Welcome back to why in the morning if it's Tuesdays entrepreneurship Tuesday at y254 channel as we can find us across all our social media handles at Michelle Ashira is so you can find me across all my social happy holidays I know right you enjoying yourselves make sure you guys take care well at it so being in the holiday mood right so you're looking at ways we can take advantage of the festive season to make more money money is important make sure you save before you spend so instead I am joined by the founder of tap aware she is she's the manager to tap aware known as Helen Muyumbo correct I got it right yes you got it right thank you very much for creating time to be with us Helen you look very very nice thank you thank you happy holidays how you doing happy holidays too I'm excited it's it's I love this season very exciting for me very excited for everybody else and we've made it through 2020 anyway I know why yes it felt like two years in one oh yeah yeah yeah we made it yes we did we need to enjoy our holidays okay speaking about enjoying you're going to look at ways or now we can actually create other streams of income make more money during this holiday season but before that I very missed anything on the helens title no you haven't you've done a perfect job done a good job yes you have all right right so I'm Helen Muyumbo I love to say I'm a mom premier because the first thing I do is to take care of the home of the household of people at home making sure people are making merry they're enjoying and they're using beautiful products all right speaking about beautiful products you have amazing products that are yet to meet them I've never met something like as unique as your products in terms of the household items so take us through what Tapaway is all about all right Tapaway is virgin plastic it's not recycled so very very good for environment because it's a lifetime guarantee you buy your Tapaway products today you'll use them for the rest of your life you know I've had customers who've told me you know I've used Tapaway for 40 years my child is now 40 but I still have the items I bought them so they're also very colorful so very good for hosting at the same time they keep your food fresh for long I don't know Michelle the last time you use vegetables and you put them in a bowl and the next day two three days they were spoiled but with Tapaway you can keep your green vegetables for 20 30 days fresh and crispy that's very interesting considering if you were trying to hold on to the money spending during the time of festive seasons so having a place where we can store vegetables and ensure that they're still fresh good news yeah and you have many solutions we have you know fridge items you know so you well keep your stuff in the fridge but you want it to last long and to remain fresh the most important thing is they have to remain fresh because when you remove your stew to rewarm it maybe for yourself or for your guests you want it to be as fresh as the day you made it right then you have storage items you want your pantry you know storing everything your your ungas your flour your rice and now we are going on holiday you don't want when you come back three five days later or two weeks later you find weevils in your flour or you find you know those doodles in your flour you don't want to find that so Tapaway because it's air tight and liquid tight ensures that you do not get air inside and therefore food stays longer right so we also have microwave items we have different type of items but they all give you different solutions all right as you continue this conversation probably you'll tell us your social media and also that guys can check it out as you continue having this conversation all right perfect so our social media on our instagram is Tapawaya Tapawaya Kenya Equicite on facebook the same way Tapawaya Kenya Equicite and of course my page is Helen on both all right Helen so looking at Tapawaya so where do you guys get your products from and take us through that and how can people access them all right so we have a warehouse on Mombasa Road okay so you can contact me anytime on my handles on my phone or even just come to the warehouse we actually cook with them we demonstrate how we use the products and we have Ali D we call her Auntie Jen she's you know with that with the husband is called Uncle Nick we take everybody through how to cook them how to use them and also how to use them to earn an extra income as well all right so how long have you been into business when you look at Tapawaya how long has he been into the market in Kenya in Kenya it's actually since covid it's a it's a much baby 20 training yeah so far it's been great we love it all right so what was the market garbage is so because I'm so sure Ellen when you looked at any other business you could have picked any other business so why did you go for this one and who introduced you to this particular products awesome I've used Tapawaya since okay so I was once employed so I was in the airline industry and I used our bosses used to come with Tapawaya products and they would gift us over Christmas right so and I'm gifting people over Christmas anyone on this channel will get a gift once they contact us all right so they would gift us but these items would last like I still have those items like I told you since then so in March this year when covid came and I realized you know we were buying food you needed to keep food longer you know then also people lost the income so I sat back and I have a team of friends and young people that I mentor and moms that I mentor and and we thought so what do we do how do we preach this cup and then in so in March we said you know what a lady called Georgina we have we got a baby at the same time hey Georgina I know you're watching so you know we sat and we said why don't we get Tapawaya to get into homes people will save food longer people will you know have solutions but at the same time they'll be able to make an income so that is how we came about it so we were filling in the gap of loss income loss in the country and also keep your food longer because then we were buying foods and you didn't want to keep getting out of the house because you don't know you know early in March and April we stayed with those lockdown remember so we stayed indoors more yeah so this came into how we deal with that solution you think that so far so good but most businesses in 2020 they've been struggling during the recession period uh so how did you survive this particular few months considering to 2020 baby yeah what was your marketing strategy so word of mouth is one the good thing is that the products also are great so they're easy you know the the solution they give you like I like I've told you um your watermelon lasts maximum two days in your house but if you know so if you can find a way of it lasting for a week then definitely you learn that product so we look for something that is solution based right and also what keeps it going is because we give we we support uh businesses as well who support us in you know selling in sales or distributing these products so uh 2020 has been a good year and and without being insensitive to the people who've lost jobs or income once you know I keep saying COVID could have made us better or better for us we chose to say you know what COVID is going to make us better and so we are here many months later it's made us better all right so in the holiday mood season and I'm actually we we're checking out a couple of products from Tupperware it's on our screens and they're very colorful oh beautiful yes so you want when you enter your kitchen you feel you know life you know big life there has been so much dullness around you know so you want when you go to your to your kitchen you're feeling good about it when your guests visit you can sometimes serve them in beautiful items but also they're also eating fresh grateful yeah yeah also here the colors trigger appetite it is strong such colorful colors okay so let's look at we in the holiday season right and we won't we won't hide away to the fact that the economy or economical aspect in this particular it's been very tough we are we are people have lost jobs we have companies that have closed down so let's look at a couple ways we can uh you know get money during this uh uh festive season even as we're looking forward to spend with family and friends how can we make money in this festive season a couple of business ideas that we can get into all right the first place to start is what's your passion because once you know your passion you can turn it into profit anytime because you don't struggle you have the grace to do what you do for example if you're a good if you love cooking you have you already have the passion you already have the grace versus somebody who's learning how to cook so someone who's learning how to cook they would have to struggle so much to bring themselves to the point of putting in so much time to create you know that beautiful samosas or food or so identify your passion and then look for opportunities that support your passion so I've always said that you don't have to start with lots of money you don't have to start with capital start with your passion passion will turn and turn it into profit right so like again if if someone loves like for me I love to do sales I like to talk to people I like to give solutions so I will look for something that I love to do and and distribute it to people so my mind will be first look for passion what's your passion and God has gifted us in many ways you know small things like if you're the type that likes to do things with your hands turn them into profit and we have a lot of companies and people looking for those opportunities also for business people so if today I'm selling a pen and that pen costs for 50 shillings and I have 10 you know like I have a million of them to go I can choose you know what I'm going to sell I'm going to sell this pen for the same 50 shillings but every person who helps me distribute these pens I'm gonna give them a 10 shillings commission for example so that means instead of distributing alone 500 pens with three of us we're going to distribute 1500 pens what does that mean more income for us but more income for other people yeah so that's a way I'll look at it that's what I'll say business people let's support people who want who have the passion for what we do and also the people who have this skill and the talent for what we do we support each other if we do that everybody wins do you think this is the right time to start up any kind of business is there a specific time people might say uh covid has come let's move into 2021 things will be better the economy will be a little bit you know relaxed quite smooth compared to whatever we are experiencing right now is there a specific time we should eye for when starting a business the best time to plant a tree was 10 years ago the next best time is now it's right now so now is the time now is the right time to actually start a business if you look at the most great companies they started during recession most of them so any time is the right time just identify what your passion is all right for someone who's watching us and they cry oh I don't have capital just lost my job and barely it's just hand to mouth kind of situation what would you tell to that person yeah um I'll tell that person to find the kind of business that you can do without starting a capital without having capital or the kind of support like ours for example you don't need any money to start we have the products that we have the we do the marketing for you we do all all the you know um like distribute distributorship for you so all you need to do is actually avail yourself let your contacts know what you have and you start earning an income so if you're at zero if you're at rock bottom even if when you're not because we always say also have two three streams of income because you never know which one will work you know ecclesiasties 11 so start um look for an opportunity that can support you that way and then you pick yourself up from there yeah that's what I would say okay so for someone who is watching this conversation earlier on you mentioned something very important I don't want them to miss to miss out on this so you talked about opportunity at tap aware tap aware whereby you you were giving on a an opportunity where people can come in and you're going to work on commission so probably you can take us through that in details all right so what we do is that we you come in and you tell us you know I want to become we normally call you the demonstrator I want to help you or to spread the beautiful the beauty of tap aware into homes and so we will sit with you and we'll tell you okay we don't we have the products here we will support you with marketing we will train you we will use the products at the warehouse we cook at the warehouse we actually practically use the products and then once you sell them we will give you a commission upfront so that is one way that we're supporting individuals businesses and everybody else for someone who's watching this and they already have an ongoing business what will be your advice like tips to take advantage of during this holiday season to scale up the business yes one of them is the one I shared like expand expand expand as a business person do not be just you yourself and the people that you work with the more people help you to get your product out there and today we use a lot of word of month remember we have a lot of you know technology internet and all that so use your nieces use your cousins lose you know use everybody who's in your contact to help you tell people that the business exists right and don't misuse them don't you know uh when we we were growing up some time back you would have oh i'm helping my auntie i'm helping my uncle and you don't get an income for it but today in this world pay everyone who's helping you spread the business so that's one way the other way of course is is use the internet social media a lot uh webinars we now have things like zoom you know like we started using zoom over four years ago you know so use the when we see the webinars we are doing do them for free let people know the products exist whatever you're doing exist and you will grow your business yeah all right so for guys uh who are looking forward to having a good time right january is here you know the longest month in there right so what will be your your take on terms of budgeting you know for the expenditure of the celebration of family and friends and then we're coming to you know a new year you know there's responsibilities that build stupid so what how how who will be your advice on the aspect of budgeting now financial literacy is a very key element and my advice will be that clear before you spend for your holidays look at your income flow and check what it must be done for example school fees must be paid rent must be paid you know uh if you're a young person and you need to go back to school have a pouch as well so the first thing is that do a budget a clear budget look at what income you have because sometimes we have like christmas has uh december has two salaries you know so bonuses are coming you know they're coming too early yeah exactly so do the things like i i advise this is the best time to buy a school uniform this is the best time to buy school books because there's no traffic and the books are still going at good prices everything is still going at a good price that should be costing a next during next year then whatever remains that is what you spend on and that's why we are saying look for also extra ways of earning an income so that when you do your budget and you realize oops i i may not make it then you have a way of supplementing yeah but budget budget budget budget yeah we we should save now and if you're going for holiday you could have done that holiday already last year so my advice is if 2021 you want to go for holiday december is when you start saving for it because you get a good deal and you save more all right yeah so what's your plan for this festive season amazing plants we want to hear that all right um for me and my family uh it's a time of visiting friends and also thanking people who've been with us for the 2020 and also uh we take about five or so days to take a holiday uh out of town next time i'll talk to you about travel and how you expand your horizons through travel um and traveling also not cheap but in the in an intelligent way without spending too much so we'll be out of the country for some time and that conversation is something that i'm sure will be so much interested to hear we shall i tell you i'm a mom premier so i have different ways of making sure different streams of exactly speaking about different streams of income how can um how can one move from owning one business to owning other couple of others and expand to that level without losing focus and still be in a position whereby where you are tell talk to us about you know all the good stuff here that's traveling in a wise way so how can we gain that space of having different streams of income all right understanding your seasons is key so for a young person uh young people have 24 hours no babies no husbands no wives you know you have all the time this is the time to keep pruning your passion so as a young person keep doing different things to find out where do you feel this is what i'm comfortable with right then once you find it invest time into it and grow it then at a certain level delegate so that you can get on to something else delegation is the name of the game because if you focus on one thing also for too long you forget to grow yourself in other areas so just like we have seasons we have winter we have summer we have you know autumn we have spring you should also evolve in the same way that know your season that this is the season for this this is the season for the next thing like for moms so you could be a career lady and then you suddenly become a mother and you realize i cannot do so much so identify that season and realize what can i do in this season right or in the season like we have uh some most many people in winter they lost jobs or they lost an income that's a winter season then identify that season but tries above it and find something you can do within it but how you prepare for it you don't prepare for battle on the day of battle you prepare for battle way before so when the battle comes you're ready get so it is in those times that i'm saying keep trying different things even when your business is running don't just be one-sided be have have a map of a way of knowing these are my skills and i can do so much with these things so be present in your current situation yes for sure do you strategize on different scenarios by anything can go wrong in terms of a business everything that does go wrong yeah life wouldn't be life it never goes wrong it will always go wrong so do you strategize for that in a situation like that how will i react how will i respond to that this happen how will i respond to that do you do that yes for sure for sure um i i normally i normally say how let your plan a be your plan a but that means your direction your focus doesn't change but how to get there can change i can decide that i want to i don't know i want to be i want to grow my business to maybe 10 million per month to make 10 million 10 million per month right that's my goal but then when i started off maybe i thought i will have three staff or ten staff and then i get half of there and i realize i'm gonna go achieve that with three staff so what do i do i open my business for other people to come in and support me so things will always come up uh you could uh things that we cannot control some you could fall sick or our family member could need you whatever anything can go wrong it just knowing that when it happens we will still get there it's having the resilience and persistence that you know what the goal is there but how we get there we will just keep going back going around going around entrepreneurs always have the resilience to be able to change the routes yeah to where you go flexibility flexibility yes well a couple of financial lessons that you've learned along the way in your in your business just moving from one business to another money is a currency and money flows it's not stagnant so it will know your address today it will change your address tomorrow itself so you need to know how to keep the current of money flowing right and so the what i've discovered is that always you always have a way of keeping your pockets sealed you know take care of the coins because the coins take care of the big monies if you if you can take care of the small monies you'll not be able to know where your big money went i don't know that you've had an experience where you have a budget and in the minutes money 30 000 100 000 comes your ATM is calling your name and then it says kfc and then you say see that shoe that dress that shoe that dress yeah so have a way of making sure that currency money is flowing into your house money is flowing into your pocket once you have that discipline then you'll deal with those you know cravings of oh that shoe that kfc that you'll you'll have a relationship with money that you're able to handle yeah yeah just make currency flowing make sure okay then that brings me to investment yeah what are the couple of investment plans that the youth can get involved in yes that are actually favorable first investment is yourself okay yourself why do you say that many of us will get few coins by land but because you don't have the information or the know-how of what to do next it stays there at the next thing you're selling it because you want to sell off something so as a youth invest in personal development in mentorship in you know coaching invest in those things because what is inside is what will help you make proper investments so you don't get conned I don't know that you had you know situations where people have gone to buy land and they got conned yeah at the beginning I made those mistakes also so I'm sharing what what has happened along the way and then at the same time when you're young and you make some money enjoy it but invest it back into your passions you start with your passions because your passions will then be able you then be able to afford the greater things right to people not to afford the lands that you want to people to afford to to get the factory that you want to start um you'll be able to do farming if you want so when you have the ideally Michelle feeds your minds and your mind will feed your pockets we should just send this interview on that note wow you know what you mentioned which is very very interesting is that you know when we have this conversation with the youth and talking about investments they always think about the bigger picture which is the land all about properties so they don't look at it in a way that where I am at the present what can I do currently to invest in myself and probably skews and yeah so and I don't blame them we don't have many our parents also didn't have that remember very few of them if they had and most of them used to focus on education education education you know so you find that at the space of talents the space of passion turning it into profit wasn't so groomed but I'm glad it's coming up now so for the youth mine will be forget those Netflix forget those those you know those long seasons that we watch focus on investing in your mind you know by wisdom um you know the Bible even says by wisdom so buy as much wisdom as you can because then you will use it to invest wisely to do everything because the way you do one thing is that you do everything if your finances are not okay trust me your relationships will not be okay you know your health will not be okay everything else will not be okay the way you do one thing is the way you do everything you know yeah what is the proper uh what is the best saving plan because uh when you talk about when you talk to the youth yeah when you look at savings it's just you know putting your money to the bank but I believe there are different saving plans and we are ready to learn from you so the banks will not love me for this because the bank is the last the last place you shouldn't put money why are you putting our money Helen why are you putting our money the you know I don't know about you know about this parable that say that at some point the owner said when he had this this person who came with so many talents gave had three people gave and the last person who never returned the talent in profit he said the worst place you could have put you could have put it in the bank unless it could have given me some profit you know so if you have nothing else to do and you don't know what to do the bank is the last place but we have very very many ways of growing your money first thing I normally talk about is we have stocks those ones will pay you more than the bank we have other skills you can learn along the way we have skills today in technology we have very many things we can do you can use insurance as well you know to to manage your money you can we have funds we also have businesses that you can do skills that you can do like personally I love doing things like forex that will grow your money and you're the one growing your money so every single day you control of how your money is growing okay you also do investments that grow your money you know small things like buying I have 20,000 today instead of taking that 20,000 to the bank I look what's my skill what do I like I'm in college or I'm in high school I look at what are my friends wearing I'll take that 20,000 I'll go to easily I'll go to the combat I'll go and pick a few things come and sell them I'll move my 20,000 into 40,000 isn't it yeah so instead of thinking of saving in that way save progressively I'll use things like Mshuari people use Mshuari for taking loans unfortunately and Mshuari is a great product for saving because oh at the end of the year and guys I'm not advertising you I'm just saying what works is that they give you because of having saved and didn't take a loan with them they give you an interest did you know that yeah so those are some of the ways look for things that are coming up that allow that give you a chance for you to save and earn back all right so now we know the bank is not the place where you should take them no no all right what are a couple of achievements stories that looking back in your journey being in business for how long in general this will be my 10 11th year over a decade yeah absolutely so looking at your journey looking back just because a scenario whereby you look look at that particular scene and you feel like that was an achievement for you yeah wow so when I was running my travel business and I got the chance to partner with other travel you know gurus in the industry and we actually ran a business that we could do we could change lives through travel I look back and I tell myself travel was the best thing that opened my eyes and everyone else around me because what that company would do they also give us personal development coaching but also travel in different countries experience different cultures experience different businesses and we were able to do that and I was able to pick up a few of my friends and we were able to do that and today actually all of us are in stable running businesses I not one business so the exposure the exposure is very key the travel is very very key you cannot be in Kenya and you live you've only gone to one or two counties michelle you have to be able and doesn't have to be expensive take a bus go to I don't know western central go to kissy go to wherever just experience what happens when you come back you'll have your mind will have grown but you will use it at a later time like we are doing today yeah so what motivates you to just keep going and and be focused in what you do motivation is like bathing we wake up every day and you know you we create a habit of wake up shower brush your teeth these are things that are in you practice over time and they become so keeping yourself motivated is waking up every day and looking at the mirror and saying you know I love this girl and I'm competing with this girl and I'm going to push her to do her best so don't compete with anybody out there everybody is created unique but you wake up every day and saying just like bathing I'm going to wake up and I'll stay motivated for this day irrespective of what the challenges are because like I told you challenges will always be there that's the beauty of life but the ability to overcome is is and to keep running the race is what matters someone who's watching this conversation and they have heard whatever you've seen all the the process the tips and let's look at just finalizing it someone who's watching this conversation and their desire to start up a business they have an idea but they don't know how to go about it yeah all right mentors mentors mentors in your business whatever business you want to start or whichever make sure it's your passion and look for go to the internet look for other people who've succeeded in that particular business and learn from them reach out to them people are always willing to mentor I'm always looking for you know I we always say when you go up take the lift back down press top let it go back down to pick somebody else so mentors are many but they don't know you they don't know you're there looking for that business you have that business idea so look for people in the business idea that you have contact them reach out to them listen to their story listen to how they did it and you'll be able to building capacity building capacity okay so how can you guys find you again on social media handles if they want to take this conversation further and they want to reach out and talk to you about tap away all right so my personal page is Helen Muyumbo on both facebook and instagram then for for tap away household business it's tap away Kenya excite to find us on instagram and on facebook as well our numbers are also there as well all right thank you Helen Muyumbo for creating time to be with us taking to a lot of ways we can make money during this holiday season and I'm sure young guys back at home have learned one or two three things yes for me no money in the bag no more I enjoy your holidays yes thank you very much so I try to for channel is where you can find us across all the social media platform at michella share is where you can find me across all my social will be right back with more on why in the morning entrepreneurship Tuesday that is


The next item of business is a member's business debate on motion 4061 in the name of Maurice Corry. On combat stress, finds veterans in Scotland face higher levels of deprivation than those in the rest of the UK. This debate will be concluded without any questions being put. With those members who wish to speak in the debate, please press the request to speak buttons now in our call, Maurice Corry, to open the debate. Mr Corry, please, seven minutes. Please could I ask the public to leave quietly so that we can hear Mr Maurice Corry in a very important debate. I thank members who supported my motion, allowing this debate to take place today. I would also like to welcome today the staff members who have come from combat stress to join us in the public gallery. I welcome them here and all the work that they do throughout the years to help our veterans and our armed forces personnel. Many of my colleagues will know that I am a veteran myself, so the subject of veterans' mental health is one that I feel very strongly about. I have campaigned enthusiastically to ensure that the veterans' issues are not overlooked for many years, first as a councillor in Argyll and Bute Council and now as an MSP for West Scotland. I believe passionately that the veterans should get recognition that they deserve for serving our country, which is why combat stress findings that veterans in Scotland face the greatest risk of deprivation in both levels of income and employment and is a great concern for me and something that needs to be addressed. I visited recently combat stress Holybush House centre in Ayrshire and was impressed with the service that they are offering and very much recognised this service as being absolutely vital to our forces and our veterans and also is now fully recognised by the national health service. Combat stress was started in 1919 and has built up an excellent service to our veterans and also to our serving armed forces personnel. I think that it is important to firstly note that the fact that we are even able to have an open debate today about the impact of mental health issues amongst veterans is a huge step forward. It has previously been an issue that many service personnel were reluctant to accept. However, by talking about it and trying to help those who do unfortunately suffer from poor mental health, we are helping to get rid of the stigma that still surrounds mental health and this is a huge achievement. I do believe that it is also worth mentioning the great strides forward which the MOD are taking in helping to fight issues surrounding mental health within the ranks of the armed forces. Combat stress is multiple deprivation in help seeking UK veterans report, which I have a copy here, gives us an overview on the experiences of deprivation in a national sample of veterans with mental health difficulties. It helps to give us a better idea of how best to target specialised military support to veterans with mental health difficulties themselves. It is a survey of over 3,000 veterans registered with combat stress, which is the leading UK mental health charity. It has discovered that the veterans living in Scotland have higher levels of deprivation in income and employment than veterans living in the rest of the UK. In particular, I think that the finding that half of Scottish veterans registered with combat stress live in the most deprived three areas of Scotland is really quite shocking and something which needs to be addressed. Those veterans are already dealing with a range of complex mental issues, whether they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression and anxiety, so that it is a struggle enough for them to adjust back into the civilian world. Then you add to the fact that they are having to cope with higher levels of deprivation in income and employment and they are living in the most deprived areas of Scotland, and you begin to see why it is so vital that we need to do something to help. Given that many veterans who do not suffer from mental health issues struggle to deal with the transition from military to civilian life, we cannot begin to imagine how hard it is for that particular group of ex-servicemen and women. It is up to the Scottish Government to work with agencies and charities to minimise the challenges faced by veterans and mental health issues. The report highlights the inequalities that face veterans in Scotland and in terms of employment so that why I and I am sure everyone in this chamber welcome Eric Fraser's work as a Scottish Veterans Commissioner and his 19 recommendations. I was glad to see that the new strategic working group on employment has convened and that they held their first meeting last month and I look forward to hearing the outcome of that meeting and future meetings. I think that this is a very positive step in the right direction to ensure that veterans who settle in Scotland are not left disadvantaged from their military service but playing a full and productive role. A further area raised in the Congress's report was that it takes the average veteran 11 years to seek help after leaving the military. That brings me back to my previous point that, by even discussing this issue today in Parliament, we are making headway on the issue of mental health among veterans. It could be that a veteran does not recognise or want to admit that they are suffering from mental health issues. It does not seek help for many years or could it be that mental health symptoms do not set in until other events trigger them at a later date? Either way, our debate today and the work carried out by Combat Stress to produce this report sends a clear message to veterans who think that they could be suffering from poor mental health and that it is okay to admit that they need help and that there is help out there for them. The report sets out that those who waited the longest to seek help were the ones who could be found living in the most deprived areas. That demonstrates that it is crucial for the Scottish Government to support mental health organisations and encourage veterans to use the resources that are available to them and get help early. It is also important to note that, of those who fear multiple deprivation, there was a high proportion of early service leavers. That is a group who need to be continually supported as they have also the highest unemployment rates to ensure that they can get the best out of them as a transition into the civilian world. Maurice Corry has mentioned a number of times the responsibilities of the Scottish Government. Does he recognise any impact on deprivation for veterans from the welfare changes that have taken place in the UK Government in relation to housing benefit, disability benefits and war pensions? Does he recognise any impact from those changes that are impacting on veterans in Scotland? I thank you for your intervention, cabinet secretary. I understand where you are coming from, but, as we go forward, there are many charities and many organisations, and local authorities, from my experience, are willing to help those people to deliver help and the support that they need. In particular, under the mental health issues, combat stress is supplying that help so admirably. Deputy Presiding Officer, in conclusion, I repeat my thanks to those who have helped to ensure that they are able to hold this important debate here in the chamber today. I also thank combat stress for their research and for bringing us this report, and, most importantly, for their support for the many veterans who deal with mental health conditions on a daily basis. Thank you very much, Mr Corry. I call Mary Todd. We follow by Edward Mountain. Ms Todd, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and thank you, Maurice Corry, for bringing forward this important debate. One of the first chats that I and Mr Corry had after we were elected was about veterans' mental health. We quickly realised that we had a common interest, so not only is this issue vitally important, it brings politicians together, even those from such diverse backgrounds and political views, as I and Maurice Corry. As many of you know, I worked in mental health for 20 years, and I now co-convene the cross-party group on mental health. One of the first meetings that we held was on veterans' mental health, and it was great to hear from combat stress at that meeting about the valuable work that they do to support veterans. While I welcome the report for highlighting the really important issue of multiple deprivation, I find that I cannot fully support the motion. The report analysed a sample of only 332 veterans who were seeking help from combat stress in Scotland. That is out of a total veteran population of over 400,000, so the point here is that any findings can only be generalisable to the group seeking support from combat stress and are not necessarily representative of the Scottish veteran community as a whole. The report clearly states on page 81 that each country reported the relative measure of deprivation independently, thus the measure cannot be used as a relative measure between the four countries and that conclusions cannot be drawn about the causality of associations. Veterans in Scotland were overrepresented in this study, with English veterans underrepresented. Compared to the general population and make-up of the UK as a whole, we need to be very cautious about drawing comparisons with other parts of the UK based on the findings of the report. The Scottish group were different in other ways, too. Those factors might have had more of an impact on the levels of deprivation that they suffer than the geography alone. They were more likely to have served in the armies and in the other forces. They were more likely to be single males. They were more likely to be an early service leaver, as Maurice Corry mentioned, and they had taken longer to seek help. I want to pick up particularly on the issue of being an early service leaver. The research that Dr Beverly Bergman presented at the cross-party group showed that the high risk of mental illness amongst the earliest leavers may reflect their pre-service vulnerabilities, which were not detected at the point of recruitment. Those became apparent during early training and lead to early discharge. Of course, poverty in childhood is a risk factor for later mental illness. Campaigns such as ForceWatt and Scottish Quakers earlier last year petitioned Holyrood to stop the high number of recruitment drives by the armed forces in schools in deprived areas. Their argument is that many veterans would have gone into the forces young and from the most deprived areas originally contributing to their lagging position when they leave the services. We all agree that veterans deserve the best possible support and care that society can offer across Scotland and the UK as a whole. The Scottish Government has a strong track record with supporting veterans, and I am sure that the cabinet secretary will list the many initiatives in his summing up. The UK Government, on the other hand, has presided over a rise in insecure employment, welfare cuts and ideologically driven austerity. That has contributed to a rise in homelessness and food bank use across the UK. Children, families, pensioners and veterans have all been pushed into poverty and crisis because of UK Government policies. Let's not forget that. Presiding Officer, I would like to thank you and Maurice Corry for allowing me to speak in this debate. It's actually a very important debate. I'm proud to declare at the outset, like Maurice Corry, that I've been a soldier and, furthermore, my son is a current soldier. I would also like to point out in light of the last comment that a lot of things have happened differently in the last 12 or so years in relation to serving soldiers in that they have been more on the front line than we ever have before. Although soldiers in the armed forces have since the Second World War served in over 100 different conflicts, they have not ever done so for such prolonged periods or, in many cases, for those amount of tours that have been done. I'm sure that we all recognise that stress disorders affect service personnel in a different way. Some know that they've got a problem and some don't. Some can cope and some cannot. Some know where to turn and some have no idea. Nothing is indeed simple. I found the report provided by the charity Combat Stress, an interesting and provocative paper, and I'd like to publicly thank them for it. As an ex-soldier, it did surprise me—sorry, it did not surprise me—that the majority of service personnel who suffered Combat Stress were from the army. It's easy to see that the horrors of getting up close and personal will be more traumatic, but nonetheless, not as vital as—sorry, I'm going to start that again—it's easy to see that the horrors of getting up close and personal will be traumatic and that the vital and somewhat indirect support that both the RAF and the Navy give don't take them that close to the front line. Let me be clear. I do not demean the vital roles that they play, but the way they serve is different. Turning to the report and some of the information that was provided was surprising but also very helpful, but it does give us some highly important flags that we need to use in relation to our veterans. It's immensely sad to me that it took on average over 11 years for people who suffer from Combat Stress to seek help. I'm not sure that the report identifies why this is, but we need to find out why and try to encourage veterans to come forward much earlier. I found it interesting that those sort help were just as likely to be married as single. However, it seems that soldiers who were single when they were exposed to combat were more likely to be affected. To me, it's clear that sharing the pain of one's experiences makes them easier to bear. I'd like to see further work to identify if those who were married were in a relationship presented earlier than those that were not. I also find it disappointing that some still find it difficult to identify combat stress-related disorders and that those early levers are more likely to suffer. This shows the need for further education while serving and longer-term support when leaving, especially if you leave before your time is up. Indeed, the support that the services give to serving soldiers over the longer period that they serve perhaps bears this out. All of these points, however, give us a strong guide what we must do. It appears to me that, for every five years, we should monitor those who have identified from the fags as being most likely to suffer from combat stress and ensure that they are offered the appropriate treatment. It is also clear that we need to offer a national treatment plan to deal with the issues, and that came across loud and clear in the report. I would like to turn to an issue that was highlighted in the report, and that is the fact that veterans living in Scotland in urban areas and those who are unemployed appear to be the greatest risk of deprivations. That in turn means that they are more likely to suffer from mental health difficulties. We must make sure that our veterans who are most vulnerable do not fall between the cracks. I therefore believe that an enhanced support package should be considered by the Scottish Government and local government under the armed forces charter. In conclusion, I would like to commend this excellent report. We have much to do to support our veterans. We need to tackle the problems that are faced by those in urban areas in Scotland that seem to make them more vulnerable to stress-related problems. We have been given some key pointers. We need to watch those people who are vulnerable. I call on the Scottish Government and the UK Government to deliver to those who have served us often in the most difficult of circumstances. I call Johann Lamont to be followed by Richard Lochhead. Thank you very much, Deputy Presiding Officer. I congratulate Maurice Corry on bringing forward this debate and an issue that I think is of central importance to the work that we should be doing both here and across the country. I have for a very short time had the privilege of being a Government minister. In that time, the greatest privilege of all was to be the veterans minister. I was struck with the power of the voices of those who spoke up for those who suffered in combat and who had their rights generally ignored. They were a group and a force to be reckoned with. It is because of their courage in campaigning for the rights of veterans that people across the parties said that this was something that across the party that we could agree on, that it was the job of the Government wherever you were in government to recognise the particular experience of veterans and our particular obligations to those who had sought to defend our country or who had sought to support peacekeeping across the world. While we may want to look at this debate about which Government may be responsible for particular difficulties, I know that at heart we all want to rise to the challenge that has been put before us by veterans, by combat stress and others to say that we have a particular responsibility to understand their needs and provide services in a way that best suits them. We also recognise, obviously, the particularly important question of mental health issues in a world in which we are becoming more progressive. We need to understand the particular impacts of those who have been in combat and recognise that, although general provision may be suitable, it is right to understand the need for particular provision supported by those who understand more than I could ever do what the consequence of what they have experienced has been. We need both general understanding but specific provision. It is also true in relation to whether it is housing or employment or other services. The question should be asked by those who are delivering the services. Is there a particular impact on veterans and is there a particular need that is being experienced that we need to taper and develop our services for, and particularly for those who do not want even to seek help? I know that there has been progress in this regard. All of us, I think, need to reflect on the evidence in this report and elsewhere and rise to its challenge. There is an understandable desire to look at where the report is not reflecting properly the range of differences across the whole of the United Kingdom. To me, the biggest message that this report presents is that there are people who are suffering in our country as veterans and wherever we have our levers of power, we need to use those powers to support and address those concerns. Maybe I say this because I am very far away from power, but the job of Government is to look at the evidence, listen to the voices and address those concerns where you have the ability to do so. Dr David Webbs produced a report this week on the issue of sanctions. People like nurses, social workers and social care workers will tell us what is happening in the real world with the provision of services and the impact of disability sanctions. What does that tell me when we talk about the veterans who are suffering in a whole range of different ways as others are? Do not silo your policy on disability or in budget decisions around local government away from the impact of the people who will suffer as a consequence. We will be strengthened in our resolve to support veterans if we look to the evidence and then develop the policy and fund it that will make a difference to the people that we are talking about here, but more generally. I congratulate combat stress and all those veterans who have given voice to the needs and experience of those who have served this country. Our job now is to make sure that wherever we have influence, we develop policy that meets the needs that they have identified. Richard Lochhead is called by Peter Chapman. I add my congratulations to Maurice Corry for securing this debate, which does highlight a number of very important issues and notwithstanding Moritaw's very valid points. I think that the actual themes highlighted by the report and in this debate are extremely important, and we should continue to debate them in the times ahead. I also want to recognise that veterans issues have received such a much higher profile in recent years, especially since devolution in terms of Scottish issues in this Parliament, and the current Government, of course, brought forward the First Minister for Veterans Issues, the Veterans Fund and appointed the country's first Veterans Commissioner. That together is giving a much greater focus to many of the very serious and difficult issues facing the veteran community in Scotland. MSP for Murray, which I believe must have, if not the highest, one of the highest concentrations of veterans living in one particular part of Scotland. I know many of them personally, myself, who are friends and neighbours, and I know many of the issues that they have to cope with in everyday life in the years since they have left the various services. I am also aware of the very valuable contribution that is made by Combat Stress, and many other organisations who are now out there doing their best to offer practical support advice and so on. I congratulate Combat Stress on this report. Yes, there are parts that require much further research, and I hope that the minister will respond to that when he is closing the debate. However, we have to be concerned by any report that says that a survey of 3,000 veterans that those living in Scotland are more susceptible under this report to living in areas of multiple deprivation, and all the issues that that brings. There are a couple of issues that we want to quickly highlight in the report. Firstly, there is the fact that, as Maurice Corry and others have indicated, the report does say that a fifth of veterans' access and care at Combat Stress are early service leavers, and early service leavers are at most risk of mental illness and three times more likely to commit suicide. That is quite an alarming conclusion in the report, which we have to take seriously and delve further into. It also highlights the need to make sure that support is available at appropriate times for early leavers from the services. Again, the report says that there is still a significant overall delay between leaving the armed forces and seeking help, as it says in page 11 of the report. That makes it extremely important that the services are available and that veterans leaving the services know that the services are available. I like the idea that the one-stop shops are being created. I know that there are many organisations doing good work across the country, but the veterans' first point that has been set up, and there are now eight centres across Scotland offering a one-stop shop, is a very important way forward. Just to be parochial and talk about the issues in Murray for a second, there is a veterans' first point in Inverness, and there is one in Aberdeen Servants and Grampian. Despite the fact that the organisation says that the main focus for veteran interface actually occurs in Elgin in Murray, we do not have a veterans' first point in Murray, which, as I said before, has a particularly high concentration of veterans living in the local community. Perhaps that is something that the organisation is no doubt looking at at the moment and will continue to look at at the moment. However, it does have a drop-in location at the Elgin resource centre. Indeed, the MOD has just seconded a nurse to work there alongside the NHS and other organisations. I think that it is important to make sure that the support is available, but the veterans know where to access the support, otherwise there is no point of having available if they do not know where to go. I hope that we can build on their good work moving forward. I also think that the cabinet secretary should reflect on his own intervention earlier on and look further into the impact of the UK Government's welfare reforms and other policies on exacerbating poverty fuel stop in Scotland, which, according to his report, will have a disproportionate impact on veterans. We have to understand what that impact will be. I hope that the cabinet secretary will perhaps commission some more work into some of the themes that emerge from the report, as well as the impact of his own policies, and particularly, in this case, the UK Government's welfare reform policies as well. Thank you. I call Peter Chapman, the last speaker in the open debate. Mr Chapman, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. First, I thank my colleague Maurice Corry for bringing this important debate to Parliament today. It is worrying to think that so many of our service personnel who have served their country and put their life on the line to keep us safe find life so difficult on coming out of the forces. The report, conducted by veterans' mental health charity Combat Stress, presented some particularly distressing information. One of the most concerning was the fact that it took, on average, 11 years for the people in need of support to ask for that help, and I wonder why so long. Another notable statistic was the fact that nearly one in five were early service leavers. Those people obviously need closer observation and more support in the early years of coming out of the forces. The report was based on a sample of over 3,000 veterans, all of whom were active clients with combat stress. Combat stress is the largest provider of community and residential evidence-based mental health interventions in the UK after the NHS. It is also the leading specialist clinical service provider for veterans, with some services commissioned by the NHS. The majority of the sample of the report were male—that is highly surprising—with an average age of 48. Of the sample, 48 per cent were in a relationship and 52 per cent were single. The majority of the folk in the survey had served in the army—87 per cent from the army—only 7 per cent in the navy and 6 per cent in the air force. However, that split is not surprising, as army personnel are much more likely to be in the front line and in close contact with the horrors of war. What was a surprise to me was the very low number of only 4 per cent who were in receipt of a pension. Perhaps the most significant finding was that veterans living in Scotland appeared to be at the greatest risk of deprivation compared to those anywhere else in the UK, with combat stress chief executive Sue Freith stating that the findings highlight the significant challenges that Scottish veterans face. Those challenges are in contrast with those living in Northern Ireland, where, on average, there is less risk of deprivation. I wonder what they are doing different in Northern Ireland. Further, 63 per cent of those who left their service early in Scotland were in the three most deprived areas, but of those who left after 15 years or more, only 32 per cent fell into the most deprived categories, a trend that is not echoed across the rest of the UK. This is a distressing report in many ways, and I hope that it is the beginning of a more caring and supportive regime for members of the armed forces as they leave and return to civilian life. Given that we now know many of these vulnerable ex-servicemen and women spiral into homelessness, debt and mental stress in the first few years as civilians, we must put in place mechanisms of support and monitoring over a period of time to help them to adjust to life away from the forces. It is surely the least that we can do for them as they were prepared to commit the ultimate sacrifice for us to maintain our freedoms and our safety. I therefore call on the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government to devise a strategy of support to address the obvious difficulties that arise upon leaving the forces. A civilised society, Presiding Officer, can do nothing less. Thank you very much. I call on Keith Brown to close the cabinet secretary's seven minutes of their abouts, please. I would also congratulate Maurice Corry on bringing this debate to the chamber and to acknowledge and commend Maurice Corry and Edward Mountain for their lenti service in the armed forces. The Scottish Government has worked tirelessly in support of the armed forces and veterans community. It has been acknowledged across the chamber many times in the past. We have a commitment to ensuring that the armed forces, veterans and their families receive the best possible levels of support. We set that out in the renewing of our commitments document in 2016. Much progress has been made from support on housing to ensuring that, from 1 April this year, veterans who receive social care in Scotland will receive the full value of their ward pensions, and that is thanks to £5 million of funding. In relation to combat stress, we are lucky here in Scotland to have so many excellent charities and organisations that provide a range of support to veterans and their families. Combat stress is one that plays, as we have heard, a major role in supporting those veterans suffering from mental health. They offer a full range of specialist mental health assessment treatment, education, advice and support to help recovery and improve quality of life for veterans across Scotland. The Scottish Government is funded by the tune of around £1.24 million per year and £200,000 in the last year for community outreach work. Three years of funding up to 2018 will comprise £3.6 million in partnership with NHS Scotland for veterans resident in Scotland at their Holybush house facility in here, which has been mentioned. It is also worth remembering that those using that service make up a small percentage of those who have served in the UK Armed Forces. It is also true to say that we have made available £1.1 million through the Scottish Veterans Fund since its creation in 2008, supporting 144 projects. We have appointed, as Richard Lochhead mentioned, the first Scottish Veterans Commissioner in 2014, established a network of armed forces and veterans champions in our local authorities and other public bodies. We have also published in 2016 the newing our commitments document that I mentioned and our desire for Scotland to be the destination of choice for those leaving the armed forces wherever they come from across the UK. We have made, I think, great strides in promoting that message, although there is still no question about a small but very important number of veterans who struggle to make the transition to civilian life. Although overall, our veterans and their families are unquestionably true assets to their communities, to their employers and to this country. The report, from combat stress, was based on responses from just over 300 Scottish veterans. It explores only the experiences of veterans who were already engaging with that organisation. It has been pointed out that there are a huge number of veterans in Scotland or those who make Scotland their home. Further, the report is clear that each country—and it is important to bear this in mind—reported a relative measure of deprivation independently, so no direct comparison could be made between the different countries. Although the simple point is that those who require to have assistance in this regard, in relation to deprivation in particular, have to be treated on their own merits, regardless of how things are elsewhere. I, for my part, accept that more can be done, and that there is no question that veterans struggling to make ends meet just like other members of society, as Johann Lamont mentioned. I met some of those veterans earlier on this week at the coming home centre for veterans in government, and Maurice Corry also attended that event. The message that I hear is that decisions that are taken by the UK Government that are driving people into hardship, poverty and deprivation, are preeminent. Around £1 billion has been cut from welfare spending in Scotland by 2020-21, with a £0.2 billion cut due to changes coming into force this year alone. We will continue to strive to protect the most vulnerable and those on low incomes by mitigating the worst impacts of those cuts. For example, in relation to the bedroom tax, we have made sure that nobody has had to pay the bedroom tax. We are already taking action on reducing poverty. Our Fairer Scotland action plan sets out 50 concrete aims that will help to veterans and others over the course of this Parliament in trying to tackle inequality. We have invested more than £350 million to mitigate UK Government welfare reform and to support low-income families, and we have established a £1 million fair food fund as well. I recognise the point that was made about the length of time that it takes veterans to come forward. I have made suggestions two years ago to the MOD that they could help with simply by making sure that the records for somebody who is leaving the armed forces have to go to a designated GP when they leave the armed forces. That way, the falling between the cracks that happen when somebody leaves the armed forces and then, sometimes, as we all know, they do not take up either some of the other assistance that is available because they do not want to do that and that is their right, or they do not take health support because they have not had to do that in a civilian setting perhaps for a number of years. If you send that stuff, if you send the medical records to a GP designated by the service leaver, they then know who they are dealing with, they know the background of the person that they are dealing with, they know the experience that they have had in the armed forces and, of course, they will make sure that there is at least a very first check with that veteran. That seems to me like a straightforward and sensible way to try and deal with it. It will not be the only way to deal with it. There will be other things that have to be done as well, but a straightforward and sensible way to deal with it. It is true, and I have seen this over the years that I have been the veterans minister. The MOD started off, and senior people in the armed forces started off with the view that those that have been recruited from areas of deprivation, essentially it was that condition that we got them in, and if that is the condition in which they leave us, then that is their lookout. That has changed over recent years. I have seen a much more enlightened approach, where it is quite simply the case that if it is the case that the armed forces in Scotland and elsewhere have recruited disproportionately from areas of deprivation, there is an on-going responsibility not just of the armed forces but of the state itself to look after those people, not least because of the point that is being made because of the service that they have given. I think that there are things that we can do. I am more than happy to look at commissioning the work that was suggested by Richard Lochhead. I do not think that there is any reason why the cross-party group is up for them to decide what they want to do. We would not also want to look at some of the impact of welfare changes in terms of the deprivation that veterans suffer here in Scotland. That is entirely up to them. We will look further into that. However, I hope that my response has helped to reassure the chamber of the Scottish Government's wholehearted and on-going support for our armed forces in the veterans community. As has been said by Peter Chapman, we should be doing that, not least because they have been prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice in defence of the freedoms that we all enjoy. If we have any conscience, we should recognise that service, recognise that sacrifice and make sure that we do everything that we can to help those veterans who, when they come out of the armed forces—and it is important to recognise that point—it is said to me all the time by veterans organisations that the vast majority of people come out of the armed forces and managed to go into civilian life with virtually no issues. There are others who do not and those who do not deserve our full support. For that reason, I think that it is appropriate once again to commend Maurice Corry and bring this debate to the chamber.


Good morning. I welcome you all to the 36th annual national prayer breakfast and Before I introduce to you the fine group of men behind me I'd like to first thank Congressman Bob stump for his beautiful pre-breakfast prayer and To thank him also for his leadership in the house prayer grew Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. I don't think so.  Good morning. Good morning. Can you yes? Good morning. We now have a microphone that works. I Want to welcome you to the 36th annual national prayer breakfast and Before I introduce the fine group of young men behind me. I Want to thank congressman Bob stump for his beautiful pre-breakfast prayer. We're still off We're having a little problem with our mic and we'll get it worked out Welcome you again and begin by thanking congressman Bob stump of Arizona for our pre-breakfast prayer And the Wheaton College men's glee club For a wonderful beginning of this fine day. Let's give them a hand. We're just For our opening prayer. I want to present Admiral William J. Crowell chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff a man who's a distinguished career spans from as a young naval aid to president Eisenhower and president Eisenhower was our President of our first national prayer breakfast to hold the highest job in our military But also a man who has always recognized a need for prayer in divine guidance Admiral crowd. Thank you, sir Good morning You can't see yourselves, but I want to ensure you that you're a very inspiring sight The national prayer breakfast began in 1953 as a gathering of our government's leaders And I understand it was organized by president Eisenhower and a number of his friends in the Congress Whom had over the course of a lifetime of service found strength in a relationship with God Together they desire to make a conspicuous renewal of their dedication to the principles of their faith Now this is an institution and it has its represents an honored place in our national life the national prayer breakfast There is a corridor in the Pentagon dedicated to president Dwight Eisenhower's memory It's just outside the office of the secretary. Please join me in prayer Heavenly father. We have come together this morning To reaffirm our dedication to your teachings We still strive to give your commandment's life in our time We still yearn for that peaceful concert of peoples that order of justice and liberty In which all men can pursue their rightful aspirations in tranquility We still seek that unity in which all can share in the world's bounty We know these things are the heart's desire and the birthright of every individual on earth Grant us the wisdom to see the way to these ends through clouds of division and discord Make us strong against worldly weaknesses and vigilant to find and redress our own shortcomings Help us to see your image and others and to understand their ways of serving and searching for your path But all understand that to serve you is to hasten the day when nations without exception Shall lay aside rivalries and feuds and embrace one another as brothers This we ask on behalf of all your children and in your name Amen Now if you will allow me to introduce a few people who although do they do not appear on your program are very Significant to all of us especially those of us at the head table and if you will stand as I introduce you from my left Shirley Crowe the wife of Admiral William Crowe his crowd Bill together with Ellen his wife have been senator Bill Armstrong Thank you Lawton, thank you for your generous words far more than I deserve I sure wish you'd been with me in Cortez, Colorado the other day though In Cortez, Colorado instead of getting a wonderful introduction like that The person who was preparing to introduce me arose and began to ramble through a lengthy Disorganized introduction and it finally occurred to him Lawton as he was speaking that at some point in my life I had been interested in a particular obscure portion of the tax code and he began to explain The tax code to this audience and he got about three or four minutes into it And it finally dawned on him that this was getting completely off the rails and he stopped and he said If I try to tell you any more about this, I'm just going to make a fool of myself and I don't want to do that But senator Armstrong will Thank you. Lawton. Thank you ladies and gentlemen. Mr. President. This is Reagan Mr.. Secretary Admiral distinguished guests my colleagues what a great morning. I don't know about you, but I'm excited This is a very very special time For Ellen and me and and I really believe for our country and for all of the nations that are represented here this morning And I want to join my colleagues in welcoming you to this unique gathering In a spirit of friendship In the spirit of brotherhood and in the spirit of Jesus Christ as I look out into the audience I see so many distinguished lawyers. I almost hate to bring up a legal issue, but I can't help recalling a Particular lawsuit. It wasn't Howard. It was not a great issue of constitution Some of you in the room knew dr. Charles Malick who passed away recently Important thing and the reason why I don't want to dwell on my own experience is that is what a wonderful wonderful message President this is the eighth prayer breakfast that you have participated in and In the 36 years of this event No president and his lady Have been more faithful in their participation or more helpful in all of the events surrounding the Breakfast the Meeting and the greeting and entertaining of our foreign guests and dignitaries and you and Mrs. Reagan and We wish to extend to both of you Our sincere gratitude for that and now I present to you the president of the United States Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you and thank you all very much You know hearing these wonderful young men from Wheaton College here took me down memory lane a little bit Because some years ago before they were born and well possibly before some of their fathers were born. I Played football against Wheaton College and it's kind of nice that I can say here at one of them asked me It ended in a tie game the risk of sounding facetious I Just want to say here in this room when has it been so eloquently stated by the people who've spoken already About the uniqueness of how all of us from so many different heritages have come together here in the name of that one man I Have long been Unable to understand the atheist in this world of so much beauty And I've had an unholy desire To invite some atheists to a dinner and then serve the most fabulous Gourmet dinner that has ever been concocted and after dinner asked them if they believed there was a cook But I want to thank each of you for being here today and for sharing With us the spiritual message that God is placed in your hearts God's love shines through every word his truth is the ultimate power source, and it's always there It's available to ministers of the gospel presidents and the local grocery clerk His comforting hand Well, I could never carry the responsibilities of this high office without it our forethoughters drew on the Wisdom and strength of God when they turned a vast wilderness into a blessed land of plenty Called the United States of America God has truly blessed this country But we never should fall into the trap that would detract from the universality of God's gift It is for all mankind God's love is the hope and the light of the world Recently a letter found his way to my desk. I'm pleased to say and in that letter Was a copy of a prayer It was sent to me by a woman who had lost her husband in World War two This prayer had been written and delivered in a shell hole during World War two It read hear me, oh God Never in the whole of my lifetime have I spoken to you But just now I feel like sending you my greetings You know from childhood on they've always told me you are not I Like a fool believed them I've never contemplated your creation and yet tonight gazing up out of my shell hole I marveled at the shimmering stars above me and suddenly knew the cruelty of the lie Will you my God reach your hand out to me? I wonder But I will tell you and you will understand Is it not strange that light should come upon me and I see you amid this night of hell And there's nothing else I have to say this though I'm glad that I've learned to know you at midnight.  I may come knocking at your door Although I have not been a friend to you before still Will you let me enter now when I do come?  I'm going and I'm not likely to come back Strange is it not? but death I fear no longer and He did not come back this prayer was found on the body of a young Russian soldier killed in action in 1944 I also received some letters five letters in fact from Russian soldiers in Afghanistan who had deserted their government and their army Each one of them wrote a letter to me and in that letter revealed their belief in God and That they had deserted not out of fear of battle, but because they could not carry out the unholy orders that had been given them and Just last week one of those five we did get them out their plea was for sanctuary One of those five was in my office. I had some young man in his early 20s and It was evident and not from only from his letter, but from his words that when he was thanking me for what we had done that He believed in God And I asked him What how much of what he felt how much religion did he believe there was in his own country? And he said well among young people like myself It is spreading fast So I Know with all of us here and brought together as we've been told so often did did this morning in His name. I Just thank you God bless you all Now we're about to be blessed by a woman with a beautiful voice in heart Happy birthday, mr. President Happy birthday And now we're about to be blessed with a woman with a beautiful voice in heart Patricia born Barnes was born and raised here in Washington, DC and She's dedicated to her heart to sing of Christ's love For those of the center city She often sings for the benefit of the homeless and the needy and for those in prison Today as Pat sings great is thy faithfulness We are reminded of Christ's abiding love for each of us and Singing the closing song and then leading us together and one stands of amazing grace Patricia Barnes, we've been so specially blessed this morning with many many special guests many godly men and women and coming to Close us with a few words of prayer as a man that's known to all of us He's a teacher. He's an encourager He's a pro-claimer of truth and a man of prayer and a man of God We're told that God does not raise up a prophet Today, but I think we know that if he did he'd look like Billy Graham President Reagan Child's son of Armstrong distinguished guest It's been my privilege to be here at every prayer breakfast since the very beginning Except two and that was when I went out to speak to troops and when they were fighting out in other parts of the world I was here that first one and I think I've given the message here about 12 or 15 times So I've been a part of this prayer breakfast and now I've been here so long. They don't know how to drop me and So I'm here again But of all the prayer breakfasts that I have been to this one, I believe has honored Christ More than any that I can remember and I keep saying that and since this is the last Breakfast the prayer breakfast that president and Mrs. Reagan will be in their official capacity I would like to take this opportunity again to thank them for the wonderful messages that he has brought Since being here and this morning was one of the best he is brought maybe the best And we're very grateful And the moral and spiritual leadership Mr. President that you have given the country and the example you and your wife have said in teaching what love and loyalty Between husband and wife can be has been a tremendous inspiration for us and Mrs. Reagan I want to thank you for the many projects you have instigated and especially your emphasis On fighting the terrible evil of drugs in this country George Washington was our first president The first commander-in-chief who led the revolution and without him there might have never been an america He was a man of deep faith and when he left home his mother told him Remember that god only is our sure trust My son neglect not the duty of secret prayer He never forgot her words And as a young man he began to keep a little diary in which he recorded his private prayers And in that little volume he wrote these words Almost glorious god I acknowledge and confess my faults and sins Direct my thoughts words and work Wash away my sins and the immaculate blood of the lamb And purge my heart by the holy spirit Daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ Thou gavest thy son to die for me And it's given me assurance of salvation Upon my repentance and sincerely endeavoring to conform my life to his holy precepts and example We've heard this morning that same message that George Washington wrote in his little book Because George Washington and some of those early founders of america were firm believers In the gospel of jesus christ and the fact we need to repent of our sins and turn by faith to him And they did that we hope you'll participate in all the other events and thank you for being here this morning