Debbie Warrier: Admist knife threats, God called me to Him

Greg LeCoultre: I became a Catholic because God called me. I grew up in a strong Christian family. My parents are Anglicans. My grandparents are part of the Methodist and Uniting Church traditions. There is a bit of Baptist thrown in too. From birth I have been surrounded by the love of God, the understanding of what Jesus has done for us and my family’s prayers. 
For me a commitment to Christ has never been an issue. I have gained an understanding of God’s whispers to me through prayer. Catholicism gives me a sense of security and contentment. The more people challenge me about my choice to be Catholic, the more I think, “This is awesome. I am so glad that I am heading down this road.” Through discussion the biases that exist between denominations can disappear.
We are blessed to have the Eucharist every day. I really support the unity that Catholicism brings, too. I want to seek out God’s will. I will approach this with care and diligence to bring Him glory and honour. He’s set out clear guidelines of His moral will for us. If I am willing to search and listen I will learn His will for me.
I was diagnosed with dyslexia and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder). I suffered from pretty severe learning difficulties. That was very tough for me. I had low self esteem. The ADHD affected my behaviour and I even threatened my sisters with knives at one point. My mother is a trained psychologist so she picked up there was something wrong with me. We tried different strategies to help me with my school work unsuccessfully and in the end I took six months off to be home schooled.
Trinity College created a study program for me.
My principal and school psychologist were very supportive. I sought the professional support of Dr Trevor Parry. He understood the spiritual aspects of coping with my illness and his follow-up was Christian based. I have been taking medication ever since.
After school I did a software engineering degree and accounting degree at Edith Cowan University. I worked in these areas for a while and then I took a year off to concentrate on singing. I sing with a Catholic group called Quartessence and I’ve started working on some solo stuff. 
I recently became the Parish Youth Coordinator at St Joseph’s Church, Subiaco. We want to give the parish youth a sense of community and belonging to the Church. Our focus is on prayer, study and action. There will be a prayer group made up of older and younger people, retreats and social events. We’re exploring what groups like YCW have to offer.
A lot of my work involves talking to people and building relationships. We need to be supporting youth workers in other parishes to develop unity. For example, the Baptist Church has a “Sport-fest”.
Thousands of young people from around the diocese come together and   play sport for the whole weekend. We would like to be involved in that further down the track. Other Christian Churches have been willing to share their resources for youth and their response has been fantastic.
I want to do youth work like it has never been done before.
Each day confirms this is God’s will for me. Faith and my relationship with God come first.
If you have a story to tell please contact
Debbie via debwarrier@hotmail.com