Dear all at Gideons,

My name is Neill Hudson. I am a 50 year old Christian who used to work for the Salvation Army. I had just got married, and like most young families we were finding things tough financially. I left the Salvation Army employment and as things became more difficult, the more hours I would work. Eventually I found myself working seven days a week just to keep our heads above water.

A few years came and went and I worked what seemed like incredibly long hours and saw less and less of my family and I missed them as much as I know they missed me. I became incredibly tired and eventually went to see the family doctor who took some blood for tests.

I went back to work and the following morning I received a phone call telling me I had late-onset type 1 diabetes. A diagnosis I was shocked but not particularly surprised by as all my family were diagnosed with the same condition. Anyway, I not only walked away from the Lord but I committed one of the worst sins I could, I led my family away from the Lord also.

On the 13 September 2017 I was admitted to Cheltenham General Hospital where I was operated on and had my left leg amputated below the knee. Today, Monday 18 September, I was sat in my wheelchair feeling sorry for myself, packing my belongings away in my locker when I found a New Testament and Psalms placed by The Gideons.

I let it fall open and you hear of people having these wonderful epiphanies but there it was! Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God.”

What a foolish man I have been. I tried leading my family when all I needed to do was leave it with the Lord. I’ve done that tonight in my hospital bed. I rang my wife and we prayed together on the phone and we are going to go back to church.

Things are still quite tough but I am excited after rededicating my life to the Lord. Please feel free to use this witness statement because I will be telling everyone, not as my own glory, but the Lords.

Neill Hudson