So to start off, I think I should properly introduce myself -

I am a 16 year old, home-educated, Christian. I've never been to school before, and was raised by my mum with my 3 older sisters.

I've had a somewhat interesting life, moving to different places and learning to get on with and live around lots of different people. The first years of my life were spent in a rough area opposite a primary school, but I don't remember it very well. We went - as a family - to a Baptist church near by. Eventually when I was 4 we moved to Brighton (Fun fact #1: the gay capital of England) to be caretakers of a church situated up the road from a night club, and down the road from a pub. It was there that family life took a turn for the worst, when my dad left. My mum carried on with an open door ministry, inviting people from the church and strangers from the flats nearby for cups of tea or coffee, and to have a chat. Many varieties of people came through our house; I was raised around druggies, alcoholics, sex-offenders, people who were faced with or had been through jail, and people with rags to riches and riches to rags stories.

It was at this important time in my life when I learnt that the Christian message was truly to forgive people their past, and to support them no matter what difficulties had arisen in their lives. My mum lived her Christianity and didn't just talk about it, and she raised us to do the same.

She would refer to her heart's desire being that us four girls, her girls, would come to know Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour - and just as God promised her: we have all, at various stages, asked for Jesus in our lives. (In Psalms 37:4, the Bible says, "Delight thyself also in the LORD, and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.")

When I was 8 years old, my mum met a man who she got on with very well, and they were eventually engaged - we moved back to Birmingham for mum to marry him when I was 9 years old and started attending his Reformed Baptist church (where subsequently, I became a Christian). At first it was fun learning to live with a "new dad", but eventually he became grumpy and complained a lot - he didn't make an effort to get on with us as much has he had in Brighton. Our mum was very gracious in the way she dealt with our dislike towards him. She tried her best to be the mother and the wife she should be. Just after my mum remarried so did my dad, and it was especially difficult "losing" him to another family.

During the years that followed, us girls grew immensely close. We could never find much to laugh about, but we always tried. We would talk about everything, and cry about everything together.

When our step-dad was told by his ex-wife that he could no longer see his youngest daughter, he withdrew and became depressed, and the only times he would really talk to us was when he would try to wind us up, or get us told off. Us girls were sure he resented us being there, instead of his own daughter. My oldest sister got married to her long-term boyfriend and moved out as quickly as possible, and they are still happily married.

But, after nearly 7 years of mum's marriage to our step-dad, us girls and mum left his and moved into rented accommodation due to previously unknown, and harmful addictions on our step-dad's part.

This turned our world upside down, and although for the most part we were happy to be out, it's always difficult getting used to yet another family situation, a split, something that made us even more different to our friends in Christian circles.

Through the past 16 years, I have learnt that everything happens for a reason. Everyone is to be loved despite their downfalls. Everyone can be changed, by the love of Christ. Be sure, your sin will find you out. Relationships are special and aren't to be taken for granted, whether friendship, romantic, or family. Take everything with a pinch of salt, and always aim for the highest you can see, at least then if you miss your mark you'll still be half-way up.

God's biggest gift to me so far in my life has been all the trials He has put me through, as they have given me the ability to understand people on so many different levels... when I say "I can understand how you feel." I really mean it, when I say "I know what it feels like to be hurt." I can say it with utter confidence. And when I say "God is bringing me through." I can say it with complete conviction.