Hello I'm Krestey Young and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive.

For rights reasons, we've had to shorten the music.

The program was originally broadcast in 1993 and the presenter was Sue Lolly. My cast away this week is an evangelist throughout her life she has put God first, other people second, and herself last.

Born in Australia, both her parents were Salvation Army officers, and after a youthful crisis of faith,

she herself rejoined in 1948.

Her early career was spent as a missionary in Africa.

She went on to posts of command in Scotland, Sri Lanka and the Southern Territories of Australia.

And then seven years ago she was elected General of the Salvation Army throughout the world.

People had seen the quality of my leadership over a number of years, she says says and felt I had gifts of inspiration

and encouragement. She is General Eva Burrows. And inspiration and

encouragement I should think the world needs today more than ever doesn't it general?

Yes I think it does because so many people looking at the world really feel very depressed.

War, poverty, famine, hopelessness, homelessness, but I think the world needs encouragement

because you can't be defeated in this situation or elsewhere would the world be.

But doesn't the enormity of the task ever depress you too in the sense that here we are approaching the end of the 20th century

and as you say deprivation is as great as ever, violence is perhaps even greater people starving in East Africa,

ethnic cleansing in former Yugoslavia. I mean do you ever feel that the world has lost

its way? Well I think yes the world is in a difficult position, but if I lose hope, how can I inspire

and encourage people to try and do something about it? I mean, I've stood in Calcutta and seen the starving lined up for food at the Salvation Army or

talk to Mother, Theresa, or here in London had been on the super run and seen women bashed up with their husband. I say to myself, unless I do something and encourage

other people to do something, nothing is done. So every little bit that's done is a contribution to the good and the good will in the world.

But what do you think that your founder, the founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth might have expected over 130 years ago when he founded the army

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