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And I really felt that God had given me
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a ministry of hugs.
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Because I had all sorts of people coming
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My name's Sheila, and this is my story.
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I've been involved with city centre chaplaincy
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for about five years now.
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When it started, we put tables and chairs outside.
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And we sat at the table offering prayer and a hug
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I was amazed at how at home I felt with it.
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All sorts of people were coming for hugs.
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From people who were just astonished
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to see somebody standing there with a
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To people who hadn't had physical contact
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with anybody for a long time,
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to people who had real problems and
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I could always tell when I hugged them
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if there was more that they needed to say.
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So I was able to ask if they needed prayer
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I've hugged the big issue man, I've hugged
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the homeless people, it doesn't matter
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who they are, they're all worthy of a hug.
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Sometimes I cry with them
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and I laugh with them,
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In sharing my faith I think prayer
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and I pray for everybody I speak too.
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As you start to pray, so you become
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and you become stronger.
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Prayer becomes a matter of course.
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If someone feels nervous about spreading
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their faith, the message of their faith
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or talking about their faith.
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I try and encourage them to think beyond
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how they're feeling but just think of
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the message that they're giving out
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to people and the chance for them to know
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God's love and so to be brave, take a deep
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breath and once you've done it once or twice,
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it becomes much easier.
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I was in the fish and chip shop the other day
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and an elderly man told me, it was his
02:21
turn to do the tea,
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because his wife wasn't well.
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And he was very tired, so I asked him
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could I pray for him. He was astonished,
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but he was really glad.
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And I prayed for him in the fish and chip shop.
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People do say to me: "well it's ok for you,
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because you find it easy". But I think
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we can all find it easy if we just take
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I'm not special in anyway, I'm just a mum
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and a grandma, and I just have a conviction
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And I always, after I've hugged them, say
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that it's from the Lord. It's a gift
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to express his love.