Christmas is God’s greatest gift because we can know truth—truth that is more than abstract concept, a truth that is real and alive, embodied in Jesus.

When 12-year-old Jenera Roundsky took her own life in June, the Wapekeka First Nation declared a state of emergency, prompting a call for assistance. The Salvation Army was one of the organizations that responded.

Based in St. John’s, N.L., this band of young Salvationists is spreading the love of Jesus through music.

Dean Pritchett was not a regular churchgoer, but when he attended the Salvation Army corps led by his aunt and uncle, his life was transformed.

If you were to come to Broadview Village on a Friday morning at 9 a.m., you would find a small group of people gathered around a table, enjoying a cup of coffee. “Mmmm … you make good coffee, Major Christine!” Thomas often tells me. Thomas has lived at Broadview, a Salvation Army residential program for people with developmental disabilities in Toronto, for many years. As the chaplain, sitting and chatting with other staff and Thomas every Friday is one of the highlights of my week. I’ve come to cherish the gifts he offers—joy, friendship and kindness.

When I was 26, I felt stuck in a rut. I was unemployed, living in my parent’s basement and depressed. I needed a fresh start. I moved to a new city without a job or knowing anyone. But although I didn’t have a plan, God did.

After 20 years of ministry in Germany, Lt-Colonels Marsha-Jean and David Bowles return with fresh insights for the Army in Canada and Bermuda.

In Embu, mere hours from Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, an elderly woman and her son rake a maize field, where one stalk of corn remains in-husk following their harvest. On the same property, chickens roam free among the tiered fields where women collect tea into wicker baskets, and rows of coffee trees find shade under a canopy of banana leaves.

When hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida on September 10, it was one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the state. Four days later, the Canada and Bermuda Territory deployed 10 members of its emergency disaster services personnel to lead an incident command team in Miami.

For most of her life, Kim Howlett struggled with her weight. But with God's help, she's reclaimed her health—and her life.