In times like these, we all need a word of encouragement. From pastor and best-selling author Max Lucato, comes the Max Lucato Encouraging Word Podcast. With over 40 years of ministry and more than 145 million books sold in 50 languages, Max shares the greatest story ever told: the living savior who brings hope for a lifetime. Through rich biblical insight, heartfelt storytelling, you'll be reminded that God is always near, always for you, and always in you. Listen to the Max Lucato Encouraging Word Podcast, where hope meets your day.
Subscribe now wherever you get your podcast. Life audio. Yeah. Hi from the Salvation Army, and you're listening to Words of Life.
Alright. These are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. Hey, and welcome back to Words of Life. Today, we're continuing with part three of a four-part conversation with some members of the Salvation Army's Southern Staff Band.
In October of last year, they had a chance to spend 10 days in South Africa, leading worship services and touring Salvation Army facilities in the area. In this episode, the team reflects on moments during this trip that humbled them in ways they hadn't experienced before. Learn more about Salvation Army Music Ministries at USS Musicandarts.org. But then there's more. You go to a camp.
What was the camp about? What was happening out there? The camp is really the centerpiece. of the trip. I don't know how it all came together as to the planning, but we were there for at least half, if not more than half of our trip we spent at the camp.
And the Saudish Army does not have a camp. In America, in our territory, every division has a camp that the Saudish Army owns. That is not the case in South Africa. This is for their Southern African territory. They haven't had a camp in a long time.
And that was one of the things that was told to us ahead of time, but you can also feel it. Everyone was very, very eager to be gathering. And I don't know about you guys. That's new because for us, it's always been there. Right.
I think we're all products of camps. I know we are actually sitting around this table. And to have that be a special thing. It's always a special thing, but They had to really work hard to get to this camp. Like there was fundraising, there was travel, there were all kinds of things that people had to do just to be there.
And that kind of permeated it all, where people really wanted to be there. And I mean, were intentional about being there. Yeah, there was a couple of kids that took. 20-hour bus rides from Cape Town Or somebody from uh Namibia. That light took like a 27 hour Like, drive to hear these stories are nuts.
Like, they're like absolutely crazy stuff where they're taking public transportation. to get to this camp and It's not obviously it's not the same as it is here in the States, but It was the dedication of even saying that I'm going to spend Some of my last to come to this camp at you know, was modest in the stuff that they had. Like they were sharing bathrooms like in sleeping quarters that were not necessarily The best. But They all had spirit of we're going to do this because we haven't done it in, I think it was a decade. I think it was 2015 or so.
The last time they had a music camp. Um, in the South Africa territory. But, um Yeah, like it It was incredible. It was incredible to see all the young people that were there and uh Even people who We're kind of once removed from the army, but heard about what was happening, but then were coming back into the army's fold because of what they knew what they were expecting from us. Hey, you're listening to the Salvation Army's Words of Life.
We're gonna take a quick ad break and we'll be right back. Spring is one of the most meaningful seasons of the year. We celebrate the resurrection of Christ at Easter. We honor the moms who shaped us. We cheer on graduates stepping into their future.
And we thank the dads who led the way. But finding a gift that actually means something, that can be tough. That's why Crosswalk has put together the Spring Gift Guide, a curated collection of faith-based gifts perfect for every spring moment. Bibles, devotionals, books, and more, all chosen with the Christian heart in mind. Whether you're shopping for your mom, your graduate, your dad, or celebrating the risen savior, Crosswalk makes it simple to give something that lasts beyond the moment.
Head to Crosswalk.com and explore the Spring Gift Guide today. because the best gifts point people back to faith. But you all would have been teaching and preparing for like an end-of-the-week festival kind of thing, and maybe giving them a concert while you're there. Yeah. But you're also eating amongst the masses.
I heard an incredible story about that as well. Tell me a little bit about that. Yeah, I think the word I would use is feeling convicted by it, and I don't mean that negatively. Like Bethany said earlier, the hospitality for us was great the entire time, and they really rolled the red carpet out for us. And that manifested in meals at the camp where they just gave us plates we were eating off of.
You know, glass plates, right? Regular plates that we would use in the States. And not realizing, at least I didn't, maybe everybody else did before I did. Those were only for us. And everyone that attended the camp as a delegate Was basically they were encouraged to bring a bowl with maybe a utensil or two to have and to eat for the whole week.
And There was no complaining about that. That's just what they did. And that means washing it up between meals, bringing it to the meals, all those things. But I think, and talking to a lot of people that were with us. Everyone kind of had the same realization of, oh, this is, you kind of feel bad that we are eating off, like somebody's cleaning the plate that I just ate off of.
And everybody else that's there is Bringing their own, honestly, not even having utensils, people eating with their hands, yeah, and Without any complaint without any negativity towards it, but it was a reminder of the situation. And again, back to that word that I'm probably going to use too many times, but The joy is still there, it doesn't go away. That was moving for me throughout. That realization really kind of hits you right in the middle of the chest, in my opinion. And it stuck with me and will stick with me.
Yeah, like, I mean, I was completely emotional when I saw a kid. Finish his food and then pass his cup or his bowl and his spoon to like one of his friends. And it just, it hit me like I was undone. Like we did. It took us a couple days to see that because of that hospitality.
They would not eat until we had eaten. Yes, they would wait until everyone of the band went through the line. And so, you know, we took the plate they gave us, said thank you. By the way, the food was phenomenal. It was all home-cooked in these massive pots, and it was this concoction of stews and meats and.
squash and anyway, it was lovely food. They had a team of women They must have spent all day in the kitchen. But it was also a tiny dining area.
So we would eat, and then they'd say, Okay, well, now the next people are coming through. And if we didn't move, they didn't have seats. And they were just patient. Like, they never mentioned anything, they never pushed us. It was never this thing.
It was, we slowly had to come to this realization that, oh, we've got to get out of the way so they could come in.
So it did take us a couple of meals to see this. this switch that happened because they would collect our plates and and take them away and we would not have to see them or touch them. But if you sat around and watched, whenever the people finished eating, there were these buckets sat around, they would go wash their plate and their cup and their silverware and then they'd go put it back in their cabin. Except for some of the young boys who would take it to the swimming pool and wash their bowl in this rustic swimming pool, which is kind of funny to me. But it was just such a humble Way of serving us and honoring us, but in the same way, teaching us so much more about.
True humility and true hospitality is just a powerful realization for all of us. We pray that you're enjoying and being blessed by this conversation. Um We're going to take one more ad break and we'll be right back. I'm Kirby Kelly, and in my new book, The Fabric of Hope, I want to walk you through seasons of suffering, uncertainty, and waiting and remind you of this truth. God is never absent and he is never far away.
When life unravels, hope can feel impossible or out of reach. Maybe today you're feeling like things are falling apart and you're wondering if you can trust God's good plans for your life. But what if, even here, God is still working to create something beautiful? Through honest stories and encouragement, the fabric of hope invites you to see your story through a new lens. One where your hard seasons have purpose and your waiting isn't empty.
If you're longing for hope that will never unravel no matter what comes your way, the fabric of hope is for you. Find it wherever books are sold. Can I talk about their cabins? We did not stay on camp, so we weren't in this, but again, an ongoing realization throughout the week as we're. Building relationships with people and talking more, and they're showing us their rooms and all that.
All of the cabins were spaced around camp, and camp was built into the landscape.
So it's gorgeous. There's beautiful trees and plants and these really loud birds all the time. It was just this beautiful, lush landscape at this camp. There were these steps that were so steep. I mean, you had to catch your breath halfway through the middle.
But there's cabins built into the steps. And then there's cabins spaced here and there. And if you go in there, there's 18 bunks. In there.
So these kids are squished in these small spaces up three and four bunks high so that they could get as many people there as possible. And there's no bathrooms in any of the cabins.
So they had to travel to the back side of the dining room, which is where the bathrooms were and the showers were. And I believe there were five showers at the entire camp. That they Never once complained about. I never heard one complaint about the fact that they had to stay up late to get a shower or get up super early to take a shower the next morning or just to get up in the middle of the night and have to walk out in the dark to go to the bathroom. There was never a complaint.
It was just the slow realization of where it was because at the end of the day, they were just so grateful to be there and to be all together. Yeah. So, yeah, at the camp, it was set up like a normal music camp, like we do here in the States. There were majors like band major, there was a vocal major, there was a timbrel major. It is a glorious, beautiful, wonderful, percussive instrument with ribbons.
It's all about the ribbons, really. Yeah. And it's something we use in the Salvation Army to praise with the future between hands. Yeah, it's like a tambourine with timbrels, but it's got like a head across the whole top. And it's, you know, they call it Salvation Army cheerleaders in some way, but they take their timbrels very seriously in South Africa.
Definitely do. It's great.
So there were brass majors as well. And I helped be a part of one of the brass majors. I actually led a jazz elective, which was awesome.
So good. It got bigger every day, which was weird because I was wondering where all these kids were coming from. But. We met outside and most of the elective classes, most of all of the classes, met outside. It was really cool to see their enthusiasm to learn, especially in my class of jazz, of the American style of music.
One, you know, thing that America did great musically with jazz and showing that to them. And they were super, super talented kids, amazing artists. And some of them are like artists in their own right and have like. and made their own albums and stuff like that. It was uh It was a wonderful time of just artistry from them.
And then came choir, which is this whole different thing because everybody sings like we have in our music camps, but their singing is on a whole different level. Even from the first rehearsal that I was in, and we didn't have a piano player because they were traveling or doing something else, but they were able to. Learn musically, learn these things vocally that were just incredible from the gate. That was like, man, can I bring all these people back home with me? Because just, it was so powerful.
Like, even in just seeing how they just were able to express themselves vocally is the next level. I feel like in our music camps here, we spend so much time trying to coax our middle schoolers and our high schoolers to give us some volume, give us some energy. But we never had to mention that in South Africa. It was full enthusiasm all the way. I taught a script writing elective, which was next door to Daryl's jazz band, and we had to speak very loudly to be heard.
It that was a particularly moving class for me. We had a I think there was about six kids in there. And We're talking about resources and how we go about writing scripts and using scripture to bring it to life on stage. In our worship settings, and we're talking about how we go about it. And I made the foolish assumption that everybody had a computer.
I was like, okay, you go to these resources and you can find the scripture translated in multiple languages or in multiple different translations. And I said, well, do you use a computer at home? And three of them don't even have electricity in their homes. And so that was a wake-up call to me and we got to still dig deep into what we were doing, but just there their willingness to serve and to grow. with even the barest of resources.
was eye-opening. The Salvation Army's mission, doing the most good, means helping people with material and spiritual needs. You become a part of this mission every time you give to the Salvation Army. Visit SalvationArmyusa.org to offer your support. You can subscribe to Words of Life on your favorite podcast store or visit SalvationArmysoundcast.org.
Join us next time for the Salvation Army's Words of Life. These are the Words, these are the words of life. These are the words, these are the words, these are the words of life. These are the words of life. These are the words of life.
Thanks so much for listening to Words of Life. We want to thank the team at Life Audio for their partnership with us on the show. Visit lifeaudio.com where you'll find dozens of other faith-centered podcasts in their network. They have shows about prayer, Bible studying, parenting, and more. Thanks again for listening.
We'll see you next time. Many of us feel hurried. Did you know that being in a hurry is costing us more than we realize? Hi, I'm Jem Fadling, co-host of Unhurried Living, where my husband Alan and I help people learn to live and lead from fullness rather than on empty. We provide resources and training to teach you healthy patterns for rest, work, and spiritual connection.
With more than 25 years of experience at the intersection of spiritual formation and leadership development, Unhurried Living seeks to inspire others to rest deeper, live fuller, and lead better. Join us each week as we continue to have conversations about leadership, soul care, the power of prayer, and much more. You can find Unhurried Living at lifeaudio.com and on your favorite podcasting app. I'm Mark Vinette, host of the Historical Jesus Podcast, which presents the new series, Miracles, focusing on biblical miracles from the Old and New Testament. Join me on the Historical Jesus podcast as I explore the interesting, compelling, intriguing, and wonderful miracle stories of the Bible and the many great miraculous events inspired by the words and deeds of Jesus Christ.
