My Story

The house looked as though my husband had left it in a hurry.
Thirty minutes later at 11.00 am my husband returned home, the look on his face, as he slowly walked up the path told me something was wrong. He came into the house, drew me to close to himself & held me in his arms, he was talking to me, but for a few seconds I couldn't understand what he was saying! Then it began to register... at 9.30am the hospital had rung... & asked him to go down immediately. They said our grandchild had been delivered safely, but it was our son Gary (the baby's father).

Gary had been delighted with his new daughter, he'd been holding her for only ten minutes, when he complained of feeling unwell, at that moment he suffered a massive heart attack, & died! I was hysterical! What should have been such a happy day for me, turned out to be the worst day of my life... I had lost my eldest son - He was only 36 years old!

Hi
There have been numerous occasions when God has supernaturally provided for me & my family. Often the emergency situation is dealt with & we move on with life & forget the moment. So I just wanted to share our latest experience of how God provided for us.

It was still two days until pay day, there was very little food in the cupboards to eat & with six mouths to feed this was not an easy situation to be in. I had no idea how we would get by but I knew that God would not let us down.

On our driveway we had an old van that we had been meaning to take to the scrap yard for months &
months, but had never got round to it! Then out of the blue, a man we'd never met before knocked on the door & offered to buy it from us!

A few years later we moved house… It was a new home, a new school & a new start for me! And things were great until my foster mum found a new man & got married. He used to pull me down, he’d constantly tell me I wouldn’t be successful in anything just because I couldn’t read properly, & he’d tell me I’d be on the dole (state benefit) for my whole life.

He made me feel worthless & useless. With his words ringing in my ears I left school at 16 & started on a Youth Training Scheme bringing home £25 per week, I trained as a painter & decorator.

I fell in love, got married & had 4 wonderful boys. One summer the boys were invited to a holiday club at the local church & we were invited to the BBQ but I was in two minds whether to go or not because I didn’t like church.

Hi,
Early in 2006, I had the opportunity to go to Brazil and tell the people about Jesus. It was an incredible time! I was overwhelmed to see the God I serve, the God of heaven & earth do miracle after miracle as he touched & healed peoples lives!

Whilst in Rio Claro, Sao Paula State, people were healed from arthritic pains & one day I met a woman who said that for years she not known a day without pain... Well God answered our prayers & that day she went home pain free! Thank You God!

One night I prayed for a 7 year old boy who had HIV - & as I wrapped my arms around him I began to shake & I knew it was the power of God touching him.

In Chapeco - San Cantrana State, many people were set free from demons, people were healed from deafness, cancerous lumps were healed before my very eyes & a young girl took her first steps out of her wheel chair... the most she had done for 2 years!

Barracao - Parana State saw a man go home walking & leaping & praising God after being completely healed! This man who had been in tremendous pain for many years & suffered paralysis was now completely well!!! Hallelujah!

Many others receved Jesus Christ as their Lord & Saviour as they recognised that he loved them & died for them. Whilst others were filled with the Holy Spirit & discovered a new power to live the life God had called them to live.

I thank God for His faithfulness - the Bible says He is a healing God & during my time in Brazil I discovered this over & over again! My life, like theirs will never be the same!

He went from strength to strength & learned once again to read & write!

I knew God must have had his hand upon Darren, it is a miracle, he was alive never mind being able to walk & talk again!

Things went along ok for awhile… then came my divorce that left me feeling lost, empty, alone & moat of all rejected.

Kathleen as usual was great; she invited me to an Alpha Course. I went along & really enjoyed it, but wanted to know more about this God. So I started going to Church this time it wasn’t for a wedding, or a funeral or a special occasion, but because I wanted to discover Jesus for myself & I did!

On 9^th January 2000 I finally gave my life to Jesus.

Since that day my life has been filled with a peace & contentment & even if I stumble or get it wrong I have no fear of rejection because my God is a wonderful God.

Darren continues doing well & is very happy living the life the Doctors said he'd never have to the full! He has a 2 year old daughter Leah & is a great dad!

What man thought was impossible God has proved is possible!!

As a child I went to Sunday school for a while, but as I got older only I went to Church for the usual weddings, christenings & funerals & occasionally to special occasions with Kathleen.

Like most people I have had my share of loss, bereavement & heartache but nothing prepared me for the news I was to hear in 1996.

My eldest son Darren had, had a serious accident, one which left him with total brain damage; we were told he couldn’t possibly live! The Doctors said they could do nothing for him only monitor & keep him comfortable. Once again my prayers came in my time of need.

As usual I called Kathleen this time from Dublin. I knew she would want to know & I knew I needed her prayers. Kathleen prayed for Darren & asked her church to pray for us.

They prayed for him week after week. And little by little Darren began to improve, slowly he began to walk again, through speech therapy he started talking more & more & we discovered that his long term memory was still in tact!

I needed someone with me, but most of all I knew I needed God... I cried out to Him & I asked Him 'why?' I knew He didn't make mistakes, but it didn't stop me wanting answers.I knew that God had a plan & purpose for all of us, even though I didn't always understand it.

That day God gave me incredible strength & wisdom to tell my other two sons, three grandchildren & the rest of the family what had happened.They couldn't believe how I was handling my bereavement, I told them how i'd given my life to Jesus a few years earlier & that the only reason I could cope with what had happened was because He was helping me, He was keeping me strong, & He was helping me to help my family.

I don't know where I would have been without the reality of Jesus in my life! Throughout this sad time I knew God's comfort & peace in my life. He held me & was there for me all the time. My friend & my personal Saviour.

The Bible says. "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted."
I have discovered that God is always true to His word. He has certainly been my comforter & He can be yours if you will let Him.

He wouldn’t leave me alone, I hated it, I hated him! It continued for 2 yrs. I was so glad when they finally got divorced & he left… it meant I was safe again! However it left a big scar in my mind & I began to hate not only him but all men, especially if they touched me. I felt angry & my temper would often get the better of me causing me to lash out at people.

I’d had a bad experience at another church, when someone said "I was the devils son". It put me off church & the people who went. But for the sake of the boys I went along to the BBQ, & was really surprised, it was nothing like I thought it would be.

The people were really friendly, but even so I was wary of the men chatting to me; I still had in the back of my mind things that had happened to me when I was 7. They asked me to come to a Sunday Service, I told them I might come but didn’t make any promises. A week or so later I finally decided to go along with my wife & boys to a Sunday meeting, I was amazed, the people there were normal… just like me!

A couple of weeks later I went on a 6 week Alpha Course. The final session was spread over a weekend, Friday night & all day Saturday the subject was on the Holy Spirit. Little did I know that, that weekend would change my life forever!
It started on the Saturday during the meeting, something was happening to me, I couldn’t move from my seat, I felt a warm glow all over me & my legs were tingling; It was the Holy Spirit touching me! That day I came to God “The Father”! For the first time I knew He was real & interested in me. At that moment I gave my life to Him & felt so right! Six months later both my wife & I were baptised in water.

Since having that personal encounter with God He has changed my life & now i'm a different person. I’m no longer violent or aggressive & my temper has gone, I’m much calmer than I was & I think now before I act. More importantly I’m not afraid of men anymore. I've forgiven my abuser & Jesus has healed all the pain & bitterness in my heart & given me his peace. And I just want to say “Thank You God”!