Over the summer, Lauren was involved in Advance: The Scattering. On the first night, Ellie came up to her and said she’d recognised Lauren from when she’d been in her school with Respect ME. As she shared her story, Lauren was blown away by how God used that lesson to impact Ellie’s life.
‘A few years ago, I was struggling with anxiety, self-harm, eating disorders, and low self-confidence,’ Ellie shared. ‘From the outside, I looked fine, and like I had a great relationship with God, but this wasn’t the case. I’d say now that I was a lukewarm Christian.
‘I was also getting bullied inside and outside of school, and found myself having thoughts that should never cross a child’s mind.
‘At this time, Respect ME came into my school and ran a lesson on self-image, telling us that God had made each of us for a purpose. Lauren also talked about self-confidence and how we should be confident in who God’s created us to be. This was exactly what I needed to hear. It made me feel brave and that I could tell someone how I was feeling.
‘This is what I did and haven’t looked back. My life has been turned around. I kept praying and praying, and God has really helped me. I haven’t self-harmed for a long time, my self-confidence is great, I have a healthy diet and my anxiety is loads better.
‘I’m so thankful for the Respect ME team, if it wasn’t for that talk, I don’t know where I’d be right now. I know I’m loved by Jesus, and want people who may be facing hard times like I was to know how loved they are. When I heard about The Scattering, I wanted to be part of it and couldn’t believe it when I saw Lauren on the first night.’
‘I was blown away by Ellie’s story, and kept thinking ‘thank you, Jesus’. Often we don’t find out about the impact our lessons have, but we trust that God knows. So, to see Ellie now so full of life, and desperate to tell others about Jesus was precious,’ shared Lauren.
Find out more about Respect ME at respectme.co.uk
