In my backyard, gazing at stars beyond counting, I’ve sometimes wondered, Why so many, God? I like to think of stars as God’s patio lanterns; they leave me wondering if He is not the ultimate showman, providing flashy, attractive clues that He’s there, that He can be known. That we are loved.

Over the past several months, we have been introducing and reflecting on the territorial strategy through the theme: Forward Together: Christ-centred, Others-focused. This theme is more than a tagline. It expresses who we are as a territory and how we believe God is calling us to move forward together as one Army. “Forward Together” reminds us

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.