International news briefs - 15 December
International news briefs - 15 December
Captain Dominika Domańska (left) runs a cooking class in Warsaw, Poland, that brings together Polish and Ukrainian women as part of a city integration program.
Cooking connection in Poland
Young people at the Warsaw Corps youth group come from a range of countries around the world.
Many activities at Warsaw Corps in Poland take place around food.
“We have noticed that cooking and eating together connect people very much,” said Captain Oleg Samoilenko, Corps Officer with Captain Dominika Domańska.
“In our corps, we now have an excellent integration project for women from Poland and Ukraine where the ladies not only share their traditional dishes but also spend hours together talking, laughing, crying and supporting each other. The Salvation Army in Warsaw has become an ideal place for such meetings, and we have a few new participants at each meeting. City Hall funds the program, thanks to Dominika’s work with them.”
The weekly youth group at the corps also involves young people sharing food and playing games together.
“My heart rejoiced at our recent Christmas party. Young people from different countries danced together, played games, shared supper and just had fun. I love these times at The Salvation Army where everyone feels good, and I see that we have a future.”
World leaders visit South America West
General Brian Peddle and Commissioner Rosalie Peddle attended two congresses in the South America West Territory.
World leaders of The Salvation Army, General Brian Peddle and Commissioner Rosalie Peddle, recently attended two congress events in the South America West Territory – one in Santiago, Chile, and the other in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
The nations of Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador and Peru make up the territory.
“Although there are many things they share in common, the distinctive nature of each nation is clear,” the General wrote. “We are so proud of our people who facilitate the transfer of officers across borders and who assist in territorial mission engagement.
“We enrolled soldiers, witnessed the ordination and commissioning of new lieutenants and participated in passionate worship. It was particularly rewarding to see so many in each meeting kneeling in prayer and seeking a deeper relationship with the Lord.”
The participation of young people was evident throughout the visit as they played in bands and led creative dance and tambourine presentations.
“Our future is strong because of the cross-generational reality in the territory,” the General said.
The leaders also visited the Harry Williams Hospital, which serves hundreds per day with a broad range of medical services.
Ukrainian corps prepare for Christmas
The Salvation Army in Vinnytsia is bringing some joy to families living in a war zone this Christmas.
Corps members in Ukraine are preparing for Christmas, despite the deeply difficult challenges of living in a war zone and serving communities in the middle of air-raid sirens and sheltering in basements during bombings, ongoing lack of light and heating and electricity blackouts.
Their desire to bring the good news of Christ’s birth and the hope, love and salvation this makes possible is inspiring.
In Dnipro, corps leaders Dmitro and Nataliya Rak and their volunteers are raising funds to buy 100 presents for internally displaced children so they have a gift to open this Christmas.
In their art therapy and cooking classes, children made Christmas cards and cookies with Bible verses attached to sell at a recent Red Kettle ‘fair’ to help with the project.
“We managed to raise almost UAH3000 (AUD$120) during this time, which is absolutely unreal, considering we have a war,” said Dmitro.
In Lviv, the corps lights a candle on each Advent Sunday as part of their weekly meetings. A traditional wreath surrounds the four candles. “This reminds us of the repetition of the annual cycle and symbolises the eternity of God and Christ’s eternal victory,” said Corps Officer Captain Galina Nica.
In Vinnytsia, officers and volunteers visited nearby villages and distributed food and gifts to internally displaced families. The ‘Lighthouse’ corps children and teenagers have been busy decorating the Christmas tree and rehearsing musical items for the Christmas service.
In Donetsk, Eastern Ukraine, where some of the fiercest fighting has, and is, taking place, corps leader Vera Volf continues to run programs, visit people in their homes and hold Sunday services. She only has access to water once every three days for two hours, and the shelling is constant. “God is with me,” she said.
Prime Minister supports Red Kettle campaign
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke with Commissioner Floyd Tidd during a visit to the Toy Mountain campaign.
The Salvation Army in Canada is running a ‘Toy Mountain’ campaign to help the nation’s most vulnerable children this Christmas.
A new survey from The Salvation Army in Canada has found that financial hardship is on the rise, with more than 50 per cent of respondents saying they had faced food security challenges in the past year. That means The Salvation Army’s support is more crucial than ever.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently took part in a campaign event in Oakville, Ontario, to show support for the campaign. He spoke with Commissioner Floyd Tidd, Territorial Commander, who also served in Australia from 2013-2019 with his wife, Commissioner Tracey Tidd.
Empowering teachers and schools
Children studying at the school receive life-changing education and ministry opportunities.
In specific communities across Guatemala that are known for violence and high crime rates, The Salvation Army World Service Office (SAWSO) is working hard to provide a place of refuge for students and community members. The Salvation Army Guatemala Division operates six pre-primary and primary schools in the southern part of the country, all within about three hours’ driving distance of Guatemala City.
For this project, SAWSO has been supporting five of these schools. Not only do the schools provide an education for children, but they are also critical to The Salvation Army’s ministry in Guatemala — despite being surrounded by criminal gang activity. Guns and violence in these poor neighbourhoods are a part of daily life. The schools provide a safe learning environment for the children and even offer support for parents, such as socio-emotional training and a food pantry when supplies are available.
Specialising in ongoing educational support in countries around the globe, SAWSO began supporting this work in 2020 and has provided temporary operational resources in these Guatemalan communities. SAWSO’s goals for this project are for the schools to attain financial self-sustainability and for the quality of education provided by the schools to improve.
SAWSO has stepped in to support The Salvation Army Latin America North Territory to reach these goals. Together, they aim to transform the five primary schools into renowned centres of educational excellence for children of families disadvantaged by poverty, attract more families, and serve as a centre for community engagement and outreach.
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