In 2022, Lydmarie served on the Hands On mission team in Puerto Rico. In 2023, she served on the Hands On mission team that partnered with the Creative Arts Service Team (CAST) in Costa Rica as part of the first overseas mission team. 

She has attended The Salvation Army since 2014 in the Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands Division (PRVI), at her local corps (church) with her sisters. 

She first heard about the Hands On team during her first year at a Territorial Arts Ministries Conservatory in 2016. “It’s always been a passion of mine to help people and to be able to preach the word of God through the arts ministries,” Lydmarie recalled. 

Lydmarie planned on participating in the Hands On team in 2020, but the trip was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. A couple of years later, when they announced that Hands On would partner with CAST, Lydmarie knew she had to give it a chance. 

One of her favorite memories from her first Hands On experience in 2022 was helping the music and arts camp in Juana Diaz, Puerto Rico. Due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the camp, many kids were sent home. The final show was canceled. Seeing the remaining kids’ frustrations, Lydmarie and her other team participants planned a makeshift recital. “You could feel the love that they have for the Lord through their pieces. We were so proud of them.” 

After serving on two mission teams in two years, Lydmarie is thankful for the experience. One of her biggest joys from the experience was the chance to travel and preach the word of God with her teammates. “It’s seeing the impact that this ministry has with not only the community it serves but also on the people who give up their time to minister to those communities.”

#didyouknow

Recognize Salvation Army kettles outside your local market, but ever wonder how the first kettle ever came to be? 

In November 1891, Captain Joseph McFee wanted to provide a Christmas dinner for the poorest individuals and families in San Francisco. He remembered his days as a young sailor in Liverpool, England, particularly on the Stage Landing wharf, where people would toss a few coins into an iron kettle called “Simpson’s Pot” as they walked by. 

The idea flew to him, and so, he put together a large pot on a metal tripod, and hung a sign overhead that read, “Fill the Pot for the Poor – Free Dinner on Christmas Day.” 

After its success, the kettle campaign was born and spread throughout the country and around the world. 

To learn more about the Red Kettle, visit peermag.org/articles/red-kettle.

A Community Place

In August of 2024, The Salvation Army Prospect Corps in Kansas City, MO opened its doors to welcome community residents to church — a “dinner church,” an initiative that began at other corps nationwide. 

Lt. Donald Cooper, the corps officer (pastor) at the Prospect corps, wanted a space to welcome those in the community — but not within typical Sunday service hours. The corps initially welcomed 20 people, but that number grew over time to just over 100 attendees per night. That first night, Lt. Cooper and other corps members welcomed attendees to plates of food, worship, and messages, and also handed out hygiene kits. 

In a heartfelt video produced by The Salvation Army Kansas & Western Missouri division, its attendees recalled the environment as welcoming. “It feels like family. Come as you are. When you leave here, you leave not only full but spiritually full,” one attendee remarked.  

“Hospitality has been our hook in being here. The music is on. The coffee is hot. The food is good. The space is decorated beautifully. All that, so they can be introduced into a relationship with Jesus Christ,” Lt. Cooper said. 

Lt. Cooper and members at the Prospect corps work hard to create a structure that makes community members feel welcome and that includes the moment they walk through the doors. “We make a space for people to belong, and we make them feel like they belong because they do, you know,” Lt. Donald shared. He instructed soldiers and officers who attend the Prospect corps to not wear uniforms to create a sense of belonging. “Just so that they’re [community members] open to coming into a church and experiencing the presence of God.” 

Young Leaders Gather in London

31 young Salvationists from around the world convened in London for the first international youth forum in 28 years as part of the International Children and Young People Advisory Group.

The event, held from June 27 to July 3, centered on Compass, The Salvation Army’s global strategic framework. These young Salvationists explored how Compass applies across different cultures and societal contexts, identifying shared challenges and proposing strategic responses. The week included daily devotions themed around: Wait, Pray, Continue, Receive, and Go. Heart talk sessions allowed participants to share personal testimonies. 

Indonesian delegate Krisna Puspita delivered a heartfelt message calling for intergenerational collaboration, trust, and a space for innovation. “My prayer, and the prayer of many young Salvationists around the world, is for deeper collaboration.” 

On the final day, youth leaders presented their reflections and recommendations to General Lyndon Buckingham and his team. The General encouraged them with Scripture from 1 Timothy 4:12, affirming their role as influencers for Christ.

Young People Across Europe Dare to Look Up

The Salvation Army’s European Youth Event (EYE) 2025 brought together hundreds of young Salvationists and friends from across the continent for four days of worship, testimony and teaching. 

Held at De Kroeze Danne in the Netherlands, the camp provided a solace away from the worries and troubles of the outside world, where the delegates were free to learn and discover a closer relationship to God and as the theme of EYE suggested – to ‘look up.’ 

To read the full story from The Salvation Army IHQ, visit bit.ly/salarmy-lookup.