Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would ever share this story with anyone, let alone my family and church family, as it involves revealing a habit that I have been ashamed of - wait for this - for 44 years!!!

I gave my testimony on this a few weeks ago during the Alpha Course at the request of Patrick Wilson, although before I spoke I had felt it was "small beans" compared to other people's testimonies. But do you know what? To me this, my very own personal testimony, is my very own miracle "small beans" or not.

I have battled with the embarrassing habit of nail biting all my life. It started at the age of 4 when I started kindergarten and copied another little girl who had this habit. My parents couldn't get me to stop, it continued through my teens and my Dad even resorted to painting black paint on any nail I would bite but I still chewed through at the cost of lead poisoning! When I reached adulthood I travelled, worked abroad and spent a fortune buying false nails to cover up my ugly, chewed up nails. Sometimes I had enough will-power to stop biting them for a week or two but then something would upset me and off I would go again chewing my nails and the false ones would be stuck on again.

Nick and I came to Hong Kong over one year ago (our 2nd time living here) and I saw the Alpha Course advertised and went along and did the Course in September 2001. That loneliness of something missing from my life was filled by the knowledge that The Lord was always there for me and I learned so much from the course and the shared discussions with my group. I started attending services at Union Church and became a helper in the subsequent Alpha Courses. I learned to pray much more than I ever did before and read Christian books which I bought during the Alpha Courses.

A few months ago I read Jackie Pullinger's book "Chasing The Dragon". She was a remarkable British missionary who travelled to HK and who ministered to the desperate people who lived in The Walled City in Kowloon. She recounted tales of hardened drug addicts praying to The Lord to help them come off heroin and how through the power of prayer many turned their lives around and went on to help others. I read these individual cases of coming off drugs through prayer in wonder and amazement and then doubt crept into my mind as to the reality of this actually happening and I became sceptical.

My nail biting continued and I saw an article in the South China Sunday magazine about a hypnotist who could cure habits. This led me to ask my Doctor if she believed a hypnotist could cure my habit and she referred me to a homoeopath. This lady counseled me and gave me some homoeopathic drops to take which were supposed to relax me and as a deterrent to biting my nails. Two days and many drops later I was biting again! I was at my wit's end and feeling miserable and I remember sitting thinking "How will I ever stop, what shall I do?" Seconds later I heard a voice in my head saying "Have you thought about praying?" This led me to thinking "Well why not?" I regularly prayed for friends and family but forgot about myself. Straight away I prayed to The Lord to help me stop biting my nails.

That was around the 2nd week of September 2002 (I wish I had recorded the exact day now) and The Lord granted me a miracle. I have never bitten my nails since I prayed to Him. A week after my "miracle prayer", we received some awful news which in former times would have got me biting my nails like crazy! Thank the Lord, the bad news went away and everything was OK but through any sad or anxious times, I have never felt the urge to bite my nails. I often wonder if he granted me my miracle to show me that miracles have and do happen and stop me being a "Doubting Thomas" (after John 20: 24-29). He has also given me my testimony to share with others and thereby spread His word.

I shall never stop praying to thank Him for my Very Own Miracle. Thank you from the bottom of my heart Lord!