“Despite this, I was determined to attend my first Tuesday evening service at my church, Renewal Christian Centre. I was enjoying it, but I had to sit down fairly soon after it started.

“At the end of the service, (Senior) Pastor Dave (Carr) called the sick to come forward for prayer. Instantly, I had negative thoughts; ‘I’m not ready to go up – it’s my first Tuesday service.’ I compared the distance from where I was sitting to the exit door with the distance to the altar. The exit was closer but somehow I couldn’t leave.

“Then I thought, ‘How will it look if I go up for prayer this week and end up going up another week if it hasn’t worked?’ Just then Pastor Dave said to the congregation, ‘I will pray for you every week until you receive your healing.’

“Wow, that was my cue! I worshipped (sang and thanked God) while at the altar. Pastor Dave anointed my head with oil, prayed – and yes, I fell to the ground under the anointing (the power of God, which means you don’t hurt yourself).

No Pain

“As I was leaving Church, I dropped something. I easily bent down at the waist to pick it up – with no pain! This usually meant having to move the item to a wall with my feet, then slide down the wall slowly and reach down for it.

“I walked to the car with no pain! I drove home with no pain. I walked upstairs with no pain and the fatigue had gone too!

I only remembered to thank God for my healing as I parked my car at home ten miles away because I was so shocked that God had instantly healed me. It usually takes weeks for me to get back to some normality when MS really flares up and often it gets worse before it gets better. God’s goodness to us isn’t dependent on what we do, it’s putting our faith in action that gets Him to respond.

“I thank God for Pastor Dave and for the privilege of serving at Renewal Christian Centre. This experience has been absolutely awesome; I have never experienced anything like this. I am at peace despite the obstacles M.S has put in front of me.”

Diagnosis

“When I received the diagnosis with MS in 2003, I was in my first year of teaching and the symptoms were getting worse. I was having numbness in my legs and feet. I was also losing the sense of touch in my fingers.

“I was admitted to hospital and stayed for two weeks; walking meant I had to drag my feet. It was a time that I spent drawing closer to God (praying and reading my Bible more). I went through many tests. I started to feel better so I didn’t worry too much. A short while after being discharged, I was called back into hospital and told I had M.S. I couldn’t believe it and I was scared.”

MS is the most common disease of the central nervous system – the brain, spinal cord and the nerves connecting to the rest of the body. It occurs when myelin, a fatty tissue that protects the nerves becomes scarred (or suffers sclerosis) in many (multiple) places, which disrupts the way in which messages are carried to and from the brain. This interferes with a range of the body’s functions causing typical symptoms like fatigue, loss of vision in one eye, blurred or double vision, dragging a foot, weakness of limbs, reduced coordination, balance problems, numbness, ‘pins and needles’ and burning sensations in the limbs and digits.

The exact causes of MS are unknown but are commonly thought to be a combination of environmental and genetic factors. It can be triggered by a virus and cannot be cured by medical science, only managed with medication.

“After the diagnosis, I was able to trace the symptoms back to my early childhood which amazed me. Wow! God kept me for all these years!

“I had symptoms like incurably dry feet, painful, itchy fingers and toes. As a young adult, I had my tonsils out but got double vision. About 15 years ago, I couldn’t get out of bed one morning. Doctors said it was an arthritic episode – there is arthritis in my family. I thought that they must have been right; they’re the doctors after all but on reflection all of these symptoms amounted to MS.”

Peace

“As a teacher, the symptoms were particularly hard to cope with and by 2007, I simply couldn’t function well enough at my school. I tried supply teaching to ensure I could pay my mortgage but it was a struggle; I couldn’t be sure when I would be well enough to work and when I did I was on £10,000 less per year. All of this caused me stress and my health was just plummeting. I was putting myself at risk thinking about keeping my house; so in March last year, I gave up the house and resigned from my job as a teacher.’

“I have nothing but peace right now; all I desire is to be close to God; it was Him that gave me the courage to let go. I know that before my healing, I was very close to having a serious relapse but God stopped it.”

“While I lay in bed on the ward, I was worried and started to pray, asking the Lord to heal me. I must have been praying very loudly but I didn’t care; I wanted to get better.

“The doctors confirmed that I had picked up an infection while I was away but they didn’t know what to do to. Only two hospitals in the UK could treat me. I was transferred to Charing Cross Hospital in London. I was there for eight weeks and thought that everything had come to an end for me. My vision was still blurred and I was suffering from fatigue, feeling sick, losing weight and having nosebleeds.

“I kept praying and sent a message back to St Phillips to ask them to pray for me. I was at Charing Cross for eight weeks and prayed every day for my healing and gradually things started to change. I was getting my strength back and the symptoms were subsiding.

“The doctors eventually found out what was wrong – my body was over-producing red blood cells as a result of an infection, a random thing that happens to one in thousands of people. When I was well enough, I was discharged and continued to improve with outpatient treatment in West Bromwich.

“Ten years later, I can still do what and go where I like and my eyes are great! I only wear glasses for close reading but I don’t need them otherwise, which is a blessing because I am in my late 50s! I know that the way my eyes are and the way I feel now has to be down to the healing power of God.”

Born in Kingston, Jamaica and brought here with her parents aged 3, Louise has attended St Phillips Church of England in Beeches Road, for over 40 years. She is certain that her upbringing has a role in her healing.

“I was brought up to believe in God; I know that some people will have a lot of doubts about faith and see it as something like superstition, but it’s nothing like that. God has made Himself real to me. I believe in the power of prayer.”

He said: “Back then it was all about making money, getting the girls and living a boisterous life. That was all that I knew about life; I didn’t see any alternative and certainly didn’t think anyone linked to a church could do anything to help me.

“Years ago, my Dad gave me a CD from a Gospel event in which I heard Rico (a local evangelist, formerly of Shekinah Sound and now of Men United) say that life (didn’t have to be) about living on the edge in the streets. On it he said that if ‘any of our friends who had been shot could get up from the grave and speak to us, they’d tell us they weren’t in a good place.’ Those words kept ringing in my ears until I did something about them.”

Change

It was while Nathan, now 30, was at his daughter’s christening at a church in Aston, Birmingham, six years ago that his change came. Inspired by his Christian faith and the success of Birmingham entrepreneurs Karl George and Tony Sealey, Nathan parlayed his skill in organising and managing entertainment events into a successful marketing company, First Class Youth, which has secured contracts from housing and statutory agencies.

Now a married father of two and the youth leader at New Jerusalem Apostolic Church in Aston, Nathan continues to flourish in business, comparing his experiences to the character ‘Neo’ in ‘The Matrix’ film series: “Neo didn’t realise their was a better way to live until he disengaged himself from his surroundings, just like me. Many of us men want to change but we can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results, we have to try something different. I encourage any man who wants to make a positive change to come along and do so.

Truth

“I did and I’m amazed by God’s ability to help me become a faithful husband, a responsible father and free man, not feeling I have to hide behind a false image.”

God gave Nathan a vision to pioneer ‘The Truth Show’ earlier this year in which expert guests provide Christian-influenced comment on key issues like money, music, media and even the recent riots. From its beginnings during Sunday night services, The Truth Show has grown into a popular weeknight event, been held in outdoor venues. It is helping others better understand the practicalities of Christian life in the face of deception and temptation in a way that traditional church services do not.

Platform

“The aim is to open a platform where we can discuss truth and find a moral compass to guide us, talk about topics that aren’t talked about much because they are controversial or unpopular.

“If someone was to tell me years ago that I would be doing what I’m doing now in the church and the community, I would have thought they were stupid and would have laughed! I couldn’t work for truth because I didn’t have it in my life.”

Visit The Truth Show on Facebook

Watch Christian Media Services’ Veron Graham speaking candidly on The Truth Show on how his faith affected his career in the media.

“I didn’t feel that the teachers at my old school recognized my potential because I was dyslexic,” said Atalie who has attended the Restoration Fellowship Ministries church in Handsworth Wood, Birmingham since Spring 2010.

“I wanted to be a teacher and felt I could do well, but the staff disregarded my abilities and put me in the lower streams like I wasn’t intelligent. It badly affected my self-esteem and ambition.

“I didn’t get the support I needed to cope with being dyslexic; the school didn’t look into it or help me so I ended up doing assignment-based courses in nursing just because I could cope better with them than exam-based ones in childcare.”

After gaining a BTEC National Diploma in Healthcare at Birmingham College of Food, Tourism & Creative Studies, Atalie relocated to London’s Kingston University to study Children’s Nursing. Within months she was back in Birmingham to regroup and gain the strength to follow her dreams.

“I didn’t enjoy the nursing course at all,” said who writes poetry and enjoys reality television, Gospel R&B, hip-hop and worship music. “I didn’t want to be a nurse. I got the inspiration to make a change and go for what I wanted from when I got into relationship with God in 2007 and became a Christian.

“Being a Christian impacted my self-esteem and gave me my ambition back. It was also good to see the success my older cousin, who is very successful in the business world. She is dyslexic but it didn’t stop her doing well. From then I knew I was on the right track.”

Built up, encouraged and blessed, Atalie began to follow her dreams and is now coming to the end of her second year on a BA (Hons) degree course in Childhood, Family & Education Studies at the University of Wolverhampton.

“Now I know that there isn’t anything (of value) in the (secular) world. The thing was I wanted to try London to see what life had to offer. My family was in Birmingham so I wanted to move away. I met a few people down there who were going through the same experiences. They went to a lot of parties, got drinking and into different relationships. I just didn’t see the point.

“That isn’t all there is too life and I realized that I didn’t want to have that kind of lifestyle. Education is the basis for being a success in life, particularly if you are from a normal, working class background like me; so why not study hard to see what you can achieve?

“Even though the EMA (Educational Maintenance Allowance) is gone and university student fees have gone up, education is still the best route to success. And with God all things are possible. I don’t know where I’d be or what I would be doing without Him.”

Eula Coleman, once a practice nurse at a Quinton surgery, was on her way to see a friend when her car became involved in a collision with a large van in 1993.

She was rushed to hospital after the incident, which happened on Wheeler Street in Lozells, Birmingham. Her Ford Fiesta was so badly damaged, it was written off.

Pain

Miraculously, Eula, now 47, was well enough to be discharged shortly after but has suffered from extreme back pain and fatigue ever since. These injuries ended her promising career in medicine and left her unable to work.

“I can’t do much without taking plenty of rest,” said Eula, a member of Smethwick Elim Church. “Because I am at home a lot, I realise that I could do something to get to know people in my community and share my faith.

“I feel responsible for my neighbours because I have a lot, eternal life through my faith in Jesus. We are all affected by Jesus – even the calendars we use are based on his birth.”

For the last three years, Eula (joined by a friend, Noel Masih, eight months ago) regularly spends time meeting and speaking to their neighbours in Smethwick, giving out Bibles and reading materials. One Indian woman they came across accepted a Bible written in Punjabi and has been reading it with interest.

Proud

“All things work for the good,” says Eula, paraphrasing the biblical verse in Romans chapter 8 verse 29. “If I hadn’t had that accident I wouldn’t have so much time to share my faith with others. I can cope with the problems I’ve had to face and the pain from the accident. I feel proud to be doing God’s work and I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Eula believes that she could have experienced even more of God’s peace during times of trouble: “I would have coped better with the injuries if I had turned to God, I wouldn’t have been so depressed.

“I experienced the difference He can make after my dad died in 2009 from pneumonia. I turned my feelings over to God, asking Him to give me peace and the strength to cope with my loss. He answered my prayers.”

“I would like encourage other Christians to share their faith with their neighbours. We need to build community spirit up again.”

Eula, the youngest of four children born in Smethwick to Jamaican parents, has been a member at Smethwick Elim Church since 2007.

Providing a drop-in facility, an internet café and confidential mentoring service under the banner of Quinton Youth for Christ (QYFC) and based in Four Dwellings High School, the centre came to be when youthworker Dani Knox stepped out in faith (acted in obedience to God regardless of her personal feelings), only to be met by people only too keen to support.

Having completed a youthwork degree with the Centre for Youth Ministry at St Johns College in Nottingham, and put in over seven years working across Quinton serving the youth, working in schools, churches and community settings as part of the local St Boniface Church of England’s youth fellowship, Dani felt that God wanted her to move on. “I was unsure about this because it seemed bizarre that God would want this. I wanted to stay in Quinton and I loved the young people but there was no doubt what God was telling me to do.”

Nevertheless, Dani allowed her contract to expire and wondered what she would do next: “There didn’t seem to be anywhere I could go or anything else I could do. I didn’t know what God was doing but I waited.”

Sense

That wait lasted four months, when at an event Dani got talking to Gavin Calver, YFC’s national director, and the dots began to join up. Gavin had been thinking about starting a branch of YFC in the area and suggested that Dani led it. “It all seemed to make sense to me, but I wanted to test it to make sure God was in it, after all where are we going to operate from and how would it be funded? I remembered mentioning the idea of having a centre in Quinton to raise youth aspirations and their self-worth to a member of staff at Four Dwellings where I had done some mentoring work while I was at St Boniface.

“I mentioned the idea to the school again, and they welcomed it, saying that we could be based in their school which means having access to more young people. They also provided £10,000 to help us start up.

“I mentioned my idea to a city council worker, who brought in another £10,000. We started officially in September 2010 and since then other doors have opened for us. For example, a member of staff recently told us their department had not used up their budget, had over £8,000 left and, would we like to have it?!”

Quinton YFC has since gained backing from churches across the denominational spectrum, community groups and the police.

Faith

Led by Essex-born Dani with the support of student Tom Spicer plus CRB-checked volunteers, Quinton YFC does not evangelise or preach while working with young people, but there has been no opposition to their stance as out-and-out Christians: “Sharing our faith with the youth in a mentoring capacity would be an abuse so we don’t do it, but faith is a part of our work. Sometimes speaking about the young person’s faith is a way to help them. We work with a hundred young people per year through mentoring and it is great to see how much they are getting out of our presence here and the improvements they are making.”

“We are pleased with the work but there’s more we need to do. Quinton is recognised for having a very high rate of teenage pregnancy and we are looking to continue projects like Four Dwelling’s Next Top Model (FDNTM) and run new ones such as The Reality Baby Course, which will show young people the difficulties of being a teenage parent and Project Runway, designed to raise youth self-esteem.” Speaking of her involvement in FDNTM, one QYFC teen said: “I have learnt that I am beautiful no matter what and that I don’t need to look like someone out of a magazine.”

“There is no doubt that God is in this work; as we have seen from the provision he has made available but also in the responses we get from the young people.”

Plans

“There was never a moment between finishing at St Boniface and starting Quinton YFC that I questioned what I was doing or what God had planned. I knew He would reveal His plans but in my human nature I wanted to know what they were sooner rather than later!”

“It is important that we pray about decisions that we are making in life and that we expect God to confirm his directions through trusted people. Sometimes we simply have to go ahead and trust Him. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul going on a mission (to Macedonia) but God closed the door, so he went somewhere else. If the way we are going in as Christians isn’t the right one, He’ll show us, we just need to trust Him.”

The future is looking bright for Quinton YFC on the spiritual aspect of their work: They recently held an assembly specifically about opening a Christian Union – to support the Christians already in the school – and had wide agreement from many pupils!

“I was born in Birmingham and raised in a strict Sikh family. After my arranged marriage, I suffered two miscarriages and could not have children. This was shameful in my culture not to have a son to continue the family name – my husband Jagtar is an only son. I was constantly reminded of my childlessness everywhere I went and it really depressed me.

“I was told that I had to do ‘serva’ – get God’s forgiveness for my sins to get a child. I would clean shoes, wash dishes, donate a lot of money, serve food and be prayed for there non-stop for three consecutive days in mosques, Sikh and Hindu temples. I tried every medication and diet – I was desperate.”

Ridiculed

“My change came when taking a niece to the nursery at St Germain’s Church in Edgbaston, Birmingham in 1983. I met the late Enid Dency, the wife of a retired minister there. She showed a lot of love to me while the other mothers ridiculed and told me about Jesus.

“I agreed to let Enid, her husband and nephew pray for me and Jagtar. We were afraid, not know anything about Christian prayer. We just held hands and I just said, ‘Jesus will you please give me a child?’ That month I conceived, after nearly eighteen years of marriage!

“We had a girl – Simrun which means ‘worship’ in Punjabi. She’s now a beautiful 16 year old and we are still thanking God for her.”

Cancer

“But back then, after Simrun was born, I forgot about Jesus and kept trying for a son, with no results except a miscarriage in 1998. But within a year I was feeling very weak and tired. The hospital called us in and I feared the worst. I didn’t want the temple, I wanted Jesus again. After we were prayed for by Ken and Barbara Pope City Road Baptist Church, my fear went and didn’t return the next day when the doctors told me I had breast cancer. my husband and the doctors were devastated, I felt joy.

“Outside the hospital I cried aloud to God, ‘Rabba, Rabba – help me. You gave me a child, please give me life.’ I saw a huge cross of Calvary in bright light right in front of me and He said ‘I am the way Jasbinder, the truth and the life.’ I still didn’t know Jesus personally.

“Five days later I dreamt how Jesus rescued me from a dark pit of snakes, as I screamed for my husband and daughter. He said ‘Now go forward and preach my name.’ The doctors were amazed that the cancer had been contained, saying I didn’t need chemotherapy but still had six months of treatment.

“I used to be afraid to tell people about Jesus, but it was different now. People were hearing about my experiences. In 2002 I started opening my home to talk about what He had done, folks started coming; over eighty, mainly Asians, have became Christians since.”

Lives

“I used to hide my crucifix from other Asian people but now I can’t shut up about Jesus! In November 2004, I was approached in a shop by a woman and her daughter wondering why I didn’t have long hair anymore – I lost it for the chemotherapy and kept it short. When I told them, they cried and wanted to come to my house meetings too. I kept praying for them. After about a month, the daughter came with her three children and gave their lives to Jesus. The following week, so did her brother and then her mother! Even builders who have come to my house to work have given their lives to the Lord.

“Some of my family thought I’d gone mad but my they have seen what Jesus has done for me; all three of my sisters, a brother, a niece and my brother in law are now Christians.”

Jasbinder spends much of her time ministering as an evangelist, visiting homes offering prayer and deliverance and attending King’s Christian Centre in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.

Trouble

“A lot of Asian people are seeing the fruits of the Holy Spirit, the joy and the peace and security He brings. My younger sister and I are constantly asked to pray for people in trouble; like people who have dabbled in witchcraft. Doctors have been amazed by the recovery of a woman who on a life support machine in Sandwell Hospital. The doctors didn’t know what was wrong with her. We prayed for her and within days she had recovered enough to be discharged. Also people who’ve had their palms read, own certain artefacts and read horoscopes that we have prayed for have been set free.

“The thing is we respect other religions, not everyone we see is a Christian. It isn’t about Bible-bashing anyone but being loving and gentle and telling them what we believe and advise them to be careful about what they get involved in.

“We started a Christian Union at Lordswood Boys’ School in Birmingham where I work as a technician, in September 2005. The first week only one boy came, the next week it was five and then 50, from all backgrounds. They want to know more about the Lord Jesus and we gave out Bibles to them. I have been there for over 25 years and I have never seen anything like it! I always wanted a son – the Lord has given me 600!

“We get boys from all backgrounds coming each Monday and telling their friends about the group. Even the former headteacher became a Christian a few years ago!”

Punjabi

“I always tell people, when I cried out to God, none of the Gurus came, not Allah or the goddesses, it was Jesus – and he spoke to me in Punjabi so He is not just for Black or White people. I never had peace in my life before Jesus came to me. He has changed my life and I want to tell the world.”

Miracles keep happening around Jas: around 60 people showed up at the school for a confrontation a little while ago. “A big fight was about to break out and when I saw what was happening. When I yelled out “stop” and they did. Later one of the gang leaders told me when he looked over to me when I called out, he could see Jesus standing next to me. They met later and forgave each other. One of them became a Christian.

“The only reason I’m still alive is because there is much work to do. I am so thankful to God for all he is allowing us to do in His name.”

Click here to watch Jasbinder on You Tube speaking on various issues, including overcoming cancer

“Coming to know the Lord, as I did in 1999, is the biggest thing that has ever happened to me,” says the 36 year old ex-Jamaican international. “I have had a great career but there isn’t anything better than having Jesus in my life.”

Relationship

Although he used to go to Sunday School aged 9, when the 6 foot 5 inch central defender was a little smaller than he is now, it wasn’t until he came across a fellow player at Bradford City FC, Wayne Jacobs, when he was 23, that he really began to develop a relationship with God.

“Wayne used to keep The Word for Today (devotional book) in his glove compartment and had me read it to him as he drove us to training sessions. I remember it speaking of the Bible passage (in Romans 8:15), which says that God has not given us a spirit of fear or caused us to be fearful. The thing was I was full of fear; concerned whether I would be a good enough player to be successful in the team. This passage really spoke volumes to me. I started to take them on board and believe them. Also I was getting picked for the team and played really well. At the end of that season I was named in the divisional team of the year!”

So what is the reality of being a Christian in a very tough, male-dominated profession where tempers often get frayed and some players cheat to gain an advantage? Surely being a Christian has to be a challenge? “You realize that you are being watched to see if you do the things that other players sometimes do. I can’t say that I was perfect but I take it as a privilege that God has allowed them to see Him shine through me in a very macho environment. When I was at Barnsley, four players came to know the Lord through my sharing (telling them about) my faith with them. Since being born-again, I’ve led a number of players and backroom staff members to Christ.

Blessing

“I find this amazing because this happened at times when I had been away from church through training and traveling to matches. I know God wants us to inspire us to be a blessing to those around us, whoever they are and wherever we are.

“Don’t get me wrong: I’ve had my trials. I have had some very bad injuries, particularly to my right knee, when it looked as though my footballing future was in real danger; but each time God bought me back, healed me and I’m still playing today after all these years. On the other hand I have been in promoted teams on five different occasions.”

Football may have been dubbed ‘the new religion’ in some quarters, but Darren’s ongoing work across the city, UK and the world as part of the Faith and Football outreach ministry has given many young and sometimes underprivileged people something real to believe in.

Faith & Football works to help to build relationships through football, with a heavier emphasis on presenting Jesus in a way unchurched youth can identify with than on developing sporting skill.

It started in 2002 when Darren teamed with other footballing Christians, Linvoy Primus and trainer Mick Mellows while all three were at Portsmouth. Starting by giving talks in local schools, ‘Faith & Football’ grew into a charity that has since developed football camps home and abroad (in Africa, Asia and the Orient) and supported a school and orphanage in India. Alongside the work has been ongoing fundraising events such as the nine- day, 230-kilometre trek along the Great Wall of China which Darren did with over a dozen volunteers before the 2005-06 season to support their work in India.

Darren concluded: “Being a Christian has really helped me keep my peace in the world of football. Knowing Jesus is means we have everything to gain in life and nothing to lose.”

By the time the 21 year old graduated with a Media and Journalism degree last summer, her prospects of gaining meaningful employment in her chosen profession looked even slimmer. The recession had deepened and Renee’s determination not to sell out her beliefs for her profession, didn’t exactly help. But one Sunday she got into conversation with Lucy Bartley, a fellow member of the Torch of Revival fellowship and less than two months later she was appointed as an editorial assistant at The Salvation Army’s renowned newspaper, The War Cry!

Renee said: “Getting this job with The Salvation Army has been the biggest turning point in my life! When I look back at how I used to struggle and fight for what I wanted, it’s really overwhelming to be here. I’m so happy!

“I left university not knowing what to do and took a job at a retail store because I needed to survive. I knew that it was a just starting point and that I should be patient and not complain, but it was tough.”

Despondent

“After she graduated, Renee was a little despondent,” said her mother, Carol Davis-Johnson. “She saw many students graduate and not find good jobs but I always encouraged her to have faith and persevere because her success is in God’s hands, that there was a job out there for her and she will get it.”

“In the natural, I realised that most graduates find it hard to find work in the field of their study especially in the media industry,” added Renee’s father, Pastor Dexton Davis. “However, in the spiritual, I was confident that prayer and faith in the Lord would make it possible for Renee to be successful.

“I had got to know Renee a little and one day I asked her what she wanted to do,” said Lucy. “When she told me it was media, I contacted Veron Graham, who used to go to the same church as me and is in that field.”

“When I heard about Renee from Lucy, I was happy to see what I could do to help,” said Veron. “The media is a tough profession at the best of times, never mind when there is a recession on and as a Christian you’re trying to honour God in your work. It’s hard as a young person of faith to find your way – I know because I trod that road myself but I didn’t have anyone to help or advise.”

Faith

“I told Renee the truth: I would do what I could to help and that her chances weren’t great, but with God all things are possible. The Bible encourages us to speak words of faith and believe Him, and that’s what I did. My faith grew because I felt deep inside that God would make all turn out for Renee’s good.”

Within weeks Veron came across a job that he thought would suit Renee down to a tee and sent her the details, later providing some tips for the application form and interview.

Renee said: “When I got the details I was instantly drawn to it! I called up straightaway for an application. Whilst doing the form I was thinking I hope (I am doing this well) because it is such a big role and many people must be applying too. God was with me: because (the deadline was close) I sent the form in without Veron’s pointers! I had to resend the form, which The Salvation Army were fine with! Praise God!

”When I got an interview I was in shock as I had found it hard to get interviews for simple cleaning jobs! I called around telling everyone! I was so pleased at just that fact that I had been chosen as a candidate.”

Cried

The drama didn’t end there: Pastor Dexton had promised to take his daughter to the interview at The Salvation Army’s national headquarters in London, until his car broke down the day before.

She said: “We found out last minute about the car and I cried that night thinking it’s over and I wasn’t going to get to the interview! But my family and friends were praying and believing that I would reach somehow someway.

“On the morning of the interview, I called The Salvation Army and asked if they could push my 10.15am interview back because of what had happened. They agreed and a new time was set for 1.15pm and I used my driving lesson money to get a train to London. I didn’t really know where I was going or how to get there but a friend helped me out via text message! The interview went well and despite all the drama before I wasn’t too nervous.”

Carol picked up the story: “I have always been confident Renee would be OK and when she got her interview, I was up all night praying for her and when she told me afterward that it went well, I knew it was time to lift our faith once more.”

Renee said: ”When I found out I got the job, I screamed and cried down the phone to family and friends! I had remained faithful that Father would come through for me and he did! Even now it hasn’t sunk in that I’m working at The Salvation Army. This has all really blown my mind. All I can say is that it’s a miracle from God. I thank Veron too; he’s been a true blessing!”

Happy

”I am also really grateful to Lucy for her help, by being obedient she opened doors in ways she probably didn’t even think. When I met Veron, I was so glad that he was also a Christian in the media as I had prayed that I would stand out in this profession without having to conform and he spoke about the exact same things. I was really happy that he understood where I was coming from and when he said he wanted to mentor me I thought ‘Lord you are amazing for setting this up.’”

“Sometimes we can get super-spiritual about life, wondering what God wants us to do,” Veron said. “To me it’s quite simple, tell others what God’s done for you and help them where you can. We all go through difficult things in life to gain that experience to help others overcome. In the Bible, Revelation 12:11 says that we overcome trials by ‘the blood of the Lamb’ – what Christ did for us all in dying on the cross – and ‘the word of our testimony’ – what He’s done for us.

“So we who have been blessed need to open our mouths, share what struggles Christ’s helped us through to help others overcome. I’m so pleased to be part of the story of Renee’s blessing.”

Lucy said: “I wouldn’t say that I did much really, other than do what all Christians should. In the family of God, we are in covenant with each other and so should look to be a blessing and meet the needs of those we come across. But unless we ask how we can help, we will not know what others need.”

Pastor Dexton added: “I knew Renee would do well but I must say I was surprised her job came so quickly, and that it was not in the corporate world but with a Christian organisation!”
Credit

”I am immensely proud of our daughter,” he continued. “She has achieved over and above her own expectations. She has broken the mould being first in our family to go to university and to leave Birmingham to work in London. She deserves credit for the hard work she has put in to obtain this job. As a father, I was at first anxious about her leaving but I was assured by the Lord that he would be with her therefore I am 100% confident that Renee will do well and achieve much success in her new job.”

Carol concluded: “I would advise anyone in this situation, particularly mothers, to seek (ask and trust) the Lord. “I live by faith everyday. Seek Him and He’ll show you how to bring your children up and straighten their path through life.”

He advises anyone looking for direction in life to “let go of their fears, take one step at a time and ask God what to show them the next step.

“It was while I was at university that I began to feel a tug towards the priesthood. However, I did not welcome this call. I wanted nothing more than for it to go away and it presented a real struggle for me.”

Disenchanted

“I was like Jonah in the Bible, I ran in the opposite direction. After I got a 2.1 in Theology, Religious Studies and History from Liverpool Hope University, I was stuck in which direction to turn. Teaching maybe? I didn’t have the confidence. Politics, to follow in my father’s footsteps? I realised that if I wanted to make a difference in the world, to help people, it was not going to be through any political system but through the service of a meaningful message: one of hope which will be for all people. I was getting disenchanted. Thoughts of the priesthood re-emerged – but this time it was stronger. The rest is history as they say.”

Michael is now a novice with the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, an order (or section) of the Roman Catholic Church and likens himself to the children of Israel in the desert, as mentioned in the book of Exodus, (people who complained constantly and doubted God’s provision and guidance).

“I have no idea where I am headed, and I can only guess at the many pitfalls I may come across along the way. It is a privilege to be called to devote one’s life to the proclamation of the Gospel and the service of others. I’ve placed (my future) into God’s hands. I just hope to be able to respond accordingly and faithfully.”

Michael’s background doesn’t fit the typical image of the young aspiring minister; he raised in a loving, supportive family, however it was one that never darkened the doors of a church: “We were not practising Catholics, we did not attend mass. Catholic was our identity and brother, my sisters and me went to Catholic schools. Our parents expected us to live out Gospel values in our lives and especially in the way we treated others.

”I knew that Jesus was someone very special and I felt a very strong attraction to Him. I was an inquisitive child and I asked a lot of questions. As I got older, I particularly liked physics and the universe fascinated me. During my GCSEs, it became clear that the route I wanted to go down was unrealistic. Being dyslexic and absolutely hopeless at mathematical formulas!

Lesson

“I started to look closer at theology and my own faith. Science can tell us a lot about the physical world but it is only faith that can give us a meaningful and purposeful answer to the questions that concern the meaning of life. I decided at the age of 20 that I wanted to go into the ministry.

“I guess the lesson I learned is similar to the lesson that Jonah learned: when God calls you, you can either cooperate, or go kicking and screaming, but you cannot avoid God.

“God calls each one of us in a very unique and particular way. Do not be afraid to answer the call!

“Please pray for me.”

“I would still be in debt if it wasn’t for Christians Against Poverty; they worked with me, kept me accountable and helped me keep my debts down until they were paid off. I didn’t understand money and today the small print is causing a lot of problems for many people. I feels great to be out of the situation I was in.”

“Once I left my parents home I became fascinated with self-help books, thinking they would help me change and feel better about myself and improve my life. Over a 10 year period, I accumulated a lot of debt which consisted of comsumer spending, credit cards, consolidation loans and unpaid Poll Tax bill. By January 2003, I was £30,000 in debt and worked four part-time jobs plus one full-time job with overtime to pay it off. Days, evenings, weekends – I was always working – it wasn’t enough but I couldn’t do anymore. I was at my absolute limit. Life was hectic. I needed help and I needed peace.”

Praying

“At this time, a colleague from one of my part-time jobs casually mentioned that he had visited a patient after praying in a hospital chapel. I decided to go to the chapel where I worked, not for anything spiritual – just to get a break from work and personal pressures.

“It was peaceful and instead of spending lunchtimes there, soon I was there morning, noon and night! Reading the books in it, I came across ‘The Word for Today’ (a book of daily Bible readings) which said God wants to meet our needs but we must stop striving and turn to Him for help. It sounded nice but striving was the only way I knew would reduce my debt. Anyway I wasn’t interested in church – hadn’t been since I was 7 – it didn’t grab me. I had questions and doubts but also a strange hunger to learn more about God.

“I was feeling less need for the self-help books and the shopping as I read The Word for Today. God seemed to have met me right in the midst of my troubles. In Spring 2003, I wrote and posted a letter to the people behind The Word for Today – telling them about my financial problems and that I wanted to become a Christian.

Help

“Soon after, a minister from Birmingham Christian Centre (who was working with The Word for Today), telephoned and invited me to visit the church. She recommended I attend a course called ‘Freedom In Christ’ – on it I learned that Jesus can help us get rid of destructive habits and that He loved me just as I am. The teaching, counselling and prayer gave me the courage to expose the real cause of my behaviour. I was people pleasing because for nearly thirty years I carried the blame for being abused by a family friend.

“I never told anyone, growing up petrified of being exposed. I thought it was my fault. It affected me in ways I didn’t even realize. I had spent ten years and thousands of pounds for security and acceptance when Jesus was offering it for free. I asked Him for help and He removed my burden given me real joy!

“As for my debts, the course tutors linked me with Christians Against Poverty, who support people in debt. They halved my debts through negotiation with my creditors instantly and supported me all the way. Now I know what The Word for Today meant about not striving and to turn to God. He has truly met my needs through CAP.”

Fulfilling

“It’s really fulfilling to be helping others through Seasons Ministry – helping people, particularly women, who have gone into debt, often through situations that were out of their control. Often it is due to relationship breakdown, divorce and redundancy, not always overspending. Sometimes debt is the effect of a problem not the cause, like it was for me.

“It is upsetting that being in debt is now becoming a way of life for many when before people feared being in debt, the stigma has go. Most people have to take out a loan to study. There is plenty of information out there on how to get money but there needs to be more on how to avoid and get out of debt. President Obama has made it easier for American people to understand financial systems and we need that in the UK too.

“I am so thankful, not only to have gotten rid of the money problems but to have real freedom from the underlying causes of the debt. Praise God!”

Little did she know that discussions were going on between St Chad’s Roman Catholic Cathedral and The Salvation Army about doing just that, the latter looking to find use for its large, but dilapidated and unused building in Shadwell Street.

Within months Sister Margaret was given the green light to open The St Chad’s Sanctuary – a drop-in centre just outside Birmingham city centre, providing practical support and advice for asylum seekers, who are not entitled to work or state benefits.

Operating a centre like this is no small task, with the increasing number of people in Birmingham having fled troubled lands and in desperate need. However Sister Margaret’s load was lightened by two previous recipients of her expertise, who volunteered their services to help people who are in situations she helped them out of.

Helped

Iranian Rassol Hobshoar and Juliette Mujanga from the Democratic Republic of Congo were helped to achieve UK refugee status in 2003 and 2007 respectively by Sister Margaret in her previous role at Brushstrokes, a similar centre she set up in Smethwick in 1999.

Rassol fled from an Iranian court after he was arrested and sentenced to death on returning there, when he converted to Christianity. With the help of friends and family, they made their way to England, where they came across Sister Margaret in 2000 at Brushstrokes. Rassol helped to paint, decorate, prepare and clean the centre to host The Sanctuary and worked their full time.

“I am pleased to be able to help Sister Margaret,” said Rassol, who also currently works as a sessional interpreter of Spanish and two Middle Eastern languages at the Refugee Council. “She and Monsignor Fallon (a leader at St Francis of Assisi RC Church in Handsworth, Birmingham) gave me so much support when I was in a lot of trouble so it’s nice to be able to support her helping people who are in the position I was once in.”

War

It was the outbreak of war in 2004 in the Congo that prompted Juliette Mujanga’s hurried departure from her central African homeland, leaving her mother and siblings behind.

She said: “Before I met Sister Margaret, there was nothing I could do but stay at home. Being at Brushstrokes helped me learn English, build my confidence and helped get on with life. I feel that it is important for people like me to give back to others, that is why I enjoy being at St Chad’s. Sometimes people who are born in a country like England do not realise how much they have and how hard it can be for others.”

Rassol and Juliette are now among 20 regular volunteers working at St Chad’s to provide food parcels, clothing, daytime shelter, signposting advice and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes to the close to 30 people who frequent the centre every day. So far, clients from over 60 nations have sought help at St Chad’s.

Calling

”I really appreciate having all the people we have here working to serve those with no recourse to public funds,” said Sister Margaret, who attends the nearby St Chad’s RC Cathedral in the city centre. “I left teaching to live and work among people who need help. My calling in life is not necessarily to teach but to help those in the greatest need.

“Many come to us while they are waiting for appointments at the Refugee Council and other local agencies. Some arrive in Birmingham during the night and queue for many hours before opening times; many are destitute. We are able to give them a warm place to wait and can also provide them with dried foods, hygiene packs and other necessities. Unfortunately many leave us to continue in their search for a place to sleep.”

“We had wanted to use Shadwell Street building to bless others for quite a while,” said Major Samuel Edgar, the leader of The Salvation Army in the West Midlands (pictured below, right in photo by Peter Jennings). “We really appreciate all that Sister Margaret and her colleagues are doing at St Chad’s to make life a little easier for those in need.”

Speaking after a previous visit to The Sanctuary, Canon Patrick Browne, Administrator of St Chad’s Cathedral, (pictured left) said: “For some time now we have been looking at ways to work in closer partnership with The Salvation Army. When we became aware of the plight of asylum seekers, refugees and other immigrants in the locality this gave us the opportunity to meet some of their needs.”

Experts claim there could be several thousand people in Birmingham dealing with asylum issues. Unable to take paid work or receive benefits, their only means of legitimate survival comes from organisations like St Chad’s.

Appeal

St Chad’s is making an appeal for help; whether a financial donation, volunteering time at the centre or supplying dried/ non-perishable foods, toiletries or baby packs,” Sister Margaret concluded: “As much as I love what I do, it is heartbreaking to see people who have had to leave settled lives in their homelands try to live on next to nothing. Like the man whose eyes filled with tears when we gave him some toothpaste and a brush – he hadn’t even been able to clean his teeth for several days. He was sleeping rough. The churches have been really generous but the need we have to meet keeps on growing.”

St Chad’s is open on Mondays to Fridays between 10.30am and 3.30pm. Further information is available on telephone 0121 233 3127 and email margaret.walsh2@gmail.com

Taking us back to the start of 2004, Maizetta picked up the story: “I had three headaches in the same week – I wasn’t the type to get headaches. By January 6th, it got really bad and woke me out of my sleep. Stuart rang NHS Direct, and they called the ambulance for me because the pain was so bad. At the hospital I was given very strong medication but it made no difference, so I was sent home few hours later with the doctors telling me it was down to high blood pressure.

“The next morning I woke up not being able to feel my right leg. I tried to stand up and before I knew what was happening, I collapsed.”

“I was downstairs when I heard a loud bang,” added Stuart. “I ran upstairs and found Maizy on the floor. She looked at me and I knew something was up. She was going in and out of consciousness. I put her on the bed and called the ambulance.

“By the time they arrived, Maizy seemed to be in a very deep sleep. They tested her sensitivity by pinching her on each side, the left was OK but she couldn’t feel anything on the right side, even when they pinched really hard.

Dead

“In the hospital, the vibe changed once she came out from the scan. The doctors were all chatty when they went in with Maizy for the scan, but when they brought her back to the ward, they were very quiet – like they were dealing with a dead person.”

Unable to walk, stay awake for very long or even to eat and drink independently, the future looked bleak for Maizetta, whose career in art and graphic design looked well and truly over. She had a bigger battle on her hands; simply to survive.

Stuart, now 34, continued: “All that was going through my head was, ‘is this really happening?’ It was surreal, like a film. I couldn’t take it all in. I called the church (I attended at the time, now known as Mount Zion Community Church in Aston, Birmingham) asking for prayer. It wasn’t long before two of the leaders, Pastor Calvin Young and Sandra Thomas (who God is now bringing through a similar trauma), arrived to pray.

“All I knew is I had two choices – respond in fear or faith. In a split second, I felt the touch of fear but I had to reject it. This wasn’t the time for fear – Maizy needed me. When I returned home, I asked God what was going on. His clear response was “Psalm 91 – I am right here.” When Maizy had woken up in A&E, I read the chapter to her. Others in the family received that chapter in response to their prayers too.

“Maizy was still slipping in and out of consciousness and was having a problem speaking – struggling to ask her sister why she had a patch on her eye when she came to visit. I quickly started talking to subject and deflect any negative reaction to her attempted speech away from Maizy.

“Later we were told she had a blood clot after suffering a stroke and had a tear in one of her carotid arteries in her neck (that bring blood to your brain and face).

“She had lost the use of her right side. The doctors ruled out operating, which would have been risky or even damaging. They were not sure if she would survive.

“I didn’t know what to think. Why had this happened? When did it happen? What caused it? The hospital said it could have happened at any point in the last eight weeks by any number of things from heading a ball or even turning her head. We didn’t have anything to go on and felt totally helpless.”

Praying

Meanwhile, word had spread across the Christian community and friends and relatives at many churches across the country were praying for Maizetta’s full recovery.

As the prayers went up, the blessings came down and the unlikeliest of recoveries was underway. Maizetta made the equivalent of eighteen months’ progress in a fortnight.

The next hurdle to come down was the feeding tube – which Maizetta no longer needed and had become a frustrating nuisance! She could eat and swallow for herself now thank you very much!

A few days later, Maizetta was moved to the rehabilitation ward and while still sleeping a lot and eating very little, she gradually regained the ability to walk short distances.

In a week, Maizetta was well enough to make occasional trips back home. She amazed the hospital physiotherapists in the rehabilitation ward in being able to climb the stairs and walk along the corridor quicker than they!

Purpose

Stuart, a classically-trained keyboardist and programmer, said: “The doctors said Maizy’s recovery was amazing; that the blood clot was so thick it could have killed her. One of them said had been a specialist in neurosurgery for 13 years and had not seen anything like it. He said ‘she must have a purpose to fulfil.’

Within two and a half weeks, Maizetta was back at home and aside from occasional tingling sensations in her right hand, she had no recurrence of the ordeal.

However, her speech was still a major problem, for which she underwent a course of therapy sessions.

“There were times in which I would not answer the phone or meet people,” she recalled. “I was too embarrassed to let most people hear or see me struggling for words.

The other hangover from the stroke was the greatly diminished use of her writing hand; having made a living as a freelance designer now Maizetta’s etchings resembled that of a small child.

Battle

“I am right-handed and that was the side that was affected,” recalled Maizetta, now 37. “My writing was huge but I didn’t give up – I used a writing aid to help me. I would cry because I just could draw and write like I once could. It was a real battle. How could I work?

“I had to give my upset to God and let him work it out. This is when He revealed to me that a battery only works and has power because it has a negative part to go along with the positive. That told me that this negative experience would give me power too. I didn’t feel it at the time, but I held onto (believed) it.”

While the Stuart and Maizetta’s worlds had come to a standstill, the reality of paying their way was still there. The self-employed couple – raised in Aston and Handsworth respectively – received financial and practical help from relatives as Stuart had to let go of his work as a musician to stay at home and care for his wife.

“It was difficult so I signed on (the dole) and didn’t’ think about work. I would have given up my career if I had to. When it comes down to it, you gotta do what you gotta do. I felt no shame whatsoever because Maizy is my priority. At one point I was caring for her 24-7.

“It was really hard seeing the person you love the most being reduced to next to nothing but I had to believe that God would restore her. We had to take a day at a time, and it did get frustrating watching Maizy having to re-learn how to do things but she improved so much so quickly. I went from not being able to work to being able to take some on to being able to do and earn enough to send Maizy on holiday with her sister and later to go with her.”

Opportunity

“When you go through something like this you see everything in its proper perspective. Coming through this has strengthened us beyond belief; I have learned not to panic, stress or worry, which is the natural thing to do. That’s been my life, as a full-time musician (since 1999), trusting God for the next opportunity – and He has opened some serious doors for me.”

Stuart has since gone on to tour with big name artists including Girls Aloud and Il Divo, allowing the couple to move to swap their home in inner city Birmingham to a bigger property in a plush suburban area in Staffordshire.

Maizetta continued: “I have come to realise that there can be something positive coming out of a negative situation and my relationship with God has changed. Now I call Him ‘Dad’ and feel closer to Him than before. Look at what He brought me through. I don’t understand what it is all about but now my family and friends who don’t believe can see through my experiences that there is a God who answers prayer.”

Now working again as an abstract artist under the banner of Caris Design, Maizetta is producing impressive pieces of artwork that clients have told her have brought peace to their surroundings, including one which takes pride of place in the relaxation room at their home church, Renewal Christian Centre.

Anointing

“One of my paintings was part of a Christian exhibition and someone who was looking at it told me there was an anointing (God-given power to heal and help others) on it. Another person who had bought and displayed another of my pictures in his house told me that there was a “strange spirit” there which has gone since he put the picture up. Because of this many people have said to me that the stroke was an attack, to affect my right hand and stop me drawing. It didn’t work!

“Obviously this illness happened to me, but I still cannot believe it,” confessed Maizetta. To which Stuart added: “A few months after the stroke, a Christian friend told me of a vision they had in which Maizy was laughing as though nothing had happened. That is how it feels, surreal as it was when she got sick.”

Stuart concluded: “Maizy being so ill and recovering so much has helped us strengthen our faith in God so much. He’s in control so why worry? It really makes no sense.”

A-maizing!