ARTEMIS, 19, WASN'T born into privilege. His mother spent the first eight months of her son's life in a psychiatric institution. His dad had a violent streak. They lived in a deprived area of Northampton. Artemis had such serious asthma that, as he put it "I had to be on a ventilator two hours every day to help me breathe." Then the ventilator was stolen from their house.

When it seemed like things couldn't be much worse a chink of light came into the Artemiou family's life: Artemis's parents became Christians. This newfound faith was to save Artemis's life.

"My dad came in one night" says Artemis "to find me struggling for breath. Then I stopped breathing. My mum was hysterical, but my dad got on his knees and prayed for me in the name of Jesus. Instantly I started breathing.

"I haven't struggled with asthma since."

God had intervened, but all was still far from well in the family. "My dad was beating my mum" recalls Artemis. "I remember seeing my mum sitting on the end of her bed a lot, crying - it was just part of life. Once I remember mum in the kitchen sitting on the floor crying, with all the plates and bowls and cups smashed on the floor around her. She said she was trying to move it all and slipped. Yeah right."

Artemis's parents split up when Artemis was 11. Over the next three years they lived in ten different houses as Artemis's mother went through a number of relationships. Artemis describes them bluntly: "All of them either beat her or were complete idiots."

"My mum was becoming an alcoholic and using drugs. She was losing weight daily - by this time she was so skinny it was ridiculous" remembers Artemis.

One particularly violent relationship led to Artemis's mother pressing charges when her partner "head-butted her" - though she later dropped the charges.

Moving to their dad's place, Artemis and his bother found some stability. "My step-mum taught us some home skills as well, which was good" says Artemis "and my little brother Michael was born: I love him to pieces."

But Artemis's chaotic childhood caught up with him: "I started to become depressed. I spent most of my time watching DVDs or playing on Xbox, trying to get 'away from me'. In early 2007, I became suicidal."

Artemis's childhood faith was still there, however. "I prayed to God: 'I won't take my own life, but please take me to heaven. I can't stand not having anything to live for.'"

Around this time, Artemis met the Jesus Army. He describes the first time he turned up at one of the Jesus Army's houses in Northamptonshire: "As soon as I walked into the kitchen I felt peace." He'd found people with something to live for - the same God who had saved his life all those years ago.

As Artemis opened up to God and his new Christian friends, he found healing. "Over the past year I have cried uncountable times, shouted my head off, laughed till it hurts, danced my heart out - and felt the awesome power of God's love" says Artemis.

"One thing I really struggled with was love. I thought I knew what it was, but when people said 'I love you' I found it hard to accept. But through people's patience and grace, I have seen God's love for me.

"God has shown me that love stands by what it believes in, even when feelings aren't there. I've found I can forgive my mum and my dad. I can let go of guilt I've held for years. I can ask for people's forgiveness and start to love myself."

Artemis has found the purpose God has for him. "God prepared me for this" he says. "He's saying 'Now you have something to live for. Now you can live for Me.'"

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