I grew up in a loving family. However, in my teenage years, I got involved in a number of destructive relationships which lead to partying, drugs and, ultimately, hopelessness. Even though my parents obviously loved and cared for me, they couldn't get me out of the cycle I'd fallen into.

One day my brother reached out to me and told me how God had changed his life after he got baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit. I didn't really know what those words meant at the time, but I couldn't deny what was happening in his life. I'd never really believed in God until I saw the change in my brother. I started to think about God being the answer to my unhappiness. I went to a meeting with my brother and got baptised right under the water. Two days later, I was on my own in my bedroom when I called out to God to help me. I received the Holy Spirit and started to pray in a language I'd never learnt. I instantly knew with unshakable conviction that God was real and that He wanted to help me.

My life rapidly turned around. All of the parts of my life that contributed to keeping me trapped in depression were replaced with new positives. The hopelessness I felt as a teenager was replaced by a hope for a future that goes beyond this life. A few years after getting baptised and filled with the Holy Spirit, I married the best husband in the world. Instead of being destructive, our partnership is positive and worthwhile. We've raised three children together and, while life has presented challenges, having the Lord as the centre of our lives has been a stable foundation we can both rely on.

The Lord had done many incredible things in my life. For a number of years, I had horrible abdominal pains. After some scans and a laparoscopy, I was told I had stage 4 endometriosis. After a time of prayer, the abdominal pains disappeared and I've since had no symptoms of endometriosis.