My Story

You may be surprised to hear that I became a Christian in Japan! While I was at language school in Osaka in 1997 a friend invited me to church. I joined her to ask a pastor for advice about how I could help others escape the dark experiences that I’d had. I soon realized that I needed help before I could help others. Consequently, after asking many questions and reading the Bible I learned of God's gift of salvation, and accepted Jesus as my Saviour and Lord.

I hope you can identify with the following parts of my story… I attended a Christian school, but unfortunately found no answers there to explain the war waging in my heart. I went along to a parapsychology school to learn how to read people's auras and how to heal using energy in the form of ‘reiki.’ About the same time I started experimenting with drugs. Cigarettes led to marijuana and ultimately class A drugs.

Longing for a new start after school I went to work in Japan. I needed freedom from the mask I wore. However, I became increasingly lost there. Most of my relationships were extremely shallow; based on sex, alcohol and drugs. Extraordinarily, by praying to the god of a temple I was granted power from the darkness to walk across a bed of burning coals at a fire walking festival.

On arrival back in New Zealand I began training as a ‘mystic’ under someone who claimed to be a Shaolin monk. I communicated with spirits that channeled through his body. They soon brainwashed me into believing that with their help I could escape the end of the world. Several months later a precious school friend gave me a wake-up call and I was able to break free.

I was then granted a scholarship to study in Japan. I quickly returned to the promiscuous nightlife, however, God was in pursuit of me! I made a wonderful Christian friend with whom I studied most nights, often diverting to talk about her faith. When I finally relented and went to church it was obvious that a spiritual battle was going on for my soul; I often found myself confused about Biblical truths and I saw visions, including a group of demons sweeping around the ceiling of a train station to come surging down and knock me over. It was relatively easy for me to see that I was a sinner in need of a Saviour, and it was only weeks before I repented and accepted God’s amazing gift of grace.

Since then my desire has been to glorify God. Joy has filled the void in my heart so that I no longer need the drugs that made me vulnerable to spiritual attack. God has empowered me to be able to relate to guys from the heart rather than the body, resulting in more intimate relationships than ever before. I have renounced using what was power of the darkness to heal people, and I now pray for others knowing that nothing is impossible for God.

Whether you are aware of it or not there is a spiritual battle going on for our souls! There is also no substitute for a relationship with our Creator; nothing will ever satisfy us but God’s Love! If you can’t grasp that Jesus’ death on the cross was to set you free from your sins and restore you to a right relationship with God I encourage you to keep asking questions…“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32)