From Halifax to Papua New Guinea – Salvationists Take Friendship Global
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It doesn’t matter whether friends are neighbors or far reaching – true friendships last. Such is the case for Salvationists Major Sandra Budden, Shirley Brooking and Rhonda Lee.
Their friendship began when Sandra was the pastor of The Salvation Army Halifax Citadel 15 years ago. Rhonda was her neighbour, who Sandra invited to attend the church. Shirley had already been a member of the church. As events and church activities evolved, they developed what would become a life-long friendship that would eventually take them across the globe to Papua New Guinea.
“We make sure to get together”
“We have common interests in church activities, coffee time together, and travelling together,” Shirley recalls. “We visited Sandra in Winnipeg six years ago shortly after a close friend of all of ours had passed, so we could share in the celebration of her life.”
Some common events that were shared were the annual women’s ministries conferences, travelling to the 2015 Congress in London, England where they met with Sandra. “Every summer when Sandra comes back to Halifax on vacation to visit her daughters, we make sure we get together for coffee or a meal,” says Rhonda.
“They have journeyed across Canada and around the world”
As Pastors are known to move often, Sandra and her husband, Owen, relocated to Winnipeg, followed by a mission overseas in Papua New Guinea. This past year, Shirley and Rhonda made the two day trip to visit Sandra and Owen in Papua New Guinea and had the opportunity to stay with them at The Salvation Army school where they were administrators.
“It is very meaningful to me that they have journeyed across Canada and around the world to visit us,” says Sandra. “It was an added blessing when they came to Papua New Guinea to visit us.”
The qualities of their friendships are based on shared values, dependability, travelling and enjoying life.
“It is such a blessing to know that friendship can be maintained even though we only see each other once a year,” says Sandra. “That’s the gift of true friendship.”
By: Jan Keats