“When I met God, it was the start of making right choices. I put the Lord first. I learnt about prayer, love, but I was not prompted to stop my divorce, even though I know that is not the Lord’s way.”
“As a divorced dad I struggled to keep in touch with my kids when my ex-wife
moved back to . It was suggested I should consider going in , but I said I wanted confirmation from the Lord, as I had made enough mistakes already. On one occasion I was in my home in with the children, and nearby was a monastery. I thought to go to a service there, and there was a time of praying in tongues. One man gave the interpretations – I can’t remember the first, but the second was for me. He said “A man who has a burden is to go to a country where it rains a lot. But don’t worry, there will be someone there holding an umbrella.” William was pulling my arm, but I said “Listen William, this is the Lord speaking to us.” I was really shocked – I was only there by chance.”
Jean-Marc had other confirmation that this was God’s leading. “A lady called Bernadette came up to me and said that she felt the Holy Spirit prompting her that I should go to the . She didn’t know my situation, and I didn’t know she was praying for me.”
So Jean-Marc travelled to to make his home in Rugby. “If I needed confirmation that this was for me, the first Sunday in St Matthews, the prayer ministry team had a word from the Lord about a man who had an umbrella, and he had to open it!”
Jean-Marc quickly found a house to rent, then another to buy, but had no job. “It was not a great time to be looking for work in 2009, but I applied for this sales job. It was not my background, but I was successful – I see the Lord’s hand in that. The Lord guided me to Rugby a year ago and I can now enjoy seeing my two children every other week and we are starting our restoration.”
As Jean Marc continues his own journey of restoration, another is beginning.
“Not everyone is guided and prompted by faith as I have been. I feel I should repay my blessing by helping others. It's a really hard thing for committed Dads to be away from their kids, especially when it’s a long way away. It can become hard to keep connected to the kids, and for sometime I have on my heart that the Lord wants me to start doing something about it. I would like to open my home (and hopefully others will join me) to a single parent who needs to see their children regularly in Rugby because the kids are living there with the ex-husband or ex-wife. The project is called SEMI- DETACHED.”
You can read more of Jean-Marc’s project at
http://www.rugbymen4c.org.uk/ - /semi-detached/4540162019
Thank you Lord that you are there, giving us hope and direction if we only recognise how we need you. Help us to stay on this adventure with you, learning through the hard times, pressing on to our restoration of right relationship with you, and where possible with others, so we can share this adventure with them. Amen
