Motivational speaker shares her story

• CHRISTIAN motivational speaker, Jenny-May Hudson, spoke about God’s grace in adversity at Glenwood Presbyterian Church on Saturday.

Jenny-May, who lives in Australia with her family and ministers across the globe, grew up in Pretoria, the third child of an Afrikaans father and British mother. Her childhood was horribly marred by her domineering father, and relations were strained between her and her mother. Despite the years of pain, a transformation was in store, and this inspirational woman has taken her turbulent upbringing and moulded that into an incredible message of hope, restoration and inspiration.

Speaking at the event, minister, Brett Williams, said he was excited Jenny-May had made the time in her busy schedule to visit the church.

“This will be a wonderful time to reflect on what Jenny-May has to say to us. She spoke at the church three years ago and is an amazing woman,” he said.

Jenny-May has a passion for life as reflected in her autobiography Monsters, Mice and Mercy: A true story of the victory of the human spirit through the grace of God and the right to choose.

In her talk, Jenny-May spoke about how her beginning didn’t influence her ‘end’. She touched on her childhood and the way her father physically and emotionally abused her and her family, and how her father’s friend groomed her for sexual abuse from a young age.

“I was tenacious as a child and built up my strength from my beatings. I learnt life would be tough and I had to get through a lot, including the feeling that my body was tainted. It was a hard part of my life and was a hard reality to work around. The enemy tried to cuff me and take away my joy, but what I went through was preparation. I have so much inside to share,” she said.

Jenny-May was led to Christ by Rev Joe Bell from Pinetown at the age of nine, and said she met a different God, a Father who was so different to her earthly father.

“I went through layers of awakening and took time to unlearn all the wrong belief systems, conduct and behaviours from my childhood. I chose to look at the tapestry from the front and not the back. I was so marred and scarred, but the grace of Jesus has made me who I am now. It was a process and He showed me each day opportunities to choose better,” she said.