“Without wishing to hark back too much to childhood, it is important to understand that my walk with The Lord starts with the fact that I was orphaned aged 7yrs. Death and loss were not really talked about and certainly any form of counselling that might be suggested today just didn’t exist. Then we just got on with life!!!! So in lots of ways, I was an angry child.

From the age of about ten I attended a Catholic convent school and heard about this God of love! I was not quite sure how He showed His love to me and often went into the Chapel and shouted at Him. Well, I was told he lived there! One day a Sister found me, alone and shouting “Why?”, and other things. Perceptively, as I see it now, she told me that Our Lady, Mary must have felt like me on losing her Son! She suggested that I talk to her. Over my late teenage years she wrote to me imploring me to find The Lord’s will for my life and generally encouraging me spiritually.

So, for many a long year it was Mary who I thought I was talking to. Life moves on with its ups and downs, highs and lows, and in one particular low I felt the need to reconnect to Church; to ritual; to spirituality; and to peace. At this time there was a renewal. Billy Graham was in London and various other evangelist were “stirring” up revival and I was caught up in it! It was exciting. The Good News: a Man who died for me because He loved me! I wanted what I’d seen in others: that assurance of a meaning to life beyond the ordinary.

St Martins Church invited Colin Urquhart to come and lead a week’s mission. Folks came from far and wide. It was an awesome week, the preaching was compelling, Holy Spirit inspired and many, many made a commitment, as did I!

It was through The Holy Spirit that I understood how The Lord has had His hand on my life through everything that has happened to me, and I wanted to accept his invitation to become His child, and to be adopted in His family. I was, over the next few weeks, filled with Joy, and with enthusiasm to encourage others to find what I had found. This was a heart and head time, knowing the reality of The Father, and it has not left me.”