” I lost someone close in a tragic way. He’d been missing for 14 days before the police found his body. From that moment, I started having nightmares where I saw dead bodies. They were so haunting that I dreaded going to sleep at night. I felt very low and always sad. The moment I began to see things change was when I looked at my life and said, ‘Enough! This has to end’. At the Universal Church I learned to use prayer as a weapon. It gave me the willpower to overcome the deep sadness. I was able to overcome the trauma and today, I am happy, I have peace and no longer have those nightmares. I still face challenges but now, I have the inner strength to overcome.

Being homeless was a very bitter experience. I was sleeping on the streets for seven months, with no hope for a better life. Because of all I went through, I had very low self esteem, had no sense of direction and didn’t know what to do. Coming to the Universal Church was an opportunity to change my situation. The spiritual advice I received helped me regain my self-esteem. The prayers also helped me a lot and soon, I started seeing huge changes in my mindset. It was not an overnight change but finally, I was able to rebuild my life. I no longer live on the streets and have restored my life and dignity. I’m an active volunteer in the Universal Church’s outreach projects, including the Night Angels, where I am able to offer support to those living in similar conditions to how I once lived. I am very glad that I’m able to encourage those who are distressed by life’s problems.

I noticed a slight change of shape of my breast then I felt a lump, I rapidly went to see my GP and it was confirmed that I had a lump the size of a golf ball. After an emergency mammogram and biopsy, I was told the results would take days. These were the longest three days of my life. My world came crashing down when the doctor said, ‘You have breast cancer.’ This was a very big shock, especially as there is no history of breast cancer in my family. At the time, I had been a member of the Universal Church for 15 years. Even when I felt very sick after the chemo sessions, I attended the services and my faith in God always made me stronger. I didn’t want to have surgery but after speaking to one of the spiritual advisors, I was reminded of intelligent faith and that I should always follow the doctor’s advice. With my mind set on beating this disease, I decided that the cancer treatment wouldn’t stop me from being active. Thankfully with a strong mindset, fantastic medical team and my faith, I was told I wouldn’t need any more chemo and would just need 3 weeks of radiotherapy after surgery. Today, I am healthy and advocate for breast cancer awareness.

At the Universal Church, I was able to rebuild my life. I overcame an abusive relationship, health issues and financial difficulties. Above all, I found the inner strength to face whatever life throws at me including fighting for my son to break free from his bad habits. I didn’t see a change straight away; it took a lot of perseverance, but I never gave up on him. I kept believing that this change would happen, just like how God changed me. I would participate in the prayers and purposes of faith for family and did not lose faith that a change would come. In our conversations, I would support and advise my son. With time, he finally accepted my invitation to come to church. At the church, he was also able to receive help, guidance, prayers and opened up to the advisers. Consequently, he gained the strength to come out of that lifestyle of negative habits. I cannot thank God enough for what He has done.