Michael Symonds, 21, was out of control. Invited to “Real and Wild”, a Jesus Army youth event, in 2009, he didn’t know what to make of these enthusiastic young Christians and spent most of the time outside the event. Instead of joining in, he was out in town, chasing girls.

At the end of the event, his friends from Coventry couldn’t find him anywhere, so they left without him. Michael was fuming about that. He and a mate tried to steal some bikes to get back to Coventry and plotted revenge for when they got back.

“We were going to put nails underneath the car tyres of the people who had invited us” admits Michael.

After being back in Coventry for a while and getting back into drugs, a short period in prison stopped Michael in his tracks. He knew that the life he was living was wrong. He knew he needed to change.

Now he says: “Over time God has helped me tackle my addictions. I was baptised as a Christian, and that baptism has made me a stronger person. With God anything is possible. And I’m thankful to all my friends in the Jesus Army who have helped me.”

Michael has seen a new way to live – with Jesus. Like the name of the youth event, he wants to live “real and wild” still, but in a completely different way.

---

What's being said