I decided that there was nothing left in my life worth living for

I grew up in a Christian family, going to the Sunday School and learning all about God and the Bible. The idea of having a relationship with God had never even crossed my mind.

The first year of secondary school was hard for me, as I had quite a sheltered upbringing so had very little to interact with my classmates about. This led to teasing and I retreated into a shell.

I became an easy target for the school bullies, and as the bullying got worse, I stopped going to church and the youth group as I thought this was also ammunition for the bullies. I decided that there was nothing left in my life worth living for. I thought my friends had abandoned me and my classmates hated me, and so I decided there was no way out.

One night the phone rang and It was a mate from church who invited me to join him on a Christian Adventure camp. I'd agreed before I'd even thought about it. During a time of singing at the camp I realised that whatever I had been through, God had been there protecting me and providing people to help me. I admitted that I needed God in my life. Suddenly my quietness and timid nature had been replaced by a confidence and energy that I'd never felt before.

Dan Brown is studying Food, Nutrition and Health at the University of Huddersfield