Some places and holidays stay with us long after we leave. For many young people, camp is more than just a week away from home. It can be a place of belonging, encouragement, courage and faith. In this personal reflection, Riley Hobbs, a member of The Salvation Army’s International Children and Youth Advisory Group, shares how camping ministries shaped his own relationship with God and why he believes their impact can last a lifetime.

This spring, Simone Worthing, editor of the Australian Salvos Magazine, and her husband, Cliff, spent four weeks travelling across Ukraine, supporting Salvation Army churches and community ministry in different regions of the country. Along the way, they met Salvation Army workers, volunteers and people living through the conflict, an experience they have now witnessed firsthand. Here, she reflects on what she saw in this beautiful country under siege. 

On June 24, twin earthquakes with magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 occurred less than one minute apart, causing significant damage in Caracas and La Guaira, Venezuela, and surrounding areas, including collapsed buildings and disruption to infrastructure. The Salvation Army has been on the ground in the hardest-hit areas to deliver food, essential