years.

‘This is about more than building projects,’ adds Major Murray. ‘It’s about building community, mission and building God’s Church.’

This year, Mission:Cuba 5 ran from 19 April to 3 May. Each of the 25 team members – ranging in age from 14 to 81 – paid his or her own way to volunteer in Cuba, building roofs over two corps, adding two rooms to one officers’ quarters, painting both locations inside and out, and funding a fence at The Salvation Army’s new training college for officers.

Before leaving the job site this year, Doug Morton gave a woman at the corps a new pair of shoes. She cried, saying she had been praying for new shoes, which could cost the equivalent of a month’s salary for many Cubans. But first, Doug washed her feet in a bucket of water.

He says: ‘I wanted to thank her for teaching me what it’s like to serve.’

Christin Davis is the managing editor of New Frontier Publications (newfrontierpublications. org) and editor of Caring (caringmagazine.org) in the USA Western Territory.

USA

EMERGENCY

r e t s a s i d Inside a Salvation participated in The re lu cC M as gl ou he recorded When Captain D oes in Oklahoma, ad rn to ly ad de to re are Army’s response ain’s permission, he pt ca e th ith W . og a bl aling to be his experiences in e heartache and he th g in ow sh , og bl excerpts from the ster ath of a major disa rm te af e th in d un fo

Day 1

AS we drove through many affected and destroyed neighbourhoods, I noticed a few common elements around the houses. One of those common elements was chairs!

There were chairs of every size and type. People were sitting outside their homes and sometimes even in the middle of a room that no longer existed!

These empty chairs struck me profoundly in two ways.

The first way makes my eyes well up and my knees want to fold into prayer. The second way lifts my spirit and gives me strength.

During the musical Les Misérables, Marius returns to the ABC Café and remembers his lost friends. He sings the heartbreaking song ‘Empty Chairs at Empty Tables’: ‘There’s a grief that can’t be spoken. There’s a pain goes on and on. Empty chairs at empty tables. Now my friends are dead and gone.’

While driving through the neighbourhoods, I was struck by the fact that people will not be sitting in their houses for a long time. The people in this area will experience a long clean-up period. And some will not be eating with their families ever

again. There were lives lost during this storm, and for some people there will be pain that ‘goes on and on’.

The second thing the empty chairs remind me of is a story shared by Captain Charles ‘Chas’ Engel from Delaware. Chas was serving at a disaster in another part of the country. After a hard day he received a call from some of his teammates asking him to dinner. He got lost several times but eventually arrived at the restaurant.

When he got there, his teammates did not need to move over to make room – they had saved a spot for him. He said it made him think of the words of Christ: ‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am’ (John 14:3 New International Version).

When The Salvation Army arrives in a disaster area, we ‘prepare a place’ for all the people who have been affected and for all those who serve the affected people.

The empty chairs represent loss but also service to others!

Above: tornadoes leave behind complete devastation

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USA

Captain McClure with a Salvation Army donut girl

Day 2

One of the greatest things I witnessed today was the wonderful partners in service that have come alongside The Salvation Army’s Emergency Disaster Services.

The takeaway chain Papa John’s supplied a trailer and is giving out pizza. This is the first time we have partnered with Papa John’s at this level and it has been a great experience.

Today I was responsible for monitoring a distribution centre that had this crew stationed at it. The employees were extremely helpful.

In situations like these tornadoes, it truly does take all of us to make a difference. Our partners are taking what they do well (making pizzas) and using it to assist other people.

‘And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him’ (Colossians 3:17).

Day 3

Including this one, I have been on 11 deployments for disaster services. I have served in various capacities, from operating canteens to working in the warehouse to being the incident commander. This deployment included a noteable first – I had the opportunity to serve with my mother, Major Susan McClure (Alabama-Louisiana-Mississippi Divisional Headquarters).

My mother and I have both been assigned to this deployment as emotional and spiritual care specialists. My mother has a long history of disaster experience stretching back more than 30 years. (Some of the skills and abilities that I have now must have come from somewhere!)

On Tuesday we were both assigned to the same team, ministering to families and relief workers. I watched my mother pray with people and serve people and love people.

Proverbs 22:6 says: ‘Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it’ (King James Version). I grew up watching my mother serve others! She taught me the value of service to others. She taught me the importance of meeting people right where they are.

Day 4

One of the unfortunate things about disaster services is that there are times when, while recovering from a disaster, another one can follow right behind. We had a challenging night weatherwise here in Oklahoma!

‘My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge’ says 2 Samuel 22:3 (NIV). We have a God who wants to protect us from all the ‘storms’ of life! And, even when a storm comes along, he is still there with us!

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‘The clients find themselves at one of the toughest moments of their lives. They have had almost everything taken from them’

Day 5

In every fight or conflict, troops get weary and tired. You need a fresh infusion of service and love.

Pam served today at the MARC (Multi-Agency Resource Center) in Shawnee, Oklahoma. Pam is relatively new in her volunteering with The Salvation Army. She was looking for an opportunity to help out.

She says that this is a good time in her life to extend her circle of people that she serves and helps. A woman of faith, Pam has interviewed and prayed with many inidividuals and families at the Shawnee MARC. She is always there with a winning smile and a willing spirit. She makes everyone feel welcome as they come to the table to talk to The Salvation Army.

Day 6

Today I served for the third day in the MARC in Shawnee.

Sponsored and hosted by the American Red Cross, the MARC is a wonderful opportunity and place for many agencies to come together. Because of the streamlined intake process, all the agencies who participate can get clients through the process of casework more efficiently.

The process here starts with the American Red Cross Red Line. The Red Line is staffed by highly trained Red Cross workers who help clients to record who they are and what happened to them. After the clients are evaluated and assisted by the Red Line, they are escorted by an ambassador through a quick medical check. Following the medical check, the client is taken into the Resource Room where all the partner agencies

USA

Left and above left: Salvation Army team members with representatives from Papa John’s

Above: canteens get ready to head out; left: Captain Douglas McClure with his mother, Major Susan McClure

are present at various tables. All the agencies – including The Salvation Army – are offering a variety of services to help residents begin the long process of recovery.

The clients find themselves at one of the toughest moments of their lives. They have had almost everything taken from them.

The MARC is a great example of agencies coming together for a common cause and making a difference in people’s lives.

19 May storm may not have been as big as those that struck on 20 or 31 May, but the impact on these smaller communities is still great.

With more significant weather coming into this area this week, these people are desperately in need of relief and safety.

Day 7

Today I met a wonderful woman called Sandy Bibb at the Little Axe MARC, where I have been helping with emergency disaster assistance casework. On 19 May Sandy’s husband was in Shawnee getting ready for a birthday party for their 16-year-old.

While they were away from their home, disaster struck. A friend called her from a storm cellar and told her that everything was gone.

Her husband tried for two days to get back to the site of their home but was not allowed. When they finally got there they saw that it was a total loss.

Newalla, Oklahoma, is a small rural community. Sandy told me she had lived in the same property for 14 years. Every one of her five children was born and raised in that home.

She said that when she returned she was horrified. Everything she knew and everything she owned had been taken away by the storm. They were worried for their pets – four dogs, a cat and a bird. Fortunately, the dogs and cat have been located, but all they could find of the bird was a smashed cage.

What makes this family’s situation even worse is that the danger is not over, with looting being a particular problem.

Although I am sorry about the circumstances, this disaster helped reunite me with some friends I have not seen in a while.

Lieutenants Philip and Elaine Canning are the corps officers (ministers) for The Salvation Army in Shawnee, Oklahoma. We worked on camp staff together when we were kids.

The Cannings are a vibrant, young couple who truly love their communities. They have been working around the clock since the tornadoes to serve others.

Day 8

Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms all over the central Oklahoma area have been causing some major damage. While the devastation caused by the tornado in Moore, Oklahoma, captured the hearts of people, there were smaller towns that were also deeply affected by these natural disasters.

Having been sent out by Incident Command, I have spent the past five days in places like Shawnee (Pottawatomie County), Carney (Lincoln County) and Little Axe (Cleveland County). The

Day 9

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USA

‘This experience has changed me.

It has changed my perspective.

It has changed how I view people’

Above and right: scenes from the Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) in Shawnee, Oklahoma

A local church gave them some tents, and cots and toys for the children. When they returned, the only things left were a few toys!

The family has been working on clearing their property, though their three-year-old daughter has yet to return because of the broken glass and debris. If you ask her about going home, she looks at you and says with a smile: ‘I don’t have a home. Tornado came and “blewed” it away!’

When I asked Sandy if I could share her story, she said that I could, but she began to tear up a little. I asked her what she was feeling and she told me: ‘I just want a home for my family – a nice place for them to live.’

This family has been working with FEMA (the Federal Emergency Management Agency) to make that happen. The Salvation Army was able to offer financial assistance to help her family with its emergency needs. She was extremely grateful and thanked me over and over.

She declined to have her picture taken, but I wish I could show you the look of resilience in her face. After meeting her, I am beginning to understand what #OklahomaStrong (the Twitter hashtag to show support for the state) really means!

We prayed together before she left. She said that was one of the first times that someone offered to pray with her during this experience. She added that prayer was the best thing. I agree!

Day 10

The Salvation Army is constantly evolving and changing the way it responds to disasters. Due to the impact on the people in this area, The Salvation Army wanted to make the Emotional and Spiritual Care (ESC) support a priority in our initial service delivery.

While ESC has always been part of our disaster delivery service, the Army is now deploying officers and carefully chosen, trained volunteers as ESC specialists. These personnel are tasked with the care not only of people directly affected by the disasters, but also other responders.

Because of the increased response in trained personnel, we were able to deploy ESC teams with trucks and other vehicles to affected areas as ‘spiritual care ground forces’. These teams were able to get into some areas that our mobile feeding units 20 | ALL THE WORLD | J ULY–SEPTEM BER

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could not reach. Some of the areas were so damaged and difficult to traverse that the ESC teams were forced to walk along roads dragging coolers of cold drinks and snacks.

Far from just offering physical comfort, these teams were bringing the love of God to places that had seen such sorrow.

I had a chance to work with ESC teams my first two days here in Oklahoma. These dedicated officers and volunteers took to their work like trained soldiers. Every morning, they would go to the distribution warehouse and load up with supplies including drinks, snacks, candy and small toys. They prayed as they walked and as they talked! They spoke hope to people who did not have any hope. There were sunburns and tired feet, exhaustion and emotional wear. But, these faithful soldiers trudged on and brought hope, peace and love to the people of this land.

God bless the people of Oklahoma! God bless the work of the responders! And God bless The Salvation Army!

Day 11

My time in Oklahoma is winding down. One thing this experience has taught me is how proud I am of the work and ministry of The Salvation Army.

Day 12

This last post from Oklahoma is dedicated to all the officers, soldiers, employees and volunteers. I would also like to include all the people I had the honour of working with from our partner agencies.

The weird thing about leaving now is that there has been so much good done, but there is more to be done. God has called up other faithful soldiers to carry the burden a little further! I pray for holy strength for the local personnel who will carry it even further into the future.

This experience has changed me. It has changed my perspective. It has changed how I view people. It has changed how I view myself. It has renewed old friendships and made new ones. It has brought out new partnerships and strengthened others. It has shown me a different kind of world, without borders and rules.

So, I am saying goodbye, but not forgetting!

Read Captain McClure’s blog in full at www.douglasemcclure.com

STATISTICS

15-44

are at greater risk Women aged from rape and domestic violence than from cancer, car accidents and malaria

20%

of women are victims of rape or attempted rape

A brutal practice where her husband or in-laws kill a woman because her family cannot meet the dowry

Approximately ½ to 2m people are trafficked annually. Women and girls account for 80% of detected victims

Violence during pregnancy has serious consequences for mother and child.

Female infanticide, prenatal sex selection and systematic neglect of baby girls is widespread in South and East Asia, North Africa and the Middle East

This informational graphic is reprinted from the July–September issue of Revive magazine

Equipping women for ministry &mission

Revive is The Salvation Army’s international women’s magazine.

Yearly subscriptions available online: http://sar.my/revsubu (UK) or http://sar.my/revsubo (overseas). Read previous issues at http://sar.my/revive J UL Y – S E P TE M BE R 2013 | ALL THE WORLD |

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COUNTRY OR THEME

SNAPSHOTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Fund-runners CZECH REPUBLIC

Around the world, hundreds – even thousands – of people take part in fundraising events for The Salvation Army. Sponsorship to take part in marathons is a popular way to bring in vital funds (with the added benefit that participants improve their fitness!).

It’s unlikely that many events include more individuals raising funds for The Salvation Army than the Hervis Prague Half Marathon, in the Czech Republic. An amazing 76 runners took part on behalf of the Army, including a wellknown actor and presenter, Dalibor Gondík, and The Salvation Army’s officer-in-charge, Major Mike Stannett.

The half marathon – which takes place alongside the River Vltava and over Prague’s famous bridges – is the most popular running event in the country, with more than 12,500 participants in 2013.

Between them, the runners raised 60,000 Czech Koruna (approximately US$3,000).

(From a report in the Czech Salvation Army publication Prapor Spásy.)

‘Solange Frauen weinen ...’

GERMANY

The famous ‘I’ll Fight!’ speech given by The Salvation Army’s Founder, William Booth, continues to have an influence around the world more than 100 years after he first vowed that ‘while women weep, I’ll fight!’

The speech now has a place in the records of the German parliament, thanks to Frank Heinrich, the member of parliament for Chemnitz (formerly the East German city Karl-Marx-Stadt). Frank is a Salvationist at Chemnitz Corps – which he played a major role in getting reopened. He is on the committee of the Evangelical Alliance in Germany and is the chairman of a new Christian group fighting against trafficking, in which The Salvation Army plays a prominent part.

Frank was speaking about human trafficking and prostitution in Germany. He concluded with the Founder’s words (in German), right down to the words ‘while there remains one soul without the light of God, I’ll fight!’ It is thought that this is the first time William Booth has been quoted in the Bundestag.

Go to http://dbtg.tv/fvid/2418644 to see Frank’s speech in full.

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SNAPSHOTS

All together now

UNITED KINGDOM

These bracelets were made by young people from the kids club at Stepney Corps, in the East End of London, United Kingdom, following instructions from the new ‘One Army’ youth material.

They didn’t stay in the UK for long, however.

When corps officer Captain Kerry Coke went to Mozambique shortly afterwards, she took the bracelets with her to give out to young people there.

Could there be a clearer illustration of being ‘One Army’?

Let us pray

iNTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS The last Sunday of September has been set aside as The Salvation Army’s Annual Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking. In The Salvation Army’s calendar, it forms an important focal point for prayer alongside the Annual Day of Prayer for Children, which falls on the last Sunday of March.

As can be seen on the poster on the back page of this issue, this year’s Day of Prayer for Victims of Human Trafficking is on Sunday 29 September. Publicity posters have been prepared in English, French and Spanish.

Go to http://sar.my/dayofprayertrafficking2013 to download a poster and for other resources. ww J UL Y – S E P TE M BE R 2013 | ALL THE WORLD |

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