I would like to share my story of how I found God.

Growing up as a child I went to Sunday School at a Methodist Church, but it wasn’t until over 50 years later that I understood the true meaning of believing in God.

I used to think that I didn’t need to go to a church, of any denomination, just to show I believed in God. Also, from 1992-2012 I lived on a Greek island, so I only went to a Greek Church for a wedding or a funeral during those years.

Then from 2000 until 2007 I travelled to countries all over the world, for three months every winter. One of my winter trips was to work in an orphanage in South Africa, where all the babies mothers had died of AIDS. I managed to raise £1,500 to give to this Church run orphanage, and worked there for six weeks. Then my plan was to travel for six weeks, even though I had a lot of opposition from my daughters, all I told them was that I’d be very careful but that I’m doing it for those babies!

During my time in South Africa I visited Church every Sunday, first at the Orphanage which was a Covenant Life Church. Then when I left Johannesburg to visit Capetown, I found a different Church to visit every Sunday. In this Church the service was in Swahili but I was still happy to share about God and I was invited to join them for lunch as some had travelled for miles to come to the Church and worship God.

When I finally had to return to my home town of Nottingham in 2012, I was a lost soul and never thought I would find my place in life again. I missed my life on “my island” after 20 years there and part of me felt that it will always be there! So I tried to find a Church to worship in on a Sunday, but this proved more difficult than I imagined. Then through my friend Margaret, I was invited to lunch at the Oasis Christian Centre. As soon as I walked through the door, I felt this was where I belonged! But then there was another hurdle to overcome… my flat is on the other side of town and meant two buses and on a Sunday there run not very frequently! But this journey time has been halved by the tram, so God Bless the Tram! My search is over and I have found my “oasis”.