Her Story: Dee

I have always enjoyed working with people. I have worked in children’s homes, in prisons, with people with learning difficulties, done youth work, run children’s clubs and I enjoy sitting down on the pavement and having a chat with someone who is homeless….

At present, I work part-time with Honiton Community Church. A few years ago we began to see a number of people with addictions so the church sent my husband, Steve, and I on a year’s course, “Substance Misuse, Care & Counselling”, with Life for the World (a Christian charity) and the University of Gloucester. We had to write essays for the first time in years!

God gave us a real love for those on the margins of society. We once met a man lying on the pavement, in a bad way through drink. As we reached out our hands to touch him to pray for him, it was like an electric current came from us to him; we both felt it and were filled with a tremendous love for this man. This love has not left us as we work in the community. It was a gift from the Lord.

During Covid, we continued to reach out whilst also managing the foodbank in Honiton as many others were self-isolating. One day on a local estate, whilst waiting to link up with someone donating food, we decided to pray over the estate. Sometime later a call came through from a lady needing financial assistance. I decided to meet her for coffee after listening to her story and in the course of the conversation, she told me her partner was struggling with addiction. This led to him being supported by my husband and soon after he was in detox and had agreed to go to a Christian rehab from there! Where do this family live? …. On the estate where we prayed!

I have learnt over the years to listen to such sad stories. I hope Jesus’ love shines through. Has the work been successful? Someone once told me that ‘success is doing what God has told you to do’. I don’t always know the outcome of my interventions … I know that some have become Christians, some have died and others have disappeared off into the sunset, but our faithful team have prayed for them all and that will have made a difference. The work is tiring, sometimes joyous, sometimes sad, but almost always exciting! Not only has it changed some others, but it has changed me. Maybe that is the ‘success’ that the Lord wanted.

- Dee Masters - Honiton