JC's story
JC grew up in Potter's Bar, London, and went to church from an early age. When very young,
he went because he had to - his mum was a Christian and couldn't leave him at home on his own.
"After that, as I got older, I went because my friends were there - not to mention pretty girls",
JC remembers. "But gradually my desire to learn more for myself kept me coming back".
How a plastic heart changed JC's life
"The date was February 14th, 1999 - Valentine's Day. I'd had a lot of issues in my life: years of bullying at school, my parents' divorce, and by the time I was 18 these things were troubling me a lot. My teacher recommended that I went for counselling."
"Before doing this, I spoke to a youth worker called Rob, someone I knew well. I told him what was on my mind and how much it was hurting me. He talked to me for a while."
"Then he gave me this heart, a plastic heart that said 'I love you too much to only send flowers', and it was signed with a cross. I knoew at that moment that God was saying, 'JC, I loved you so much that I sent my son Jesus to die for you'. Even though I'd heard this message for years, it suddenly hit me in a real way".
A new, shiny coin
For JC, life suddenly took on a new meaning. "I remember having a mental image of a coin, one side scratched and battered", he recalls. "Then it's as if the coin was flicked over, and the other side was shiny and clean. I knew that was my life. With Rob, I told Jesus I wanted to follow him. The next morning, I woke up feeling totally different. For two or three weeks after that, whenever I looked at the plastic heart, I felt a new sense of excitement".
A life of adventure
Since that day, life for JC has been an adventure. "It's certainly been challenging! I would not have planned the way my life has turned out. But when you say to Jesus, 'Wherever you lead, I will follow you', he takes you into a life you would never have dreamed. I'm excited because of what God has done and how he's changed me. But I know there's so much more to come!"