I believe that God had been working in my life for some time now, I have always been asking questions and wondering what my purpose in life is.

Just after Christmas i was out with a friend we had a great time which involved lots of alcohol and i was a happy drunk, i got home and as the happy feeling began to disappear i began to feel so empty, lost, lonely and began to cry. I started to realise that i had so much more to give, to others, so full of love to share and i was wasting my time with false highs which only made me feel worse. This wasn't why I was put here and i had to start using my life instead of wasting it.

My search stared as i began to look the Internet as i had decided that perhaps i could do a charity holiday or volunteer somewhere to see how i feel and the experience it would give me, i knew deep down that God was in my head a lot and i was searching for something i didn't understand. With talking to people and saying that i wanted to do a trip but as i wasn't a member of a church i didn't know where to start, i was told i should contact Exodus as they take non Christians as part of their volunteer groups.

So i made the call to Exodus and Paul McGowan phoned me back, invited me to come and meet the team and i started to attend weekly as i felt so at home, my faith was growing all the time although i didn't realise it. We went to Szilagy Szeg in Romania, during my time there i began to experience a warmth and new kind of love which was a bit scary at first, then i realised that it was God asking me to let him into my life, to fill the longing i had been having, i spoke with Paul and his wife Ciara, we prayed and i asked God to forgive me for the sins i had committed, to come into my life and to guide me to life for him as he had died for me.

The feeling is one i find too hard to describe and amazing, God was the reason i made that phone call and he led me to a life i had been searching for but couldn't find on my own.

What can i say, Its an amazing journey which has begun for me, the last thing i ever expected to happen in my life.

Ann