Peter Willard testifies
Peter’s testimony given on 7 December 2008 on the occasion of his recognition as an Adherent of The Salvation Army.
Peter & Sue Willard
During the Christianity for Life Plus course, Bev Hudson referred, during the session on Mission, to the small seeds we sow, the following is the story of how The Salvation Army has sown seeds with us, which have culminated in our being here and me giving this testimony.
On Christmas Eve 1979 Sue gave birth at All Saints hospital to our first child Timothy. On Christmas Day I arrived at the hospital ward and shared with Sue the outreach of The Salvation Army band ministering to the families. This was a time for us, of both the elation of the new birth and the fear of first time parents as to what we do next; but that act has stayed with me. In particular that the Army was giving thanks for the new births in a similar way to the shepherds giving thanks for our Lord’s birth all those years ago.
On the 18th March 1982, the tenth anniversary of Sue and I meeting, we were again at All Saints hospital. This time it was not a happy occasion, as Sue gave birth to our second son whom we lost with spina bifida. This event does not directly have a link to the Army; but I refer to it because it marks an important step in my Christian life. Having walked the streets of Medway all night, a despairing wreck, it was whilst walking over Victoria Gardens with the coming of the light on the following morning that I decided that there was a meaning to life, that there was a God, and a great burden was lifted from me. My Emmaus moment!
In 1987 I visited the TSB bank to see whether I could obtain a fixed rate mortgage deal (9.9%) and met a bright young man who told me that it was no longer available. However, he sold me another one and I talked with him about various things. He called me back to the bank a week later to tell me that someone else no longer needed the fixed rate deal and rather than lose it he had claimed it for me. This man who hardly knew me had gone out of his way to help me! That bright young man was a Salvationist named Greg Davis.
In 1997 I had been struggling with my daily bible readings for some time and looked until I found one that I felt comfortable with. This was called Words of Life and I have used it ever since.
In April 1998 our youngest son David had a freak accident at school which severely damaged his knee. This was to have a significant effect on all our lives over the next couple of years as his arm (probably due to the use of crutches) also ceased to work properly and he could no longer write. A serious problem for a student taking his A levels, this was made worse by a doctor telling him and I that nothing could be done and he had better get used to it. David understandably found this almost impossible to bear, and Sue and I felt totally helpless. One evening I was again walking the streets of Medway, trying to come to terms with life. I passed the Chatham Citadel and a not quite so young man whom I had met 10 years earlier said, “Hello; how are you?” Subsequently the Army prayed for my family; although they did not know us, and things got better. David got his A levels, went to University and now has a good job. I do not remember how we found out about it; but as a ‘thankyou’ to the Army; we started (and continued) to give to the Army’s Christmas appeal each year.
In June 2007 a number of events culminated in Sue and I leaving the church we had worshipped at for 17 years. At the time I was very sad and felt I had been deserted by the Church family. Now I think it was a wake up call from God! Thus Sue and I started on our ‘Wanderings in the Wilderness’ journey together. On the 22nd July 2007 almost 28 years after the first seed was sown back on Christmas Eve 1979, we came through the Citadel’s doors for the first time. We were welcomed by everyone we met, including a not so young man who I had first met at the TSB bank 20 years earlier.
In conclusion, I would like to reflect that the seeds sown over those many years, the openness and welcome you have all extended to us and the real sense of God moving in this place is why I have made this commitment today. I do not know why God has brought us to this place, or what he intends for us. I would just like to give thanks to Him for the many blessings He has granted us and to you all for your acceptance of us both. God bless and thank you!