I’ve been working in the showroom at Renewal North West for a little over two years now, and an average day for me is quite varied. I am responsible for making sales, moving and pricing furniture, chatting with our customers, and taking donations from the public. At the same time as this, I have been working towards finishing my apprenticeship in Customer Service and finished this in October of 2021! I am now the proud owner of an NVQ Level 2 qualification. I was originally going to do my apprenticeship at Manchester University, but Renewal said that there was a chance I could do it with them. Although nothing was confirmed, I trusted God and decided to withdraw from my place at the university, later that same day, I got a call from Renewal to say that the apprenticeship with them was confirmed to start the following month! I have really enjoyed my apprenticeship and am so grateful to Renewal for setting this up for me.
Working at Renewal North West is really enjoyable, but it has also been a challenge at times. I tend to be quite an introverted person and being around people all the time isn’t always something that comes naturally to me, but actually, the people here are the thing that make my job so good. It is a great blessing to work so closely with people that I can learn from, not only to improve mycustomer service skills, but also to encourage me in my walk with God.
At Renewal North West, there are so many good examples of how living out the Word of God can change lives for the better. It’s really inspiring to be surrounded by people like that, but it also makes me examine myself. Do I really love people in the way God wants me to? Do I really love God in the way He wants me to? Am I living fully for His glory? These questions are worth asking, but the answers aren’t always easy. I am happy to be changed by the Holy Spirit, even if it’s difficult, as I know that this will be done in love. Something I heard this year triggered the thought that God will sometimes use rough tools to shape us, but the hand that is using them is gentle. I have seen this in my own life and as I get to know God better, I am starting to truly understand how deep His love for me is. I am justified only by my faith in Him and my failings pale in comparison to the salvation that He gives through His grace.
I am currently living with Scott, who is part of the Renewal Living programme, we live just next door to work in accommodation that is owned by Renewal. I had wanted to move out of living with relatives before I knew about this house, but I found the prospect of it really daunting. I didn’t have much knowledge about how to organise my finances, or how to deal with the responsibility of sharing a house. Thankfully, I was able to sit down with someone from Renewal who talked me through the whole process, it gave me a curiosity to want to learn how to do things more independently and I took the step to move out, it’s been great living there! I now feel so grateful to my family for looking after me for all those years as I now have a much better understanding of all the things I took for granted before. God has provided so many good things for us in this house, especially during lockdown. There is one particular instance where I had to make some unexpected payments due to an emergency, I wasn’t sure how I was going to cover these extra costs. At the same time, a friend of mine felt like God was prompting them to give me some money, they had no knowledge of the hardship I was facing, but were obedient to God and it was just enough to allow me to cover these expenses. It was incredible, and God continues to show His faithfulness to me in many different ways.
I also got baptised this year. The conversation came about through the Bible studies we do at Renewal on Sunday evenings. I initially dismissed the thought of being baptised myself as I had actually already done it when I was younger. However, at that time, I didn’t understand what it meant to follow God properly, with all my heart, soul, mind and strength, as it states in scripture. Although I am nowhere near perfect and God is still working in me, I am committed to living my life for Him and following His plan for my life. I truly believe that God has led me to working at Renewal in Stockport and I’m really pleased to be a part of the team here, and I’m even more excited for where He is going to lead me next.
