Faith & Friends January 2019

We All Need It

TRUE GRIT P.5

Army in Winnipeg

KIDS KLUB CARES P.8

Helping a Friend

BEHIND BARS P.10

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

faithandfriends.ca

JANUARY 2019

Fear Less TIGHTROPE WALKER NIK WALLENDA FINDS THE RIGHT BALANCE THANKS TO HIS FAITH. P.16

Finding Joy in To-Dos Care much Be gentle Read God’s Word

Give praise to God Love much Be kind Pray always

“Worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness.”—Psalm 29:2 To-do lists. Things that must get done today, tomorrow, next week. The pressure is on! Some of the things on our list may be trivial. But other things—especially concerning what we might call our “spiritual” to-do list— are essential for our well-being, the welfare of others, and especially our relationship with God.

Count your blessings Give much Be forgiving Thank God daily

How can we all find joy in a spiritual to-do list, as we worship God in the beautiful splendour of His great holiness? The list above is a start.

If our list is God-honouring, then we can all claim this promise: “ The Lord blesses His people with peace.”—Psalm 29:11 To learn more about spiritual to-do lists, email us at faithandfriends@can. salvationarmy.org or visit your local Salvation Army church.

Beverly A. Ivany, Words of Life May-August 2018, London, England

Work hard, serve well

JANUARY 2019

VOLUME 22 NUMBER 1

5

WORDS TO LIVE BY 5 True Grit

We all need it. So why is it so difficult?

SOMEONE CARES 8 A Caring Kids Klub

At The Salvation Army’s Heritage Park Temple in Winnipeg, children connect with God and one another.

COMMON GROUND 10 Where I Needed to Be

How could Lorna Frost look into the eyes of someone who had taken another person’s life?

FEATURES

12

COVER STORY

16

22

31

God’s Warrior

Amanda Rivait’s church family has been with her all the way through her struggle with Huntington’s disease.

Fear Less

Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda finds the right balance thanks to his faith.

A Second Spoonful of Sugar

In Mary Poppins Returns, can our favourite magical nanny save the day again?

BEYOND BORDERS 24 A Brighter Future

Elizabeth Ngare will forever remember the day when The Salvation Army took her to school.

Cover photo: Tim Boyles

LITE STUFF 28 Eating Healthy With Erin

Sudoku, Quick Quiz, Word Search.

NIFTY THRIFTY 31 It’s in the Bag

Find the perfect purse at a thrift store. faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Faith&Friends

FROM THE EDITOR

Weeds Begone

R

egular Faith & Friends contributor Jayne Thurber-Smith had tried for a number of years without success to secure an interview with professional tightrope walker Nik Wallenda of the famed Flying Wallendas. But when she finally did late last year, the timing of the interview was particularly apt for her.

Jayne is an accomplished equestrian but had recently lost her favourite horse, Peachie Girl, at the stables. “I had gone from riding her—an older, patient mare—to Tara, a young, reactive horse,” Jayne reports. “She made me nervous and I never knew what was going to happen next, while I, in turn, made her nervous. We were a mess.”

For that reason, during her talk with the famed high-wire performer, a worried Jayne mentioned to Nik that she needed to find out the secret to his fearlessness on the high wire. He replied in a calm voice, “We all have these demons of anxiety in our heads, like weeds growing in a garden. We should give every thought over to God and not dwell on them, or they will take over.”

“That great advice helped me tremendously at the stables with Tara and spilled over to my life in general,” says Jayne.

Nik’s advice is as relevant for all of us, too. Read his story on page 16.

Elsewhere in this issue of Faith & Friends, we profile a caring Salvation Army after-school program in Winnipeg, which is making a difference in the lives of children, we look at the new Mary Poppins Returns movie and we see how a courageous young member of The Salvation Army battles Huntington’s disease.

Ken Ramstead

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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 Susan McMillan TERRITORIAL COMMANDER

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

Brandon Laird DESIGN AND MEDIA SPECIALIST

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

Ada Leung CIRCULATION CO-ORDINATOR

Kristin Ostensen STAFF WRITER, PROOFREADER

Giselle Randall STAFF WRITER Scripture Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture references are taken from New International Version Contact Us P. (416) 467-3188, F. (416) 422-6217 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

WORDS TO LIVE BY

True Grit We all need it. So why is it so difficult?

by Shelly Wyrick

Hard at Work Shelly Wyrick’s father explains to her children how a rock tumbler operates

D

o you ever feel like an underachiever? Maybe you could have finished the breakfast dishes this morning before leaving for work. Or you could have done the laundry instead of binge-watching your favourite show. Or both. Perhaps you could have had a little more self-control at lunch. Or gone to the gym at lunch,

for that matter.

Me, too. I’m left wanting more resolve, more tenacity, more grit.

Grit Grit. It’s the title of a book written by psychologist, hard-worker and professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, Angela Duckworth. The gist is that hard-

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Faith&Friends

WORDS TO LIVE BY

I want more grit in everything from packing school lunches to my exercise routine to my prayer time. core success comes not by being a genius, but by working your tail off doing something you love.

Grit—by Dr. Duckworth’s definition—is passion and perseverance.

I don’t know where her faith stands but I do know that definition pretty much describes any Bible hero.

Think Noah and his ark. That’s grit.

Or Moses and the wilderness. More grit. The four-letter word screams of hope, perseverance and love with a flood of responsibility, hard work and fearlessness. Sounds an awful lot like Jesus to me, too.

I want grit. I want more grit in everything from packing school lunches to my exercise routine to my prayer time. Don’t you?

If only it was that easy: want more tenacity, get more tenacity. But the thing about grit is … well, it’s often messy.

No Trials, No Endurance Do you know what it takes to polish a rock? Grit.

Really. I overheard my father explain this to my second-grader around the rock tumbler. Papa put

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the kids’ treasures inside the rotary rock tumbler with some grit and water. He turned it on and the rocks began to roll. They came out shiny and smooth.

Have you ever felt like you’re rolling around in grit? Around and around you go—not going anywhere.

Take heart, here’s what’s happening in the gritter: Imperfections are smoothed. Deep flaws are redefined, made beautiful. Deficiencies are reworked. Deformities transformed.

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). You get so changed that light, and by that I mean the light of Jesus, bounces brilliantly off of you. You reflect Him. And how about pearls?

When something irritating makes its way into an oyster shell, the oyster reacts by making the grit into a pearl. Without grit, there is no pearl.

“Consider it a pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James

Handling Life’s Grit Shelly’s father holds a gritencrusted rock

1:2-3). Without trials, there is no perseverance.

Purpose-Filled Grit But choose wisely. Pursuing the world with gusto will be a letdown.

Let’s define the pearl before we dedicate our lives to it. For me, it’s love.

That’s the polished rock, it’s what I want to be refined into, it’s how I want to reflect Jesus. Laundry and lunches aren’t worthy of my deepest fortitude, but love is. I love the

people I’m doing these mundane jobs for. If I do the work in love, I win. I get refined. I have purpose and the purpose gives me grit.

Noah wouldn’t have built the ark if he didn’t love God so much. Moses would have withered in the wilderness without his relationship with the Almighty. And Jesus? His grit led to the ultimate sacrifice on the cross.

So, come on, get up and keep pushing. In the end, you might just reflect Jesus.

(left) Shelly Wyrick is a physical therapist turned stay-at-home mom and writer. She loves Jesus, her husband, their four kids and coffee.

Currently she’s working on growing a little grit in many areas of her life, from laundry to longdistance running.

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SOMEONE CARES

Photo: Carson Samson

Faith&Friends

Just Clowning Around “I feel like I am using my gifts well,” says Laura Hepditch, dressed up for a Halloween/harvestthemed Kids Klub evening

A Caring Kids Klub At The Salvation Army’s Heritage Park Temple in Winnipeg, children connect with God and one another.

by Kimberly McIntyre

F

or many of us, Thursday nights are just another night. Laundry, supper and maybe some housework are the main focus. For Booth University College graduate Laura Hepditch, Thursdays are what she calls a “calm chaos” of supper plates, games and about 30 children coming through the doors of The Salvation Army’s Heritage Park Temple church in Winnipeg.

Every Thursday night, kids are picked up from their homes by bus, brought to the church and fed supper.

There, they get the opportunity to play games, do crafts and learn about

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the Bible from Army volunteers.

Laura, a member of The Salvation Army herself, oversees the whole production, called Kids Klub, in her capacity as children and youth ministry co-ordinator.

Taking on the position before she even graduated from college, Laura is thriving in her post.

“I feel like I am at the top of the world!” she says.

As the program requires a large number of volunteers to run smoothly, Laura often depends on former Booth University College classmates to help. “Some have even

acquired Class 4 licenses and have taken on the full-time responsibility of driving the kids home,” she says.

Laura says one of the reasons Kids Klub works so well is because it is a full-service after-school program including supper, pick up and drop off, which takes the pressure off parents and guardians.

Laura recalls. “I told him, ‘You’re not a bad kid! Every time I see you, you brighten my day! You’re a good kid!’

“The next time I was there, I saw him. He came up and gave me a hug.”

Though the child is now too old to attend Kids Klub, Laura is sure his life was impacted by the leaders and volunteers at Heritage Park Temple.

A Life Impacted Though the program is usually full of fun for most kids, every now and then a child comes through the doors with extra challenges.

An experience that stands out for Laura was the evening when an older child wanted to leave the program and started walking home.

“I was a volunteer at Kids Klub before I was hired,” says Laura. “So I already had a relationship with this child, and I knew he liked me and trusted me.” She walked with the child as he headed for home, telling him that he could still turn his day around, and that he was welcome to rejoin the group at Kids Klub.

“He told me, ‘No, I’m a bad kid.

Everybody tells me I’m a bad kid,’ ”

Investing in Success “I feel like I am using my gifts well,” Laura says. “I’m pretty loud, and can be firm with kids who need it, but I can also be gentle with kids who need it. I can balance the two things well.”

As Laura continues in her role, she has many new initiatives to promote community. She is looking forward to working with other Salvation Army youth co-ordinators at local churches to organize junior high school youth meetings, with the end result of creating a network of children and youth in The Salvation Army who are connected with God and one another.

“I’m forever grateful that The Salvation Army wanted to invest in me, and in this area of ministry,” she says.

(left) Kimberly McIntyre is the development co-ordinator at The Salvation Army’s Booth University College in Winnipeg.

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Faith&Friends

COMMON GROUND

Where I Needed to Be How could I look into the eyes of someone who had taken another person’s life?

Photo: © Ingimage.com

by Lorna Frost

I

have been at the Durham Region Courthouse in Oshawa, Ont., as a chaplain in corrections for six years now. Every day, I am amazed as I watch people’s lives change in an instant. No, I am not talking about the victims, but those who have caused the incident to have happened.

“That’s Him” A few years ago, I was asked to assist a young man accused of murder. I had never done this before as most

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of the clients I work with are up on assault, theft or other types of less severe charges.

As I stood in front of the judge, I asked him where the accused would be sitting.

“That’s him, directly behind you,” the judge replied.

I was amazed that a person charged with murder would be sitting in an open courtroom, let alone right next to me.

I froze as I looked straight into his eyes.

I agreed to help, but I did a lot of praying that night asking God to show me what He had in store.

“Thank You” The next few months were long as I sat day in and day out in that courtroom assisting this man. I was only there to make sure that, if he needed to leave the courtroom due to a heart problem, he could signal to me and I would make contact with someone to escort him out.

I found out that he had been born with a heart defect and was not supposed to live past his 10th birthday. Now here he sat in his late 20s, accused of murder, a young man who had never lived a happy life, alone and facing a very frightening future.

The first day I checked in with him, I was cold. How could I look into the eyes of someone who had taken another person’s life?

But I also was looking into the eyes of a young man who had never been shown any sort of love or affection.

He looked straight at me and said, “Thank you for agreeing to take care of me through this.”

A Real Person By the end of the first month of the trial, I had become more relaxed.

Truth to tell, I didn’t have a lot to do. Sometimes it was fixing his tie, sometimes it was letting him know

that a parent or someone was coming to court that day, or just asking how his night was. It got to the point where I could joke with him. I even managed to make him laugh now and then!

I started to realize he was just like me: a person, a real person.

The court case came to a close in December, right before Christmas.

It was decided that my friend would be charged with manslaughter and sentenced to 25 years with no chance of parole.

I did a lot of praying that night asking God to show me what He had in store. LORNA FROST I cried. Yes, I cried. Here was this young man who had had no positive influence in life and would now serve 25 years behind bars.

After the sentence was announced, he turned to me and thanked me! He explained that no one had ever taken time just to watch out for him, no one had shown any care or concern for him. He wanted me to know that even just sitting in the courtroom, he was able to look out and see someone who was there for him.

I closed my eyes and thanked God for placing me right where He wanted me. And where I needed to be.

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

“ Even Huntington’s is not going to stop me,” says Amanda Rivait, here with Captain Karen Holland

God’s Warrior

AMANDA RIVAIT’S SALVATION ARMY FAMILY HAS BEEN WITH HER ALL THE WAY THROUGH HER STRUGGLE WITH HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE.

by Ken Ramstead

“I

spent most of my younger years being mad at God,” says Amanda Rivait. Her father died when she was young and while she had grown to love her stepfather, he and her mother separated. Shortly after, Amanda’s mother became sick 12 • JANUARY 2019 I faithandfriends.ca

and was diagnosed with Huntington’s disease, a disorder that results in the death of brain cells and leads to progressive dementia.

“I blamed God for that as well,” she says. “How could God allow a child to go through so much hurt?

“I was determined that I was not going to get pulled into this God thing.”

A Turn Off But when Amanda was in Grade 9, a friend invited her to volunteer with her at a weeknight children’s program called Dustbusters, which was run by The Salvation Army’s Chatham-Kent Ministries church in Chatham, Ont. This was how her friend planned to get the 40 community service hours required for school.

“Still determined that God didn’t love me, I made it through the evening without allowing myself to be drawn in,” says Amanda.

The following week, however, her friend asked her if she was going to volunteer again.

“I said I would, but only because I loved spending time with her,” says Amanda.

But as weeks turned into months, Amanda found herself beginning to enjoy herself.

“I wasn’t going to admit that to

“ I didn’t even know The Salvation Army was a church.” AMANDA RIVAIT “I needed to get those hours, too, so I said yes,” says Amanda. “I had no idea it was a church program; I didn’t even know The Salvation Army was a church.”

All she knew about The Salvation Army was that they had a food bank around the corner from the house where she used to live, but that was it.

“When the program started,” Amanda says, “I was surprised the songs were all about God. To be honest, I was a little turned off.”

A Possibility After the opening songs concluded, Amanda’s group moved from station to station learning about God and His love.

anyone, though,” she smiles.

Then one week, Amanda’s friend and the Salvation Army youth pastor asked her if she wanted to go to a youth group program on Friday nights at the same Army church. To her surprise, she went.

“I was beginning to open myself up to the possibility that maybe God did love me after all.”

An Amazing Church Family After almost a year of volunteering at the children’s program and attending the youth group, the pastor invited Amanda to attend a Sunday morning worship service.

“I thought it couldn’t hurt to give it a try,” she says. That evening, she faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Faith&Friends

FEATURE

Armed for Battle “This tattoo is a reminder to myself that no matter what happens in life, I am a warrior and I can get through anything, especially with God on my side,” Amanda says

convinced her mother to take her and her five siblings.

“On Sunday morning, I was nervous because I didn’t know what to expect,” Amanda recalls. “The only experience I’d had with church was the few years my mom had made us go to another church when I was younger, and the only things I could remember from that were the old people and the awful music!

“I was quickly drawn in by the music and the pastor. The Salvation Army church welcomed us with open arms. Everyone was so nice, and I had never felt so connected.”

Amanda’s family has been a part of the church ever since. As for her, she became a Christian thanks to the youth group.

“Since I accepted Jesus, I’ve experienced many trials,” continues Amanda. “However, I have walked 14 • JANUARY 2019 I faithandfriends.ca

through them with God and my Salvation Army church family by my side.”

Her mother’s Huntington’s has progressed to the point where she is now in a nursing home.

“I wanted to give up on everything so many times,” Amanda says, “but my church family has been so encouraging and supportive throughout the entire process. They even visit her and send her cards.

“They are amazing people.”

Journey of Faith Huntington’s is neurological and can be hereditary. Every child with a parent who has the disease has a 50-per cent chance of inheriting it.

This has always weighed heavily on Amanda’s heart.

“I wanted to know but I also didn’t want to know,” she says. “And I had

A Warrior’s Arm Amanda decided on her tattoo as she travelled home after receiving her positive results for Huntington’s disease

no idea how I would react knowing this information. I spent many days praying to God and asking Him to give me peace over this situation.”

This past March, Amanda decided it was time to be tested. After six weeks of waiting and praying, she learned that she had tested positive for the Huntington’s gene.

“My heart sank,” she says. “I remember thinking in that moment, Does God really love me? Why would He allow this to happen to me? I’m only 24!”

Thankfully those feelings didn’t last long. Amanda wasn’t going to

allow Huntington’s to consume her.

Captain Karen Holland, the co-pastor at Chatham-Kent Ministries, was with Amanda when she received the results.

“There was a lot of silence on the way home in the car,” Captain Karen says. “It was in that silence that Amanda’s faith in God was tested.”

“I decided that day that I was going to be God’s warrior,” Amanda says, “and that I was going to use my experience to help others associated with Huntington’s, especially my siblings, and raise awareness about a disease not many know about.

“I’m not going to lie,” she concludes. “It has been a scary journey, and some days I’m terrified of the unknown future. But I live for today and I know that God has got this.

I put everything in His hands and I trust that He will get me through everything that comes my way.” faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Fear Less

TIGHTROPE WALKER NIK WALLENDA FINDS THE RIGHT BALANCE THANKS TO HIS FAITH.

by Jayne Thurber-Smith

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Photo: Tim Boyles

A Fine Balance Nik Wallenda wire-walks 55 metres above Sarasota, Florida, in 2013

COVER STORY

DEPENDING ON WHICH translation you read, it has been said that some form of God’s command to “Fear not!” appears in the Bible at least 365 times. That’s one command for every day of the year, and Nik Wallenda lives by it.

Lava Walk A seventh-generation member of The Flying Wallendas circus family, Nik made his professional tightrope-walking debut at the age of 13.

When you watch him perform, he shows no sign of fear of heights or failure.

First Steps Young Nik hones his craft

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“My mom was six months pregnant with me and still walking on the wire,” he says, “so I was walking the wire before I was born! I am respectful of what I do and what it requires, but my faith plays a huge role in being fearless.”

Nik constantly puts his faith to the test, having broken numerous world records with his death-defying stunts. He is best known for becoming the first person to highwire walk across a Grand Canyon gorge in 2013, and a year prior to that for walking above Niagara Falls.

“I can’t go into something like

Photo: Courtesy of the Wallenda family

Faith&Friends

“ We all have a purpose and I truly believe I am answering my calling.” NIK WALLENDA walking over Niagara Falls blindly,” he says. “I have to train, prepare, research and study what things might be like. The preparation feeds into the fearlessness, because if I train for the worst-case scenarios, when I get out there I don’t have to be scared or intimidated by them.”

He is also fearless in using his platform to share his love of God. When TMZ covered Nik’s walk across the Grand Canyon, they shared a recording of prayers from his microphone.

“He gave props to Jesus 63 times during his 22-minute walk,” they reported, “and the Lord 39 times!”

“I believe deeply in my Lord and Saviour,” he says. “I study the Bible and live by God’s direction in my life. We all have a purpose and I truly believe I am answering my calling. Often, my performances begin as dreams that I’ll wake up from in the middle of the night and think, That would be really amazing!

And it becomes another goal.

“Active lava has been a dream of mine for a while,” he continues, “so I’m working on a volcano walk right now. I have awesome opportunities to fulfil my dreams and use my testimony to hopefully positively affect other people.”

“You’re Not You” Along with his high-profile solo appearances, Nik has also produced a variety of large-scale productions for amusement parks and similar venues in which he performs alongside several family members. Last February, the Wallendas suffered an unfortunate accident while practising a pyramid formation more than seven metres above the ground. One member became unbalanced, causing the entire group to topple. Five performers suffered injuries, while Nik and two others were able to stop their fall by clinging to the cable.

“That accident resulted in something I’d never experienced before, and that was PTSD,” he says. “I always knew something like that happening was a possibility, but never thought it would become a reality. I’m usually very good in the middle of a crisis. I calmly assess the situation and deal with it. It wasn’t until about nine months later when we were training to recreate that pyramid, and in the same setting, that I experienced an almost crippling fear for the first time. It was to the point where I thought, Man, do I need to retire?”

He began to search his soul, askfaithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Faith&Friends

COVER STORY

Up in the Air Nik traverses the Grand Canyon in 2013

ing himself if this really was what he was supposed to be doing. Then a good friend who was also performing in the pyramid came up to him.

“He said, ‘Nik, we all look to you for a leader. We are inspired by you, we’re motivated by you, and you’re not you right now,’ ” Nik recalls. “It was a revelation to me. I realized this was something I needed to deal with, and my faith helped me to overcome those internal negative struggles.”

He uses the analogy of the devil whispering to him on one shoulder and an angel on the other.

“That’s a real battle, and the mind is so powerful that it can tear us up if we allow the wrong thoughts to enter in,” he says.

Focusing on What Matters Nik counters negativity with Scripture, because he knows if we allow it to take over our minds, it can turn into anxiety and depression.

“When fear creeps in, I say, ‘No! I’m better than that and I serve a God who is greater than that,’ ” he says. “I don’t think my faith is 20 • JANUARY 2019 I faithandfriends.ca

stronger than anyone else’s. I do think my occupation demands me to be more grounded in my faith, as my parents were. A lot of it has to do with the way I was raised. As a child and later as a teenager, it was not uncommon for me to wake up in the middle of the night to see my mom kneeling at my bed praying for me.”

It’s not always easy, but Nik tries to give every thought over to God. He

Photo: Tim Boyles

has come to terms with the possibilities of an accident or losing his life.

“That’s just the world we live in,” he says, “whether someone slips and falls in the kitchen or gets run over crossing the street. The reality is, when it is our time, it is our time, and there will be a celebration in heaven when we do leave this earth.”

Nik encourages us all to live a life where we cast all of our cares upon

God, no matter our circumstances.

“When I walked the Grand Canyon, I had 85-kilometre-an-hour gusts of wind hitting me,” Nik recalls. “I had trained for worse but even so, it’s not the most calming situation, so I just tried to focus on Jesus and on knowing that my strength comes from Him. He provides a peace that passes all understanding.” faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Photo: Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Faith&Friends

FEATURE

A Second Spoonful of Sugar

IN MARY POPPINS RETURNS, CAN OUR FAVOURITE MAGICAL NANNY SAVE THE DAY AGAIN?

by Diane Stark

I

t’s been more than five decades since Julie Andrews played the iconic Mary Poppins, a magical British nanny hired to care for the Banks children, Jane and Michael.

Based on the book series by P.L. Travers, Mary Poppins used music and magic to teach the children, and their uptight father, how to enjoy life again.

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Like the original, this Disney musical reboot, Mary Poppins Returns, mixes scenes of live-action with animation. Emily Blunt replaces Julie Andrews as the title character.

While the only returning original cast member is Dick Van Dyke, the film features a star-studded cast including Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Angela Lansbury and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Mary Poppins Returns is not a remake, but a sequel. The film is set in London, England, in 1935, 25 years after the events of the original film.

Jane (Emily Mortimer) and Michael Banks (Ben Whishaw) are now adults, and Michael has three children.

Michael’s wife has passed away, and the family is struggling. Mary Poppins—magically unchanged and ever youthful—knows they need her help.

Instead of floating down from the sky using her magic umbrella, she flies in on a magic kite, determined to rescue the family once again.

But this time, the stakes are so much higher. Can the magic of Mary Poppins help Michael and his children recover from their loss?

Perfect in Every Way It’s sometimes easy to wish that God was like Mary Poppins. We wish He would just swoop down from the sky and make everything better with a spoonful of sugar and a cheerful song.

If we believe God’s powerful enough to take away our pain and our problems, it’s difficult to understand why He doesn’t always remove those hurtful situations from our lives.

God loves us and cares about our problems. Like any loving Father, He hates to see His children in pain.

But like all good fathers, God is also concerned with the character of His children. Sometimes, our problems teach us lessons that we couldn’t learn any other way. They make us stronger and wiser. And often, they

teach us to rely on God. God sees us and knows our pain.

Nothing escapes His notice. Even more than that, God promises that every part of our lives, even our suffering, will be used for good. Romans 8:28 tells us, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

God uses everything for good. Our pain is never wasted. It always serves a purpose. We may never understand the reasons, but we can trust God with every aspect of our lives.

God uses everything for good. Our pain is never wasted. It always serves a purpose.

Sometimes, God does swoop in like Mary Poppins and rescue us from our troubles. But when He doesn’t, we can be sure that we aren’t alone in our pain. God is walking right alongside us through our trials.

Becoming a Christian won’t make everything in our lives “practically perfect in every way,” but it is far better to live with God than without Him. And the future He promises us in heaven? It will be beyond perfect— beyond anything we can imagine—in every single way. faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Faith&Friends

BEYOND BORDERS

All Smiles Elizabeth Ngare was helped by The Salvation Army as a student.

Now, as a principal, she is giving back

A Brighter Future Elizabeth Ngare will forever remember the day when The Salvation Army took her to school.

by Ken Ramstead

W

hen Salvation Army pastor Major Donna Barthau first arrived at Kolanya Girl’s Secondary School in 1984, located in a rural area of Kenya near the Uganda border, she was assigned the Grade 9 class as home teacher.

While she loved all the young girls in her charge, Elizabeth Ngare was the bright light of Major Donna’s class.

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Cup of Tea “Elizabeth was smart, articulate, musical and athletic, and also had noticeable leadership qualities,” says Major Donna. “If anything needed to be done or organized, I could count on her to get a group together to look after it.”

The two formed an instant friendship. “We lived on the same compound, ate the same local food

each day, and sang songs together in Swahili and English,” Major Donna says. “She taught me to join in their tribal dances, and I taught her and her friends to do square dancing!”

As Major Donna got to know Elizabeth better, she found out about her backstory.

Elizabeth’s parents were tea vendors in Kenya. One day, they wandered into an open-air meeting conducted by The Salvation Army.

One lone drum beating. One small group singing at the market.

Giving Back In her final year at Kolanya, Elizabeth was selected to be the head girl, or prefect, and was one of the first in her class to pass the government exams that gave her a chance to go on to high school and then university, where she trained as a teacher.

When Major Donna, now sponsorship co-ordinator for The Salvation Army’s Brighter Futures children’s sponsorship program, recently visited her former student

“I appreciate how many have benefitted from The Salvation Army’s sponsorship program.” ELIZABETH NGARE A one-minute sermon and an invitation. The young couple followed the marchers to a local Salvation Army church and eventually converted to Christianity, leaving their jobs at the local tea plantation and becoming Salvation Army pastors in 1972.

Elizabeth herself was able to attend Kolanya thanks to a sponsorship from their Salvation Army church.

“Relying on Christ for everything became my family’s ‘cup of tea,’ so to speak, and that always stood us in good stead,” Elizabeth smiles.

at the Likoni School for the Blind in Mombasa, Kenya, she asked her how she came to be the principal and headmistress at a special-needs school.

“I felt compelled in my heart to say thank you to God for giving me a chance at education through the sponsorship program,” Elizabeth replied. “So I saved my money, left a teaching post in my village and paid to go to Mount Kenya University to study braille and teach visually impaired students.”

Elizabeth continues to use the gifts and abilities nurtured

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Faith&Friends

BEYOND BORDERS

School Days Elizabeth wants her students at Likoni to be happy and fulfilled, and ready for whatever life will send their way

at Kolanya. She seeks out donors locally, in government and abroad, passionately presenting the school’s needs and potential. With support from The Salvation Army’s Canada and Bermuda Territory, she has expanded Likoni to include a high school component, new classrooms, a dorm, science lab, talking computers and physical-therapy equipment for the students.

One of her many accomplish-

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ments is in her role as the school choir director. She has taken her students to district, provincial and national competitions. Not only have they placed first several times but they have had the honour of singing for the president of Kenya.

In addition to this, some of the choir members have had a chance to go abroad to sing with Elizabeth, who has also won some national awards for her contribution to the

Work and Play Children at Likoni study hard but there are opportunities for fun, too

lives of her students through singing.

“Imagine,” says Major Donna, “students who were destined to a life of shelters and poverty, a shame on their family because of their disability, have gone places and experienced things that no one in their whole village has had the privilege of doing.”

“It’s a testimony,” Elizabeth says of her work. “A new high school was born in my hands. I believe, with God’s help, we will grow Likoni

into a world leader for the visually impaired.

“In all this, I appreciate how many have benefitted from The Salvation Army’s sponsorship program.

Just to give an example, my family now has six teachers, a policeman, an engineer and two IT experts—all sponsored. I thank God daily for the sponsorship we received, and I try to give back for them, for The Salvation Army and for God.”

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Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Eating Healthy With Erin ROSEMARY BROWNED BUTTER STEAK TIME 25 min MAKES 4 servings SERVE WITH roasted vegetables

4 300 g (10 oz) rib-eye steaks about 25 mm (1 in.) thick 5 ml (1 tsp) coarse salt pinch of black pepper 2 ml (½ tsp) garlic powder 30 ml (2 tbsp) minced fresh rosemary 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil 45 ml (3 tbsp) butter additional rosemary to garnish (optional)

1. Allow steak to sit until room temperature.

2. In bowl, mix salt, black pepper, garlic powder and minced rosemary, and rub into both sides of steak. Allow to sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.

3. Heat skillet on medium-high heat with oil.

Once pan is hot, place steaks facedown on pan. Allow to fry for 2 minutes.

4. Add butter to pan and flip steaks over using tongs. Spoon butter mixture on top of the steak. Cook this side for 2 minutes.

5. Flip steaks and spoon butter on top for 10 to 15 seconds.

6. Remove from pan, place in baking dish and cover with tinfoil for 5 minutes. Serve.

SWEET BALSAMIC ROASTED ASPARAGUS TIME 25 min MAKES 3 servings SERVE WITH chicken or steak

1. Preheat oven to 220 C (425 F) and line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Snap off asparagus ends and rub olive oil on each spear.

3. In small bowl, mix balsamic vinegar, minced garlic and honey. Brush on asparagus so that it is well covered.

4. Arrange on baking sheet. Add salt and pepper.

5. Roast on middle rack for 10 minutes.

Shake and rotate pan every 2 minutes.

6. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

28 • JANUARY 2019 I faithandfriends.ca

Recipe photos: Erin Stanley/veganvirgin.ca

500 g (1 lb) asparagus (1214 spears) 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil 22 ml (1½ tbsp) balsamic vinegar 2 ml (½ tsp) minced garlic 5 ml (1 tsp) honey 1 ml (¼ tsp) black pepper 1 ml (¼ tsp) salt

Reasons to Give

KETTLE TALES P.8

New Christmas Movie

THE GRINCH IS BACK! P.5

A Man Named Joseph

CAN THE ARMY HELP? P.18

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

faithandfriends.ca

CHRISTMAS 2018

A Gift Beyond Price ACROSS THE COUNTRY, THE SALVATION ARMY BRINGS JOY DURING THE HOLIDAYS P.12

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

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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1. What sport has the Golden Boot Award?

2. What is a North American marmot called?

3. What is the origin of the word kayak?

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© www.kevinfrank.net

HEAVEN’S LOVE THRIFT SHOP by Kevin Frank

Answers on next page.

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QUICK QUIZ

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faithandfriends.ca I JANUARY 2019

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Faith&Friends

LITE STUFF

Word Search The Caribbean M S S G X I O R C T N I A S B J D E A A E X U J S Z S L W B J E A O N D R B L E O A A I D J U W E N M S A A T A L V C B D M N R Q I T I Q T L R I R I T I A H E A T X G N D O V S I

N B T D R R U O L I M I A A G A I S I U N A O B G G S O C A L N A N R E Q D A D T A S I I A U A A E B D E D U A D I R D I I N T X P G R O Y T A E N R N E O V R A I N Y E G T K A L R E A I U S E X M J S A I S K E W L I G W R P P N G Y G G L R K L A N I A A E T U R K S A N D C A I C O S U N D E B C U R A C A O C M N R P C G O A L O I N A P S I H L W Q D M C N B I W Z T S A I N T T H O M A S R A C T A R R E S T N O M G R E N A D A S A I N T K I T T S A M A H A B U C ANEGADA ANGUILLA ANTIGUA ARUBA BAHAMAS BARBADOS BARBUDA BONAIRE CAYMAN ISLANDS CUBA CURAÇAO DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

GRENADINES GRENADA GUADELOUPE HAITI HISPANIOLA JAMAICA JOST VAN DYKE LA DÉSIRADE LEEWARD ANTILLES MARIE GALANTE MARTINIQUE MONTSERRAT

NEVIS PUERTO RICO SABA SAINT CROIX SAINT KITTS SAINT THOMAS SINT MAARTEN TOBAGO TRINIDAD TURKS AND CAICOS VIRGIN ISLANDS WATER ISLAND

30 • JANUARY 2019 I faithandfriends.ca

Quick Quiz Answers: 1. FIFA World Cup soccer; 2. groundhog; 3. Inuit.

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Faith&Friends

NIFTY THRIFTY

It’s in the Bag Find the perfect purse at a thrift store.

During the dark days of winter, a new purse can give your wardrobe new life. This brilliant red Danier bag was found at a local Salvation Army thrift store. Use this guide to find a beautiful bag of your own.

Look at the material. Choose a bag that is made from leather—a high-quality material that will last.

Take a peek inside. Is the lining ripped or coming apart at the seams?

Unless it’s an easy fix, leave the purse behind.

Check the strap. Is it fraying or cracking? Is the strap missing altogether? If the condition of the strap is poor, a stylish purse won’t look as classy.

Are there stains? Leather can be stained by oil or ink. Inspect the outside and the inside of the purse closely.

Does the purse close? Does the clasp, magnet or zipper work properly? Make sure the closing mechanism is not missing.

(left) Tijana Popovic is the frugalista behind A Plentiful Life, a lifestyle blog that shows readers how to live their best life on a budget.

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 JANUARY 2019

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PM 40064794

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