Our story

Tracy’s Testimony

In 1996 my second marriage came to an end. In 1998 I moved into a flat in Sketty Park in order to start a new life for myself and my daughters and to be closer to my family. Shortly after starting our new life, our family were shattered when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. Around this time my youngest daughter made a friend, Audrey, who introduced her to Kids Church at Parklands.

I began to drop my youngest daughter off and pick her up from Kids Church. Then sadly my mum died. A few days after that I broke down in my daughter’s school and a woman walked towards me asking “What’s wrong, can I help you?” I said “I don’t think so”. How wrong I was, that woman was Julie who was one of the leaders of Kids Church. If ever I needed evidence of God’s work in progress, here it was. God had sent me the best friend I could ever wish to have. Before long whenever I could get my head around it I went to church.

During my mother’s illness a friend of hers gave her some books, one was Alpha by Nicky Gumbel, it was a sequence of stories of how ordinary people had discovered God through Alpha and how he was working in their lives. I read it and thought “Oh Lord how am I going to get to Holy Trinity, Brompton?” Never mind, perhaps these things are for other folk and not for me. Two years later and I saw an Alpha course advertised in the Parklands noticesheet, the first meeting was to be held the next day! I phoned Julie that night saying; “if they’re fully booked can you please get me on the next one?” she said “just go along, I’m sure they’ll be pleased to see you.”

From what you have read so far may make you think I was seeking Christianity but I was gutted and distraught. I felt I was a sinner through and through, I’d dabbled in the occult, the dark side or if you like the psychic side of life. I’d looked at everything from aliens to spontaneous combustion. I had so many questions and I wanted something no-one could give me. I wanted 100% proof.

In time I came to realise that was impossible what I needed was trust and faith and then I remember that God had said “knock on the door and I will answer”. So on 29th October 2002 around 7am, I knocked and He answered. The rest is history!

Ever since God has shown me so much proof of his existence even in my wretched life. The Alpha course had a massive impact on my life and spending time with believers just changed my heart and my way of thinking.

Lots of people have said I have changed a great deal, well I like me better and I think God likes me better too.

In recent months I have been involved with a housegroup who have encouraged me no end. I have had a lot of help from people mostly in Church, some out of Church.