Depression for me is a deep dark hole. It’s fighting demons inside your head. It's fighting a battle on a daily basis with thoughts that you feel that you have no control over. I had depression because no one could diagnose that I had stage 4 endometriosis, which is a woman's condition. I had that for seven years. I had five surgeries and no one could find out what was wrong with me.

I did try to self-medicate with alcohol, which didn't help. It made things worse. I was crying all the time. My daughter used to come pick out tissues from the box and give them to me and say, “Here, Mom, it's going to be alright.” I constantly was moping around and grumpy and angry and would get frustrated at the children. I don't want to be that mother. I wanted to be a supportive, loving mother and even though I love my children to bits, I felt that I was neglecting them with true love.

It wasn't easy at all to try to seek help, but I knew I had to do it for my children. I wanted to be the best mother I possibly could and that's when I saw the ad in the paper.

“THE PROGRAM [on screen graphic]”

On the first day of this program, we were introduced to two lovely ladies, Katie and Kari, who ran the program. They were full of life, absolutely full of life. They were laughing and smiling. It made us even laugh and smile and it made us feel so welcome.

During this program, we show them that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. That they can turn their sadness into happiness, and we and they can see that there's a better life waiting for them.

It was uplifting. It made me want to go every week. It was something to look forward to and I actually felt that there was hope there. There's really a light at the end of the tunnel. I thought that if I could follow this and stick to this, I would feel enlightened.

I understand that people out there are hurting, and I understand that they need help. To me it's important that they come to the right place to get it and they can be well. I know they can be well. I've seen it happen over and over again.

I did use to believe in God, , but I had some childhood experiences that turned me away from God. For me it was quite hard to pray at the beginning because I hadn't done this for years. But I joined in and I thought I really need to think this through and take this on board. I did and by doing this and by praying with Katie and Kari, it actually worked. I felt better within myself. I felt that there is a Presence out there. It made me realize that there is a God in this world.

There's no mistake about this, Jesus is really the healer. He's the one that offers help in healing. We like to follow in His footsteps. He actually practically helped people and He showed them what it was that He could do to help them, and then they followed Him.

I feel that this course has helped me so much. Not only for the mental side of things, but also to have God in my life and to have realized that He's always been here, and that I know that He will always be in my life, and He'll be beside me. It’s a journey that I'm going to continue for the rest of my life.

Adventist Health is very passionate about helping people. They saw a need in our communities. They've seen this opportunity to use this program and they've backed it. It's delightful that ADRA has gotten on board with this program. They also see the value in it and they believe that it can tremendously help people too. Their involvement is critical to bringing the program within the financial reach of New Zealanders, the average New Zealander.

ADRA believes this program can make a difference. The depression and anxiety program was created to help and educate communities about making positive healthy change. ADRA saw how important this is for New Zealanders. Partnering with the Adventist Health Ministry and the church, we now provide this program to the community for a fraction of the cost, making it affordable for everyone.

Because of the involvement, we've been able to give this to the communities at a much more reasonable rate.

I feel that the people that created this depression anxiety program are amazing. I only wish that all people who are suffering from anxiety and depression could take this course. It changed my life and I know that it can change theirs.