Donny Bibby

Donny shares his testimony with his friend Shaun, and his life before and after he became a Christian. As you can see by the picture above the transformation is remarkable.

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00:00:02 Nicola

I would like to welcome Donnie and Shaun to the Coldwater Podcast, and Donnie had a very dark past.

00:00:11 Nicola

But he's become a Christian, and he's got an amazing testimony.

00:00:15 Nicola

Hello Donnie.

00:00:16 Nicola

Hello Shaun.

00:00:18 Nicola

Hi, you've got an amazing testimony Donnie but I would like to like you to share it with everyone on how you got to know Jesus as your personal savior.

00:00:31 Donny

It's not my story.

00:00:32 Donny

It’s Jesus’.

00:00:33 Nicola

Yeah, that's true.

00:00:37 Donny

Uh, like I said, very dark place and.

00:00:42 Donny

My old house was like a drug dens everybody there ever was on something or other.

00:00:48 Donny

And one of the.

00:00:51 Donny

People come into my flat and he managed to say the wrong word 'cause everybody knew back then.

00:00:58 Donny

That I was black, witch

00:01:00 Donny

Yeah, and it wasn't hidden and.

00:01:05 Donny

He told me there was a Christian drop in opened.

00:01:09 Donny

Yeah, and.

00:01:11 Donny

It was my job to make sure Holy Spirits and things like that didn't happen.

00:01:17 Donny

And deep down in the pit of my stomach I felt.

00:01:21 Donny

Well, this could be real trouble.

00:01:24 Donny

But I've been told the week before a.

00:01:26 Donny

Couple of weeks.

00:01:27 Donny

Before I'd only got about two weeks to live anyway.

00:01:30 Donny

My liver had gone by then.

00:01:37 Donny

What happened is, as you can imagine, I wasn't very happy about this one, so looks across to a mate of mine and I said you owe me a favour that says if we can't curse them out 'cause I've got.

00:01:48 Donny

Two weeks left here mate.

00:01:51 Donny

I said, could you give me a hand and we're.

00:01:52 Donny

Gonna have to burn them out.

00:01:55 Donny

And he looks at me, says, you do realize that's about nine years.

00:01:59 Donny

There's no, it ain't, he said yes it is I said no it ain’t

00:02:03 Donny

He says, well, why not?

00:02:04 Donny

I says’ we wont get caught and  I won't even live that long.

00:02:11 Donny

I thought, well, let's go and see what the problem is.

00:02:15 Donny

So I went down to see this drop in and there was full of Christians full of the Spirit.

00:02:22 Donny

It was wall to wall, love and caring.

00:02:26 Donny

And no matter how I tried or how much I growled, I couldn't get an argument.

00:02:31 Donny

They're just nice cups of tea.

00:02:33 Donny

Bacon sandwiches.

00:02:35 Donny

And I just left in the storm.

00:02:39 Donny

And I was walked up raod and I remember looking up and I can remember growling and saying OK then what kind of powers love?

00:02:48 Donny

Anyway, 'cause I'd never seen it.

00:02:51 Donny

Not in my lifetime.

00:02:53 Donny

And I remember I was suddenly hit by the power of God.

00:03:00 Donny

And at that point.

00:03:03 Donny

I had never had felt spiritual things on my life, but at that point I had never felt anything as powerful as that.

00:03:12 Donny

And the changer came next when he hit.

00:03:15 Donny

Me with the love of God.

00:03:18 Donny

And that is what changes us all because.

00:03:22 Donny

I felt home.

00:03:24 Donny

And I just went to my knees and gave my life down there.

00:03:28 Nicola

Yeah, that's that's amazing. And Shaun, you've been a a significant part in Donnie's life and just want to thank you for what you've done here and how how wonderful you have been.

00:03:40 Nicola

And I just want to sort of really dig a bit deeper and I hope you don't have to to say much about this, but what?

00:03:49 Nicola

What put you on that path of self destruction really to start off with what?

00:03:54 Nicola

What do you think caused that Donnie?

00:04:00 Donny

My mom and dad were terrible, absolutely, and some of my best scars come off my mum and dad.

00:04:07 Nicola

Yeah, and.

00:04:10 Donny

I had a what you class as a nervous breakdown back then, but it's PTSD now, yeah, and.

00:04:19 Donny

Put into a child psychiatric unit.

00:04:22 Donny

And but from there I was transferred to a child mental health unit.

00:04:26 Donny

Yeah, well, back in the 70s those places were weren't very good for children.

00:04:32 Nicola

No no.

00:04:33 Donny

So some of the times we.

00:04:35 Donny

Slept under the beds.

00:04:37 Donny

Instead of in them.

00:04:39 Donny

We had screwdrivers.

00:04:41 Donny

Yeah, just in case and.

00:04:46 Donny

That was the world that.

00:04:48 Donny

I grew up in. 

00:04:50 Nicola

Yeah, so it was a world without love.

00:04:52 Nicola

Love yeah, yeah, yeah, and you've obviously you've forgiven and you you're you're great.

00:04:59 Nicola

You're absolutely brilliant and you you your future is ahead of you.

00:05:03 Nicola

You definitely you know you've got your whole life ahead of you now and a life full of love and so that is that's a miracle.

00:05:11 Nicola

And why would you recommend Jesus to someone, Donnie?

00:05:19 Donny

When I lived on when I lived like the way we were you think there's no way out.

00:05:26 Donny

You know there's a set pattern.

00:05:28 Donny

You know I'm supposed to be this way.

00:05:31 Donny

Yeah, but when you accept Jesus.

00:05:35 Donny

It's the ability to change for him to work in you and your life to change.

00:05:41 Donny

And slowly but surely you become a different person.

00:05:44 Nicola

Yeah, yeah.

00:05:46 Donny

And to me first is the love of God.

00:05:50 Donny

And then it's the peace.

00:05:52 Nicola

Yes, yes.

00:05:54 Nicola

I mean, I've been a Christian since I was four, and it doesn't mean that I'm by any stretch of the imagination by perfect, and I still have to.

00:06:04 Nicola

Still have to.

00:06:06 Nicola

Ask God to change me so you know it's a it's it.

00:06:10 Nicola

It definitely is a process and we all need to realize that we're all work in progress.

00:06:16 Nicola

What would you say to someone who doesn't know the Lord, even someone who was in a similar position to yourself?

00:06:22 Nicola

So someone who was in that that dark place?

00:06:25 Nicola

It's a very similar question.

00:06:26 Nicola

The one I've just asked.

00:06:30 Donny

You have to go to a place church, show a drop in and.

00:06:38 Donny

You will know the people that have got.

00:06:41 Donny

A love and.

00:06:43 Donny

Jesus in them, it says in the Bible that we are the light of Jesus.

00:06:49 Donny

And it's that love that we can confer to others.

00:06:52 Donny

Kindness consideration.

00:06:58 Donny

Once you come alongside somebody like taht.

00:07:01 Donny

you learn to be like that .

00:07:04 Nicola

Yeah, yeah, yeah Shau, you've played a significant role in Donnie's life.

00:07:13 Nicola

How was that easy?

00:07:16 Shaun

Well, I'll tell you what happened.

00:07:18 Shaun

We always used to pray with all the drop in opened and a couple of us have been talking and we said to each other we need to pray for for the worst to turn turn up at the drop in to walk through those doors.

00:07:30 Shaun

So we did.

00:07:32 Shaun

And when we say the worst, I'm not talking about.

00:07:35 Shaun

Criminality I'm talking about like broken, like people that had a damaged past and that day Donnie walked through the door, yeah.

00:07:38 Nicola

Yes, yes.

00:07:45 Shaun

So God heard our call.

00:07:47 Shaun

And and when he walked through, I knew that was answered prayer, and a lot of people were.

00:07:52 Nicola

Yeah, yeah.

00:07:53 Shaun

Telling me to.

00:07:55 Shaun

Keep away from him.

00:07:56 Shaun

Some people knew.

00:07:56 Shaun

Him some people heard about him and they were saying things that I could hear, but I wasn't listening to.

00:07:57

Yeah, yeah.

00:08:04 Shaun

Which is a big difference and all we wanted to do was show the love of Jesus.

00:08:09 Shaun

And we've had lots of people walk through the door.

00:08:12 Shaun

Lots of angry people, lots of people have broken, but no one like Donnie, right?

00:08:17 Nicola

Right, right?

00:08:18 Nicola

Well, he's he's quite marvellous.

00:08:20 Nicola

I'm pleased to have met him and pleased you've introduced me to him, Sean.

00:08:23 Nicola

He's he's absolutely lovely.

00:08:25 Nicola

He's got a wonderful healing ministry around him and so you know, I will keep you both in my prayers and I just think this is is.

00:08:34 Nicola

It's been a wonderful opportunity to to chat to you both is there?

00:08:38 Nicola

Is there anything else that you would like to to add or?

00:08:42 Nicola

You're happy, yeah?

00:08:43 Shaun

I've, I think to be honest with you, I did the drop in for the 10 years and it it was hard going and dumb.

00:08:51 Shaun

But everything we needed was provided for us.

00:08:53 Shaun

Everything we got.

00:08:55 Shaun

God provided everything because he knew our needs.

00:08:58 Shaun

He needs before we knew what we needed and and the the the Project 7 project.

00:09:03 Shaun

Was run on faith, complete utter faith in God.

00:09:08 Shaun

And yes, the wife and I had ties to it.

00:09:11 Shaun

And yes, the building we purchased that we purchased it with money that God had.

00:09:16 Shaun

Provided to us.

00:09:18 Shaun

So everything sort of UM came onto the, you know, onto onto God’s head really, because the end of the day, if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have been there and we reached a lot of people, and we we sold a lot of seeds and slowly but surely I see those seeds come to fruit.

00:09:35 Nicola

Yes, yes, and it's a great encouragement for people who are in the frontline doing your type of ministry.

00:09:45 Nicola

And you know, we just keep praying for those that that, that that, those, those areas of darkness to to have light into them.

00:09:53 Nicola

And you know, Donnie is a very powerful, powerful prayer warrior, and you know, and he can pray into those areas so you know, I just I just.

00:10:04 Nicola

I just feel very blessed and privileged to have you both on Coldwater podcast so.

00:10:09 Donny

Prayer is the key.

00:10:14 Donny

Somebody asked me once it must have.

00:10:16 Donny

Took a real.

00:10:17 Donny

Big, you know.

00:10:19 Donny

Miracle to save me and that's it.

00:10:21 Donny

No, not really.

00:10:22 Donny

That's it.

00:10:22 Donny

Just takes one match in that friend of darkness.

00:10:26 Nicola

That's right, one match, yes.

00:10:27 Donny

And that I was introduced 'cause I'd been.

00:10:31 Donny

I had been a witch for years, so.

00:10:32 Donny

I'd seen spiritual things, yeah.

00:10:35 Donny

But compared to what Jesus could do?

00:10:39 Donny

Uhm, I remember learning how to.

00:10:44 Donny

Give to Jesus and how Jesus would provide, yeah.

00:10:49 Donny

And this one of my favorite stories, this one and this lady. We were running out of food at the drop it, and as you can imagine, when you feed him 50 or 60 people, that's a worry. So she only puts £10 in. She says watch what Jesus come down.

00:11:04 Nicola

Right?

00:11:04 Donny

I thought, well, I've got to see this one, you know, let's see.

00:11:08 Donny

How you know?

00:11:09 Donny

God provides so about three or four days later.

00:11:14 Donny

Sean gets a phone call and a freezer had gone down and the person who's freezer was was going to get donate the food.

00:11:23 Donny

But I thought you know, a small chest full, a freezer at the size.

00:11:26 Donny

Of the table.

00:11:27 Donny

So he goes to this place and it was half an industrialist day.

00:11:32 Donny

And this freezer was maybe three or four tables long.

00:11:36 Donny

And we must have had enough food in there to last us three or four months easily.

00:11:41 Donny

Yeah, so he fills your car up twice and we had to go there and back.

00:11:47 Donny

And about four or five days later.

00:11:49 Donny

Patel came.

00:11:50 Donny

And we had sat there having a lovely chat about faith and living in faith, and they said, well, we've got to.

00:11:57 Donny

Live in faith.

00:11:58 Donny

'cause we've run.

00:11:59 Donny

Out of food.

00:12:00 Donny

And the person I was with was actually Sean's wife and we looked at each other. Then we grins and well, we can share our food.

00:12:11 Donny

So it goes into where all the food is and we take half of the out puts in tip minibus and looks at each other and it didn't feel right.

00:12:21 Donny

So we looked and that's what we're gonna do, she says, we'll.

00:12:24 Donny

Give it all away.

00:12:26 Donny

 so it gives all the food away in polls show and he didn't realize that all his food was now off to Nottingham and he walks into his cupboard and it's bear with empty the place and he like comes out.

00:12:38 Donny

So what we're going to do now?

00:12:40 Donny

I said, we’ll pray about it. 

00:12:44 Donny

Well, you can imagine it.

00:12:46 Donny

We've just given all of that all the food from the drop in a way.

00:12:50 Donny

So two days later, this bloak rings up Shaun, so I don't know what happened to my electrics shoes, but now I've lost two freezers.

00:12:59 Donny

So we had double the amount.

00:13:03 Donny

So not only did one freezer bless one place, it bless many.

00:13:08 Donny

Yeah, and it's how God moves in that way through.

00:13:13 Nicola

Yeah, yes.

00:13:15 Donny

And the prayers that I've seen answered, the lives changed, not just mine, but when the love of God is in something, lives change, yeah?

00:13:27 Nicola

Yeah, that's right, that's right, and it's, you know, we we often look at the feeding 5 feeding of the 5000 is something that.

00:13:34 Nicola

Happened years ago and we don't see it on a daily basis.

00:13:38 Nicola

We don't see the the sort of the tangible presence of God in the daily interactions with each other.

00:13:47 Nicola

On how we actually get by, you know.

00:13:49 Nicola

And that's you know he's.

00:13:51 Nicola

Actually shown you that he can take something so little and make it so massive, and I've done that before.

00:13:58 Nicola

I've given my last and I've seen something come straight back to me and I was I didn't do it for that, but it does work.

00:14:05 Nicola

It you know the the the generosity really really works, so that's that's a lovely story.

Nicola: You also became the Project Prayer warrior for the center.

Donny: What the project called again, Sean?

 Shaun:It was called the seven projecting workshops.

Nicola: The seven seven project in Worksop, so you you've you've seen many miracles, so would you like to have a chat about some of the miracles you've seen?

Donny: People think that miracles are big and they only happen in Africa.

Donny: They don't happen in every everyday life. And I can remember when I just had Joseph, we moved to a new house and all we had in the house was soup .Now we're quite happy with the soup, but and so my wife takes the child now and puts him in his pram and make sure he's fine and she's walking down the road and he says, well, Lord is I'm a bit fed up of soup. She says, and then she looks down and and Joe is holding the £10 now. Now we put him in that program and there was nothing in there .But somehow Joe had managed to get a £10 note

Nicola: That's amazing, that's amazing.

Donny:  It's a prayer.It's prayer in your life as it is.

Nicola:Yes, 

Donny: Shaun took me in and it was the examples that I was shown by the grown up Christians that led me to be able to do what I do. And complete faith Shaun taught me complete faith. I was smiling once and my wife went out. We had and we had some DNA had a real bad drug problem we. Had him on the sofa. But we had no food in it's three days before Christmas. And she knew what we were doing. She knew whether we had to dig in and try. So we go. She goes out. We've got 3 cats and she goes out with this £1.50 to buy. Last pint of milk. And she gets to shop. And then she brings me up and she says, can you give me a hand? I said, but you've only got £1.50. This is what's going on, she says. I've bumped into somebody and she's I don't know her from Adam mate and she says, oh, you're a Christian, aren't you? And she said yes, she's well. Here's 5 bags of shopping. 

Nicola

Right, yeah, yeah.

Donny:

He says, but The thing is God tapped me on the shoulder on the way out and asked if we've got cats.

Nicola:

Right and she.

Donny:

Were on the way.

I got tapped on the shoulder and told.

Her to buy the cat food.

Yeah, and she didn't know that we did for.

17.05

US for anybody?

Nicola: Yeah, 

Donny: but that's the kind of lessons that we. 

Had there wasn't it

Shaun: Yeah, very much so.

Nicola: Well, they're brilliant stories and, uhm, you know. I know that people have woke up one morning and they found 13 cabbages on the front doorstep. And and things like that in this country. And we don't, we don't we? We don't live by that type of faith, but we do really because we all know that we've got to get through the month. And you know? It it is very difficult to give though, and I find it very difficult to give so much and. And one not worry. You know, and we saw you know, I found.I find that hard so you know, you're you're absolutely brilliant. So your prayer life is phenomenal. And you must have, you must have really encouraged the Christian community. Have you seen any difficult people come to know the Lord? 

Donny: Oh yeah. When I was with Shaun, we really did work in the dark areas and another thing is Christians think that we plant feed and train. But some of the work that we've done took five years, hasn't it? And then they find Jesus and some people will never know if they find Jesus. Shaun let everybody in and I remember one of the best ones is I knew that there was two gangs in workshop and they killed details on a regular basis. And it comes around to Shawna says he won't guess what's happening. This is what is, you know, those two gangs that kill each other? He says yes, it's the start of the pool tournament. And it was there was God in everything that was there, yeah? Everything that we did was based on prayer. And Sean introduced prayer in the morning. He took a prayer list round, so anybody that had prayers they didn't even realize that what they were doing and they were writing down their prayers. And then at night at afternoon, we'd have this prayer list. We prayed the prayers, we prayed for what had happened in the church. And we talk about some of the miracles and the breath things we that the clients have told us about from this list. He asked. And they didn't even know. That we're praying for that.

Nicola:  Yes, I think as you you've seen, you've seen things happen on a massive scale. How do we pray against judgment in the church?

Donny: It's all about forgiveness. It's once you come to the cross, it's forgotten.

Nicola: Yeah, yeah.

Donny: And you're no longer the same person. That you were. And you can tell by the fruits of. The spirit when you change.

Nicola: Yeah, 

Donny: I’m sure I'm sure Shaun saw more changes than I did didn’t I Shaun? 

Shaun: Yeah, I was privileged to be able to see people life changed by the by the blood of Jesus and some people that were very difficult to reach and people that were just denying there was a God and denying they had a problem. That was a thing. But God wins through all the time as we all know. And I just had the privilege of that It was a privilege. It was a privileged now to run a drop in like that, uh, where God would give me this prophecy about me running a drop in and and feeding the poor and the broken hearted. You know Isaiah 61 and that that was a scripture that came to mind and and also Jeremiah 2911. I know the plans I have for you plans to prosper you plans to, you know, give you a hope and give you a future. And that was very much what I sort of said to the people when they walked through the door. I I just I started off as with Scripture and we carried on with Scripture and prayer so.

Nicola: Yes, Brilliant I'm going to close this in prayer. Lord Thank you for Donnie and thank you for Sean. Lord  I just pray that the end of corvid is a new beginning for this venture that the community is still drawn to you, Lord, that there is going to be more fruit. Either there's been a pruning back Lord, but I pray that there's more fruit for these two individuals so that they have a blessed Time Lord and just give them a better future.In Jesus name, Amen.

Shaun: Amen

Welcome.

Nicola: Thank you God bless.

Donny: God bless you.