“I’ve been living in Kendray since 2012, when in my free time I started reaching out to other men on the estate. Many of the men are unemployed and have alcohol or drug addictions. One of the men I work with has been in prison, others are lucky enough to not have been convicted.
I meet with them regularly, invest time getting to know them and start reading Bible with them. There is a trust in our relationship which means they confide in me about the issues they are facing and I can point them towards the life transforming power of Jesus.
God has really made a difference in bringing peace into these men’s lives. For example, James, (not his real name) got into an altercation with his neighbour which usually would have ended in violence. James didn’t grow up in church but had been regularly praying and reading the Bible with me. Instead of responding in anger, James went home, thought about forgiveness and wrote his neighbour a letter of apology. It’s things like this that prove to me that the spirit is working and making real changes in the men’s lives.
The financial support The Willats Trust has provided me with has allowed me to have time to invest in relationships. Without the funding, I would have had to work elsewhere and wouldn’t be able to invest in building friendships, which is the key step towards being able to share the Gospel with the men I work with.”
