Here is my journey to Detling 2010 in 6 days…
Since I can remember I have always loved singing. In fact all my earliest memories are of singing, be it being taught songs line by line by my dad or singing to posters of pop stars on my wall (sad I know!) it has been part of me all my life. I would put on little concerts for family and sing to them using old fashioned pegs that Nana had as my mic. When I was 6 mum and dad decided that whatever this singing thing is had to be dealt with so off I went to join the local church choir. Upon arrival they decided that a few singing lessons would help and I was pointed in the direction of a really lovely lady called Mrs Lewis. Mrs Lewis was a local primary school teacher with a lovely kind face and shiny blond hair, she was gentle kind and gave me the best grounding I could ever have had. A year later, still taking lessons, I was back in church and accepted into the choir. There was, however, a problem I was very small and couldn’t see over the choir stalls so some very nice larger ladies (taller not wider) would pick me up and stand me on the chair so I could see the conductor! A few years later a band called Nutshell came to our church. They did a concert and, as much as I could understand at the age of 8 I knew that that was what I wanted to do. I did not really know what but I knew – I look back on that night and I know that God called me. I consider myself very fortunate. Some people search a lifetime to know what God’s call for their life is. I feel like I had mine inbuilt and all God had to do was get me to see it!I learnt so much during the 17 years I was part of the choir. I absorbed musicality, aural skills, sight-reading skills, and team skills and didn’t even know I was doing it! It was also during this time that I came to know that God loved me, died for me and wanted to have a real relationship with me. To be honest it was a bit of shocker! I had gone to church, what seemed all my life, but had never really realised that God wanted me, loved me, cared for me and had stuff to say and do in my life; but at aged 16 He finally got through and I surrendered myself to Him. The next step was to be a change of church…