2 June 2023, Issue 1162
Diary of a senior soldier ‘Blood and Fire’ is the Salvation Army motto – blood of Jesus and fire of the Holy Spirit. It’s been Laurie Bell’s mantra for 78 years. He was born into the Salvation Army. He’s done and seen it all – the abstainer has swapped yarns with firemen
and rugby player mates as they swilled “the sponsor’s product”, played his tenor horn during rousing ‘street corner ministries’ – not always tuneful apparently – he’s comforted the ‘temporarily dry and clean’ booze and drug addicted at the Army’s
Recovery Church, rattled the donation boxes during Red Shield Appeals and even won over a few lost souls to the faith. “Should have been a lot more.” Now the Tauranga soldier, pictured here, is laying down his arms, but the work’s not done.
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He’s changing churches but, he hopes, not his direction. Today on pages 12-13, Laurie reflects on his time as a ‘senior soldier’ on the frontline and candidly discusses a few of his own demons. Photo: John Borren.
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