Garry Adam Leadership Academy
Testimony
Thank you for taking the time to read my story.

My name is Garry. Despite being born in a poverty stricken council estate in Dundee, I had a good upbringing in a loving family home. However in my early teens I started to rebel and began to experiment with drugs and i soon found that drugs enabled me to come out of my shell and I was not so shy anymore and by the age of 18 these bad choices meant I was addicted to opiates and Heroin. I was able to get some help and was placed on a Methadone prescription. Unfortunately over the next few years despite having two children and a lovely partner I could not shake my drug habit and I could not cope with the impending involvement of Social Services and I left my family. I continued to use the drugs I had come to depend on and progressed further into the use of Heroin and Crack Cocaine and I was overcome with feelings of despair.  I felt I could not sink any lower and I tried to commit suicide. I was desperate for help and attended “12 step fellowships” for a while but with little success and I hit rock bottom in 2016 when my then girlfriend passed away. The next couple of months were really difficult for me as I watched my best friend also pass away, soon after I ended up in hospital having taken a severe overdose.  At this point I had no will to live. Thankfully though I was given support by members of a local church (Broughty Ferry Baptist). Through their help I realised I had nowhere to turn to except GOD, so in May 2017 for the first time I prayed and asked God that if He was real I needed Him to reveal Himself to me and help me. I cried and cried as the love of Christ poured into me as I asked Him to forgive my sins. Although my conversion wasn’t like a bolt of lightning from heaven I felt soaked in his love and forgiveness. I noticed that my desire to use drugs was changing and over the next 2 years I tried so hard to give up the drugs and change my ways, but I now realise I was trying to do it in my own strength. I can see now that God was preparing me for the next part of a journey that started that night in 2017 in my room on my knees in prayer. With the Holy Spirit’s enabling I decided to make a deeper commitment to God and I asked my church for support with a move to a Christian rehabilitation program.

The Haven
I arrived at the Haven on the 14th of August 2019 with a very limited and rather sceptical view on Christianity. I thought it was a rehabilitation centre but in reality it was a full discipleship programme and my new routine consisted of chores and many hours every week of bible study. Although I had experienced bible study back home in my church I was not prepared for the intensity of the Haven programme. However, as I started to devote more and more of my time to personal bible study I found out that God was teaching me and revealing stuff about myself that both challenged and comforted me.  Needless to say there were many other challenges over the course of the next 16 months as God shaped my character and brought to the surface my inner sinful nature but I learned of His amazing love and forgiveness and with Christ in me how I can bear spiritual fruit. I completed the programme with a new desire to help folk in similar situations to my past and also to share the love of Jesus Christ to anyone who will listen.

Call to Leadership Academy
As my time at the Haven was nearing to a close, I prayed intently for God to reveal to me what plan he had for my life and how he wanted to use me to bring glory to him. I was asked by my leaders to consider the Teen Challenge Leadership Academy. So after prayerful consideration I believe God has called me to spend a season there where he can further prepare and equip me to be effective in the calling he has placed on my life.

What is Leadership Academy?
Teen challenge Leadership Academy is a residential centre just outside of Nottingham where men and women can spend a season being trained and equipped to be effective leaders in ministry. We will go deeper into the teachings of the bible and theological studies. We will also be given opportunities to put into practice the principles learned by reaching out to the most vulnerable members of society and taking the gospel to them.

Partnership with Myself
I have learnt that Partnership with fellow believers, including full time gospel workers, is a wonderful privilege (Philippians 1:5). Two main factors of that partnership are prayer (Philippians 1:9) and financial support (Philippians 4:18).

Please would you pray for me? That I would:-
Grow in the knowledge of and love for Christ
Have a deeper conviction regarding his word
Be effective in Christian service
Grow in my ability to serve him and the church faithfully
Bear much fruit in my journey
Be able to share the good news of Jesus with those who are lost

 Also please would you prayerfully consider supporting me financially? All my accommodation fees have been met but I need to raise a further £2000 to cover Tutoring fees (£1600) and travel expenses for me to visit my family back in Dundee. If this is something you might be able to help with then please get in touch with me.

“Being confident of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus”
Philippians 1:6

Many thanks for all your support & especially your prayers.

Much appreciated,

Garry