Thank you

I know my blogs are always full of thanks but I really want to dedicate this blog to thanking all those that have shared in my walk with Jesus and been witness to what God has done in my life so far.

Now I feel only joy when I look back to those dark days where I didn't know Jesus.  Joy because of the love of God, the perfect love that drives out fear (John 4:18), that now fills my life.  

It is only because of how far I departed from God's perfect will that I am able to rejoice so fiercely in His abiding, unfailing love.  I can now love and be loved, I can enjoy friendship and fellowship with believers and unbelievers from all walks of life, many of whom I would not have given the time of day.  And this is all thanks to the work God has done in me and the friendship I now am able to have with God, with the Father, with the Holy Spirit and of course with Jesus.  

So let's start chronologically with my thank you's, which will obviously mean that I get to thank our awesome God before I do anything, for without our Sovereign Lord I would not be here and neither would any of the amazing people that have become such a vital part of my extraordinary life.  So thanks God.  Thank you my Heavenly Father, thank you Jesus, thank you Holy Spirit.  Thank you for saving me.

My parents Val and Philip (Mum & Dad) also played a fairly crucial part in my existence, so thanks guys for bringing me into the world and giving me a loving and safe childhood, a great education and the opportunity to explore my talents.  And thanks for sticking by me through thick and thin, you've always been there for me no matter what and for this I love you and thank you with my whole heart.

Thanks Dad for instilling in me the spirit of entrepreneurism which has been a very important part of who I have become.  And Mum for giving me a love of the arts, nature and the animal kingdom.

Thank you to my brother Greg for your patience, kindness and gentleness.  I am sorry that I did not always appreciate you for these things.  You are an amazing person and I love you.  Just sort out the handwriting, trust in Jesus and you'll be there ;-)

Thanks to my Nan, thanks for all the wonderful times we spent together during my childhood.  I just pray that you knew Jesus and that we will be together again in heaven.

Now, what can I say, Sophie....  You still are, and have been, the best friend that anyone could ever have.  You know me, you knew me, you saw me, and yet you still loved me and love me still today.  You prayed for me for nearly thirty years as did your lovely Mum, Anne, to whom I also owe a huge debt of thanks.  Your prayers are a testimony that we should never give up praying for our friends and family who don't know the Lord.  

I also want to thank my other school friends Roz, Rachel and Daniela who showed great patience with me during the tough times of my teenage years and were always there to share adventures and laugh when it all went wrong.

As some of my friends and family may remember I first tried to find my faith in God at Royal Holloway University during the two years of my Masters degree programme.  Although I was unable to surrender myself to Jesus at that time I want to thank Elizabeth Cornwell, Robert Hart and Nicholas Perryman for encouraging me in my faith and also our College Chaplain Rev. Chris Cocksworth who spent time with me when I was going through some very difficult times. 

I want to thank my amazing friend Alistair for inspiring me to immerse myself in the church music tradition as a composer, singer and choir trainer, for it is through this that I can often now recollect important passages of scripture and a knowledge of psalms.  Alistair was my husband, my teacher and a great inspiration in my life and will always be my dearest friend.  As well as sharing with me his wonderful knowledge of choral and orchestral repertoire, musical skills and passion for music, he shared with me an enthusiasm for inspiring others through singing and music making.

In 2001 when I was commissioned to compose an unaccompanied choral work for the BBC Singers to perform on Good Friday in Canterbury Cathedral I turned to God for my inspiration.  I was asked to write a piece called "The Easter Anthems" taking words from the liturgy.  The Word of God is very powerful, I was drawn once again towards Christianity during the months I was working on and researching this piece.  Distressingly I was to turn even further from God later in that same year.

In 2002 Alistair and I were offered jobs teaching music at St Christopher's School, Bahrain.  Moving to Bahrain proved to be the most important decision in my entire life for it is here that I was able to receive Jesus into my life for the first time so I want to thank St Christopher's School for bringing me to this little piece of sand in the middle of the sea.  It truly has been the pearl in my life, the jewel in the crown.

During some difficult times over the previous few years I seriously considered converting to Islam and I want to thank Araz for discouraging me in this, even though she herself is a Muslim.  Araz, you have been a great friend and I pray that Jesus will also come into your life as He has in mine.

Again I will thank Sophie for being so vehement in defence of her faith that she had the courage to speak to me in a way that most people would not have dared.  Praise God for giving her this strength and wisdom.

And Robert, my dear friend Robert, who having read some of my blogs deemed them only worthy of one word "insane". I thank you Robert for your honesty, for your brilliance as a poet and a musician and for telling me that I would never find happiness or peace without Jesus in my life.  At the time I didn't listen to you but now I want to remind you of your words and I pray that you will re-read my blogs and reconsider your opinions of my sanity.  

So many people to thank.  

Now I want to give a really special mention to the amazing Jc. Jc came into my life in 2010 when his beautiful wife Sharon, who is now my close friend, bought him some singing lessons for his birthday.  When Jc came into his first singing lesson with me I asked him why he wanted singing lessons and he informed me with total assuredness that took me somewhat by surprise that he was a born again Christian and he wanted to sing his praises to the Lord.  My response was along the lines of "ok, enjoy", or something similarly dismissive.  

Despite the downside of him being "one of those", I was instantly drawn to Jc, he was so positive, so alive, so encouraging and so willing to learn everything he could that I was to teach him.  If you are reading this Jc, I just want to tell you how much I love you and your family and I want to thank you all for always being there for me.  God put you in my life so that you would be there for me as I faced some of the worst things life threw at me so I just give Him all the thanks and all glory for this.

You are a great singer Jc!  I love having you and Sharon in the Inspire Choir!

Another awesome person who came into my life at a similar time was Jessica.  The great Jessica, famous singer from some far away country who seemed to think that I could improve her already fabulous voice.  Obviously God sent you as well Jessica so thanks for listening to His voice.  Thanks for having the courage to tell me that "He does hear your prayers", at a time when I thought He would never hear me, never accept me, never want to know me.  Thank you gorgeous girl I love having you in my choir as well.

I also want to thank Chris, the Rev. Chris Butt, Dean of St Christopher's Cathedral, Bahrain for his kindness and care when I was going through bad times.  Thanks for being my friend Chris, I remember thinking how amazing it was that you made time to talk with me when I wasn't even a believer or a church goer.  Thanks again.

And of course, I have to thank my beautiful son, Xavier, just for being you my beautiful, velvet boy.  Praise God for giving you to me so that I would know a Mother's love which was the greatest preparation for knowing His perfect love.

Wow, the list goes on.  And I haven't even got to the bit where I gave my life to Jesus yet!

Thanks to the birth of my son I came to know the marvellous Mary, nanny extraordinaire who not only looked after Xavier from when he was five weeks old but also took care of me. Anyone who has ever spent any length of time with me will know how hopeless I am at the practical negotiations of looking after one's self and will also know how difficult I can so often be.

I thank you Mary for your patience, your kindness, your gentle nature and most of all your love.  The love of God really shines through you and I thank Him for sending you to take care of me and most of all for bringing me to Rivers of Joy which has brought me not just a river of joy but an ocean of peace, freedom, love and happiness.  

I also thank Anjani for loving us as her own family and for her generous spirit and sense of fun.  I love having you in my choir, you are my friend and my sister.  And I thank all my extended family from Hyderabad for showing us so much love and acceptance, for Elizabeth, for Esther and Solomon, for Esther and Prasaad, for David and Pathma, for Daniel.  I'm looking forward to seeing you all again very soon.

So now back to Rivers of Joy and the amazing family of Christians who have walked with me as my life changed beyond recognition.

Firstly I want to thank Basie, our awesome pastor who is so filled with the spirit of humbleness that he doesn't even let us call him pastor.  Basie I thank you that when I emailed you back in October asking you to pray for me that you actually replied to me.  You really have Jesus living in you and I am just so thankful that God made you such an important part of my life and also that he gave you such a great sense of humour.  You have restored my love of laughing!  I know that we are going to do mighty things in Jesus' Name! 

And of course, Lea who was there leading me in prayer when I gave my life to the Lord.  At the time I hadn't really any idea of what I was doing or how it was going to impact my life.  I only knew that I wanted whatever it was that these people at Rivers had.  I guess I was jealous.  They all seemed so happy and so full of peace and love.  And they didn't even seem to be that boring either.  

I didn't confess any of my sins to God at the time because I just didn't get it!  I sat there on the sofa at the side of the church and said "no, it's ok, I don't think I have anything I need to confess particularly".  I wasn't deliberately lying (for a change), I had just lived in oblivion for so long that it didn't occur to me that my entire life was kind of like one huge sin after another.  I wouldn't have known where to begin.  

It was obviously all part of God's perfect plan as it was going to take time to come to the realisation of what it really meant to have Jesus living in me.  God really did have His work cut out for the next few months.  

And so did Lea.  I thank you Lea for always being there for me, for being a patient, kind, loving and honest friend.  For always answering your phone whenever I call. I thank you for your guidance and your tea and biscuits.  I'm so happy that we're going to be neighbours soon :-)

The other main influence in my walk with Jesus (apart from God and the Holy Spirit of course), has been Zurika who came into my life as an unexpected friend, just at a time when Lea had to return to South Africa to be with her mother.  Thank you Zurika for being in my life at a time when God knew that I needed you most.  What you have done for me was only achieved by God's grace and I thank you for your faithfulness and your trust in His mighty Word that delivered me from all that had tortured me for these past thirty eight years.  

And I want to thank both of you, Zurika and Devlin, for being such an inspiration to me in so many ways.  Thank you for everything you have done for me which is more than I can even know.  Keep drinking happy tea, it obviously works.  And keep singing Zu, you have a fab voice.

Another wonderful couple who have also been such an influence in my life are Pastor Hani and his awesome wife Dani.  Thank you for believing in me and trusting me to teach your equally wonderful daughter.  Praise God for sending you into my life two years ago Hani and for not telling me that you were a pastor, that was definitely spirit-filled wisdom on your part. I know we are going to do awesome things together with God at the centre of everything.

I also want to thank Beth and Jim Harrison of ELC at the National Evangelical Church, Bahrain, who have been so supportive and enthusiastic about all my ideas for using the arts to unite the churches.  I thank you Beth for the hours you have spent praying with me, and Jim for your passionate preaching on the Holy Spirit.

I know some of your must be thinking, "are we nearly there yet?", sorry....  still a few more to go.

I want to thank Tarryn and Sandeep for inviting me to their homegroup and for their patience with me when I was still in my socially inept stage.  Thanks to all our homegroupies for putting up with me and my weirdness.  I love you all.  Special thanks to Linette for bringing us into God's presence with her amazing talent whenever she sings.  

Thanks to Elijah who has come to be such a good friend to me and who really makes me feel the power of God is within us all.  Thanks to Dee Dee, Harri, Rishi, Esther, Jal and all the amazing people I've met through Jc's homegroup.   

Thanks to everyone who supported me for the Peter Pan show, for this really brought home to me the power of prayer, of unity and of love through Christ.  "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13), and this was certainly true.  With all the odds pitted against us we looked sure to fail but "we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us." (Romans 8:37)

And finally, we now come to the last four weeks, the time that I deepened my faith in God, the time when I was tested most but did not go astray, the time when I learned to trust only in Him.

Again I want to thank God for giving me this time in my life, for preparing me for this, for walking with me and for lighting the way.

I thank you Lord for bringing Pastor Robert Maasbach of Life Church, Folkestone into my life and for his wife Virginia and all the amazing new friends that I have made here in such a short space of time.  I thank you for that wonderful signboard that inspired me to really seek God last summer.  I want to see that message "Maybe God is real...." all over the internet, what's app, everywhere!

Today I returned from what has probably been the most inspirational week of my life!

I spent the last six days camping with my son Xavier at Detling Celebration "People without Limits".  Each day we were worshiping our great God with spectacular singing, sublime music, astounding dancing, totally enlightening talks by engaging Spirit-filled speakers and wonderful prayer and healing, not to mention the fabulous food and fellowship and cosy cafe, which was a welcome retreat from the refreshing rain that washed us clean on a daily basis.  

Xavi and I were really made to feel part of a family during our time at the Celebration and this was in no small way due to Alison, Ade and their family, especially little Abigail who Xavi adored and to Steve and Heather who let us use their barbecue, tent pegs and generally helped us along.  John from the Prayer Tent also became a friendly and familiar figure always greeting me with a smile when I tried to get him to read my blog for the fourth or fifth time!

I arrived at Detling knowing no-one and left in the knowledge that when I return next year I will be coming back to be part of a family that would remember me in their prayers all year.

It took a huge team to make this event possible and I want to thank all the stewards who helped everyone have such a great time, and also made such an effort to find little Xavier when he got lost, whilst reassuring me with their loving prayers.  I also want to thank the amazing worship team who are really fantastic Spirit-filled musicians and all those prayer warriors who prayed with me on a daily basis.  In particular the healing ministry team who's prayers certainly made a big impact on my vocal healing, even after a whole week of worship my voice was sounding better and stronger than it had done for months so thank you for your prayers.

I just want to finish by giving a special thank you to two very special people who, despite being in constant demand from all sides, gave of their time to get to know me, pray with me and continually encourage me in my walk with God.  Thank you so much Mary Jane Donaldson and Eric Delve, you have Jesus in your hearts and that's why His heart is also Detling's heart.  Special people, special event.  So glad I could be part of it now and for many years to come.

Thank you Lord for all these amazing people and for anyone that I have inadvertently omitted.  Pour out your abundant blessings on each and every one of them and on their families for generations to come.

In Jesus' Name,

Amen.



NB - I don't know how but I omitted to mention my dear friends Brad Longfellow and Leah Churchill who came to work at the British School as student teachers at the beginning of this year.  I had the privilege not only to be one of their mentors but to be a friend and share my journey with them.  Thanks Leah for your love and friendship, and for your great singing, I hope we will continue to do lots more music together this year.  

I would particularly like to thank Brad who was one of the first guys that I have been able to have a really close relationship with since I started my walk with Jesus.  Brad you are my brother, you are an inspiration, musically, personally and spiritually.  Not because you are the the most experienced, the most dedicated or the most gifted.  Yes you are all those things but you are so much more, you are a child of God and the light of Jesus shines out from you.