Alison

Deacon

I have known God in my life since my mid teens – I first began going to a different local church with a friend from school who was a Christian, and her family. When they moved to Bethel in around 1995, I came with them and Bethel hasn't been able to get rid of me yet!

It has been interesting to look back and consider how much the Lord has done in my life and how much grace and patience He has shown me. I am certainly a more conscientious and understanding person than I was, but perhaps the greatest evidence of His abundant love is how He has taken the hardest parts of my life (such as divorce and depression) and brought good out of them. This is an ongoing process and I am by no means complete – but with God nothing is wasted; no matter how badly we may have failed in our past or how much time has gone by, He can and will use all our experiences to teach us and make us better people. The Lord not only forgives, but He redeems and restores what we thought was wasted – and He delights to do so!