Faith & Friends December 2023

Kettle Caring

“Take These Boots”

BRINGING JOY P.5 CHRISTMAS GIVING P.6

All I Want for Christmas Is ...

THE GREATEST GIFT P.11

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

faithandfriends.ca

CHRISTMAS 2023

The Spirit

of Giving

WITH THE HELP OF THE SALVATION ARMY, 12-YEAR-OLD RAISES MONEY TO “HELP CHILDREN AND MAKE THEM SMILE.” P.8

The Grace of Giving and Receiving Photo: For My GOD — creation/Lightstock.com

The giving and receiving of gifts is a delightful part of the Christmas festival in almost every part of the world.

True, it can become an obsessive and burdensome ritual, especially in more materialistic cultures, obscuring the heart of Christmas—the birth of Jesus. It is only by His grace that we can humbly open our hearts to receive God’s amazing generosity toward us.

Is there a pattern here for our human relationships? Is grace a gift we should give and receive within our families at Christmas? Have we opened our hearts to Him? Why not on Christmas Day? Why not now?

Let Him heal the broken places in our lives.

“Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” —John 1:12

To learn more about the grace of God at Christmas, visit our website faithandfriends.ca, contact us at The Salvation Army Editorial Department, 2 Overlea Blvd., Toronto ON M4H 1P4 or visit your nearest Salvation Army church.

2 • CHRISTMAS 2023 I faithandfriends.ca

Christmas 2023 VOLUME 26 NUMBER 7

KETTLE CARING 5

6 Kettle Caring

“Take These Boots”

BRINGING JOY P.5 CHRISTMAS GIVING P.6

All I Want for Christmas Is ...

THE GREATEST GIFT P.11

Faith&Friends faithandfriends.ca

8

The Spirit

of Giving

WITH THE HELP OF THE SALVATION ARMY, 12-YEAR-OLD RAISES MONEY TO “HELP CHILDREN AND MAKE THEM SMILE.” P.8

COVER STORY

SOMEONE CARES 6

“Take These Boots” Who knew the front entrance of a church could be holy ground?

FEATURES

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

CHRISTMAS 2023

Bringing Christmas Joy Kettle volunteer is teaching her son to give back.

The Spirit of Giving

With the help of The Salvation Army, 12-year-old Sarah Byford raises money to “help children and make them smile.”

11 All I Want for Christmas Is … … the greatest gift ever (Hint: It’s not a suit of armour for Phil Callaway’s guinea pig).

LITE STUFF

Cover photo: Courtesy of Amy Byford

13 Word Search

14

NIFTY THRIFTY 14 Tomspoolery!

No needling! Here’s the perfect Christmas ornament. faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 3

Faith&Friends

FROM THE EDITOR

Numbers Don’t Lie

A

ccording to The Salvation Army’s 2022/23 Annual Report, in more than 400 communities across Canada and Bermuda: • 115,000 meals were served in school meal programs • 359,000 people were helped at Christmas with food hampers and toys • 3.9 million meals were provided at shelters and in feeding programs The list can—and does—go on.

Impressive as all of this is, for me, one number jumps out from this issue of Faith & Friends: • A pair of boots When Majors Shirley and Bill King were faced with a desperately hungry and cold man at their doorstep, the Salvation Army pastors immediately provided him with food and dry clothes. But as the man was leaving, Major Bill noticed his feet, which were still frozen from the vile weather outside.

What Major Bill did next came straight from the heart, and is the epitome of what The Salvation Army is all about.

Go to page 6 to see what happened.

Elsewhere in the issue, you’ll read about an incredible 12-year-old who has a heart for helping people, find out why a single mother and her son are helping at the kettles and learn what the most important Christmas gift for humorist Phil Callaway is—and it’s not luxury ice cubes!

Regarding the statistics above, numbers don’t lie, but the Army and its dedicated volunteers could not do what they do without the help of people such as you. So please do not pass an Army kettle by without giving generously.

All of us at Faith & Friends wish you a merry Christmas and a happy holiday season.

Ken Ramstead CHRISTMAS 2022 2023 II faithandfriends.ca faithandfriends.ca 4 • CHRISTMAS

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 bimonthly by: The Salvation Army 2 Overlea Blvd, Toronto Ontario, M4H 1P4 International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, EC4P 4EP, England Lyndon Buckingham, GENERAL Commissioner Lee Graves TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

Lt-Colonel John P. Murray SECRETARY FOR COMMUNICATIONS Geoff Moulton, DIRECTOR OF INTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND LITERARY SECRETARY

Pamela Richardson ASSISTANT EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Ken Ramstead, EDITOR

Kristin Ostensen MANAGING EDITOR OF SALVATIONIST AND SALVATIONIST.CA

Lisa Suroso GRAPHIC DESIGN SPECIALIST

Emily Pedlar JUNIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Rivonny Luchas DIGITAL MEDIA SPECIALIST

Ada Leung CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR

Giselle Randall, Abbigail Oliver STAFF WRITERS 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@salvationarmy.ca Subscription for one year: Canada $17 (includes GST/HST); U.S. $22; foreign $24 P. (416) 422-6119 circulation@salvationarmy.ca 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

KETTLE CARING

Bringing Christmas Joy Kettle volunteer is teaching her son to give back.

Erin Menzies and her son

M

“

y message is that life is unpredictable,” says Erin Menzies of Kelowna, B.C. “You never know what challenges you might face. Having someone give you a hand up, like The Salvation Army did for me, may just be what someone needs to turn their life around.”

Getting Better Erin was a college graduate and hard worker who was raised in a happy home. But in her 20s, she developed a medical condition that made it challenging for her to stay employed.

When her son was born, Erin was left to raise him alone.

“I went from having a full-time career to facing life as a single mom.”

Fortunately, the Army was there.

“I was embarrassed to ask for help,” Erin confesses. “But The Salvation Army made me feel welcome and, most importantly, unashamed. They made us feel cared for, they prayed for

by Ken Ramstead

us and they gave me the encouragement that things would get better.

“And they were right,” smiles Erin.

“Life did get better.”

Changing a Life Erin received support from the Army food bank and Christmas hamper program, and were accepted into subsidized housing.

“Our basic needs are being met,” says Erin, “and that incredible financial stress is off my shoulders.”

Now, Erin is in a position where she can give back, to help others as they were helped. This is why she volunteers to work on the Army kettles..

“I want my son to learn the importance of helping others,” Erin says.

“He is excited to ring the bells this year and bring Christmas joy to those in our community.

“While we can’t give much financially, we can give our time. And, maybe, we just might change someone’s life.”

faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 5

Faith&Friends

SOMEONE CARES

“Take These Boots” Who knew the front entrance of a church could be holy ground?

by Shirley King

Photo: angel011/stock.Adobe.com

T

he weather outside was frightful last November!

Inside, at The Salvation Army’s Lakeshore Community Church in Toronto, where my husband, Bill, was the pastor at that time, we were in the middle of Christmas toy registration as well as a very busy food bank day when Joseph came to the front entrance of our church.

He was hunched over, shivering from the freezing weather, dripping wet and cold. Joseph’s feet were frozen, his clothes soaked to the skin.

His running shoes were drenched and sopping with water, and his jeans were wet to the knees.

Joseph could hardly speak. He was wearing only a T-shirt, a lightweight jacket and a safety vest. He declared he had not eaten for a few days. He had no food for today and refused

6 • CHRISTMAS 2023 I faithandfriends.ca

anything I would give him in a can because he didn’t own a can opener.

“But Your Feet Are Wet!” Joseph lives in a tent near the train tracks. He has been homeless for a few months. He had lost his job and his family during the pandemic and now had absolutely nothing.

I gave him food and a coat donated by a kindly young woman that Joseph could use as a buffer between his own jacket and the safety vest. We also gave him a sleeping bag, two bags of food—and a can opener—along with a voucher to purchase warm clothes from the Salvation Army thrift store.

He was ecstatic when we brought out mittens, a hat and a blanket.

From the church foyer, my husband, Bill, was watching the interaction between Joseph and me.

As Joseph was preparing to leave the building in his dry clothing and treasure trove of food, I could see the wheels turning in Bill’s head as he declared, “But your feet are wet!”

Knowing my husband as I do, I knew what was going to happen next.

Holy Ground Without any hesitation, Bill stooped low, unzipped his perfectly designed, Salvation Army regulation winter boots, removed the dry, warm, footwear and handed them to Joseph, saying, “Here! They’re yours!”

At first, Joseph didn’t want to take Bill’s boots. But my husband was insistent.

“Please take these boots! Your feet need to be dry and warm.”

A grateful Joseph finally relented.

As much as I hate shopping for boots and shoes for my husband, it was going to be OK this time. This was, after all, a sacred space where God came and used His people. One declaring need. The other responding to the need.

And I stood still, overwhelmed by both the need and the generosity of one person to another, knowing this

Happy Warrior Major Bill King is now a retired Salvation Army pastor

“Please take these boots! Your feet need to be dry and warm.”

MAJOR BILL KING

was a God moment.

On this miserable, wet and blustery day, I was brought once again to the truth of the Bible, which declares, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).

Who knew the front entrance of the church could be holy ground?

(left) Major Shirley King is the pastor at The Salvation Army’s Acton Community Church in Ontario.

faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 7

Photos: Courtesy of Amy Byford

Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

The Spirit of Giving

WITH THE HELP OF THE SALVATION ARMY, 12-YEAR-OLD SARAH BYFORD RAISES MONEY TO “HELP CHILDREN AND MAKE THEM SMILE.”

by Melissa Yue Wallace

AMY BYFORD CAUGHT HER first glimpse of the giving spirit of her daughter, Sarah, in 2017 during an emotional drive from the hospital to their home in Victoria.

Amy had just found out her fiveyear-old, who had various health issues, would require surgery to repair a hole in her heart that had 8 • CHRISTMAS 2023 I faithandfriends.ca

been there since birth. Amy was consumed by her thoughts when a voice broke through.

“Do I look sick?” Sarah asked.

“Not really, but it’s on the inside,” said Amy. “Well, can I have a spicy juice stand for all the kids who really are sick?”

It took a moment for Amy to realize that the “spicy juice” in question was a lemonade stand, and another moment to realize this wasn’t a fleeting idea; Sarah was determined to run the stand in a matter of days, not weeks.

Despite the short notice and cold, rainy weather, the community came out to support Sarah’s effort. She raised $1,300 for children at the hospital where she received treatment.

And that fundraiser was the start of many to come.

“I Got It” Sarah, now 12 years old, is known for her many fundraisers in the community. Her heart successfully repaired in 2019, she has collected 250 stuffed

bears for kids at the Children’s Hospital Foundation in Victoria; made gift baskets and cards and designed golf towels and T-shirts to raise money; sold candy and hot chocolate, using the proceeds for the Ronald McDonald House; spent her birthday money for people in need; and organized raffles and bottle drives for charity.

“I want to help children and make them smile,” says Sarah.

One of the organizations that have benefitted from Sarah’s efforts is The Salvation Army.

Amy, a mother of four who works full-time, appreciates the Army’s work and occasionally purchases clothes for her children at the Salvation Army thrift store.

Kettle Volunteer Sarah Byford has volunteered at the Salvation Army kettles with her mother and purchased toys for the hampers last December with her own money School’s In! Last year, Sarah collected school supplies and purchased new items for The Salvation Army’s backpack program

faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 9

Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

“They’re always there,” says Amy. “They have food banks, and if there’s a disaster, they’re there to help with food trucks. They’re around whenever someone needs them.”

Last year, Sarah collected school supplies and purchased new items for The Salvation Army’s backpack program. With her mother’s permission and a budget of $200, she picked out backpacks, toiletries, clothes and anything else children would need for school.

“Sometimes I feel as if God works in mysterious ways, because when we were at the cash, Sarah realized she went over her limit,” says Amy. “This lady was so touched by Sarah that she paid for the rest, about $60, and said, ‘I got it.’ ” “Have Faith” Sarah has also volunteered at the Salvation Army kettles with her mother, organized items for the Army’s toy drive and purchased toys for the hampers last December with her own money.

“We are very encouraged by Sarah’s humble generosity,” says Jared Braun, executive director of The Salvation Army in Fort St. John, B.C. “She doesn’t do it for the attention, she just genuinely wants to help others.

“It inspires us to have all ages standing with us in the work we do in the community.”

Sarah is the youngest of the four siblings, but her mother says she is “wise beyond her years.”

“I guide her and support her when she gets these ideas to help people, but sometimes she’ll tell me stuff from the Bible that I’ve never even told her, and when we had that first fundraiser and I didn’t think anyone would come, she told me to ‘have faith,’ ” says Amy. “And I wonder, Where do you get this stuff?”

Stopping at Nothing The Byford family had been attending church prior to the COVID-19 pandemic but have been watching services online ever since as Sarah is immune-compromised.

“I have to pick and choose where to take Sarah because I have to be very careful with her health,” explains Amy. Thankfully, Sarah’s condition has stabilized since her surgery. “You wouldn’t even know she has health problems,” says Amy. “She won’t let anything stop her—especially when it comes to giving … she’s always been like that.”

(left) Melissa Yue Wallace is a journalism graduate and freelance writer who is passionate about helping people in need and encouraging the organizations that work tirelessly to care for them. Melissa lives in Richmond Hill, Ont., with her husband and twin children.

10 • CHRISTMAS 2023 I faithandfriends.ca

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

All I Want for Christmas Is …

Photo: Karolina Chaberek/stock.Adobe.com

… THE GREATEST GIFT EVER (HINT: IT’S NOT A SUIT OF ARMOUR FOR MY GUINEA PIG).

by Phil Callaway

I

t’s beginning to cost a lot like Christmas, isn’t it?

Some of us can’t afford to pull into the gas station and pump up our tires. CEOs are now playing minigolf. McDonald’s is holding the price but it’s now a ¼-ouncer. But if you just happen to have more money than month, here are luxury gifts you can buy for those long-neglected friends and family.

The Ultimate Gift List • First up is a case of purified ice cubes at just $325 for a pack of 40. Glace Luxury Ice Co. has created zero taste ice cubes free of minerals, additives or other

pollutants that could contaminate the taste of your beverage.

Ice! Cool! Downside is, you can’t pop this gift under the tree … unless your tree is in the freezer.

Or if you live in an igloo, like us Canadians.

(You know what I do if my house falls apart in the winter?

Igloo it back together.)

• Next up in the colossal luxury gift category is a $390 Gucci swimsuit. The only downside is that you can’t swim in it. If the fabric comes in contact with pool water, it’s ruined. Ah, yes, the bathing suit you can’t bathe in. faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 11

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Some of my favourite humans and a dog or two will be with me around the tree this year. PHIL CALLAWAY (By the way, while swimming, classical musicians prefer to do the Bach stroke.)

• You can also purchase a suit of armour for your guinea pig. It’s a mere $26,000.

(I think they’re made in Hamsterdam.)

• And if your pet has passed away? Well, for about $50,000, you can get that pet cloned.

Imagine the look on your mother’s face when she opens a box Christmas morning with her dear Sparky in it. And why not house Sparky in a luxury dog mansion for just $95,000? I’m not making this up.

The Perfect Christmas I grew up below the poverty line.

We barely had enough money to buy patches for my jeans. But the years have taught me this: Christmas can’t be bought. And I don’t need a superyacht (see last paragraph) to know

that I am the richest kid in town.

Why? Because some of my favourite humans and a dog or two will be with me around the tree this year.

Together, before we open the stuff, we’ll thank God for the greatest gift ever, given that first Christmas, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger: Our Saviour, God’s Son, Jesus. The one who came to save us from our sins. It beats a Gucci swimsuit any day.

And if my children are reading this, I don’t need a suit of armour for my guinea pig. Just bring the grandkids. And no more gag gifts.

No slippers that look like cabbage or towels that look burritos.

Instead, just buy me the world’s most expensive yacht, the History Supreme. It boasts a feature wall made from T. Rex bones and meteorite rock, plus 100,000 kilograms of gold and platinum. The price tag: $4.8 billion. I kid you not. That’s a … yacht of money.

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

12 • CHRISTMAS 2023 I faithandfriends.ca

Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Photo: Courtesy of New Line Cinema

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ADOPTION BABY BUDDY CANDY CENTRAL PARK CHEER CHRISTMAS ELEVATOR EMILY ETCH-A-SKETCH FOREST GIMBELS

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GUMDROPS JOVIE MAILROOM MAPLE SYRUP MASTER TINKER MICHAEL NAUGHTY LIST NEW YORK NORTH POLE ORPHANAGE PAPA ELF PUBLISHER

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REVOLVING DOOR SANTA CLAUS SINGING SKATING SLEIGH SNOWBALLS SPAGHETTI TEDDY BEAR TOYS TREE WALTER WORKSHOP

faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 13

Faith&Friends

NIFTY THRIFTY

Tomspoolery!

No needling!

Here’s the perfect Christmas ornament.

W

ith this easy and fun DIY, you can upcycle empty spools, vintage patterns, random buttons and rickrack trim into festive décor.

Supplies Needed: spool, vintage pattern, rickrack trim, buttons, thick thread, needle, metal bell, Mod Podge, sponge brush, scissors, tissue paper (optional).

1

Step 1 You can either use your own sewing materials for this or visit your local Salvation Army thrift store for spools, buttons and any other sewing paraphernalia.

2

Step 2 I started by jazzing up the spools I had by using Mod Podge to glue a segment of the vintage sewing pattern I had on hand. I tried to cut a piece that had some interesting details in it.

Allow the Mod Podge to dry. You can either leave as is or add a layer of tissue paper or other details from the vintage sewing pattern.

14 • CHRISTMAS 2023 I faithandfriends.ca

3

Step 3 I decided to use scraps of rickrack trim to embellish the spool. I added a layer of Mod Podge, then the trim and held it in place to ensure it stuck to the spool.

4

Step 4 Next, gather your buttons, maybe use beads and then a metal bell for the bottom.

5

Step 5 Now you’re ready to put it all together. Using thick thread, thread a needle. You’ll start from the top by adding your buttons, a bead, then your decorated spool, then another bead, the bottom buttons and the bell. Now work your needle back up through the buttons, bead, spool, etc., until you’ve threaded everything.

Add a knot to tighten up the buttons, beads and spool, then tie another knot at the top to hang your ornament.

And that’s it! I made a few and switched up the colours of the beads.

(left) Denise Corcoran (aka Thrifty By Design) is an author, upcycler, community builder and workshop facilitator based in North Vancouver. She shares her enthusiasm for crafting and upcycling by facilitating “Crafternoons” throughout Vancouver. She is also a creative expert for The Salvation Army’s thrift stores.

Find a thrift store near you at thriftstore.ca.

faithandfriends.ca I CHRISTMAS 2023 • 15

Make 2X the Christmas Impact

Your gift will be matched* to provide 2X as many meals and be a lifeline for neighbours in need.

Visit SalvationArmy.ca/ChristmasGift or call 1-800-SAL-ARMY to donate.

*Donations made by December 31, 2023, will be matched by Deeks Insurance, up to $100,000.

PM 40064794

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