Sarah Rowe is the young people’s sergeant-major (YPSM) at Saskatoon Temple in Saskatchewan. She shares a little about her spiritual journey, what inspires her about The Salvation Army and why camp has such a special place in her heart.

Where are you from? If you’ve lived in a lot of places, what feels most like “home” and why?

When I was eight, we moved to Toronto so my parents, Majors Gordon and Karen Taylor, could attend training college. Their first appointment took us to Maple Creek, Sask., and then we moved to Grande Prairie, Alta., where I graduated from high school. I attended Booth University College in Winnipeg, and after graduating in 2015, I moved to Saskatoon and have been here ever since.

For me, there are two places that feel most like home. The first is The Salvation Army’s Pine Lake Camp in Alberta. I spent five summers there, and I love it. The second is Saskatoon. My husband and I have settled here, bought a house and had a child, and my family is all close by, which makes me feel I can finally say I’m home.

Tell me a little about your spiritual journey.

I have been involved in the Army my whole life. Even before my parents became officers, they were employed by the Army. Officership in my family goes all the way back to the days of William Booth.

I have found the most impactful moments in my spiritual journey have always happened at camp, whether it was through ministering to kids when I worked there or hearing incredible messages at youth weekends. I think this is why camp is home to me—it is where I connect best with God.

What makes you feel most connected to God?

I feel most connected to God either when I’m in beautiful, peaceful places, such as Pine Lake or the mountains, or when I’m singing worship music. Singing is my favourite way to communicate with God as it allows me to express everything I feel through the gift he has given me.

I think my relationship with God continues to grow through ministering to children. I am the YPSM at my church and watching the kids grow in their relationships makes me so excited and fired up in my faith.

Who has had a significant influence on your life, and why?

The people who have had the most significant influence when it comes to my spiritual journey were my youth pastor, Ryan Law, and his wife, Karen. They were my safe space in my teen years, which is a significant time of growth, as everyone knows. They were always there for me, they challenged me, they taught me a lot and they still show they care to this day, even though I am well out of my teen years now.

How are you involved at your corps?

As the YPSM, I play a part in all the youth programming. Right now, that looks like running our Sunday school program, teaching the teen class at our Wednesday night program, supporting the leaders who are running our youth group, and helping plan family Sundays.

What inspires you about The Salvation Army’s history and heritage, or mission and vision?

The thing that inspires me most about the history of the Army is looking back on William and Catherine Booth. The fact that they saw people who were overlooked because of their social status or situation in life, and not receiving the gospel because of it, and then created a church for them, is incredible to me. I love to help people and teach them about God, so this church is the perfect place for me to be. The whole doughnut thing—the history of the Salvation Army “lassies” who served doughnuts to soldiers during the First World War—is pretty cool, too.

What are your hobbies, and how did you get into them?

My favourite hobbies are singing and writing. I don’t know what got me into writing, that’s something I’ve always enjoyed. But I started singing because of church. I love to express myself through song, whether it’s singing someone else’s words or writing my own.

What have you created that you are most proud of?

The thing I created that I am most proud of is my daughter, Daisy. It’s incredible to me that God allowed me to have this gift of growing a tiny human, and even more incredible is how absolutely perfect she is. She’s my favourite craft project yet, and also the best gift I’ve ever received.