Women in Touch

‘Tis the season to be ...

lonely BUT

through Jesus there is

Love hope &

freedom

Christmas – the ultimate love story Eating disorders: a life restored The royal birth Extravagant love Women in leadership D e c e m b e r

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The Salvation Army WILLIAM BOOTH, Founder International Headquarters 101 Queen Victoria Street London EC4P 4EP AndrÉ cox, General Australia Eastern Territory 140 Elizabeth Street Sydney NSW 2000 James Condon, Commissioner Territorial Commander Bruce Harmer: Major, Communications and Public Relations Secretary Editor: Simone Worthing Graphic design: Kem Pobjie COVER Photo: Shairon Paterson Editorial and correspondence: P0 Box A435 Sydney South NSW 1235 Phone: (02) 9266 9690 Email: eastern.editorial@aue. salvationarmy.org Published for: The Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory

by Commissioner James Condon Printed at: SOS Print + Media Group 65 Burrows Rd, Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia Member of the Australasian Religious Press Association Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version® Copyright© 1973, 1978, 1984,

by International Bible Society Used by permission of Zondervan Publishers No part of this publication may be reproduced whatsoever without written permission from the publisher

team talk From the desk of the Territorial President of Women's Ministries

Surrender to the King

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well remember visiting the Holy Land some years ago and part of the tour took us to Bethlehem. The coach stopped outside a church building and the guide ushered us inside.

We were going to see the “place” where Jesus was born.

The church was quite large – but no, that was not the place. The tour guide led us through the church, up behind the altar, to a small cave – a dimly lit cave – quite dark in fact. And there in the cave was a star embedded in the floor that marks the spot where Jesus was born. Nothing grand at all – in fact the cloth hanging around the walls looked dirty and tattered. It was a kind of eerie feeling inside the small cave.

Yet here Jesus was born!

To enter this cave, there is one thing you need to do. You have to stoop to enter through the doorway. The door is so low that you cannot enter by standing up – you have to stoop.

The Christ Child did the same for us.

He made himself of no reputation and then humbled himself to accept a cruel death on the cross.

Sure, the angel choir rejoiced when Jesus was born. The kings travelled a long way to bring gifts.

But the real message of Christmas is about humility and servanthood – Christ coming into the neighbourhood – to be one with us.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, emulated humility when she said: “I am the Lord’s servant … may it happen to me as you have said” (Luke 1:38, Good News Translation).

If we want to really enjoy God’s blessing then we need to stoop each day, bow before the King of Kings, die to self and surrender to his will for our lives. Mary was giving full permission for God to work his will in and through her life.

Her submissiveness enabled her to get direction and gain understanding from the Lord.

Servanthood means we have to stoop down symbolically – bowing before him and giving our lives completely to the King of Kings. It means putting aside our own desires and being his completely, living in a close relationship with him, and him alone, and being prepared to be obedient to his will for our lives.

May we be prepared to stoop down in surrender to and adoration of the Christ Child, Emmanuel, King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Christ is with us.

Commissioner Jan Condon Territorial President of Women’s Ministries

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‘Tis the season to be lonely

features

Christmas can be a lonely time for many, but the message of Christmas is God reaching out to us, right where we are, to walk life’s path with us.

T he u lt i mat e love st or y

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Three authors share their personal loves stories with God and show how the celebration of Christmas can deepen and enhance a living relationship with him.

A life restored

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Hannah Honnef shares her journey through years battling eating disorders and depression, and how God has restored her hope, joy, and desire for life.

24 about this issue

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Commissioner Silvia Cox, World President of Women’s Ministries, encourages women around the world in her Christmas message.

regulars

from the editor’s desk

oneliness and depression are not usually the first words that come to mind when we think about Christmas. In mainstream media the focus is definitely on happy families, laughing children surrounded by presents and scenes of festive cheer.

Of course, we do hear about needy families, toy drives and Christmas appeals, but often, the thousands who are alone, and desperately lonely on Christmas Day, rarely receive more than a passing thought or mention.

In this issue of Women in Touch we look at the experience of loneliness, grief and sadness at Christmas time, and highlight some of the unseen struggles many people go through during the festive season.

Our focus though, while not minimising these experiences, is Jesus, and how Christmas shows us the hope, and reality, of an amazing, divine love that has the power to release us from the pain of loneliness.

From the time of his birth, Jesus suffered rejection, hurt and loneliness, just as we do. He understands our need for deep relationship and promises to be with us, always, and to fill every emotional and spiritual need we could possibly imagine.

This is the hope of Christmas, for us and for all humanity – Emmanuel, God is with us.

Our feature on “Christmas – the ultimate love story” reflects this hope in a living relationship with a powerful and personal God. Christmas reaches far beyond the miracle of the baby in the manger – it’s all about love.

Major Danielle Strickland, author and international speaker based in Edmonton, Canada, was guest speaker for the recent Women in Leadership forum. We feature an article on the forum, as well as a more in-depth interview with Major Danielle on gender-equality and expanding the Kingdom of God. Our youth-focused articles continue the Christmas theme, and we feature a testimony from young Hannah, who has battled eating disorders and depression for many years and is bravely sharing her story of addiction, pain, hope and love.

We hope you find a message of help, hope and encouragement in this issue!

On behalf of the Women in Touch team, I wish you all a meaningful, happy and blessed Christmas.

Walk worthy

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Perspective

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Young Women in Touch

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Women In Ministry

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Reviews, reflections, resources and recipes

Stories, ideas and articles for our young women

eports from around the territory R and beyond

Heart Songs

Simone Worthing Editor WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Feature | Ultimate Love Story

Beyond the baby in the manger…

At Christmas time we celebrate, not just the birth of a baby, but God’s amazing love and a living relationship with him. Major Jo-anne Brown shows how we can choose to experience that love story in our own lives

Photo: Shairon Paterson

“T

he Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 King James Version). Of all my favourite Bible verses, this most touches my heart at its deepest level. This is the ultimate love story. This verse holds all the elements of our most idealised love story: deep intimacy, sacrifice, unconditional love and mystery. There is no other love story that so truly holds all those elements in one beautiful whole.

“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” When I first truly came to know Jesus it was as though I had fallen in love for the first time. His presence was so real, so intimate, that at times I felt I was literally walking hand in hand with him.

He broke through all the barriers in my mind and heart and came to rest deep in my spirit.

He didn’t just come and dwell among us, once, for a period of time, long ago; He came and made his home in my heart and in my life. He “pitched his tent” there, as Eugene Petersen puts it in The Message (John 1:14).

Each day, at midday and 6pm, my phone sounds an alarm that reminds

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

me of these words. Each time I pause and breathe in the truth of them: He, the King of Kings, Creator, Redeemer, Mighty God, dwells within me! Every time, no matter what else I am doing or what circumstances I find myself in, this powerful truth fills me with awe and a deep sense of being loved.

Intimately connected

This is an intimacy and a depth we will find nowhere else. Because Jesus dwells within us, he knows and understands us like no-one else ever can. I love the verse where Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches” (John 15:5).

The very fact that Jesus, the Creator and Redeemer, is as connected to us as a vine is to its branches, is an incredible act of intimacy. There is no getting away from that connection, unless we deliberately choose to cut ourselves off from it. He is there with us at all times, in all circumstances, even when we are not particularly aware of his presence.

We see this depth of intimate love woven like a scarlet thread throughout the Old Testament. We see Moses who walked with God so intimately that his

face shone after meeting with him. We see David, whom God named as a “man after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14).

We see Abraham whose walk with God was such that even when he was asked to make the ultimate sacrifice of his longedfor son, he was prepared to do so.

Yet it wasn’t until after Jesus was born in human form, lived among us, died for us and rose again that all those who believe can experience the living Christ within their own being.

This amazing gift arose from sacrifice. The very sacrifice of choosing to live as man among mankind, of leaving his heavenly home and the unique oneness he experienced there with his Father, was just the beginning of living a sacrificial love that finds it climax with his death on the cross.

As we read through the gospel stories we see again and again the magnitude of Jesus’ sacrificial love.

He had no permanent home; He was ridiculed, misunderstood, judged and condemned, abandoned by those who loved Him. Yet he freely surrendered his life – even for those who most despised him.

Ultimate Lovethings Story | Feature Small

“He didn’t just come and dwell among us, once, for a period of time, long ago; He came and made His home in my heart and in my life.”

Amazing love

There are few words that can truly describe this amazing love that God has for us. We talk about unconditional love and loving people unconditionally but I don’t think we can truly understand what unconditional love looks like except when we consider the love that God has for us and has shown for us in the life and sacrifice of Jesus.

He died for us all. For every single one of us, regardless of who we are or what we have done. He promised the thief who was crucified with him that he would be with Jesus in paradise that very day. He prayed God’s forgiveness from the cross for even those who had tortured and mocked him. He extended grace and forgiveness to Peter, who denied him. He told stories so people would understand the amazing depth of love he has for us.

Paul speaks of this unconditional love in his letter to the Romans. He reminds us that there is absolutely nothing at all that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus – and he doesn’t just list the everyday things like not reading our Bible or praying enough, speaking unkindly, or doing the wrong

thing. He lists the “big” things: death, demons, the future and the present, powers of any kind, and, just to make sure we really understand that “nothing” means NOTHING can separate us from God’s love, he includes “anything else in all creation” (Romans 8:38 New Revised Standard Version).

Utter mystery

This is a love story that includes all we long to see in an ideal love story: intimacy, sacrifice and unconditional love. But unlike any love story that we can imagine or idealise, this love story is bathed and conceived in utter mystery.

Every relationship of love has a touch of mystery about it: Why do I love this man and not that one? What draws me to this person and why can’t I connect with that one?

There is always something indefinable, almost magical, about being in love. Yet the love that God has for us, shown in Christ Jesus, is a deeper mystery than any other kind of love relationship.

The love that winds its way through the Old Testament, through the story of

God’s people despite their unfaithfulness and rebellion, to the story of the incarnation and the resurrection, is pure mystery. No wonder Paul calls the good news “foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).

At Christmas time we celebrate the birth of a baby, who is truly King. We celebrate that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. But it is not just a baby in a manger that causes our hearts to leap with joy: it is the deep, intimate love of God birthed into reality in our hearts and lives; it is his sacrificial, unconditional love that keeps us connected to him in living relationship; and it is mystery bathed in humanity.

This is the ultimate love story that we can all experience if we choose.

Major Jo-anne Brown Corps Officer, Calamvale WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Feature | Ultimate Love Story

The Revolution that is Christmas

The real message of Christmas can never be blocked out, no matter how hard society tries. Major Danielle Strickland looks at why, and what this means for us as we celebrate Christ’s birth

feel utterly alone. You are not.

- And to people who are oppressed.

You are free.

- Others who are sick. You are healed.

- Feel empty? You will be filled.

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Key to life

’m not a Grinch. I promise. But sometimes the things we’ve done to Christmas make me want to reject it all and pretend I don’t live on this planet.

We spend more on Christmas gifts than it would take to feed every hungry kid on the planet. Wow. Greed equals emptiness and selfishness and then fuels every kind of injustice on the planet. How we can turn blatant greed into good cheer and great joy is a mystery to me.

The thing is that the actual events of the real Christmas we are celebrating are so cataclysmic that I can’t just shut my eyes and turn off my TV and pretend like I’m just visiting this planet.

The actual story of Christmas – the real narrative behind the commercial orgy is so important, so phenomenal, so outrageous that you’d literally have to be out of your mind to consider not

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

humming along to its tune. And that’s what makes Christmas in North America [editor’s note: or Australia!] so very tricky.

Jesus actually came to earth, and that in itself is worth celebrating. Of course, he was born out-of-wedlock, as a refugee and homeless … As Aladdin put it, “All the cosmic power of the universe in a little iddy biddy living space”.

Or, as Eugene Peterson suggests, “God put skin on and moved into the neighbourhood,” (John 1:14 The Message).

Seriously. The astronaut Neil Armstrong who walked on the moon was thinking to himself, “Wow, man is walking on the moon” to which he heard God respond in his mind, “That’s nothing. God walked on the earth.”

Just take a minute to ponder.

- So, to those of us on the earth who

The meaning of Jesus’ coming is key not only to our everyday lives, but to everyone’s life. There is now living hope that this isn’t all there is. There is some glimmer in the distance maybe, but a glimmer just the same that we were born for more than this – that there exists some possibility that all the brokenness and lostness and emptiness will be matched by hope, truth and life.

If we are honest, the “giving” in Christmas is about taking one moment out of a whole lifetime of moments to think about someone else, to spend our hard-earned cash on something other than ourselves and to think upon, to really contemplate, the meaning of Christmas. The invasion of heaven into the ordinary. God as a baby.

And in all our thinking and pondering, we must remember that in the real Christmas it wasn’t such a quiet,

Small Ultimate Lovethings Story | Feature

Photo: Shairon Paterson

silent night when Jesus was born. His birth was met with a jealous and enraged King who ordered the death of all baby boys under two. The Bible tells us that great was the weeping in Ramah that night – can you even imagine? We talk about a blue Christmas, but that was more like black. The death of all baby boys in Bethlehem.

Merry Christmas.

God’s kingdom come

This is how important the Christmas message really is. It’s worth killing over.

It’s the end of an earthly kingdom.

It means the empowering of every person. This is terrible news to people who exploit and oppress. It’s every earthly king’s nightmare – a new king and a new kingdom with equality and freedom and truth as its building blocks.

It’s incredible. It’s a revolution. It’s an overthrow – it’s a new way to live. It’s God’s kingdom come.

Merry. Christmas.

So despite my fear and aggravation that so many people just don’t “get it” – what Christmas really is and what Christmas really means – the latest commercialisation and greed-based

“season’s greetings” message is simply a new form of King Herod who seeks to destroy any message of salvation – any hint of this incredible divine conspiracy that can shake every kingdom and establish a new one.

And no matter how black the backdrop, no matter how jealous the king, no matter how much tinsel used to block the child out – it will never drown the message. It will never stop the momentum. It will never win.

Merry. Christmas.

Jesus has come. The Kingdom is HERE. God wins. Hope shines bright.

The weak are made strong. The lost are found. The good news is announced and we keep on announcing. Spread the news in whispers and red sweaters at office parties around the world. The mistletoe is evidence that God has kissed the earth with his kindness and he is not mad at us. His love has come. Ring the bells and eat the cake – pass the turkey and bless the orphans. The good God wins.

Merry. Christmas.

Celebrate the good news

That’s not only worth killing over – it’s worth living over. It’s worth taking

every breath a little deeper, it’s worth smelling the flowers and laughing with the children opening their presents with wide-eyed wonder, and it’s worth the time to spend your life on spreading the good news.

I’ll be at a church in the “hood” serving Christmas dinner to people thought abandoned by the world. But I know the whole story and I’m going to help spread the news of this divine reality made flesh. I’m gonna go find some weak and poor folk and tell them they are to inherit the earth. Oh yes – I’m going to find some persecuted people and tell them they are the sons and daughters of a living God. Why not find some way of celebrating and take part in the Good News of God’s Kingdom Come? Go on and have a merry Christmas.

Major Danielle Strickland International speaker and author Edmonton, Canada Editor’s note This article first appeared in shelovesmagazine.com in December 2012. Reprinted with permission.

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Feature | Ultimate Love Story

not

Let’s cancel Christmas! v

C

hristmas.

I don’t feel like Christmas.

What’s to celebrate?

Let’s cancel Christmas. Then I won’t have to shop for presents and come across all the special gifts I would have bought her and search through all the cards, reading every word, to find the perfect one for her.

Then I won’t have to sit and stare at the empty chair where she would have sat, smiling, happiest in the circle of her little family.

Then I won’t have to remember all the Christmases past with her, and feel the pain of Christmas present and Christmas future without her.

No. I don’t want Christmas without my mother. The loss is too near. The grief is too raw. The pain is too deep.

Let’s cancel Christmas.

A place of shelter

I remembered a story I’d read a long time ago about a farmer one Christmas Eve. His wife and two children had gone out in the bitter cold to the midnight church service, but he didn’t believe in all that, so he sat at home in front of his warm fireplace reading the newspaper.

His thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound coming from his window.

As he looked up, he saw in astonishment

God sent Jesus, born as a baby, to become human, so that I could learn to know Him.

God is with me

A word leapt into my head. I tried to ignore it. There it was again: “Immanuel”. Again and again, “Immanuel”.

God was vying for my attention. I looked up the verse in Matthew: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!

She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us’” Matthew 1:23 (New Living Translation).

Immanuel – “God is with us”.

Immanuel – “God is with me”.

With this one little word, one name given to Jesus over 700 years before he was born, God was reaching into my heart, assuring me that he was with me, that Christmas was all about him being with me.

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that hundreds of small birds were beating against the glass. Attracted by the heat and light of the window, the birds were trying to escape the wind and the cold, hitting the window and falling stunned into the snow beneath. Regaining their strength, they fluttered up and drove into the window again and again, until some began to fall dead from exhaustion.

The farmer couldn’t watch it any longer. He had to help them. He went outside, waded through the snow and opened the doors to his barn. He turned on the lights and tried to shoo the birds inside to shelter from the storm, but the

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

barn was too far away to divert them.

The birds perceived him as a threatening presence and persisted in hurling themselves against his window.

“If only I could be the shape of a bird,” he thought ruefully. “They would no longer be afraid of me and would trust me to lead them to shelter.”

Suddenly, the whole meaning of Christmas became clear to him, as if scales had fallen from his eyes – God became one of us to save us from ourselves!

God changes everything

That’s what God was reminding me of: he sent Jesus, born as a baby, to become human, so that I could learn to know him. Becoming human meant he went through all the same things that I do. He felt joy, sadness, hunger, thirst, tiredness, despair, love, grief and pain.

I got the message!

In knowing him, I could trust him, and he would lead me to a place of shelter. God is with me!

“Immanuel” – one word changes everything. No, I can’t celebrate having Christmas without my mother – but I can remember and be grateful for a God who came to me in the form of baby Jesus, to show me his love – not from a distance – but right here on earth – with me.

Let’s not cancel Christmas.

Instead, O come let us adore him, our Immanuel.

Major Julia Metcher Corps Officer, Coffs Harbour

Ultimate Lovethings Story | Feature Small

Jesus

– the Christmas love story Photo: Shairon Paterson

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verybody loves a good oldfashioned love story. Well, almost everybody! Some people say they are just not wired that way, but don’t all human beings long to know that they are loved and accepted by someone, can love back and be in relationship with another person?

From as early as I can remember, I have known love. As a little girl, I knew the love of a mother and a father.

My mother loved me unconditionally, despite all the mischief I got up to! Her love was instilled in me from day one and reinforced throughout my life, even today.

Knowing Jesus

The greatest gift my mum has given me, though, is the knowledge that God loves me. She not only introduced Jesus to me by telling me and singing to me about him, but she also showed me by her rolemodelling how a disciple of Jesus should live. She loved God with all of her heart, and she loved others.

So, even at a young age, I knew and understood that Jesus came into the world as a baby, lived among us and showed men, women and children that God loves them and wants them to be obedient to his teaching.

I came to understand that God allowed his perfect son, Jesus, to die on the cross and take upon Himself the punishment for our sin.

As a little girl I thanked Jesus for what he did for me and asked him to forgive me of the things that I had done that were not pleasing to him. I asked him to be my saviour and friend.

As I have matured, my faith in this Jesus, my Saviour, has defined my value and purpose and has given me

confidence in who I have been created to be. Jesus has sustained me, held me, strengthened me, directed me, blessed me with a wonderful husband and children and has guided me in ways I never would have believed I’d go.

The Christmas of Jesus

The Christmas season has always been very special for me. The story has become so familiar, yet each year I ask God to reveal to me some new and fresh aspect of this wonderful Advent story and that my eyes and heart would ever hold the joy, excitement and wonder of the Christmas of Jesus.

Some years ago, a dear friend gave me a Christmas hanging, with three wooden hearts held together with string and painted with the words love, joy, and peace.

These three words are the keys for me which unlock the message of Christmas.

Love

John 3:16 says: “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son … so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life” (The Message).

And how the heavens celebrated the majesty of God’s LOVE! The angelic host appeared to shepherds and an unexplained star appeared to kings in the Far East – all leading to the one who had become fully man and yet was still fully God.

Joy

And so, too, no other word so

completely captures the spirit of Christmas as does JOY! Joy – when the children see their presents; when family and friends arrive; when child-like nativities are played out, and when carols are sung!

Christmas reminds me that true joy does not depend on circumstances, status or comforts, but from knowing Jesus and his forgiveness and love.

Peace

Undergirding all this is the peaceful confidence that comes from realising that God has indeed invaded our lives – “Immanuel, God with us!”

All around our world there is a heartcry for peace and yet this peace cannot be won on the battlefield or secured through peace treaties. This mysterious peace comes through faith in Jesus Christ.

Jesus was born in Bethlehem around 2,000 years ago and fulfilled the prophesy of Isaiah: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called, ‘Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” Isaiah 9:6 (King James Version).

Why not go to the manger this Christmas and worship the baby Jesus, the Saviour of the world!

For this is the ultimate love story – Jesus Christ.

Major Bev McMurray Divisional Mission and Resource Director – Corps The Greater West Division WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Perspective

Extravagant love Reflection:

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ove it or hate it, Christmas is coming – soon! I can’t wait! It is the time of year I love – the twinkling lights, the decked out Christmas tree, and the oh-so-indulgent food. More than that though, I love the anticipation of the fun, joy and excitement that it will bring for my little girl, Sophia, as she learns what Christmas is all about!

I have witnessed another side to Christmas too – increased stress, heightened family tension, recollection of good and or bad memories, financial burden, feelings of inadequacy, loneliness, grief and disappointment – yet it’s the season to be jolly right!?

While I’m sure Sophia will learn about presents, St Nicholas and candy canes, my greatest desire is that she learns to celebrate Christmas for its true meaning – God with us.

You see, Jesus (aka God) was born and experienced all that life entails as a human to bring us hope, freedom and life. He came to proclaim freedom for the prisoner, sight to the blind and set the oppressed free.

Yes, you may have heard it before, but I really believe this – Jesus is the antidote to stress, loneliness and all that stuff. He is “Immanuel”, which means Christ with us!

So, if you’re held captive by your past or certain feelings this Christmas, Jesus can bring freedom to release you from it.

If you’re lonely, you can experience his presence; in fact, he promises to

never leave us nor forsake us and even more, to be our friend!

If you’re feeling stressed out or burdened, ask God for his perfect peace that is beyond understanding.

Whatever you’re facing, Jesus is the answer! He may not solve the problem, but He’ll walk with you through it.

Christmas is all about extravagant love – family sometimes, friends maybe, church when we get it right but ultimately, always and unconditionally, God’s love for us in our joys and in our sorrows!

I pray that Sophia, you and I will each experience a greater awareness of Christ with us this Christmas, whether we find ourselves eating lunch by ourselves, with our family, a friend or our community.

It is the season to be jolly!

Lieutenant Rebecca Gott Corps Officer, Batemans Bay

Bumble Bees Makes 50-60

Ingredients 170gr butter 1 cup sugar 1tsp vanilla essence 1 egg lightly beaten 1 1/2 cups dates chopped 3 cups rice bubbles Desiccated coconut for coating Directions Place butter, sugar, vanilla essence, dates and egg in a saucepan over a medium/low heat. Boil for three minutes stirring constantly.

Let mixture cool. Mix in rice bubbles.

Roll spoonfuls in coconut.

Store in a fridge.

Congratulations 10

Congratulationsto Lynda Hurley from Woden Valley Corps, Canberra, who has won last issue’s book, God’s Chicks Awakened.

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

Perspective

What We Talk About When We Talk About God

recommended read

Rob Bell HarperOne, 2013

D

o you picture God as mean, small or out-of-date?

Perhaps as large and destructive? Or maybe even as being non-existent?

The Sunday Times bestselling author, Rob Bell, challenges everything you think you know about God in his new novel, What We Talk About When We Talk About God. Thought-provoking and insightful, in this follow-up to Love Wins (HarperOne, 2012), Bell addresses all God questions, misconceptions and doubts with a relevance and humour that will revolutionise your understanding of God. Join Bell as he takes you on a journey through time, space, science and his own personal doubts to find a

modern God who is with you, for you and ahead of you all at once.

Through his simple yet profound words, Bell explains the world from God’s perspective, teaching the reader to see a God who is very real, yet beyond human description.

Is God irrelevant, primitive, a relic from the past? Bell explores how, today, much like a mirror, our perception of God appears more and more to be a reflection of how we talk about him.

Smart, frank and personal, What We Talk About When We Talk About God exerts a refreshing honesty that will strike relevance with believer and non-believer alike.

Win a copy of this book!

Sarah worked as an intern at The Salvation Army’s Communications Department and is studying for a Bachelor of Media (Public Relations and Advertising) at the University of NSW.

Simply send your name and email address to simone.worthing@ aue.salvationarmy.org for a chance to win our giveaway copy.

A reader’s response…

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ince first reading What We Talk About When We Talk About God a few months ago, I have purchased more than 10 copies and given them to non-Christian friends of mine. I have even started a “Bell’s Bookclub” with nonbelievers where we meet to go through this book, a chapter each week.

I have found this book to be such a great conversation starter! It’s been such a blessing to be able to share Jesus with others through this non-confrontational, easy to read, refreshing book. There are also heaps of “LOL” moments too – thank you Rob Bell!”

Lauren Martin Content Manager, Corporate Communications The Salvation Army Australia Eastern Territory

Allowing God ...

“G

od came to us because he wanted to join us on the road, to listen to our story, and to help us realise that we are not walking in circles but moving towards the house of peace and joy.

This is the great mystery of Christmas that continues to give us comfort and consolation: we are not alone on our journey. The God of love who gave us life sent his only Son to be with us at all times and in all places, so that we never have to feel lost in our struggles but always can trust that he walks with us.

The challenge is to let God be who he wants to be. A part of us clings to our aloneness and does not allow God to touch us where we are most in pain. Often we hide from him precisely those places in ourselves where we feel guilty, ashamed, confused, and lost. Thus we do not give him a chance to be with us where we feel most alone.

Christmas is the renewed invitation not to be afraid and to let him – whose love is greater than our own hearts and minds can comprehend – be our companion.”

Henri Nouwen, Gracias, 1983 WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Feature | Loneliness

Loneliness – release from the hurt

Jesus suffered rejection and hurts, just as we do, and understands our need for relationship, explains Lyn Beasy. Christmas shows us how God is reaching out to us and offers hope, love and a release from the pain of loneliness

I

have a few Christmas traditions.

At the start of the holiday season when the tree is up and the house is decorated, I enjoy catching up with my favourite holiday movies. One of those that came out a few years ago was Christmas with the Kranks. When Luther and Nora Krank discover their daughter is not coming home for Christmas, they decide to avoid the entire season, but things obviously don’t turn out the way they had planned!

One of the messages in this movie is about the lengths we will go to in avoiding the pain of loneliness. It highlights how we can often rely on habits, activities and traditions as a way of filling emptiness or to mask pain and loneliness.

Holidays such as Christmas seem to bring up feelings of grief, loss and loneliness. It tends to accentuate the cold reality of being alone with no one to share with. It can seem that while everyone else seems to be having a great time, we can feel left out, even more empty and alone. Sometimes we might not actually be alone but we’re guilty of being so caught up with trying to create the perfect occasion we end up feeling

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

empty and even more disconnected from those we try to please.

Loneliness on the rise

In our society, the levels of loneliness are on the rise, with up to a third of Australians lonely at any one time. We can be lonely when we fail to make those meaningful and intimate connections with others. This may be imposed on us by our circumstances, such as physical isolation, illness or when others have rejected us. Or perhaps as a result of being hurt by others, we are afraid to allow others to get too close.

Whatever the reason, loneliness is like a gut-wrenching ache in the pit of the stomach. We can be at our loneliest in a crowd, with our face against the window, like we are an outsider looking in and isolated from the scene. It feels like there’s a huge chasm with no way to cross over.

No one is immune from feeling lonely, at least once in a while. And no surprise, people who seem to have it all together and lead what seems to be the ideal life can be subjected to the malaise of loneliness. Why are we becoming lonelier?

The disconnect of technology

Technology is creating a fundamental shift in the way we do life with others.

The rise of social media has allowed us to be more up close and personal with people across the globe. It can be the “saviour” for the lonely. No matter where you are or how you are feeling, you will always be able to find someone to connect with.

Facebook offers us a life of entertainment and a kind of voyeurism into other people’s worlds, and posting “selfies” is a way to express that part of our narcissistic selves that cries out, “Look at me! I am important!” But, we tend to make the mistake of comparing our seemingly mundane lives to other people’s status updates who appear to be living the great adventure. We forget that, like a soap opera, we’re comparing our ordinary reality to someone’s posts of their greatest moments.

Social networking shouldn’t be used to replace face-to-face connections. We have to ask ourselves whether we can sustain a healthy life based largely on the junk food of online small talk and clicking “like” on other people’s statuses.

The contradiction is that, the

Loneliness | Feature

Turn to Jesus who, having suffered the pain of rejection Himself, understands our hurts and need for relationship.

Photo: Shairon Paterson

more connected we are, the lonelier we become. It seems we have made ourselves lonely. The more connections and methods of socialising we have, the less we have of a society. Some researchers describe this phenomenon as a decline in “social capital” which focuses on the shift in our personal networks due to the disintegration of traditional families, the suburban sprawl, the decline of extended families, and modern technologies. We need to reassess how we do life and what choices we are making that contribute to our own sense of who we are and where we belong.

Solitude

When we are lonely, the last person we want to spend time with is ourselves. Yet being alone doesn’t have to equate with being lonely, as being alone some of the time is essential for our mental wellbeing. And while loneliness is painful, it doesn’t have to be permanent.

The flip side to being alone is to seek solitude. One is imposed, and gnaws away at our emptiness as we become aware of a lack of something. But the other is a choice of an inner journey that finds fulfilment, contentment and self-

acceptance. In his book Solitude (White Crow Books, 2011), Simon Parke writes that, “Solitude is the state of being alone without being lonely, of being happily alone. It’s a positive and constructive state of engagement with oneself. The emotional pain of loneliness can feel overwhelming. But the borders of loneliness and solitude touch – and when we make the crossing, we find a kinder and more colourful place to live. Only by spending time there can we truly connect with others.”

Sometimes, we need to tune out the “noise” in our lives, like those offered by social media, to reconnect with ourselves and with others in more meaningful ways.

Seeking solitude requires taking the journey inward to discover who we are and beginning to accept ourselves for who we are. We can then move outward towards connecting to others in a more satisfying and fulfilling way.

“Don’t compare yourself with others.

Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life (Galatians 6:4), The Message.

This Christmas season allow yourself those moments of solitude where you will find inner peace and contentment as you contemplate the wonder of who you are in Christ, without comparison.

Instead of hiding from the world, turn to Jesus who, having suffered the pain of rejection himself, understands our hurts and need for relationship. The Christmas message means God reaching out to us, right where we are, to be our best friend.

Instead of standing on the outside looking in, come into his presence and the warmth of fellowship with him. As our Lord and Saviour, he offers us a life of hope and a release from the hurt of loneliness.

I’ll click “like” to that.

Relationship with Jesus

Loneliness can occur when we fall into the trap of comparing ourselves to others, usually as we feel we are lacking or not good enough.

Lyn Beasy Consultant Psychologist Officer Wellbeing Territorial Headquarters WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Feature | Loneliness

Love beyond the loneliness

I

t was quiet and clear when we woke up on Christmas morning. Snow covered everything and seemed to create a blanket of quietness over the neighbourhood. We had celebrated Christmas together with the people from our corps on Christmas Eve, as is usual in Germany. Now they were all spending Christmas Day with their families and we were on our own. It seemed that noone had thought to include us in their family celebrations. And our family was 15,000km away.

We had known we would be on our own on Christmas Day. We had prepared ourselves for it, reminding ourselves that it is about celebrating Jesus and not about presents, food and getting together with people we love. In fact, we had even thought it was a good opportunity to celebrate Christmas without all the extras and simply focus on the birth of Jesus.

But still, we woke up and there was just us and the people we loved most in the world were far, far away. Even knowing that it was all about Jesus and his amazing gift of himself to the world; even knowing that we had people in this city who loved us, we felt strangely alone.

It didn’t feel like Christmas, just the two of us in our flat.

Family focused

I realised then how very much Christmas has become a family-oriented holiday, even within the Church. I knew that I was loved by many people and that

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

we really weren’t alone, but I caught a glimpse of what it might be like for the many people who are truly alone at Christmas.

Outside the Church, our society has largely succeeded in taking Christ out of Christmas and making it a season of celebration, mainly focusing on family.

We have a friend in his early 30s who lives in a city far away from his family. At Christmas he and his parents drive many hours to meet half-way in a roadside restaurant to exchange Christmas gifts.

Then they go their own way again. Even with family, Christmas can be a lonely experience.

Our small glimpse of what it might be like to be alone at Christmas has certainly made me more aware of the many people who really are on their own during the Christmas season. Those who know Jesus and who truly celebrate his birth and all that means for humanity may find a sense of peace and comfort in their aloneness. But still, the feeling of loneliness can be very strong and even celebrating the Good News can be tinged with sadness.

For those who don’t yet know Jesus and simply see Christmas as a time for family celebrations, but don’t have family around them, it can be a very isolating and lonely time. So much is made of the gift-giving and festive-meal part of Christmas yet there are so many people who don’t have the opportunity to be part of that.

Love beyond loneliness

It might sound a bit clichéd, but when I think of Christmas I picture Mary and Joseph, in a strange city, with no-one to welcome them or befriend them and no place to stay. This is a long way from the feasting and present-giving that typifies Christmas in our society. Perhaps they felt alone and isolated, perhaps anxious about the coming birth and wondering how they would manage in a stable. As we read the Christmas story, though, we certainly see the awe which filled their hearts and minds as the events of that night unfolded.

So this is my prayer for myself and all of us who celebrate Christmas with gifts, loved ones and abundant food, as well as for all of those who have little or none of those things and maybe feel there is little worth celebrating: may we all be filled with awe at the thought of God-with-us. May all of us experience the reality of his love filling our hearts and transforming our lives, whoever we are with and however we spend Christmas.

Major Jo-anne Brown Corps Officer, Calamvale

Loneliness | Feature

Photo: Shairon Paterson

We are not alone “I

t’s the most wonderful time of the year … It’s the hap-happiest season of all …,” or so says the popular Christmas song written some 50 years ago. The lyrics tell of the celebrations and activities of families and friends during the Christmas season.

It’s a “feel good” song that describes the experiences of many people at this time of year.

Sadly, though, Christmas time can be one of the most difficult periods for people who find themselves alone for many different reasons. Estrangements within families occur, addictions contribute to people isolating and feeling a sense of self-loathing. Reality also hits when people realise that their relationships are not as good as they seem to be on the television or in the movies.

There may be the experience of having a first Christmas without a special loved one. The emphasis on family, friends and shared good times during the festive season can often contribute to depression and feelings of being unloved.

So, often it can be hard not to feel lonely at this time.

Universal loneliness

Actually, we all feel lonely at some point.

The truth is that most of us experience some level of disappointment, or lack, in our most intimate relationships.

People make mistakes, let us down, have character flaws, become busy and distracted and we simply don’t feel very special.

Even people who seem to have amazing social skills and are the “life of the party” are often troubled by feelings of insecurity and uncertainty. These are feelings they keep hidden inside in a lonely place of the soul – the inner world. Everyone has fears and secrets that often only very few people are aware of and even fewer understand fully and provide comfort for.

At the end of the day, we are each alone in our troubles and need to find ways to cope in the times when we don’t feel support.

Jesus understands

It is these times that I seek out the presence of God and the reassurances of his love and purposes for my life. The Christian faith is not primarily a set of rules to obey or moral attitudes to adopt – it is a relationship. This reality is the most important element of faith! Prayer and our constant walking with Jesus can be the solution to the problems we may have with loneliness.

Jesus knew the human emotion of loneliness. He hears the cry of our heart. The faintest whisper of one who feels alone comes before the heart of a loving God who will go to any lengths to comfort his children. He will send people who step up and speak love into our lives. He reminds us of powerful words of songs that touch our dark places.

Through scripture, God speaks to our hearts – it’s his love letter to us!

In John 14:16, Jesus made a promise when he said: “… I will ask the Father to send you the Holy Spirit who will help you and always be with you” (Contemporary English Version).

Take firm hold of this promise at this Christmas time – we are not alone.

Major Sue Davies Counsellor, Officer Well-Being Team Queensland

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Feature | Women in Leadership

Inaugural Women in Leadership forum launched Major Danielle Strickland, guest speaker for the Women in Leadership forum, speaks on true freedom and changing the world during her opening address.

Photos: Shairon Paterson

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“W

e are here today to encourage, empower and celebrate women,” said Commissioner Jan Condon, at the opening of the inaugural Women in Leadership (WIL) Forum on 28 October.

“There are so many women who need to be raised up for ministry opportunities that use their gifts and talents, and not just be slotted into roles because of their gender.”

Major Danielle Strickland, international speaker, author and social justice warrior, was guest speaker for the forum.

The forum opened with statistics showing that, although more than half of all Salvation Army officers are women, only 7.9 per cent of them are in decisionmaking roles. From those in leadership positions, only 1.7 per cent are married.

This trend is reflected in boardrooms across the country with only 15.8 per cent of directors on ASX200 companies being women, and 49 of the 200 boards having no women on them at all.

The WIL committee, who organised the WIL forum, aims to identify and address the systemic issues of gender equality in leadership positions within The Salvation Army, as well as promote and develop the skills and self-awareness required in those positions.

“This is part of a larger movement for global equality,” said Colonel Janet

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

Munn, Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries.

“We are inspired by the courage of Catherine Booth as we focus on empowering, developing and encouraging women and identifying systemic issues in leadership.”

From the inside out

Major Danielle focused on the strategy of thinking big, that God has a plan to redeem the entire world and that women’s equality is just a part of that.

“We are here to change the world and the earth is looking for redemption,” she said.

“Freedom, love, the plan of redemption is about a massive, boundless salvation that cleanses everything that has been broken.”

Major Danielle spoke on the secret to true freedom being going deep inside ourselves to the things that keep the world enslaved and being liberated from the inside out.

“It’s the daily decisions we make that will change the world and bring salvation to the earth,” she said.

“When we change inside, and the structures we live in change – I call it character and conditions – is how we will know salvation has come.”

The afternoon sessions included self-awareness for effective leadership, leading from your “best self ” and ways to

achieve that, and a lively panel discussion on “making your partner your partner”, with Major Danielle; Colonels Janet and Richard Munn; Sharon Callister, CEO of The Salvation Army’s Aged Care Plus and Humanitarian Mission Services; Captain Grant Sandercock-Brown from the School for Officer training; and first-year cadet Nicola Poore.

Before dinner, delegates discussed and presented recommendations on leadership equality for The Salvation Army – what that could look like and how to achieve it. These included appointments being made according to merit, not gender; challenging stereotypes around gender and marital status; leadership based on ability; and opportunities for women in international development and training.

Women from all over the territory attended the forum, as well as delegates from the Australia South and Papua New Guinea territories. Hundreds more watched Major Danielle’s presentation as it was live streamed.

WIL forums and workshops are planned for around the territory in the future.

For more information, updates, and to watch Major Danielle’s Women in Leadership address, go to: salvos.org.au/ womeninleadership

Women in Leadership | Feature

q& Major Danielle Strickland, international guest for the Women in Leadership forum, spoke with Simone Worthing on gender equality, correcting imbalances and expanding the Kingdom of God

SW: In the context of this forum, what is your definition of leadership?

DS: It’s all about women influencing people, culture, extending and expanding the Kingdom of God, and making a way out for the oppressed.

In The Salvation Army we are inspired by Catherine Booth to be intentional about the release of women to use all their gifts so justice, mercy, love and faith can be released and the Kingdom of God can be expanded.

SW: How have women’s development, empowerment and ability to serve and lead in terms of their skills, aptitudes and goals, been stifled – both in society and in the church – and what can we do to change this?

DS: Inequality is the first effect of the fall. When sin entered, our relationship with God broke and a hierarchy of gender ensued. This is where sin leads.

Inequality is like gravity, it’s where we naturally go, so we have to be intentional about challenging sinful structures.

Both Catherine and William Booth wanted The Salvation Army to be a movement that empowers women. We started that way and took it for granted that it would continue like that.

The problem is in the gender imbalance in structures and systems of power and governance. It’s remarkable that we have so few women in power.

Oppression against women is a deep injustice that is global in nature. Just read the book Half the Sky (Virago Press, 2010); it’s a great revelation.

This is just sin; the brokenness of the world means that women will be pressed down. The solution is the gospel, salvation, Jesus. If we’re introducing people to salvation, we’re introducing them to gender equality.

Part of what the gospel looks like is people celebrated and freed to use their gifts. Gender quality is good news to the earth.

SW: What is your view on the current debate regarding having “token” women in leadership not adequately addressing gender equality?

DS: I liken it to correcting an imbalance.

When a child is born with a foot facing the wrong direction, a brace is put on it to force it to go in the right direction.

Once the imbalance is fixed, the brace can come off and the foot will fix itself.

In gender imbalance, tokenism is the brace; the corrective measure to the body. The question then becomes what corrective measure do we use to force the foot to develop new muscles so the foot can be released.

Nobody wants to be corrected.

We don’t want to force the corrective measures but we have to start there; it will never happen naturally.

I’m a fan of corrective measures when the foot is freed and can walk by itself.

We need to intentionally target the injustice; women are qualified for leadership, but they are not prepared.

We need to add some targets and pressure the system to make the right preparations.

SW: What is the real message in the gospel regarding gender equality?

DS: Gender-based equality is in scripture; women in leadership is a biblical imperative. The Salvation Army began with this but we haven’t been teaching it and so have lost it.

It’s part of the curse, that women would see themselves as lower and men would dominate. Christ can fix and heal this. He reverses the curse and frees women, and men, to be who they are created to be. Embracing Jesus frees and empowers all of us.

Women’s rights have been domination focused; the true message of the gospel is healing and freedom.

We shouldn’t be surprised by the curse; it’s our job to break the spell and awaken people to how they were meant to live.

If women are abused, it’s a brokenness that can be fixed; We are here to break the curse through Jesus. All women’s empowerment is about that, to break the curse over women’s lives – and men’s and children’s lives as well.

SW: What message would you like to give women, and men, in relation to women in leadership?

DS: You’re valuable! The Lord sees you as beautiful and important; you were born to change the world. Celebrate who you are, be authentic and offer what you are to the salvation war; be the good news.

Don’t submit to fear, listen to the lies of the enemy, or be conformed to the world. Bring your role to the Kingdom.

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Young | Testimony

Eating disorders – back from the darkness

“M

any people who know me or have seen me around would probably describe me as outgoing and happy, bubbly, confident and talented,” says Hannah, an 18-year-old from Brisbane, who bravely agreed to share her story with Women in Touch.

“I have been very blessed in life but that doesn’t mean things have been easy and that I have everything together.

Underneath my bubbly exterior, there is pain and turmoil and struggle.”

Downward spiral

Hannah was sexually assaulted when she was 13 years old. She blamed herself and was so ashamed of what had happened that she didn’t tell anyone for two-and-ahalf years.

“It wasn’t anything compared to the experience of some but at the age of 13, already feeling vulnerable at a big new high school, it was enough to spark an intense level of self-disgust and selfhatred,” explains Hannah.

“I hid it from the world and allowed it to fester and boil.”

Sadly, Hannah concluded that there was something “wrong” with her, that she was worthless and that nobody cared about or understood her. She became fixated on trying to prove herself through getting the highest grades in school, and pleasing everyone.

“One day I got the crazy idea that maybe if I lost weight, I’d be a better person and feel better about myself,” Hannah shares.

“I lost sight and trust in what God said about me and turned to the world’s view of perfection. That was the beginning of five years of eating disorders and absolute chaos.”

Hannah’s eating disorders slowly took over her life and became a way to numb her feelings and suppress selfdisgust, shame and guilt.

“It controlled me,” Hannah says quietly. “I isolated myself and retreated into my own little dark world with no sunshine, no laughter and little hope.

“I lost who I was, it was impossible to see reality and I just wanted to disappear.”

The bright and bubbly Hannah was anxious, angry, introverted and alone.

She shut out those closest to her – parents, siblings, family and friends.

“I just couldn’t allow them to love me and support me,” she says.

“And it went on and on.”

Mental illness

Hannah explains that an eating disorder is not just a diet or a decision not to eat but, as with addictions to alcohol and drugs, it’s a way to feel in control, to escape reality and to suppress or numb feelings.

“It’s a mental illness and it can’t be

cured simply by just eating, or ‘snapping out of it’”, she says.

“To sit down in front of food and eat stirs up overwhelming anxiety. The fear I had, and sometimes still have, of food and putting it in my mouth was so intense and I felt powerless against it.”

Hannah knew it wasn’t logical and that she needed to eat, she just couldn’t.

She soon became depressed and started cutting herself as a way of escaping the chaos inside.

“I hid it well though, and not many people knew or suspected,” Hannah admits.

“I’m not proud of my scars and it hurts to look at them but they are a part of who I am and a reminder of how far I’ve come.”

Turning points

Hannah began seeing a counsellor regularly, who treated her as a person, not a problem.

“She was able to reach in and help me unguard myself,” says Hannah.

“It was a positive and helpful relationship, not clinical, and I could share with her a lot of my shame, guilt and disgust.

“She also went through the eight keys to recovery from an eating disorder, which has been really helpful.”

Hannah also met her now boyfriend, Cameron, at church. He has helped her to see that she didn’t have to be perfect >>> Photos: Shairon Paterson

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

Testimony | Young

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Young | Testimony

to be valued and loved.

“He has been really supportive and stuck by me even when it’s hard for him to understand, or he is learning that he can’t fix me and has to trust that I’m trying,” says Hannah.

Baby steps

For Hannah, small steps along the way were the beginning of her journey to recovery.

These steps included learning how to fight the voices in her head, face her fears and then slowly increase the amount and variety of food she ate, eating regularly and eating socially.

“My parents were also an amazing support,” Hannah shares. “They have done so much for me and always tried to understand. They have an incredible love for me and it hasn’t been easy for them but they have never given up. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Last year, Hannah participated in the Brisbane STUMP– Short Term Urban Mission Program, where delegates live, train and work with The Salvation Army for a week and encounter poverty in their city first-hand.

“I could connect with and relate to hurting and addicted people, because I was hurting and addicted too, even though I was doing a good job of hiding it,” Hannah says.

This year, Hannah led the STUMP program; she volunteers regularly at Brisbane Streetlevel Mission and is studying for a Bachelor of Social Work at the University of Queensland.

“Light and life have been restored,” she says.

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Choosing life

Hannah still struggles every day but now she has a desire and an excitement for the future.

“I have spent so much of my life hiding in my little world, alone and afraid, and I now know that I can, and will, overcome this,” she says.

“There will be a day when I am free and it is all because God has had me bundled in his arms and even when I felt totally alone, he was carrying, guiding and protecting me.”

Hannah explains that she never felt abandoned by God over the years, but in fact, quite the opposite.

“It felt like I was being pursued and chased by God and that I couldn’t get away from him no matter what,” she shares. “And I did try to get away.

“I felt unworthy of love and of grace and not good enough. I knew in my heart it wasn’t true but that is what my head was telling me.

“I put up lots of walls because it felt safer, but I am breaking them down and now I’m really enjoying being close and present with people and God.”

Human again

As Hannah learns to trust God more, she is discovering more about herself.

“I am learning to respect myself and to have compassion for that little girl who has been scared and alone for so very long,” Hannah says joyfully.

“I am allowing truth into my heart and am no longer willingly accepting the lies that I am disgusting and ugly and unworthy. I know that I am beautiful and loved and that God has a plan and

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

a purpose for my life. I feel like I am human again – I feel alive. I am finding joy and peace, acceptance and comfort, warmth, colour and excitement.

“It’s still incredibly hard and I have a long way to go, but God gives me the strength to overcome things that are too big for me and he will carry me when I can’t do it myself.”

Hannah is grateful that this tough journey has helped her become strong, passionate, understanding, compassionate, “and so much more”!

“Sometimes God allows us to go through pain and challenges to make us stronger and to help us realise that we need him and that he will never leave or forsake us,” says Hannah.

“Without this knowledge, I would not be here today, and now I want to reach out and help others.”

Don’t give up!

Hannah no longer feels ashamed about her journey, is proud of how far she has come, and she knows that, in the eyes of Jesus, her battles are no different to any one else’s.

“He wants to bring beauty from my pain, messes and imperfections,” she says assuredly.

“He wants to cleanse me and purify me and make me new by his grace. I want that too and I am discovering that I can have it and I can’t wait to see where God is going to lead me and how he is going to use me.

“Let me finish with Galatians 6:9: “So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

Hannah is loving being able to feel joy, peace and excitement again after years of pain and darkness battling eating disorders.

Royal Birth | Young

royal The

birth

I

won’t lie; I have a little crush on the royal family. Growing up I, like most women my age, had high hopes of marrying Prince William. I was, however, happy to surrender my crown to graceful, elegant Catherine and my friends and I gathered to celebrate the royal wedding.

And when news of a royal birth hit the stands earlier this year, I was enthralled and delighted to see baby Prince George emerge from St Mary’s hospital.

I love the pomp and ceremony, I love the fuss and excitement and I love the hope that one baby, a future king, can stir up.

With Christmas inching closer I can’t help but see the parallels. The future king of England, born with the best medical assistance and comforts one could buy. King of Kings, born into a stable surrounded by animals. A baby the world awaits and crowns with instant fame, love, privilege and influence. The Saviour the world awaited but didn’t recognise; born of a virgin and chased from his own land.

As much as I love the royal family and what they mean for our countries, I

love my Lord Jesus and what he means for my life, more. He forgives all my sins, heals all my diseases, redeems my life from the pit and crowns me with love and mercy. He fills my life with good things, so that I stay young and strong like an eagle (Psalm 103).

Our King has come to confuse the wise; he doesn’t occupy and take ground by force or war, he conquers with love and truth. He doesn’t fight against flesh and blood but he fights against the powers and principalities of this dark world.

As the close of another year hurtles towards us, let us take a minute to celebrate the royal family we do get to be a part of. One with an everlasting King and a Kingdom that will never fade!

Blessings to you and your family!

Amy Hefferan, Centenary Corps

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Young | Social Justice

Social Justice Snapshot ‘Tis the season to be… ethical

W

hile Christmas is often a time for indulgence with presents and food, unfortunately these indulgences can be at the expense of someone else.

It’s not uncommon knowledge that every year millions of people are exploited to provide the items we enjoy.

Below are a few tips on how to make your Christmas celebrations ethical: Christmas gift Consider buying a goat, a chicken or a pig from The Salvation Army International Development website, salvos.org.au/said as a Christmas present this year. Give someone in poverty a gift rather than giving your relative another present they probably don’t need.

According to World Vision, many clothes available for sale in Australia contain cotton that is produced by forced or child labour.

When shopping for gifts or a Christmas party outfit, try and purchase clothes that are ethically made.

Check out Ethical Shopping Guide (ethical.org.au) for further information about businesses ethical practices or look out for the Ethical Clothing Australia trademark when shopping (ethicalclothingaustralia.org.au).

Beyond the distractions of Christmas…

T

he world tells us that Christmas is a time to simply enjoy ourselves – feast on turkey and probably spend a bit too much on presents for our family and friends. It’s so easy to forget there are millions of people across the world who starve on Christmas day.

I’m sure that many of us are also guilty of letting Christmas day pass by with only giving a minor thought to Jesus. But really, he should be on our minds throughout the entire day.

An outward-focused Christmas mindset is what we need to have on 25 December.

The birth of Jesus is the reason we celebrate Christmas and when we become distracted by the season’s indulgences, we lose sight of what Christmas is all about.

In the Bible, Matthew 6:21 says: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”. What a powerful verse! How we divide our time and money determines our priorities and life values.

Instead of letting consumerism devour us, let’s devote our time, money and resources

to a social justice Christmas. That’s not to say blessing our friends and family is wrong, rather let’s focus on a wider spectrum – let’s be aware of more than our immediate circle.

We can make a difference by changing our perspective, realising we are blessed and giving back to our local or even international communities. Think of ways to bless others the way Jesus did when he was on earth.

Most importantly, in every kind action, remember to share the love of Christ. James 2:26 in the Bible says, “… faith without deeds is dead”.

Let’s remember the significance of these two elements working together so we can make a difference this Christmas.

Esther Pinn Journalist, Pipeline and supplements

YoungWIT

Christmas sweet treats Desserts are often a must at Christmas and so are sweet treats such as chocolate and icecream. According to Stop The Traffik, cocoa plantations often traffick thousands of boys as young as 10 years old, to pick and harvest cocoas beans. Their freedom is taken as they are forced to work long hours on the plantations without receiving any money for their work.

So, look for the Fairtrade, UTZ certified and Rainforest Alliance labels when buying chocolate, which guarantees slave-free chocolate.

And, for all those ice-cream lovers out there, Ben and Jerry’s now have predominately Fairtrade flavours, and Street’s Magnums have recently become Rainforest Alliance certified as well.

New Year’s resolutions As New Year’s Eve approaches, make a decision to take action. Don’t just make your resolutions about you. You could sponsor a child through SAID (salvos.org.au/said), choose to shop more ethically in the new year or jump on board with Stop The Traffik’s campaigns. Visit stopthetraffik.org

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

YoungWIT Proverbs 31:8: “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed,” (New Living Translation). #generosity #helping others #outward focused Christmas

Reviews | Young

Reviews music REVIEW

Hillsong Young and Free

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t is quite obvious from the start that Young and Free is written and compiled by young people. You can hear the youthful sound in their voices and it’s a fresh change from the usual Hillsong line up.

Hillsong Youth have released their first album with the tagline “We are Young and Free” which has become their anthem. It sums up who they are.

Along with their youthful voices, you can hear the influences of modern music that reflect their generation. While Young and Free has a distinct youthful sound, the echoes of traditional Hillsong worship music are still evident throughout the album.

Like all Hillsong albums, the live versions of the tracks are better than the studio recordings. Nothing can beat the crowd atmosphere of worship.

Brighter and Wake are catchy praise songs and are sung by females! Definitely not something you see often these days on a Hillsong album.

Alive, first released as a single, shares the message of freedom Hillsong Youth wish to convey. Plus, it’s one catchy dance song.

Lifeline encapsulates Hillsong Youth’s cry for Jesus as a generation which recognises its deep need for a Saviour. The song concludes powerfully by removing most instruments and just using voices to declare an anthem to the Lord.

Sinking Deep shows that Young and Free does not just contain praise anthems. Here they strip back to voice and piano and this song is a powerful cry to God. Young and Free definitely has its own sound. New voices, fresh lyrics and synthesizer riffs bring a new mix. Most importantly, the lyrics reflect a deep connection to God – they express how Hillsong Youth connect with their Saviour.

Young and Free is available for purchase for $20 at hillsong.com/store

blog REVIEW

magazine REVIEW

She Does

Young Salvationist

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ince the beginning of July this year, team leader of The Salvation Army’s Yeppoon Mission in Queensland, Yvette Walters, has been writing a blog called She Does.

Yvette has divided her blog posts into four categories that sum up her life: loves, mothers, leads and believes. The chosen title, She Does represents her life as one of constant action within her relationships and leadership opportunities.

Yvette’s blog contains honest thoughts about her personal and spiritual life. It’s almost like a diary. It shows her deepest woes along with her greatest joys. There’s even a spot of poetry in there.

Yvette also shares spiritual thoughts about living a life that honours Christ. It’s challenging and insightful.

She Does is worth checking out. It’s raw and honest and a space where individuals can be encouraged in their spiritual walk with God. To check out Yvette’s blog, visit shedoesblog.wordpress.com

oung Salvationist is space for young people to be heard, a magazine that tackles issues that are relevant in the minds of young people and an avenue where they can read articles to help them grow in their faith.

A monthly Christian magazine, Young Salvationist is produced by The Salvation Army United States’ national publications department.

The magazine covers a range of topics including sexuality, identity, worship, friendship, membership within The Salvation Army and much more.

Young Salvationist provides a space called “You Said It!” where readers can comment on issues. The magazine also has an “Ask Amy” section that allows young readers to ask for advice concerning problems in their lives.

There are also plenty of movie, book and CD reviews available and interviews with Christian artists and well-known Christian figures within the community.

Young Salvationist is relevant to young people and offers articles and columns that not only appeal to them but challenge them in their walk with God. You can purchase the magazine online and receive 10 issues for $5 or view it online for free at youngsalvationist.org

Congratulations Win a c of th opy is CD Simply ! sen and em d your nam simon ail address e to e.w salvat orthing@au ionarm e y.org fo . a chan r ce giveaw to win our ay Young copy of and Fr ee

Congratulations to Sharon Graham who has won our giveaway copy of last issue’s Kisses from Katie.

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Women In Ministry

International news

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ear Sisters in Christ, It is a real privilege to greet you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ at this special time in the Christian year – this lovely season of Christmas.

As I reflect on 2013, my heart is full of thankfulness for all the women I have met during the year who are truly walking worthy of the Lord, women from all walks of life – the disadvantaged and the advantaged, in the villages and in the cities. I can only humble myself and honour you when I hear the wonderful, and sometimes painful, stories of your lives and praise the Lord as I see how joyfully you are serving Christ even when life is tough.

Sisters, let us keep walking worthy of the Lord!

By the grace of God we can once again celebrate and praise his name for the wonderful gift of his Son, Jesus Christ, coming into our world so that we might have eternal life. Let us remember once more the truths found in Isaiah 9:6: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (New King James Version).

I pray that the miracle of Christmas will fill your hearts with warmth and love.

A very happy Christmas to you all!

Silvia Cox Commissioner World President of Women’s Ministries

Australian Church Women meet in conference Australia Eastern & Southern Territories

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ifteen Salvationist women from across Australia met as members of Australian Church Women (ACW) to participate in the biennial national conference held recently in Perth, WA. “Our Choice is Love” was the theme for the conference. Morning and evening devotions centred on this theme, with the closing prayers being appropriately titled Put On Love and based on Colossians 3:12-17.

Archbishop Roger Herft of the Anglican Diocese, Perth, addressed the

Ecumenical service. His powerful message expanded the theme to suffering love, saving love and serving love. Dr Angela McCarthy of Notre Dame University conducted outstanding Bible studies each morning, unveiling the Word and its intent through art and music.

Sonya Pell, a Salvationist from Auburn corps, attended the conference at the special invitation of ACW as a representative of Young ACW. Last year, ACW selected Sonya to attend the Young Women’s Forum in Bangkok, hosted by the Asian Church Women’s Conference. Sonya addressed the conference twice, bringing a report on the Young Women’s Forum and also giving a young woman’s perspective on “Ecumenism – what’s in it for me?” Sonya researched the latter by conducting a survey and gave a most illuminating presentation of the results. These showed that inter-generational mentoring is a top priority for young church women.

Salvationists installed in new national executive

Salvationist attendees at the ACW conference, from back left: Mrs Pamela Freeman (NSW), Major Mel Stephens (QLD), Major Olive Dell (WA), Major Donna Bryan (VIC), Lieutenant-Colonel Lynette Green (VIC), Major Lyn Middleton (NSW), Captain Margaret Colls (SA), Major Wanda McKeand (SA), Major Laurel Pearce (WA), Captain Judith Dell (SA), Major Elaine Johnson (VIC), Mrs Brenda Dickinson (NSW), Mrs Lorraine Hughes (NSW). Absent from photo: Majors Lillian Hodges and Beatrice Kay.

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WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

An essential feature of the conference was the transfer of the National Executive to the next state in rotation – NSW. We congratulate Major Lyn Middleton who was installed as National President for 2013-2015. Major Lillian Hodges (THQ), Mrs Pamela Freeman (Parramatta) and Mrs Brenda Dickinson (Miranda) were installed as committee members along with Major Nancy McLaren (DHQ, North NSW) and Mrs Joy Inglis (Campsie).

Mrs Pamela Freeman was also elected as a voting delegate to the quadrennial assembly of the Asian Church Women’s Conference, to be held next year in the Philippines.

The theme for the new National Executive is “Building in Harmony”, based on Romans 14:19: “So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up (New Living Translation).

Australian Church Women will celebrate its 50th anniversary at the next conference which will be held at The Collaroy Centre, 7-11 September 2015.

Commissioner Jan Condon Territorial President of Women’s Ministries

Women In Ministry

Cupcakes play role on the road to recovery South Queensland Division

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bundance was the theme of the South Queensland divisional women’s camp this year, held at Brisbane’s Brookfield Conference Centre.

Lieutenant-Colonel Simone Robertson, Territorial Co-ordinator of Salvos Women, was guest speaker for the four-day event.

During the camp, Lieut-Colonel Simone presented sessions on abundant love, abundant freedom, abundant time with God and abundant life.

Women from a range of backgrounds and experiences shared their testimonies during the meetings, giving witness to the power and love of God in their lives.

Electives offered on different days included fitness and health, paper craft, fabric art, creative movement and transformational discipleship.

“It was an amazing camp and wonderful to see God working in the lives of all the women,” said Major Julie Campbell, Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries. “I loved seeing women of different ages and life experiences worship together and learn from each other.”

Cupcake extravaganza

Major Helen Ellicott, Caboolture Corps Officer, and Jean Fox, senior soldier at Caboolture, ran a session on the humble cupcake – tips on making and decorating them and, most importantly, using them as a tool in ministry to show friendship and love.

As an integral part of the presentation, Major Helen shared her journey with her son Mathew, as he battled drug addiction.

Jean bakes 120 cupcakes each week that she, Major Helen and a team from the Caboolture Corps take to chapel at Brisbane Recovery Services Centre (Moonyah) to share with the residents there.

This ministry began when Major Helen visited Mathew at Moonyah and took him some cupcakes left over from Jean’s Home League demonstration.

The clients’ delighted reaction to the cupcakes and the fellowship it created led to weekly visits to chapel. The Caboolture Corps also started a monthly recovery cafe church which is well attended by Moonyah residents, as well as those from the corps and local community.

Cupcake credentials

Jean, a retired cook, brings much experience to the cupcake ministry. She trained as a cooking teacher and has taught hundreds of women and girls for more than 50 years, as well as encouraged and supported them.

Over time Jean, who appeared in some of the first televised cooking shows back in the late 1950s, also ran a catering business, opened a cake decorating shop with two of her daughters, and became a senior soldier!

“I am so blessed to be a part of going to Moonyah and the recovery café church,” she said. “Who knows what God has planned for us?”

Sad beginnings

Major Helen spoke, sharing that one year ago, on her 50th birthday, her daughter-in-law, Harmony, with their two children, left Mathew because of his active drug addiction, and drove to her family in Cairns.

Majors Helen and Bruce shared this difficult time with their corps who came alongside and walked the journey with them.

A few weeks later, Major Helen went to visit Mathew with Jean’s cupcakes – unknowingly starting a ministry that is thriving today.

“There is such a ministry in cupcakes!” said Major Helen. “The connection with those at Moonyah has been friendship, prayer, sharing powerful stories of recovery and hope, and relationships.

“It’s binding all of us together, and we all need love, support and friendship as we go through our struggles in life.”

Recovery Church is one of good food, fellowship, worship and devotions.

Major Helen Ellicott (left) assists Jean Fox demonstrate the art of cupcake, biscuit and cake pop decorating during the divisional camp.

“It’s one of the most spiritually uplifting nights you could ever have,” said Major Helen.

The journey continued

Beginning her demonstration at the divisional camp, Jean showed the women how to make cake pops, gave tips on icing biscuits and shared advice on decorating and wrapping.

Major Helen also continued sharing Mathew’s journey, and his desire to go to Cairns and show his wife that, after graduating from Moonyah, he was a changed person.

Mathew secured a casual position working in the mines and Major Helen continued to pray that he could now be reunited with his family.

A life restored

Mathew set off for Cairns in January, miraculously getting through the roads just as they were being closed due to floods.

He now has a permanent job in the mines and is back with his family.

“Mathew sent me a photo, of his and Harmony’s hands with brand new wedding bands on them,” said Major Helen.

“God has restored to him the things he lost, and more.

“For a long time I had tried to ‘fix’ Mathew, but it wasn’t until Harmony left him that I told God that I couldn’t do anything else with this boy.

“God have me Exodus 14:14: ‘The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still’.

“As soon as I took my hands off him and said, ‘He’s yours’, God did an amazing thing.”

Future hope

Majors Helen and Bruce, and the Caboolture Corps, have discovered a heart for recovery ministry as they saw the transformation in Mathew’s life.

“We are all broken people and life is better if we can journey with and support each other,” said Major Helen.

The Caboolture Corps believes God is telling them to do even more in recovery ministry, and looks forward to following his lead.

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

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Women In Ministry

Grace impacts and challenges at retreat Central & North QLD Division

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omen from the north of the division gathered on the beautiful Atherton Tablelands for their annual retreat earlier this year. The focus for the weekend was based on the theme taken for all women’s events for 2013 – Women of Grace.

Major Cheralynne Pethybridge, Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries, set the scene for the weekend, reminding the women of God’s grace and how this grace needs to be seen in every aspect of our lives.

Lieutenant Karyn Kingston, Cairns Corps Officer, and Alison Geno, Family Store Manager, then proceeded to delight those present with an evening designed for the women to get to know each other.

Major Julie Alley, Divisional Mission and Resource Director – Corps, for the ACT & South NSW Division, was guest speaker for the weekend.

Major Julie’s teaching was based on Colossians 3:12, and women were

challenged with sessions such as Grace Unwrapped, Grace Under Fire, and Grace Unleashed.

On Saturday afternoon there was much fun and laughter as “auctioneer” Major Beth Twivey, Team Leader, Townsville Riverway Recovery Mission, guided the women through the results of a silent auction. Nearly $700 was raised towards the territorial women’s project 2013.

A highlight of the Saturday was the much-awaited arrival of a group of women from Papua New Guinea who also spent a further week in Cairns at a development retreat.

Throughout the weekend the women were encouraged to spend time alone with God using devotional material and a prayer walk prepared by Major Lynn Whittaker, Divisional Spiritual Leadership Development Officer. Many women responded to the challenge to live out and grow in God’s grace.

The ladies from Papua New Guinea were special guests during the retreat and joined in every aspect of the weekend, including worship (left) and craft activities (right).

Poignant spiritual truths challenge women at retreat Newcastle & Central NSW Division

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omen from around the division recently gathered at Monte Pio for the annual Revive weekend. The focus on “Walk Worthy” continued the divisional women’s theme for 2013.

The weekend commenced on Friday night with visiting Christian speaker Elaine Taylor. Elaine spoke openly and vulnerably of her painful journey of separation and divorce and how God healed her broken heart through a trek across the Simpson Desert soon after the difficult marriage breakup.

At the age of 66, Elaine was accepted to participate in the 28-day trek. She shared how God drew her

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closer to him during this time and healed her grief and hurt.

Major Maree Strong (Rural Chaplain) was the guest speaker for Revive.

“With her quick wit and humorous story-telling, she captivated the ladies’ attention and sealed her stories with poignant spiritual truths,” said Major Wendy Watts, Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries.

“Maree skilfully articulated and demonstrated what it meant to Walk Worthy. The women were challenged to Walk Worthy because: • We have found freedom • We are reflecting glory • We are demonstrating power • We are embracing grace.”

WOMEN IN TOUCH December 2013

Major Maree Strong challenges the delegates at the annual Revive weekend.

Women In Ministry

Retreat reminds women of identity in Christ Sydney East & Illawarra Division

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omen from around the division recently gathered together for a few days at the beautiful Collaroy Centre on Sydney’s northern beaches for the divisional retreat.

“Discovering your identity in Christ” was the theme for the retreat.

Guest speaker Commissioner Jan Condon, Territorial President of Women’s Ministries, reminded the women that in Christ we are women of worth, adopted by God, women with potential and God’s beautiful masterpiece.

Throughout the retreat several women responded to the invitation for prayer.

“One of the highlights of the retreat was the opportunity given to participate in various prayer stations set up around the rooms,” shared Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Laws, Divisional Director of Women’s Ministries.

“Many ‘God moments’ were experienced as women knelt at the cross, or took someone’s name from the prayer tree and shared a prayer with that person; or participated in building an altar of thanksgiving to God; or added words of adoration to the giant-size Scrabble game.”

Captains Chris and Melissa Millard, Earlwood Corps Officers, led a night of fun and fundraising during the retreat. Over $1000 was raised for the territorial women’s project.

“At the conclusion of the final session, ladies were invited to take a framed photo of themselves with the words, ‘I am God’s Masterpiece’ as a reminder of their identity in Christ,” said Lieut-Colonel Jan. Major Joanne Slater, Commissioner Jan Condon, Lieutenant-Colonel Jan Laws, Captain Robyn Black and Major Roslyn Walker.

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Captivated

BY THE WORD