Finding Faith, Finding Family - By Kayleigh Crossley

I mostly grew up around LS16, although I moved around Leeds a lot. I am the eldest of five, plus two half-siblings, and come from a very close family. We have been through a lot together over the years, and it has brought us even closer.

I’ve always had faith in some way or another, but I never really committed to one thing. I tried to cover all bases—with crystals, Buddha statues, praying to God, etc.

I began coming to church to escape a difficult situation. It gave me and Maddison time together, away from the stress at home. We started attending family services, and then we got a surprise when our new next-door neighbours moved in—they turned out to be some familiar church faces from the Fry family. Millie invited me to help at Tots, which opened a whole new path for me. I also tried Alpha, the welcome lunches, and Zoom calls during lockdown, which answered many questions I had.

Through my journey with church, I managed to work through a lot personally and gained a whole church community, making many friends. Through everything, I felt supported and loved, and I rediscovered a forgotten passion for working with youth. My faith has become very important to me.

I believe God has guided me to the path I was meant for, and I’m excited to explore all aspects of church and faith, and to discover where I belong. God means a lot to me these days and has become an important part of our family. He made sure Maddison and I were safe and happy, and then brought us Leon to complete our family unit. I feel extremely blessed for this.