Page 26 - Finding Jesus with Good News report A5 WEB

The third most significant factor was a spiritual experience.

28% of survey respondents said a spiritual experience had prompted them to start
exploring faith. It became clear from the interviews that people had experiences
they could not explain. These caused them to search for answers in places they
had not considered before. Having had these encounters, they often approached
a Christian they knew, searched the internet, or sometimes just wandered into a
church looking for understanding on what had happened to them.

Donny’s life had been spiralling downwards. The heavy drinking
that started in his mid-teens was still happening in his mid-30s.
Separated from his long-term partner and their two children,
Donny described himself as having an intense “hatred towards
myself”, which no amount of alcohol or drugs was able to heal.
One night, Donny decided he would end his life. Just before he was
about to do it, he cried out to God in desperation. Immediately,
Donny felt an overwhelming sense of peace… and this is where his
journey to Jesus began.

26 Finding Jesus