Hope Easter Magazine 2018 by HOPE Together

SPRING

2018

PRINCE

HARRY

SERVICE & SACRIFICE GEMMA HUNT

Exploring the meaning of life

MEGHANâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S special marriage prep

CONTENTS WELCOME TO HOPE AT EASTER

4 Service & sacrifice How a brush with death and life-changing injuries changed Prince Harry and one serving soldier 7 Meghan’s special marriage prep The bride-to-be is to be baptised and confirmed – what does that mean?

On 1st April this year, we celebrate the most amazing event in history – 2,000 years ago Jesus rose from the dead. This special give-away magazine is a gift from your local church. There’s a common theme in the stories. The people featured are Jesus’ followers. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to them – and to anyone who follows Jesus. To find out more about this life-changing power, ask the person who gave you this magazine, your local church or visit www.christianity.org.uk.

Roy Crowne Executive Director, HOPE

musthavegifts musthavegifts.org 0800 633 5331

World Vision is the world’s largest international children’s charity. Every day we bring real hope to millions of children in the world’s hardest places as a sign of God’s unconditional love. World Vision UK is a charity registered in England (no. 285908). Photo: Bernardet, 5, Zambia © 2017 World Vision

13 Who Do You Say I Am? Read some of the eye-witness accounts of the first Easter 18 Being the best is not enough Meet three world-class sports players – football’s Kaka, golfer Bernhard Langer and sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce 21 A King’s Pardon Lee, an ex-prisoner, tells how he found hope 24 Life in the media spotlight Gemma Hunt on exploring the meaning of life

Happy Easter!

Give hope with

10 Making life sweeter Snapshots from the life of the man whose legacy includes the 500 million Cadbury Creme Eggs made each year

HOPE at Easter is published by HOPE in partnership with Hope for Every Home. Visit easterhope.org.uk to watch videos linked to the features in the magazine or to apply for the HOPE at Easter giveaways on page 27.

26 April Fools! 10 pranks to try on 1st April

Editor: Catherine Butcher Designer: CPO Printer: Warners Distribution: CPO – for more copies phone 01903 263354 Photos: Rex Features / Alamy Publisher: HOPE 8A Market Place Rugby

Warwickshire CV21 3DU admin@easterhope.org.uk Tel: 01788 542782 Copyright: HOPE 2018 Acceptance of advertising does not imply endorsement Hope 08 Ltd Registered Company No 05801431 Registered Charity No 1116005

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SERVICE AND SACRIFICE HOW A BRUSH WITH DEATH AND LIFE-CHANGING INJURIES CHANGED PRINCE HARRY AND ONE SERVING SOLDIER Bruce is pictured right facing Prince Harry

t the opening of the 2017 Invictus Games in Toronto Prince Harry described the life-changing impact of a flight back from Afghanistan with soldiers injured and killed in the line of duty. ‘As I was waiting to board the plane, the coffin of a Danish soldier was loaded on by his friends,’ he said. ‘Once on the flight, I was confronted with three British soldiers, all in induced comas with missing limbs and wrapped in plastic. The way I viewed service and sacrifice changed forever, and the direction of my life changed with it. ‘I knew it was my responsibility to use the great platform that I have to help the world understand, and

be inspired by the spirit of those who wear the uniform.’ These were Prince Harry’s comments at the opening of the 2017 Invictus Games. One of the British soldiers listening to this speech was Bruce Ekman. Bruce won a gold medal in the 1500 metres event, a triumph that marked the end of a journey of recovery which began when his foot was shattered by an IED (improvised explosive device) in Afghanistan. Bruce Ekman, now a Major in the army, had always wanted to be a soldier. Although he was born in South Africa, he applied for the British Army; his mother is British. Bruce’s Christian faith was sparked

and inspired when he was training at Sandhurst – he was there at the same time as Prince Harry in 2005. The Sandhurst motto ‘Serve to Lead’ reminds Bruce of Jesus, who laid down his life for the sake of humanity. A fellow soldier at Sandhurst, called Rob, was ‘an amazing Christian role-model’ Bruce says. ‘He shared his Christianity by how well he did everything,’ Bruce explains. This servant-hearted guy was a great example for Bruce as a Christian. He worked hard to be the best as a soldier and as a servantleader. ‘I thought, that’s what I want to be like,’ Bruce says.

Life under fire

Bruce’s first taste of battle was in Iraq. Every day they came under fire from up to a dozen mortars: ‘Everyone lived in constant fear.’ At the time he was reminded of the Bible verse which says, ‘The Lord is my fortress’ and he learned to rely on God. ‘I had faith that God would look after me.’ Even though the man-made fortress they were in was being bombed, and he knew that Christians get killed just like anyone else, he says, ‘I know where I am going when I die.’ When he was posted to Afghanistan, the constant danger was highlighted when a good friend died after being injured in an IED explosion. The dangers were further hit home when, on one sortie, Bruce was blown off his feet in an explosion, but that time no one was injured. Although he was the officer in charge, Bruce normally took the role of ‘Lead Vallon’ – the man walking ahead of the vehicles with a ‘Vallon’ metal detector to check for explosive devices. ‘You park up your vehicle, climb out and walk forward with the mine detector. The enemy would often throw nuts and bolts on the ground to slow us down. You have to identify if it is just a nut or bolt in the sand. But they would place devices underneath those bolts.’ Every day, at least once a day, Bruce walked ahead of the vehicles as Lead Vallon. ‘I was scared to the point of being terrified, every day for those three months.’ On a ‘rest and recuperation’ trip back to see his parents in South Africa, Bruce went to church and someone who didn’t know him gave him a Bible verse: ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand’ (Isaiah 41:10). That Bible verse spoke volumes to Bruce as he knew what it was like

to live facing terror daily. It was as if God was speaking directly to him. Back in Afghanistan, a few weeks later, he was on the last day of an assignment with the Royal Marines. ‘It was Monday at 7pm and I thought, tomorrow I’ll be back in my base for Chilli Beef Tuesday.’ ‘We were driving back on a route we had driven out on. We hadn’t seen a soul, and we understood the route to be clear. There were three vehicles: two armoured personnel carriers and one truck that was carrying stores and equipment. One of our vehicles got slightly stuck, and we used a second vehicle to pull that one out. Then we knew we had a straight run back to base. Bruce was in the third vehicle when the other two pulled away. ‘I buckled my seatbelt, and we were blown up about a second later.’ An explosive device had detonated underneath them. ‘It was like being launched in a fairground ride. We couldn’t see anything… only dust and smoke. I had blood and what I thought was my mangled teeth in my mouth. ‘All the water bottles had exploded because of the pressure. I found a broken water bottle and rinsed my mouth. I’d still got my teeth – it was just stones and dirt. Then I turned to see what was going on around. One of the guys was screaming as he’d hurt his back. We were undoing our seatbelts. The top cover gunner was on fire. We presumed he was dead. Then the enemy attacked our vehicle. They knew the other vehicles had gone. With our vehicle stricken we knew we had to get out and Bruce is top centre fight.’

Two of the other guys said they were OK, but when one stood up to get out of the vehicle he fell back down. Seconds after being blown up, they couldn’t yet feel it, but the explosion had shattered their feet. ‘The rounds were coming in. Then we heard lots more fire. I thought that was the enemy coming into the vehicle, but it was the Afghans driving them off.’ They were soon rescued and flown by helicopter to Camp Bastion, where surgeons operated on their damaged feet. Within 24 hours they were on a flight back to the UK, to hospital in Birmingham. ‘The whole time I didn’t think our injuries were as bad as they were. But when they looked at the x-rays, they said they were going to amputate my foot,’ Bruce recalls. ‘I burst into tears.’ There were two hours delay before the operation. ‘In that couple of hours I was at rock bottom, Bruce says. ‘I felt, “I’m about to lose my foot. My career’s over. It’s what I’ve wanted all my life. Just 24 hours ago I was strong and leading my team, and now I’m weak as a lamb about to have my foot taken off.” ‘That was when I remembered the verse that had been given to me: “I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you…”’

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It was not under fire in the desert of Afghanistan, but lying on a stretcher in a Birmingham hospital, that he needed that promise from God: ‘Do not fear…’ His sister had driven to the hospital and gave him her iPad. On it was a song by Casting Crowns, a contemporary Christian rock band, which says ‘I’ll praise you in the storm’. ‘I was almost at the point of losing my faith,’ he says. Then remembering the verse and hearing the song he thought, ‘I’m now in the storm. It’s been easy to be a Christian my whole life. Nothing has ever happened to the extent that I doubted my faith. Now I’m in the storm, I’ll praise God in that storm. ‘I went through the operation, woke up and looked down. I still had my foot. I could hardly believe it. They said the British surgeons in Afghanistan had done such a good job trying to piece my foot together. The ankle was shattered. The heel was shattered. Most other bones were shattered. But the surgeons had spent so much time trying to fix the foot, when the Birmingham surgeons came to amputate, they said, “Let’s give this a go.” They told me “You’re probably still going to lose your foot, but let’s give it a couple of days and see.”’

People prayed

Prayer groups had been alerted by one of his colleagues who had phoned his mum to tell her what had happened. Bruce says ‘People I didn’t even know were praying for me.’ ‘I recovered in hospital and went from there to rehabilitation. They kept saying “Your foot’s not going to get better. You’ll probably come back and ask us to take it off.” They’d seen that injury so often.’ Two years after the injury, he was still in pain and went back saying ‘I don’t think I can live like this.’ That’s when he was told about an off-loading brace that had been developed. It’s like a prosthetic

MEGHAN’S SPECIAL

Marriage PREP

The off-loading brace on Bruce’s left leg takes his weight as he runs

limb, but it’s worn on the outside of the leg and takes all the weight off the foot. After an operation to remove some of the metal in his foot, which was causing him pain, he was put on a trial to use the brace. That was in 2014. Two weeks later he ran in the first Invictus Games in London. ‘I didn’t have a chance to do any training, but I was just so happy that I could run.’ Then his full rehabilitation really began. Soon he was fully fit, fully deployable, able to go on exercises with his regiment, and compete in cross-country races. The 2017 Invictus Games gave him the opportunity to train properly before the event. Being one of

the 90 chosen from the 800 who applied, gave him fresh hope. He is full of praise for Prince Harry who he describes as ‘an outstanding character and leader’ who took time to speak to many of the competitors at the training camps and during the Games; he talked to Bruce about Africa. ‘This is just my story,’ Bruce concludes ‘but there are so many soldiers with similar stories. In the Games there are people who have been injured and have overcome their injury. If you know someone with injuries; not just physical injuries but mental injuries, my advice would be sign up for the Invictus Games just to get that pride back.’

rince Harry and Meghan Markle’s engagement was announced with the news that the bride-to-be would be baptised and confirmed into the Church of England before the wedding. Commenting on the fact that the couple have chosen to be married in church, the Archbishop of Canterbury said, ‘I am very, very sure, after conversations, that this is no tick-box exercise for them, “Oh we ought to get married in a church”. There is a profound sense of commitment and seriousness both about faith, and about their lives together, which is quite inspirational. ‘People will look at them and they’ll see a model of how two people commit their lives to one another before God.’

Following Jesus

So what is baptism and confirmation? Baptism is a sign of the start of someone’s journey as a Christian. It follows a pattern Jesus set in the Bible. Eye witnesses to Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan about 2,000 years ago said: ‘Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptised by John in the Jordan. Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I

am well pleased.”’ In the Church of England baptism may involve water being poured on your head during a special church service, or there may be a special pool and you will be fully immersed in the water. In baptism, the church congregation thanks God for his gift of life and publicly acknowledges his love.

There is the prayerful expectation that God will fill each person being baptised with his Holy Spirit, enabling them to be followers of Jesus. The friends and family of the person being confirmed attend the service, and together with the local Christian community, they promise their support and prayer for the person being confirmed.

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Questions and promises

The bishop, or Archbishop leading the service explains ‘In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light. To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him.’ Meghan will be asked a series of questions: • Are you ready with your own mouth and from your own heart to affirm your faith in Jesus Christ? • Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God? • Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil? • Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour? • Do you turn to Christ as Saviour? • Do you submit to Christ as Lord? • Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life? She will also be given this challenge: ‘Do not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified. Fight valiantly as a disciple of Christ against sin, the world and the devil, and remain faithful to Christ to the end of your life.’ During preparation for baptism and confirmation, Meghan will have an opportunity to discuss

what these promises mean, and to consider what it means for her personally to follow Jesus in everyday life. As well as marking the start of a person’s journey as a Christian, baptism and confirmation also welcome new Christians into God’s family, the worldwide church. During the service the whole congregation is asked: ‘People of God, will you welcome these candidates and uphold them in their life in Christ?’ And everyone in the congregation replies: ‘With the help of God, we will.’ The whole congregation will also say together what Christians believe about God ‘the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth’ about believing and trusting in his Son Jesus Christ and in the Holy Spirit. Meghan will then be baptised ‘in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit’.

Almighty and ever-living God, you have given these your servants new birth in baptism by water and the Spirit,and have forgiven them all their sins. Let your Holy Spirit rest upon them: the Spirit of wisdom and understanding; the Spirit of counsel and inward strength; the Spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and let their delight be in the fear of the Lord. Often the newly confirmed person is given a lighted candle at the end of the service with these words: God has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and has given us a place with the saints in light. You have received the light of Christ; walk in this light all the days of your life. The whole service is designed to show that God calls people ‘out of darkness into his marvellous light’ and aims to celebrate the beginning of a Christian’s journey, following Jesus as part of the Christian church and taking Christ’s light out into the world..

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Prayers and blessings

There are several prayers, blessings and Bible readings during the service and a special prayer for Meghan, as there is for any person being baptised and confirmed:

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MAKING LIFE SWEETER CHILDREN’S AUTHOR BOB HARTMAN GIVES SOME SNAPSHOTS FROM THE LIFE, FAITH AND WORK OF GEORGE CADBURY, THE MAN WHOSE LEGACY INCLUDES THE 500 MILLION CADBURY CREME EGGS MADE EACH YEAR

eorge’s story begins with his father, John, who started selling drinking chocolate in the early 1800s. You would go along to John’s shop in Birmingham, which also sold tea and coffee, and he would grind up cocoa beans for you. The beans had to come from Africa and the West Indies, so only rich people could afford to buy cocoa. Still, there was a good market for it, so John experimented with ways to make it better. He created blocks of cocoa that people could buy and take home with them. It wasn’t like powdered drinking chocolate today. You had to scrape a bit from the block of cocoa into your cup, and then add hot milk or water. John Cadbury’s cocoa became very popular. By 1842 he was producing 16 different kinds of drinking chocolate. This made John happy for two reasons.

His business was successful, for a start. But the other reason was to do with his belief in God. He was a Christian who wanted to help people who were poor. In John’s day it was quite common for some men to spend a lot of their wages in pubs, so much that there wouldn’t be enough left to care for their families. John believed that by providing an alternative to alcoholic drinks, he was helping those families.

They nearly gave up

Things seemed to be going well for the Cadbury family, but then, in the 1850s, the business began to struggle. John fell ill, and in 1861, he had to retire. His sons, Richard and George, took over. They were only 25 and 21 and for the first five years it was very difficult indeed. In fact, they nearly gave up. But in

George Cad bury

1866, they found a way to make their chocolate better! And that made all the difference. The cocoa butter in the drinking chocolate they had been making gave it a very strong taste, so it had to be mixed with other ingredients, like starch from potatoes – some chocolate makers even added brick dust! George Cadbury himself had described their drinking chocolate as a ‘comforting gruel’. Not very appealing! In 1866, the Cadbury brothers visited a chocolate maker in Holland who had a machine that could squeeze the cocoa butter out of the cocoa beans. With less cocoa butter in their cocoa, they no longer had to mix it with potato starch. It was purer. It tasted better, and it could be made into fine powder, much like cocoa is today. Better still, they found a way to take that cocoa butter and turn it into what we know as milk chocolate. They shaped it into bars, made all sorts of fancy filled chocolate, and packed them into decorated boxes. And people loved them!

Building Bourneville

The business grew so big they needed a new factory. And that’s where their Christian faith made a big difference to the plans they made. They could have built their new factory somewhere in the middle of Birmingham, but they knew living conditions were not good. The houses were small and overcrowded, which also made it easy for disease to spread.

Richard and George knew that Jesus cared for the poor and wanted them to care for people too. So, in 1878, they bought land four miles south of Birmingham, in what was then the country, and built a new factory. But not just a factory. They built a village! Combining the name of the nearby river Bourne and the French word for ‘town’, they called in Bourneville, which today is the home of Cadbury World! In contrast to the cramped city houses, these homes were light and airy, with beautiful

gardens. And the rents were not expensive. Working people could afford to live there. George and Richard built places for the people in the village to eat, as well, and they constructed sports grounds. They were determined that their employees should live happy and healthy lives. When Richard died in 1899, George continued to run the increasingly successful chocolate business and came up with even more ways to improve life for his employees. He created committees so his workers could make

comments about the company, and suggest changes. He started a bank so they could save their money and earn interest on it. And he made it possible for them to take courses and further their education.

Cadbury the campaigner

George’s work to make things better for people wasn’t confined to his chocolate business. He bought the Daily News, a national newspaper that had been founded by the novelist Charles Dickens. In it George campaigned to bring an end to sweatshops, where people worked long hours, in terrible conditions, for hardly any money. And he argued for pensions, something that didn’t exist at the time. He wanted to make sure that everyone had money to live on when their working days were over. George Cadbury took the profits he made from selling confectionary and used them to make life sweeter for everyone. He died in 1922, but his legacy lives on. This article is adapted from A World of Difference (CWR) a children’s book by Bob Hartman which features the stories of 12 remarkable men and women. In 2017 a copy of A World of Difference was given to every Primary School library in the UK to mark the 50th anniversary of the charity Speaking Volumes. To read more great stories ask for A World of Difference in your local library.

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Any questions?

Who do you say I am?

he first Easter took place in Jerusalem, the setting for the death and resurrection of Jesus. We can still visit the places Jesus walked and talked with his friends. We can read their first-hand accounts of his life, and we can get to know him for ourselves. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived in Nazareth and Capernaum, a fishing village on the north shore of the sea of Galilee, then he travelled throughout the region with twelve followers, known as disciples. Jerusalem plays a key part in the Jesus story. If we could travel back 2,000 years to this city in the Middle East, what would we see? Here are the bare bones of what first century witnesses said about what happened on the weekend in Jerusalem when Jesus died.

The Wintershall Players’ performance of ‘The Passion of Jesus’ on Good Friday in Trafalgar Square, London

Jerusalem, Israel, viewed from the Mount of Olives

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Actors from the Wintershall Players performing to crowds in Trafalgar Square London.

The Garden Tomb is an empty grave in Jerusalem.

‘Lamb of God’ (in Latin, Agnus Dei) by Francisco de Zurbaran (1598-1664)

A meal to remember

One remarkable weekend

Guards grabbed him at night in a garden. He was betrayed with a kiss. Dragged off by soldiers, he was tried on trumped up charges, and deserted by his closest friends. The crowds who had welcomed him to their city only days before, turned on him, demanding his execution. He stayed silent. A cowardly Roman ruler agreed to execute this innocent man to appease the mob. Soldiers dressed the condemned man in a royal robe, twisted a crown from sharp thorns, set it on his head and mocked him. They beat him. Then they took him outside the city walls to crucify him on a wooden cross. They divided his clothes between them by casting lots in a gambling game. A notice nailed above his head described him as King of the Jews. Rather than protest his innocence, or threaten revenge, Jesus forgave his torturers, saying: ‘Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.’ Two criminals were crucified on either side of him. One hurled insults. The other said these surprising words: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ What did this criminal know about the man hanging next to him? Where was the kingdom he referred to? Jesus answered him with an extraordinary promise: ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’

Jesus took six hours to die. He was crucified at about nine in the morning. From midday, it became inexplicably dark. He called out from the cross in his own local language Aramaic words which mean ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ About three o’clock in the afternoon, as he died, he cried in a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ When the Roman centurion who stood by the cross saw how Jesus died, his conclusion was also remarkable: ‘Surely this man was the Son of God!’ What did he mean? To make sure he was dead one of the soldiers stabbed Jesus’ side with a spear. Eyewitnesses described what appeared to be blood and water coming from the wound; proof that he was dead. A rich man asked the Roman ruler’s permission to bury Jesus’ body in a tomb cut out from a rock. A huge stone was rolled in front of the burial cave and guards were ordered to watch the grave. But, by the end of the weekend Jesus was alive again. He was not a phantom or hallucination. He showed he was flesh and blood by eating a meal. More than 500 people saw Jesus alive after his execution. So who was Jesus? Was he ‘King of the Jews’ or something more? Who was the father he cried out to? Where was his kingdom? And what did he mean when he told the criminal crucified beside him: ‘Today you will be with me in paradise’?

Why is the cross part of Jesus’ story? Why did Jesus have to die? As part of the journey to find answers, it helps to understand some of the imagery. Like most of us, Jesus enjoyed a meal with his friends and he chose this most ordinary of daily activities to reveal why he came. The crowds in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ crucifixion had gathered to celebrate the Jewish festival of Passover. They were following very precise instructions, believed to be from God, to remember a key point in their history by sharing a meal of roast lamb, bread and wine. The meal reminded them that God had set them free from slavery in ancient Egypt, when the blood of a slaughtered lamb had saved them from death. Blood sacrifices seem gruesome for those of us who buy our meat from supermarkets in shrink-wrapped packs, but they were common practice in ancient history. When Jesus entered Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples, his every action was profoundly significant and richly symbolic. Scholars through the ages have devoted their lives to exploring the symbolism, its mystery and its meaning. Put simply, Jesus became the slaughtered lamb. His blood poured onto the ground from his broken body on the cross; a sacrifice to save humanity from death once and for all. Since that first Easter Christians have used bread and wine to remember Jesus’ death and the freedom from death that he achieved on the cross; sharing bread and wine to share in his death and new life; looking forward to his promised return at the end of time. That’s what makes the cross so significant.

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Bob Dylan in concert at Earls Court, London in June 1978.

Scientist decides to follow Jesus

Songs about Jesus by Bob Dylan and reading the Bible for himself, convinced astrophysicist and theologian David Wilkinson to become a follower of Jesus. He says: ‘The story of Jesus was so gripping, so compelling and so provocative that in the end I found myself asking the question “Can this man’s life, death and resurrection be explained in any other way than he is God?” In a very simple way at the age of 17, with a sense that this Jesus wasn’t just on the pages of history, but was somehow mysteriously alive today and calling me to follow him, I made a commitment, a decision to follow Jesus, on the basis of a certain amount of evidence, but trusting myself into this experience of becoming a follower and knowing his love.’

Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury

Loved by God

Millions of people throughout history to the present day, from every ethnic background, have made the choice to follow Jesus. They testify to knowing Jesus, trusting that he has changed their lives and will never leave them. Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, recalls an event which prompted him to become a Christian: ‘I was sitting in my room and I was reading John’s Gospel. I got to chapter 3 verse 16 and I realised that I was personally, individually loved by God and so was everyone else. If you are profoundly loved by someone who knows exactly who you are, bad and good, it’s got to be very bizarre if you are not changed by that.’

CMY

This is an extract from ‘Who Do You Say I Am?’ one of the giveaways on page 27. Find out more at easterHOPE.org.uk

Who do you sa y I am?

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BEING THE BEST IS NOT ENOUGH STUART WEIR INTERVIEWS THREE WORLD-CLASS SPORTS PLAYERS AND DISCOVERS A COMMON THREAD IN THEIR STORIES Kaká: ready for the next journey

One of the world’s best footballers retired at the end of last year after a glittering career. Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, known as Kaká, announced his retirement in English and Portugese to his 30 million fans on Twitter. ‘Father, It was much more than I could ever imagined. Thank you! I’m now ready for the next journey. In Jesus name. Amen.’ The 35-year-old Brazilian had played for AC Milan in Italy and Real Madrid in Spain. He has won the Italian and Spanish leagues, the Champions League and the FIFA Club World Cup. The goal-scoring midfielder played 92 times for Brazil scoring 29 goals. He played in three World Cups including 2002 when Brazil were World Cup winners. In 2007 he was awarded the FIFA World Player of the Year, and has also been awarded the Ballon d’Or, and the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year. His last club was Orlando City in the USA and he ended his career there at the end of last year. Off the field Kaká is known for his humanitarian work. In 2004 he became the youngest ambassador of the UN World Food Programme. Kaká grew up in a Christian family and decided to make his parents’ faith his own. ‘Little by little, I stopped simply hearing people talk

about the Jesus my parents taught me and wanted to live my own experiences with God. One of these experiences was when I was baptised at the age of 12. This was a very important step in my walk with Jesus and soon after many things began to happen in my life where I could experience God in a real way.’ He explained how believing in Jesus changes his outlook: ‘The difference Jesus makes in my life is that I know that I will always have victory, I will always have joy, and I will always have success. This is independent of the situations I face, because I know that in the end, there will be greater victory. This brings me great peace, serenity, tranquillity and happiness because I am sure that Jesus is Brazil’s Kaka (Photo: in control of my life. I know that he Martin Bateman) is like a Father who doesn’t want anything bad for his child and he only wants the best for me and those around me, including my family. ‘We all need a Saviour. Jesus is the one and only Saviour, according to the Bible. We need him in our lives.’ Stuart Weir interviewing Kaka

Above, Bernhard Langer in the Seniors Open Golf Tournament at Sunningdale, Berkshire, in July, 2015. Below in Duluth, USA, April 2017 (Photos: Alamy)

Langer’s Easter triumph

Bernhard Langer was once the Number 1 ranked golfer in the world. He is currently the number 1 player in Seniors’ (50+) golf. One of his most memorable wins was his second US Masters title. The tournament ended on Easter Sunday, which Langer acknowledged in his victory speech saying: ‘It’s a great honour to win the greatest tournament in the world, and especially on Easter Sunday, the day my Lord was resurrected.’ He continued, explaining the significance of Easter for him: ‘Some people may not understand that, but it was very meaningful for me as a believer to have won on the day that we celebrate that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. You see, I strongly believe that the resurrection of Jesus actually happened. There were about 500 eye-witnesses who saw

him alive again. I believe that it takes more faith not to believe in Jesus Christ than to believe in him.’ Langer was once asked why as a successful golfer he still needed God. He replied: ‘I realised when I was about 28 years old and I had basically achieved almost everything that I wanted to and dreamed of. I realised that material things don’t make you happy and that there must be more in this life than just accumulating money in the bank or cars, houses or whatever. ‘You just want more, more, more and are never satisfied. Through a Bible study for golfers, I came to know Jesus Christ as my personal saviour and that made all the difference.’ He continued, throwing out a challenge to the questioners: ‘Get yourself a Bible and look into it yourself and find out whether Jesus Christ really lived, whether there is a God or if there is any alternative.

‘I think that many will come to the conclusion that there is a God - there is a creator. If there is a God and the Bible is his word, we ought to read it and learn about him and be what he wants us to be. ‘Every day we have to make many decisions, but the most important decision we’ll ever make is who we believe Jesus is. We either accept him or reject him. Jesus himself said that we are either for him or against him. There’s no in-between.’

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A KING’S

PARDON

Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce at the 2013 World Athletics Championships in Moscow (Getty Images)

Jamaica’s ‘Pocket Rocket’ Nicknamed the Pocket Rocket, Shelly-Ann Fraser Pryce has been the dominant woman sprinter in the world over the past 10 years. The 5ft tall Jamaican sprinter won gold in the 100 metres in the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and also came top in the 100 metres World Championships in 2009, 2013 and 2015. She said of her 2012 London Olympic win: ‘It’s completely different to Beijing [2008] because there I was inexperienced. I was young and I never believed I could win. This time I was a bit nervous but I believed in God and I trusted him to carry me through.’ Despite her amazing achievements, Shelly-Ann never seems to get the recognition she deserves. Asked if she is recognised when she goes out she replied ‘I go to the supermarket and people recognise me … and they want to ask me about Usain Bolt!’ She has had a Christian faith most of her life but in her own words, ‘went away from the church’ in her teens but is now back in the fold. She is clear about the difference her faith makes: ‘Believing in the God I believe in has worked miracles in my life. I know God for myself so I am able

to say “Thank God” because I know who he is and I know what he has done in me and through me. So my faith is very important and at the forefront of everything I do. I believe that everything I have, every gift I have is from him and he has given it to me for a reason. The purpose he has given me has shown me how to live and how to experience life differently. It motivates me and directs my life.’ To deal with her nerves while waiting for the starter to call her to her blocks, she repeats Bible verses. She confesses to being a bit afraid before big races so she repeats to herself a Bible verse written by the Apostle Paul, one of Jesus’ followers, to a younger Christian called Timothy: ‘For God

Shelly-Ann winning the 100m at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (Getty Images)

did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.’ Another favourite verse was written by one of Jesus’ close friends, the Apostle John, an eye-witness to Jesus’ life: ‘the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world’. She says it reminds her that if God is in control, then she has no reason to be afraid. Shelly-Ann is currently taking a career break after giving birth to a son, Zyon, in August 2017. Stuart Weir is director of Verité Sport and writer of Bernhard Langer, My autobiography (Hodder 2002 and 2003) [Photos credit: Getty Images of IAAF]

LEE, AN EX-PRISONER, TELLS HOW HE FOUND HOPE

wenty years ago, I was living in Gibraltar. My mother had recently died and I was grieving. I am an only child and never knew my dad. I was approached to carry a suitcase from Thailand. Despite knowing that if I got caught I would probably be executed, I went, took the case, but was arrested at the airport. The authorities had been tipped off before I even got there. I was given a ‘death sentence’ which in Thailand equates to 200 years. I had a five-kilo set of chains hammered to my ankles, had my hair and eyebrows shaved off, and was led off to spend the rest of my life in Bang Kwang maximum security prison. I shared a cell with 40 other chained prisoners for 18 hours a day, with one hole in the

floor for a toilet. I was 27. I made friends with a prisoner who had a missionary called Susan come to visit him. Whenever she had another person with her, she would try to get me called out of the cell too.

Unforgettable

After two years, the conditions got so unbearable, I opted for solitary confinement: locked up 24–7 in an eight by six foot cell infested with rats, mosquitos and cockroaches… but at least I was alone. It was in solitary that I started to read my Bible. One day, I got to the part where Jesus read Isaiah 61 in the synagogue (Luke 4:16–21). It stopped me in my tracks. Jesus claimed not only to heal the blind and the deaf, but also to free those

that are captive and those that were bound. I will never forget my plea to Jesus that day. My health started to deteriorate after three years. I had contracted tuberculosis and went from weighing 75 kilos to 45 kilos in a matter of weeks. The British Embassy kindly applied on my behalf to the prison authorities, asking if I could return to England once cured – not to change my Thai sentence, but so I could serve out its remainder in humane conditions. It was a long shot with a lengthy process, but I had nothing to lose.

Request granted

Five years later, after having served 10 years, my request was granted. My chains were removed.

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Royal pardon

Bang Kwang Prison in Thailand

I was flown back to England to HMP Wandsworth to await transfer to HMP Parkhurst on the Isle of Wight (due to my considerable sentence). However, the day before I was due to go, I was informed I would be going to HMP Rye Hill instead. In Rye Hill chapel, after an event, I walked up to the piano and played something I vaguely remembered from piano lessons. I went back to my cell and thought no more of it, but about 20 minutes later I could hear cell observation flaps being slammed open and shut. The officers were looking for someone along the landing. The flap opened on my cell and an officer asked me if I was the guy that had been playing the piano. Was I really in so much trouble for that?

Would I like to come and play hymns for them? I remembered the prison I would still be in if it weren’t for God. How could I possibly refuse? I began working as a chapel orderly, building up a repertoire of over 200 hymns for services. Then, one day, a man called Paul came to give a Christian talk. I recognised him immediately. He had been to

the prison in Thailand! What were the chances of meeting him here in England? Paul said that, if I ever got released, I should look him up. In my mind I thought, ‘That’s never going to happen.’ I had resigned myself to the fact that I would spend the rest of my life in prison – but I was forgetting, God always keeps his promises.

One day, my cell door flew open. After having been in prison a total of 15 years, the officer informed me I had been given the Thai king’s royal pardon and was to be released immediately! Thirty minutes later, I found myself on the other side of the gate with £40 in my pocket, and a feeling of complete and utter bewilderment. To tell you the truth, I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry! I spent the next two years working all over the country. I attained three forklift licences and bought myself a motorbike, but my company lost its contract. I had to find a new job. What was I going to do? Then, I got a call from Paul, asking me how things were going. I explained my situation and he suggested I use my forklift skills in Milton Keynes, where there were plenty of warehouses. So, that’s what I did for the next two years. I bought a caravan to live in, but sometimes, as crazy as it sounds, I wished I was back in prison playing hymns in the chapel. Despite being free, I had no sense of purpose. I kept working, but I wasn’t making any friends. I was living in fear, with feelings of shame. All I was doing was chasing wage packets from week to week, and I felt as if I had lost touch with God. But God had not lost touch with me.

Chance meeting

The cell door opened and there was a short, blonde lady called Sandy telling me she was a minister in the chapel. Could I come back and play something? I went back and played a few short pieces of classical music. She explained that they had been praying for a pianist.

Thai Prison Officers standing guard inside Bang Kwang Prison

Caption to go here

On release Lee found work as a folklift driver (Photo: Alamy)

New direction

I got a call from a guy called Steve I had met when he worked in HMP Rye Hill. He was a mutual friend of Sandy and Paul’s. I explained my situation. Steve told me that he now worked for a former chapel orderly of Sandy’s called Simon Edwards. Simon had been released three years previously. He had been given a vision by God to start his own organisation in Stoke called Walk Ministries. I had a number of conversations with Simon, the CEO, and he offered me a one-bedroom flat to stay in while I was with the project. There would be Bible studies, discipleship, counselling for posttraumatic stress, courses on personal development skills with modules on self-esteem, citizenship, social interaction, how to form lasting and meaningful relationships, and a 12-week leadership course. As well as that, they were looking for suitable trainees to work within the organisation. This was exactly what I had needed five years earlier!

Stable job

I worked for Walk Ministries for 14 months as Simon’s personal assistant. When I moved on from Walk, I decided to stay in Stoke, where I felt accepted. I now have a forklift job with a permanent contract, and I am excited about the new opportunities that are ahead. I believe I am exactly where God wants me to be: in the right place, at the right time, with the right people, doing what I believe is the right thing. I go to an amazing House of Prayer, and also to a local Methodist Church. God’s goodness and mercy follow us all the days of our lives. He always finishes the good work he has started in us, and he most certainly never gives up on us! Lee tells his story in 40 Stories of HOPE published as part of Prison HOPE. The book is one of the Easter giveaways on page 27.

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LIFE IN THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT GEMMA HUNT EXPLORING THE MEANING OF LIFE Gemma as Gem in Swashbuckle

Gemma as Tiger Lily in Peter Pan at The Marlowe Theatre, Canterbury

o Britain’s children Gemma Hunt is a pirate. On the BAFTA award winning CBeebies game show Swashbuckle, children compete to win back ‘Gem’s jewels’ from three ‘naughtie pirates’. Gemma, as Gem, is a goodie! To pantomimegoers in Canterbury, Gemma was Tiger Lily in Peter Pan this last Christmas. In her local church she’s one of the team running the parent and toddler group. But to millions of people around the world, who are exploring the meaning of life, Gemma is one of the two Alpha course presenters. Alpha helps people to exploring the Christian faith. It’s a journey Gemma has made personally as well as professionally. Her parents separated when she was four and it was her mum who first took her to church. As a 12 year old she decided she wanted to become a Christian, and sees that as a turning point which began a new chapter in her life. In her mid-teens, at the Soul Survivor summer festival, a

complete stranger told her she Peter Prom’; Buckingham Palace would be ‘salt and light in the dark to present live coverage from ‘The place of the media’. The words Party at the Palace’ for the Queen’s ‘salt and light’ reflect those spoken 80th Birthday; Leeds Millennium by Jesus 2,000 years ago about square for England’s first game making a difference in the world. in the 2006 World Cup; Ghana Gemma firmly believes that God as part of the BBC’s ‘Africa Lives’ spoke to her through those words. season; Wimbledon presenting live ‘It saddens me if people think that coverage for CBBC, as well as a God, the creator of the universe, host of other glamorous locations. can’t speak to us. God cares about She describes her career as ‘pick me. He used those words to give and mix … every single week is so me a nudge in the right direction, different.’ like any parent giving good advice She was in Manchester filming to their child.’ in October 2014 when she was And those words have come first asked to consider the Alpha true for Gemma, who has been project. working in TV since 2003. She ‘Having grown up in the church was offered a contract with CBBC and attending a couple of Alpha even before she graduated Filming for Alpha in Vancouver from a Media Performance Degree. Her role as a presenter on CBBC has taken her to the Royal Albert Hall to present the ‘Blue

courses, I knew what it was, but wasn’t sure I was the right person to be involved with a new film series for the course. It seems God was on my case about it, because people kept coming to me from different areas of my life, encouraging me to get involved. So, I returned the call and went for an audition. Still feeling completely out of my comfort zone and vastly under qualified, I agreed to take part in this epic adventure and thank God I did! I get to share my story. I get to share the story of Jesus. I truly believe it is going to change lives. It has certainly changed mine.’ The Alpha course, which took 18 months to complete, took Gemma to locations all over the world as co-presenter of the video series. ‘It took over my life for a long time,’ she says. When her own church runs an Alpha course, Gemma loves to be involved, but stays behind the scenes serving the food and clearing the tables. ‘Discussions can be fun and they can be heated, she says. ‘But it’s so incredible to explore some of the big questions in life.’ As we approach this Easter Sunday, which falls on Gemma’s birthday, she’ll be celebrating Jesus’ resurrection with her family. ‘I love Easter. There is new life all around us. It’s not as frantic as Christmas and there’s more space to focus on Jesus. It celebrates the pinnacle of our faith – the resurrection of Jesus.’ For Gemma following Jesus gives meaning to life.

www.easterHOPE.org.uk

’S DAY

his year April Fools Day and Easter Sunday fall on the same day. One celebrates fake news. The other marks a true event. Millions of people around the world testify to the impact in their own lives of Jesus rising from the dead. One of the most memorable April Fools Day jokes was played by BBC’s Panorama in 1957. In the 1950s ‘Meat and two veg’ was the staple diet for most British families; Spaghetti Bolognaise was considered a fairly exotic foreign dish. The Panorama programme

Don’t forget, the tradition is - don’t play April Fools Day pranks after midday. 1. Squeeze toothpaste into a cream donut to give to a colleague. 2. Replace sugar with salt if there’s a sugar bowl on the breakfast table. 3. Put cotton wool soaked in brightly coloured food colouring or a stock cube into the detachable head of the shower. 4. Make jelly in your child’s normal cup in the same colour as their favourite drink. 5. Carefully open the bottom of the bag of a favourite snack and replace the contents with an equally favourite treat, then tape the bag closed. 6. Re-set all the clocks in the house an hour early. 7. Fill the smallest room in the house with balloons. 8. Unroll a few sheets of toilet paper, draw a spider then roll it back up again. 9. Stick a small piece of clear sticky tape over the sensors on the TV box and remote control. 10. Put some Vaseline on a door knob to make it extra slippery.

announced that Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper crop of spaghetti thanks to a mild winter and the virtual eradication of the spaghetti weevil. Viewers phoned to ask if they could grow their own spaghetti tree. The BBC response was ‘place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best’. April Fool! Here are some April Fools Day pranks to try on your friends, family or colleagues. Visit easterhope.org. uk to vote for your favourite joke, and to tell us what’s fooled you on 1st April.

4 GREAT EASTER GIVEAWAYS BAG AN INSPIRING BOOK OR CD. JUST FILL IN THE FORM BELOW OR ONLINE AT WWW.EASTERHOPE.ORG.UK. YOU COULD BE A WINNER! Who Do You Say I Am?

40 Stories of Hope This is a collection of 40 remarkable stories from prisoners, ex-prisoners and prison chaplains who speak powerfully about how they have found hope. Published by HOPE and CWR, 40 Stories of HOPE includes a foreword by Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury, plus prayers and Bible stories about Jesus. 25 books

A key question that Jesus asked his first century followers was ‘Who do you say I am?’ He asks us the same question today. This 64-page gift book from CV Global and HOPE takes readers on a Who do you say I am? journey of discovery, using words and pictures to help you explain who Jesus is, why he died and what the resurrection can mean for people today. 25 books

The Cross Was Meant For Me: Worship Songs of Easter Featuring 12 songs that capture the power and life found in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus, this collection from Integrity Music includes the most popular contemporary Easter songs and the original recordings of today’s top artists like Matt Redman, Stuart Townend, Worship Central, Darlene Zschech, Tim Hughes, All Sons & Daughters, Paul Baloche, and many, many more. 25 CDs

The Seriously Surprising Story Follow in the footsteps of Jesus’ followers as they travel from Jerusalem to Emmaus and get talking to someone who gives them the biggest surprise of all! The story of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, is brought to life by the words of Dai Woolridge and lovely drawings of Emma Skerratt in this booklet from Bible Society. Ideal for 4-7s. 25 booklets

Title........... Name ............................................... Address ...................................................... .......................................................................................................... Postcode........................ Tel......................................... E-mail.......................................................................................... My choice is: Who Do You Say I Am?

40 Stories of Hope

he Cross Was Meant For Me: Worship T Songs of Easter

The Seriously Surprising Story

Please return this form to HOPE at Easter, HOPE 8A Market Place, Rugby, Warwickshire CV21 3DU or respond online at easterHOPE.org.uk where these books and CD are also available to buy. Closing date: Friday 27th April 2018. The editor’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into. It is our policy to ensure that your details will not be disclosed to third parties.

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HAPPY EASTER Hope at Easter a gift from your local church Celebrate the new life Jesus gives, at a church near you this Easter