My testimony - Mandy Hudson

Redeemer Church London member MANDY HUDSON shares her testimony on how God has helped her through tough trials in her life - and why her relationship with Him has given her purpose and meaning.

“I have made, I will bear, even I will carry and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4b)

Mine was a difficult birth. I experienced lack of oxygen which resulted in Cerebral Palsy affecting my left side. The prognosis was bleak. At nine months, my mother was told I would be unable to walk, talk or really be able to understand, progress or learn.

God had blessed my mother with great determination and persistence. She set about a seemingly endless round of physiotherapy, speech therapy, ballet, horse riding and swimming.

I walked at 12 months, jumped waves at the seaside when I was three. At five, I went to the same mainstream school as my brothers. I still couldn’t speak very well, but I enjoyed learning, especially reading.

This is a story of how Jesus has transformed my life. In my family, that revolution began with my eldest brother becoming a Christian. The change in his character was extraordinary. He became much kinder and thoughtful towards his little sister.

When I went to secondary school, I started going to a Christian group my brother attended. I was given a booklet which explained how God had made the world perfect, but we had rebelled and wanted our own way. Sin had ruined our lives and the world. However, God had come into the world as Jesus. He had died on the cross for our sin and made it possible to be made right with God again and find our purpose in life.

There was a prayer at the end of the book which I said. It was the first time I felt the presence of God.

I discovered that Christianity is actually a relationship rather than a religion. My relationship with Jesus developed through long nights of pain as a teenager when my left knee was injured. This was the time God taught me about prayer. I found out prayer is a conversation in which I can pour out my heart to God. My circumstances don’t always change, but he always reassures me.

The years went by. I grew up, took exams, went to York University and I was even fit enough to get around by bicycle!

I’m writing about God’s continuing faithfulness.

God has not chosen to heal me physically but has instead used my disability to help others. I finished university, became a teacher and moved back into my parents’ home for 10 years. During these years I became a disability activist through the inspiration of the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP). God has put me in a unique position to campaign for the rights of disabled people from my own experience.

After completing a master’s degree, I was looking for the next phase of my teaching career. God opened the way for me to move to London. It was then the Bible verse at the top of this story came to my attention.

I began to realise that God had made me just as he wanted me – Cerebral Palsy included. He had borne me up throughout my life so far and would carry and deliver me the rest of the way!

I’d completely underestimated how physically hard I’d find living in London on my own. But no matter what, Jesus was there as my constant companion. This may seem strange to you, that a remote figure who lived thousands of years ago could offer us friendship, but it is true.

Life with Jesus isn’t always an instant cure to all the ills of life. In 2007 I found myself physically and emotionally exhausted once more. I was diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and had to take 16 weeks off work. There were times when I felt confused, sad and frustrated, as if I was in freefall. I found myself again having to endure long, dark, sleepless nights, this time with whirling anxiety as well as physical pain. Thankfully, slowly, God helped me through. He helped me find a new rhythm of life with more variety. He even helped me to train as a swimming teacher!

I like activity and busyness, but that is physically and emotionally challenging every day. I believe God has continued to use me to campaign for disability rights through a local care co-op. Being a Christian means that I have learnt to see such good causes with a deeper spiritual perspective. My relationship with God gives me purpose and meaning in life.

I have recently retired from 37 years as a classroom teacher. I am so grateful that God has continued to demonstrate His faithfulness by enabling me to continue to work as a swimming teacher. In all the ups and downs of life I am living proof Jesus is my hope. Every day, I am thankful for the breath God has put in me. I pray you will discover that joy too.

My testimony - Stephan Amaranath

Redeemer Church London member Stephan Amaranath shares his testimony, revealing how being assaulted nearly a decade ago left him questioning God - before the Lord provided him with the answer he needed.

Back in 2016, I was assaulted one Sunday evening, and found myself questioning why God had allowed it to happen. Following the incident, I started to question God: Where was he? Why would he let this happen to me? I thought he loved me? I felt very alone and needed answers. Why hadn't God rescued me?

I was born in 1991 in London into a Christian family where my mother in fact came from a Hindu background. My parents had given their lives to Christ and were born again Christians before I was born. I have four sisters, two of whom live in Canada - we were a very close family unit and I felt loved and safe growing up. Growing up in a Christian household, I attended church regularly from a very young age and very much enjoyed Sunday school.

Unfortunately, God did not figure much in my life during my undergraduate degree. Being away from home for the first time and being exposed to a new world I was unprotected from, my faith and God were not priorities. However, I started attending Redeemer Church London after graduating from the University of Sussex and moving back home in 2012.

The sense of community and being made to feel welcomed from the get go, is what I loved most about Redeemer. Being at there has helped me in my walk with God as I’ve had the opportunity to surround myself with people on fire for God and have had the opportunity for accountability with the men from the church.

I then went on to complete my masters at the University of Kent in 2019, which helped me land my current role working for the NHS.

I currently work with adults with learning disabilities. My past experience has been working with those with special educational needs and disabilities and I very much love my career to date.

Up until the time of the assault in 2016, I had experienced some setbacks and bad experiences such as being bullied, being mugged once before and being in Sri Lanka during the 2004 tsunami (these are stories for another time). Despite these experiences, I did feel I was in control of my life and lived a fairly safe life, thanks to my family and upbringing.

But that assault in 2016 was different! I was shaken deep inside and was doubting the goodness of God as I never had before! To my surprise, God gave me an answer.

I got sent a short yet nourishing verse, “I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). Suddenly, I realised why I couldn’t feel or see God’s comfort or care that day. He is always there, whether or not I sense him. When I call out to him, he'll never fail me.

God doesn't take away hard times, but we can certainly find strength and hope knowing that he will always be with us and will help us through. If we have gone through life trusting in our own judgement, we may find it harder to submit to God and his plan for us. If we refuse to see God’s hand and direction in our lives, we may never know just how good he can be to us.

“Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8) We will face many hard times. Some of these are inevitable and beyond our control, but these can be endured with God’s help.

Some of our anguish and affliction is self-imposed and can be avoided, yet God still offers peace as we gather the courage to make the necessary changes in our lives. God’s forgiveness and affectionate approval can give us peace as we face hard times, even when the hurting we face is our very own fault.

He has the authority to guide us down the path of life; he has already conquered all the barriers that stand in the way!

“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Parable of The Old River

John 7:37-38
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them."

The river will find its course, I recall Miss Crabtree, my geography teacher, saying.  But it will be influenced by the terrain, by the obstacles in its way.  Yes, it will find its way down to the great sea, as it should, but there will be a few detours along the way. Its course will not be a direct one.

Then I learned about a river’s 'rejuvenation':  When it gets to its wide meandering stage, in its lower course, the river will slow. It looks like the hard work has been done, there's only a little way to go before it joins the sea.  But if later it hits hard rock, a restricting of the course it was seeking to follow, it will return to its narrower, fiercer youth.  It will flow faster, with a stronger current to force its way forward. The
meandering will end, the white-water will return. The river is 'rejuvenated'.

The river will do all it can to get to the great sea, fighting its way to the finish. It will get noisy, and the going will get rough. But the river will reach its intended destination – the sea.

The river is you. The hard rock... you know what that is. It's different for each of us.

God has given you what you need to rejuvenate, to rediscover the fierceness in your faith, you will find a way to the great sea.

By the way, I also recall Miss Crabtree saying that the faster moving turbulent water typically contains a greater concentration of oxygen, which supports greater biodiversity than the slower moving water.  Faster rivers mean more life.

God knows what he’s doing.

Trip to Thailand - 2nd part - God is at work even in the most unexpected places

As promised, here is part two of the trip to Thailand of Maria and Simona, where you can witness God's work in unexpected places! Let the adventure begin!

After the experience in Chiang Mai, we took a coach and travelled for 5 hours to Mae Sot, where we stayed at PictureBook, a lovely guesthouse co-run by students and some Burmese locals (Mae Sot’s population, although in Thailand, is 80% Burmese) . We were welcomed by Aaron, the founder of a foundation that works in over 30 communities, and who has been living in Thailand for over 10 years. Over the weekend, on top of an adventure-ready Thai-style truck🚚, seated at the rear (obviously with no belt or any safety measure whatsoever! lol), he took us on an extraordinary and discovery tour of the city and neighbouring areas where we could fully indulge in the beauty of Thailand's wilderness and scenery.🌿🌳🐒 We even visited the border between Thailand and Myanmar, and Aaron shared with us some incredible insights and information that you won't certainly find in tourist guides. Once there, backed by breathtaking mountains ⛰️🗻 and facing the “other world” and reality beyond the river, there was a very touching moment when we were invited to pray over the refugee communities from Myanmair trapped there. These people had to leave their homes and villages because of bombings. Now, stranded in Thailand, they can't work or go to school because they lack legal rights and proper documents. They're stuck here, afraid to go back home because they might be killed. Aaron also told us the sad story of the 200 casinos built along the border in the last 3 years for money-laundering purposes, the big scale of the scammers market, the local mafia who controls the villages, and the invisible and forgotten people by the riverside.

🤓Fun fact: the visit to the local wet markets! They were selling all sorts of stuff, including grilled rats and other very weird “delicacies”! I have videos to confirm it by the way! :))

🤓🤓Another fun fact: visiting a gemstone store where you could sit on the floor with the workers and watch them sift through sapphires, rubies, and other stones for hours was incredibly fascinating. I even bought some raw stones at an incredibly cheap price!

🤓🤓🤓Last fun fact (for now!): we ate raw cane sugar which the host picked for us from the bushes!

During our time at the S.T. Foundation, we had the privilege of hosting a CHE vision seminary. The staff was welcoming and enthusiastic about our visit, and they were eager to learn more about our collaboration in the future and see how the CHE approach can benefit their work. We were able to visit a total of five different communities with them, where we had the opportunity to experience local and refugee life from an insider's perspective. The residents welcomed us into their homes and were friendly and accommodating. Although they were curious about our presence, they were not bothered and seemed intrigued. We were able to observe the foundation's staff delivering training on practical topics such as good parenting skills and money management to the residents. The training room wasn't a fancy hall with desks, chairs, whiteboards and coffee breaks stations, but a cement grey room where people were also sleeping and doing daily life - we were seated all in a circle on the floor including the oldest ones, I never had such an informal and unique class!

And lastly, we couldn't leave Thailand without visiting the famous idyllic beaches🏖️🌊🌴, experiencing some of the jungle vibes, and even riding an elephant! 🐘Check out pictures for a taster!

FUN FACTS:

🌶️🔥🥢Thai food is very healthy and spicy! I fell in love with pineapple rice, sticky rice with mango, Pad Thai goong, garlic chicken, and other dishes I cannot even name!

🍍🍌🥭Tropical fruits like pineapple, papaya, dragon fruit, coconut and of course, mangos are absolutely delicious! They have nothing to do with the flavour of imported fruit we eat here.

👟🚫It is customary to take off your shoes and leave them outside when you enter every house, some buildings, and even shops!

🌳🌴Women and children living at the border put a white "cream" on their cheeks made with Thanaka soap, taken from the trunk of a tree, to protect themselves from the sun and show they are clean and have had their shower.

👍I felt really safe! People generally do not steal, despite being in need or not.

🚖📍Taxi services are very efficient, and I met some very nice taxi drivers who went above and beyond without expecting tips or extra money, especially the young gentlemen who drove me to the airport when I was panicking about missing my flight back to the UK - even though his English very basic, we ended up talking about Jesus!

🦋Fairytale and Disney-like butterflies everywhere!

🛍️🏬🛒People love spending a huge amount of time in the malls, which are a bit different from the shopping centres we are used to here in Europe. They have gardens, salons, spas, and other entertainment inside!

🥥🌴Real coconut ice cream and real pineapple cocktails!

🫶The BIGgest memory:❤️💕

I have experienced the presence of God✨💖 and His wrapping protection in unexpected places and circumstances (i.e. while having a panic attack while riding an elephant, being on a small boat at sea under a stormy sky, and feeling fearful of being trafficked in a taxi by myself when the driver suddenly took a dark shortcut in the middle of nowhere!!). The prevalence of Buddhism in Thailand, with its golden temples, scary dragons, majestic statues, and spirit houses, has reinforced my belief that the God of the Bible is the one true God. Only Jesus 💡✨ can provide true answers to life's biggest questions, and only through Him can one experience true joy and peace. I feel blessed to know this God and be known by Him, the God who came down from heaven to die on a cross for me, the only God who gave His life for us all.🙏✝️

Things I struggled with:

📌Few Christians: As a follower of Jesus, I felt sad about the small number of Christians in Thailand. A visit to a famous temple reinforced my Christian beliefs, as it mentioned that the first Buddha couldn't find the truth and settled for a compromise, 'the middle way”. The essence of life is rooted in the teachings of Jesus Christ, who declared, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life.'

📌Communication Dynamics: Thai people are friendly, but their cultural habit of saying 'yes' to avoid conflict can make it hard to know their true feelings. Forming genuine friendships might take a long time, as Thais may need years to reveal their real selves.

📌Black Market Sex Industry: I was saddened to discover a thriving black market sex industry in a central district of Phuket. It casts a shadow on the vibrant culture, raising concerns about the well-being of those affected.

📌Language Barriers: Communicating in English was challenging in most cases which could prevent you from having deep conversations.

👇Bottom line:👇

My trip wasn't in any way what I had anticipated and this is usually the case when it comes to mission work. I was reminded quite vividly that it's not just about the immediate “relief” or tangible results you hope to achieve or the tasks you completed, but maybe it is much more about the many encounters and random conversations in a taxi, in a farm, on the beach, whilst riding an elephant, etc..it is about sowing seeds, giving locals or missionaries hope, preparing the ground and laying the foundation for a much bigger construction whose final look you might even not be able to see in this life!

✨🌍🌟I strongly encourage everyone to take the opportunity to go on a short-term, medium-term, or long-term mission trip or volunteering program abroad. Despite any challenges, cultural shock, or difficulties you may encounter, it will undoubtedly be an enriching experience for you and your life. After all, Jesus encouraged us to be the light of the world and to spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth, didn't he? So, what are you waiting for? 🌈🤗💪🌍

Grateful for the experience! 🫶