Bolton-born Paul admits that he wasted 20 years of his life trying to find destiny and purpose. After his parents divorced when he was 15, Paul drifted into drugs and a hippy lifestyle extolling the virtues of rebellion and anarchism. “I felt totally insecure, couldn’t handle responsibility and tried to find contentment through all sorts of drugs.. I was a speed freak for 10 years, used amphetamines and by the age of 25 I was a registered heroin addict.”


Paul never held down a legitimate job, funding his drug habit by dealing in drugs. “I was crying out to God for help, but I could never follow the Christian lifestyle,” he said. Having heard about the work of Gilead Foundations, he travelled to Devon to stay with his mother, determined to overcome his addiction to drugs. “I managed to detox myself and was accepted as a student at Gilead. It provided me with the environment to get my life back together.

“I found the reality, power and grace of God through coming to Gilead Foundations and I have also learnt about personal responsibility and the importance of diligence and discipline in life.” Paul worked in the Gilead Foundations dairy during the later stage of his program, helping to process and pack organic milk from the farm. “The work experience I have gained has been so important,” he said. After moving out of the Gilead community to get a flat and a regular job, he met his future wife and they are now happily married, and he has returned as an employee to work in the milk retail business.