Ian Howlett - Community Outreach, Somerset

I found James living on the street. He told me how something had happened to him and not long after he'd lost his job, his wife and his home. He spoke of this as if it was yesterday but when I asked him how long ago it was he said, '10 years'.

When we experience trauma in our lives it's as if a part of us stops right there and we are unable to progress past it without help. The bigger the trauma (or number of traumas), the more of us is stuck.

From that point on I have refocussed my own life towards the understanding of psychological trauma and how to help people through it. I have experienced my own release and continue to work on my own mental health, working through past hurts and finding freedom.

I am currently the owner-manager of Heaven Coffee House in Backwell. This keeps me pretty busy - especially as runnig the café is not really the aim! As an established community space in the village, we are now seeing more and more opportunity to share God's love. Whether it's an established group using the space, like the wonderful 'Renew Wellbeing' group, or the informal support of knowing you're welcome, you're loved and you matter.

But there's much more to do. With your support, we will reach out to more and more, as we work out Jesus' call to 'go into all the world' in this little corner of somerset - and beyond

Our homes and surroundings are one of the biggest factors in successfully overcoming trauma and so I am developing retreat times at a very special place of peace just outside Bristol. This is a slow process but we hope to share it with more people very soon.

I continue to be involved leading worship and prayer times. Music is part of our lives and using it as a way to engage our hearts and souls unlocks parts of ourselves that sometimes struggle. Our Father's heart is 'for us' and I love to help people find that through song and intimate prayer.

I am part of Stewardship funding because a village coffee house does not supply the kind of finacial support that we need to turn our God dreams into reality - but with your help we will see more people living in freedom: in Backwell, in Bristol and beyond

Being part-funded by you, through stewardship, enables me to employ the right people to move the business forward towards self-sufficiency, plus focus my own energies more on the work of inFreedom.

If you would like to give to support me and the work of inFreedom, please click on the 'Give' button down the bottom.