Songs of Praise
On Sunday 30 March 2008, CAP appeared on ‘Songs of Praise’. The programme features the testimony of Kate Kelly; a CAP client who is now our South Bradford Centre Manager. The BBC TV crew visited Jubilee Mill and CAP staff were invited to sing along with Aled Jones at Leeds Cathedral.
Read Kate Kelly’s Story…
“I became a Christian at a church meeting when I was about 13 years old. Later, I met a lad through church and we got married. Three babies followed and for a while life was great. We had good jobs and a fantastic home. From the outside looking in we had it all, but my husband was under a lot of pressure at work. He started drinking heavily, became violent and our marriage crumbled.
After 13 years, I realised I needed to leave, for the children’s safety as well as mine. We separated and then divorced. It felt as though my world had disintegrated. I was really depressed. I used to take the kids to school and then come home, go back to bed and stay there until it was time to pick them up again. I wondered where God was and how He could allow all these things to happen to me. But, looking back, I can see that He carried me through the difficult times.
At the same time as trying to deal with my depression, I was desperately trying to maintain a ‘normal’ life for the kids. Why should they suffer because their parents had divorced? They were innocent in all of it and my way of protecting them and alleviating any guilt I felt was to lavish gifts on them. I couldn’t afford it, but I felt like that was the only way to ‘make it better’.
The debt began to spiral out of control but I was so ashamed of the mess I was in that I didn’t tell anybody. The irony of it all was that I was working as a Support Worker at the South Bradford CAP Centre, so I was giving out the very same help that I myself needed. The answer was right in front of me but my own shame trapped me in my situation.
I managed to get away for a few days to escape the pressure and plucked up the courage to text the CAP Centre Manager, Jo, to tell her I was in debt. Jo was so supportive and just said, ‘Let’s talk – I’ve been waiting for you to tell me what was wrong.’ I needn’t have worried at all!
God has been amazing and although it’s been hard living on a tight budget, he has provided for us throughout it all. Not only have I found the support I needed from CAP, I have been given the most amazing opportunity to become the Centre Manager in South Bradford! God has opened the door for me to give back to CAP in the best way I can – by helping people in debt find hope and a solution.”
To go to ‘Songs of Praise’ website click here.
