Stories of Hope

In this episode of Rich Tapestries Nuria and Bryce chat with Kevin Amiri who is originally from Iran. Kevin came to Australia as an asylum seeker when he was in his 30s after a radical conversion to Christianity while he was in South Korea. He is now a Salvo leader in a Farsi community at Brunswick Salvos.

Sam escaped from Vietnam when Saigon fell during the Vietnam war. He survived a five day journey on a crowded boat with dreadful conditions to eventually land in Melbourne as a refugee. The Salvos came alongside him and today he is a retired Salvo officer having served for over 30 years. Sam is a matter of fact no nonsense sort of guy and his story will inspire and encourage.

Edward and his wife Beola came to Australia after escaping from a civil war in their homeland in Sierra Leone via Guinea. They were welcomed into Auburn Salvos and have been encouraged and supported ever since. Today they are Salvo leaders based in Cairns.

It is very special that after 4 years of podcasting, the lovely Sue has finally agreed to be my guest.  Her story is wonderful and will inspire and encourage you.  She has a life filled with love, adventure and courage and is indeed genuinely lovely!This is the last episode of Stories Of Hope Podcast and having her as my guest is a fitting end to what has been a terrific season in my life. Keep an eye out for the book that has emerged from this podcast  "Doing life with Bryce" 

So the winds of change are blowing and this is the final Monday episode of the Stories of Hope podcast. The lovely Sue will be my guest on the last episode which will be on Friday the 1st of August. I'm thankful for all the support over the years and am looking forward to the next chapter of my ministry within the Salvos at Goodna in Queensland.

Ameet is the Salvo leader in Goodna in Queensland which is a challenging socio economic area with many multicultural communities nearby.  Ameet originates from Mumbai in India and came to Australia via New Zealand.  He has over 20 years experience in Christian leadership and faces the challenges of this current season with wisdom and grace.  

After over a year of unpacking the book of Acts in these Monday podcasts I have come to the end.  There are 2 huge themes flowing through about Church life from these pages.  1 We need to be led by the Spirit and 2 the Love of God and the fellowship of the church is for everyone.  Sounds simple, but the way of genuine Spirit Led loving acceptance of everyone has it's challenges.    

Brad is the Salvo leader in Carindale and shares about his life in this episode. Brad has not had it easy, with challenging family of origin dynamics, a serious health episode in his 20s and struggles to have children with his lovely wife Helen.  Brad now adores his little "miracle daughter" 7 year old Hedy.  But through it all, he remains one of the most encouraging and positive people you could ever meet.

Paul spent 6 years in various prisons and not because he put dodgy mushrooms in someones stew, he just had a point of view that upset the religious leaders of his time.  But he never seemed to let it get him down.  He wrote letters and found ways to be useful.  Hope in times like this is rare and worth exploring.  Somehow a combination of purpose, secure identity and faith created the sort of hope he was able to draw upon.  As Chuck Nolan played by Tom Hanks in the movie Castaway says, you never know what the tide will bring in.    Maybe we can all do the same.  

Robert Donaldson's father was a garbage collector and for a time so was Robert. He then went on to study micro biology and fell in love with Janine. He is a Kiwi and has served in the Salvos all over the world. Its an interesting story!

If it were not for an unnamed nephew of St Paul we would not have half the New Testament, as Paul would certainly have been killed by a murderous mob out to lynch him.  Family can be such a mixed bag, but the potential for loyalty and support often goes deep as the connections are significant.  Often since birth.  It's sometimes challenging to stay close to extended family, but is also often worth the effort. 

There are not too many people I know who are as passionate about faith in Jesus and who back it up with decades of effective frontline, earthy Salvation Army ministry like Craig Stephens. Buckle up for a life story that is full throttle from start to finish.

I have been in cahoots with the Pharisees recently and have allowed aggression and arrogance to shape my behaviour.   I wish I had been like Ghandi and taken a more gentle approach.  It would have saved me a lot of embarrassment and reduced the Lovely Sue's frustrations with me significantly.  Luckily, I didn't go as far as forming a vigilante group and arranging an assassination like the religious leaders did in Acts 22, but I was on the same path. It's definitely something we need to keep an eye on.  

Nuria came to Australia 19 years ago and managed to find ways to settle into the new culture and lifestyle. She now works for the Salvos assisting us to work with CaLD communities effectively. She is married and has two children. Interestingly her husband Rodney, is named after the famous Australian wicketkeeper Rod Marsh. #Salvos, #SalvationArmy, #StoriesOfHope, #Faith, #Testimonies, #LifeStories, #LivedExperiences,#Biography, #Interview, #Conversation

Peter Garret was a zealot for environmentalism, especially his stance against uranium mining.  However as he got older and more involved in politics he came understand some more of the complexity involved and changed his views.  Many of us start out passionate and sure of ourselves but we do need to eat humble pie sometimes and sit with paradox, complexity and nuance.   Building this chicken in my workshop is a good example, looks simple, but its actually a very sophisticated work of art!

Rich Tapestries is a new series within Stories Of Hope Podcast, celebrating the lives and contributions of Culturally and Linguisticly Diverse (CaLD) folks within the Salvos in Australia. My co host in this series is Nuria Gonsalves who is the Cald Community Engagement National Lead and our first guest is Frank Wang who heads up the Salvos work in Bankstown in Sydney.  Frank originates from China and his journey to Australia exudes courage and strength of character.  The way he and his wife Belinda found their way into the Salvos and eventually into leadership is both inspiring and surprising.  

Despite hundreds of years of democracy and education, people are still suffering discrimination and injustice depending on what colour their skin is or where they are from.  Riots and wars abound and even in the suburbs where I live there are sometimes cruel and unfair judgments made on people based on very superficial data.  Lets open our eyes and notice what biases we have in our own heart and what we see around us and lets be brave enough to make a stand sooner rather than later.

Rod is the Salvo leader in a Town in New South Wales called Young and he also looks after the surrounding area as a rural Chaplian visiting farms and remote communities.  He loves his big 1100CC Yamaha motorcycle, his cut throat Razors and is an earthy bloke who loves a chat and cares deeply about people and what the Salvos stand for.  I know Rod well, because we have worked shoulder to shoulder together providing financial aid to folks affected by floodwaters in Kempsey. Rod is married to Deb and I reckon he is the salt of the earth!

It is an absolute delight and honour to share on this podcast about how people have navigated thier lives.  The stories are very often rich and full of courage meaning and inspiration.  The lovely Sue has a great story too and finding love is a powerful part of this.  I am in the mix a little, but Maggie the Toy Cavoodle has also won her heart!

Bindy had a really tough childhood but has found a way to be mindful of the ways this impacts her life today. She works for the salvos in our emergency services department and helps people who have been devastated by things like floods and fires. She is married to Marco and has three children. She is a proud Novacastrian and her story will inspire and delight you.