Pipestone Flyer
The Wetaskiwin Corps of the Salvation Army held its church service as well as its annual BBQ and Corn Roast in the beautiful outdoor setting of the Lions' Campground on the last day of August. It was well attended by Salvation Army regulars, their friends, families, and some campers. In a lighter moment with a point, Tom and Tim Robins, sons of the Salvation Army Divisional Youth Secretaries, presented a humorous skit about being lost, not consulting the map the younger one kept mentioning and carried. The guest speaker, Captain Rick Robins, chatted interestingly about some situations and experiences, involved a couple children in an object lesson, then pulled it all together to make some very powerful and meaningful points.
More campers joined the congregation for the dinner of roasted corn-on-the-cob, hamburgers and hot dogs with all the trimmings, salads, and desserts. It was a most enjoyable time of good food, good companionship, and good weather.
Captains Jennifer and Rick Robins have been the Divisional Youth Secretaries for more than a year, which means that they have spent two summers at the Salvation Army's Pine Lake Camp. Previous to this assignment, they were the Corps Officers in Powell River, B.C. Rick grew up in Saskatchewan in a family with generations of involvement in the Salvation Army. Jennifer's father was in the Air Force, so she has lived across the country, including Saskatchewan, and chose to become a Junior Soldier in the Salvation Army in her late teens. They have three children, Tom, Helena, and Tim. Tom, the eldest, lives in Victoria.
Listening to Rick speak and watching them interact as a family and with other young people and children, it is obvious that they are a natural choice for their position. Jennifer's observation that they have a sense of belonging and being at home in the Salvation Army wherever they are, agrees with my experience of finding the Salvation Army the most welcoming of all denominations. As she also said, the Salvation Army knows the value of helping.