| My Story: Lesley Mayes |
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Lesley Mayes has led a full and colourful life. Moved by the suffering of hospital patients, she questioned her faith and  sought answers in ‘New Age’ thinking. Here she tells her story. My father was in the Royal Navy and my mother was an ambulance driver in the First World War. They both contracted tuberculosis and were sent to a sanatorium in Switzerland to recover – and that is where they met! Fresh air, good food and rest was the medical treatment in those days, as there were no antibiotics. After the war they married and were advised to live in a mild, dry climate so went out as pioneering poultry farmers in S Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe). The farm was not a success, so my father became a surveyor on the Rhodesian Railways, and went to N Rhodesia (now Zambia) where I was born. I was brought up in a nominally Christian home and went to both Catholic and Diocesan schools. I was confirmed in the Anglican Church but fell away and made excuses for non-attendance at church services. After leaving school towards the end of the Second World War, I joined the Women’s Police in S Rhodesia and enjoyed police work, but always had a desire to do nursing training and went to a hospital in Cape Town. Whilst there I began questioning my faith and was distressed to see young people die. This was a turning point in my life and I began to think of injustice in the world and why God allowed such things to happen? I then turned to studying Buddhism, Hinduism and Theosophy. The latter being a ‘New Age’ concept. Some time later I married and had two delightful daughters, but the New Age movement had a detrimental effect, and my health deteriorated and my marriage broke up. It was the Baptist Church which came to my aid, and with attendance there and the prayers of the strong fellowship I came to repentance and was baptised and became a ‘new creation in Christ’ (1 Corinthians 5 verse 17).  Some years after I came to the UK, I married Reggie Mayes and we had many happy years together. Reggie had his own lithographic press company in central London. During the Second World War, he was the chief poster artist for British Rail. His posters were always created in a humorous style in an endeavour to cheer up the British nation during the hard and dangerous times that the country was going through. He was a brilliant calligraphist and water colour artist, so I learnt so much from him and we enjoyed many happy days painting in the countryside. After marrying Reggie I came back to the Anglican Church, but denominations do not matter as we are ‘all one in Christ’. Lesley is an active member of St James’ Church, Westgate on Sea. |
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