I grew up in Papua New Guinea and going to the Anglican church. I had heard of God and his Son Jesus Who died for us. I thought it was something that happened in history and was now simply told as a story. What I didn’t know was that I could have a relationship with God.

When my son was four, I took him to Australia and left him with his father for a better life than I could offer him in Papua New Guinea. When I got back, I was carrying around a pain in my heart, and my life turned upside down. The only things at that time that made me feel good were alcohol, drugs, and smoking. But those things only helped me through the night, and in the morning, that pain came back. I would only see my son once a year, and my son's stepmother would sometimes call and abuse me over the phone.

One day I met someone who asked me a question that changed my life. He asked if I ever thought about where I’d go after I die. He invited me to a Revival Fellowship meeting in Port Moresby. I went a few times and was amazed by the people – so many were from the slums and yet they were happy. I was a successful businesswoman and a snob. I thought I had everything – a car, a house, a business. Yet these people had what I didn’t: happiness.

One Sunday, the pastor – Pastor Godfrey Wippon – was inviting people to get baptised and I indicated I wanted to get baptised. I prayed with some of the leaders and received the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues. We went to the beach and I got baptised by full immersion in the sea. When I got out of the water, I felt this peace within me. I instantly knew my son was going to be OK. Sure enough, a few weeks after that, I got a phone call from my son’s father asking me if I wanted my son to visit me during the upcoming school holidays. That was the beginning of what I wanted: to see my son more than only once a year.

The Lord also humbled me, giving me a brand new heart so I no longer looked down on people. He blessed me with a husband, two more sons, and a wonderful family of other people also filled with the Holy Spirit. He has given me happiness and direction – I have a relationship with God and I know where I’m going now.