Testimony: Which Path - London or Bradford?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5&6
In 1975, I was invited to Bradford by a friend. I was a final year music student at Ripon Teacher Training College, my friend was the manager of the Ripon Christian Bookshop, which was merging with a bookshop in Bradford. The highlight of the weekend was visiting the Lidgett Green Fellowship. This was a lively, welcoming church. I somehow felt at home there.
While praying for teaching jobs, I became convinced that Bradford was where God wanted me to go. My college tutors advised me to go to London so I could continue playing timpani and percussion in orchestras.
I applied to Bradford, only to discover that it had been ‘ring-fenced’. The local education authority was only accepting applications from within the city. My tutors smiled patiently, but I had no peace about applying to London. In all my ways, it was time to submit to God and trust Him. I decided I would still move to Bradford.
The church there had arranged for me to rent a back-to-back house in Lidgett Green. For my twenty-first birthday I had been given £100:00 so I could survive for a while.
I had four job interviews lined up for my first week living in Bradford. The first was a re- interview with a restaurant manager. I had been honest with him and told him I only wanted a job for eight weeks. Previously he had said, ‘No’, because he wanted to train staff for the Christmas season. Surprisingly, he now decided to give me work for the summer.
My second interview was for a job teaching timpani and percussion at a Saturday Morning Music Centre. I got the job. This meant I could continue playing and teaching timpani and percussion outside London.
On Thursday, I had an unsuccessful teaching job interview. The music adviser spoke to me after the interview and gave me some helpful tips, as he knew I had another interview the next day.
On Friday, when I arrived for my final interview, my heart sank. There were three other teachers waiting to be interviewed. All older and more experienced. I began to lean on my own understanding. So far, God had blessed me as I had moved in faith and obedience. Now, I thought I’ve no chance against experienced teachers.
The interview went well, the music adviser’s tips were helpful. After all the interviews, they called me back. When they offered me the job, I was stunned. I now had a teaching job in Leeds, about 10 miles from Bradford.
Looking back, fifty years later, I marvel at God’s faithfulness. I trusted him, moved, and within a week, he gave me three jobs. He made my path straight.