Bin Laden - The Bad News - Jesus Army

modern JESUS army Streetpaper No. 92 7
NO fear!
Hayley Woods was afraid to go out of
the house. Now she’s more outgoing
than most. She told Streetpaper why.
UP AND AT ‘EM Hayley’s had a new lease of life
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“PRETTY MESSY”
is how Hayley, now
25, describes her
childhood.
Her parents
divorced when she
was 7, but before that
she witnessed her dad
repeatedly abusing her
mum.
As if that wasn’t
enough for a seven
year old to cope with,
Hayley was sexually
abused “a few times, by
different people.”
Abuse and bullying
caused Hayley to sink
into a deep depression,
when her teenage
years hit.
She had to start
taking medication at
16 for depression, and
soon discovered that it
had left her
feeling too vulnerable
to leave the house
alone.
“Most of my depression
came from anger”
reflects Hayley, “Anger
at God – why did He
let that happen to me?
I thought it was my
fault. I felt paranoid,
like people were looking
at me and thought I
was this dirty, horrible
person.”
When she was 14,
Hayley had a panic
attack when her mum
went into a shop and
left her standing outside.
From then on,
she developed a type
of agoraphobia. “I was
too afraid to leave the
house on my own.”
says Hayley.
“It carried on until
I became a Christian.
“God healed me.
“I never really prayed
about it, I just realised
one day that I wasn’t
afraid anymore.”
Hayley’s mum and
her brothers had met
the Jesus Army in
Briar Hill years before
Hayley became a
Christian herself. She
was “wrapped up in
her own little world”,
with her boyfriend of
six years and didn’t see
her need of God.
“One day, I don’t
know why, but I asked
my mum if I could come
with her to church”
she recalls, “I remember
looking around,
thinking, ‘you can feel
the love’ – that sounds
cheesy, I know! But it’s
how I felt.”
It triggered in
Hayley a love for God,
and for the Jesus
Army. In 2008, Hayley
was baptised.
“It wasn’t a ‘sparkly’,
dramatic experience.
But as soon as I came
out of the water, I knew
things were going to be
different from then on.
It was a definite turning
point for me.”
But not long after,
Hayley moved into her
own flat and started
spending a lot of time
in the pub and smoking
weed. Her depression
came back, stronger
than ever.
At a Jesus Army
celebration in London,
there was a drama
about Jesus dying for
everyone’s sins, which
moved Hayley to tears,
and caused her to find
deeper forgiveness and
real love.
It was her breakthrough
moment.
“I fell in love with
Jesus” she says, simply.
“I’d never known
anything like this
before.
“God is amazing,
really” enthuses Hayley;
“He’s done so much in
me. He’s healing me of
depression. Recently, I
got prayer from some
friends, and since then,
things have been much
better.
“Through Jesus, I’ve
been able to forgive
people who’ve hurt
me. I would never have
been able to do that on
my own.”
Hayley wants to
share the reality of
God’s love with others.
She is helping to lead
a youth group in Briar
Hill, befriending and
bringing love to young
people who’ve had similar
experiences to her.
What about the
future? “I’d love to see
some of those young
people get baptised,”
says Hayley,
“I feel like all the
things I’ve been
through have been for a
reason.”
AGORAPHOBIA - THE FACTS
AGORAPHOBIA is a term that is used
to describe a number of related phobias
(irrational fears) that are connected to
situations such as:
• leaving home
• entering shops
• being in crowds or public places
• travelling alone on buses, trains or planes
Mind, the mental health charity,
estimates that in the UK there are around
5 million people with agoraphobia.
Agoraphobia is twice as common
in women as men, and the condition
usually starts between the ages of 18
and 35.
For help or information about
agoraphobia, visit the following websites:
• nhs.uk/conditions/agoraphobia
• bbc.co.uk/health/emotional_health/
mental_health
• anxietyuk.org.uk/about-anxiety/
anxiety-disorders/agoraphobia
For prayer text the Jesus Army on
0774 0774 200