|
Alison’s
Testimony
Hello my name is
Alison Kavanagh I am 32 and I am based in Newport Gwent. This is my life story
to date of how Jesus Christ found me, saved me and miraculously delivered me. I
grew up in the care system as a result of a broken childhood. By the age of
three I had lived with seven different families and settled with my seventh.
They fostered an older boy who sexually abused me and my sister for many years.
This seriously damaged my life and when we exposed him no one believed my sister
and I.
At fifteen I ran
away. I quickly adapted to criminal ways which frightened me so I ended up
going back into care. In response to my brokenness and abuse I continued to
run. Social Services decided to put an end to my running and at 16 they
sectioned me under the mental health Act and placed me into a secure mental
institution. Once in there I witnessed distressing scenes of insanity and
battled for my own. I was released eleven months later, scarred by mine and
other people’s experiences.
I got into the
cycle of life but failed and so I resorted back to criminal activities, such as
fraud and shoplifting. I bordered on alcoholism out of loneliness and searched
for love, yet never found it. At 19 I met a man and fell in love. He
introduced me into the drug scene and I discovered heroin and crack cocaine and
fell in love with them both! I remained an addict for nine long years. These
drugs became my pain killers and I thought I had found the answer. Rapidly my
life slipped away. I lost everything of myself. My weight dropped to five and
a half stone, I looked nothing like a woman and I lived in squalor!
As a means of
survival I began to sell the “Big Issue” magazine on the streets of Newport in
South Wales. Totally hopeless and going no-where fast, a friend reached out to
help me become drug free for eighteen months. The problem was that I still felt
empty inside and didn’t understand why! I sought to fill the emptiness with
alcohol and slowly I dropped back into the drug scene. During these years I had
tried to break free of my addictions eight times. I had been in and out of
detox centres. I had taken every prescribed and non- prescribed pill that I
could lay my hands on, all in vain.
I finally got
involved with a man who beat me within an inch if my life, due to his own
ignorance. I knew then that I had to find another path. A few days later I
visited my probation officer to whom I cried for help. He told me of Teen
Challenge, a Christian based rehabilitation centre. It sounded ridiculous but
at this point I was ready for anything! I was interviewed and then waited to
hear from them. On December 8th 2003 I was accepted onto the
programme.
Two days into
the programme the detox nurse took me into her office and sat me down. She began
to tell me about Jesus. He was music to my ears and there and then, while
listening to her voice, I gave my body, mind and soul to Jesus Christ, to heal
me! Jesus delivered me of my addictions and the healing process began; this is
when I first heard the call of God to serve Him. I stuck to the programme and
graduated in April 2005. I am now ministering with Harvest Time as Marilyn
Harry’s apprentice evangelist. I have travelled to India, Bulgaria, and Ireland
and throughout the UK spreading the message of Jesus Christ.
I have recently
returned from Northern Ireland, where I took part in the launching of Noel
Davidson’s latest book called “As White as Snow” (Ambassador Publications). The
last two chapters of this book were designated to a snippet of my story. While
in Northern Ireland I spoke to a crowd of 250 people where I gave glory to the
Lord for what He has done in my life. After hearing my testimony, one lady gave
her life to her Lord and Saviour!
|
MENU
