the Otter's Pool - web home of Ady Gould -

God had honoured us by giving me a job in an environment that was exciting, and supportive. The majority of the guys I worked with did not know about my sexuality, and it was only at the end that one of them told me he knew, and why. It was something I found uplifting, to be myself in a normal workign environment.

The best part of the time at BT was the ability to work with a team who cooperated and shared their abilities with you. God used this time to teach me more about what it can be like when a team works together.

The next few months in London were great for me, but I was spiritually almost stagnant. I may have had a social life, but I needed fellowship. It was good to see Gareth almost every weekend, and sometimes in the week, but I missed church to some extent.

I now know we had stopped moving forwards in God, especially in these times when life was treating us well.

Time edged closer to me leaving the UK to return to Australia. On our last visit to Gareth's parents before I left, we made arrangements to go to the USA for a brief holiday. This holiday was a welcome respite for the two of us, and it meant we were together to enjoy the relaxation time. Before we went though, God blessed us by ensuring we contacted people in the US to stay with in Dallas and in San Francisco.

When it came time to leave, we had spent the previous weekend on the Isle of Wight at a wedding (on the Saturday) and getting things together on the Sunday before travelling to my parents to drop me off. Gareth then headed on to Oxford to work on the Monday.

I spent the day doing the essentials, like arranging for my PC to be shipped back home. This was completed simply and easily, and the arrangements made.

Mum and dad were working, so it meant I had the day to myself. I relaxed, and when Gareth had arrived, mum came down to say goodbye, as we were heading into London to stay with friends who are close to the airport.

We said goodbye, and for the first time in about five years, my mother was crying. I felt moved, and did not want to leave her like this. It was a special moment, that I believe God put there to show how much my mum loves me. We had our times of anger and disagreement at Christmas, but this was a special moment to cherish.

I had already decided to return to the UK at Christmas 1997, for I wanted to be near Gareth at this time. This event though, coupled with my mum saying "I am looking forward to seeing you in a few months" meant that the healing process had been going on since the arguments in December. I am thankful to God for his love and his patience with myself and my parents.

We headed to Jon and Gerard's for the evening, and spent a quiet night, ready for a 5am rise the next day ready for the trip to the airport and the holiday we needed to the USA.

The next morning we awoke and about thirty minute before we left, Simon, another friend arrived and said his farewells.