When I was little I dreaded Sundays – I would have to speak to people!

I was extremely shy and was no good at remembering Bible stories we’d covered in Sunday School. Up to the age of about 16 I never understood why I had to go to church, and none of it made any sense.

One Sunday morning I attended a friend’s baptism. During that service I realised that Jesus had died for ME on the cross and I needed forgiveness for all the wrong things I had ever done. I couldn’t believe it. Out of the blue I understood what people had been telling me for years, but it had never before made any sense at all! Once I had said sorry, I had a relationship with Him – Jesus became my Lord and Saviour, and one day I would be with Him in heaven – what an amazing thought! The biggest change I noticed came straight away – I actually wanted to read the Bible, and I hated reading!

At university I sadly decided I could put God to one side and my life became shallow and confused. When I arrived in Leeds in 1999 I attended a church Alpha Course, where I no longer had to pretend, but could just be me, trying to sort my life out again – with no pressure to change or believe anything. This helped me bring my relationship with God back to life, and since then God has guided me through many tough and many happy times, constantly reminding me of the glory to come.