"Would you like to buy some Hope Soap?” 12-year-old Warren Butler asked his friends and family. “I’m going to donate the money I raise to the Autism Society of Newfoundland and Labrador.”

I am a Canadian. I am a Salvationist. While there is much more that makes up my identity, these two realities impact me deeply. And they impact each other. Canada has shaped my life as a Salvationist; The Salvation Army has shaped my life as a Canadian. Let me explain.

“Listen to the voice of God as it is proclaimed,” said Lt-Colonel Eddie Vincent, divisional commander in the Newfoundland and Labrador Division, as he called the congregation to worship at the morning’s holiness meeting on the final day of Mobilize—Newfoundland and Labrador Divisional Congress and Commissioning on Sunday, July 2, at the Glacier Arena in Mount Pearl.

“What a celebration today to witness the commissioning of new officers!” declared General André Cox to the crowd gathered at Glacier Arena in Mount Pearl, N.L., for the ordination and commissioning service of 19 cadets from the Joyful Intercessors Session.

“God is going to do great things!” said General André Cox to thousands of Salvationists and friends gathered for the welcome meeting of Mobilize—Newfoundland and Labrador 2017 Divisional Congress and Commissioning. The General and Commissioner Silvia Cox, World President of Women’s Ministries, are leading weekend events along with Commissioner Brian Peddle, Chief of the Staff, and Commissioner Rosalie Peddle, World Secretary for Women’s Ministries.

On Monday, July 1, 1867, when Queen Victoria proclaimed the Dominion of Canada, uniting Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick into a single nation, William Booth, future General of The Salvation Army, most likely paid little attention to the momentous occasion. As the church bells rang in the four capital cities, as brass bands played, bonfires were lit and fireworks lit the sky to celebrate the event, Booth was more concerned with getting his East London Christian Mission established, finding ways to alleviate the poverty and spiritual torpor of London, England’s “submerged 10th.” The new Canada was not, as far as we know, of much interest to the 50-year-old revivalist and social activist.

There are many things that are learned about life, success and hard work through kicking around a ball on the soccer field. Toronto's Bloor Central Soccer Club (BCSC)—with the assistance of a Salvation Army thrift store—is helping to teach those lessons to underprivileged children.

On July 1, the cadets of the Joyful Intercessors Session will be commissioned and ordained as Salvation Army officers. As they prepare for a new chapter in their ministry, these 19 Salvationists share their journey to officership.

Ahead of his visit to the Canada and Bermuda Territory, General André Cox shares the importance of getting out of our corps halls, and how the Army is responding to difficult issues facing the church today.

"I used to feel that my dancing and my faith were separate, that one was my job and the other my religion, that they rarely intersected or affected the other,” says Alex Woodley. “But I’ve come to recognize that the Lord has made the two readily accessible to me. Both my ability to dance and to have a relationship with God are blessings that make up a huge part of my identity.”