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Chloe’s Story..
My name is Chloe and I’m from Belfast. My passion for helping people and the community stems from my upbringing. I grew up in and out of the care system. I lived out addiction and abuse throughout the years but around 2020 – 2021 I had an encounter with Jesus. I heard the gospel on a YouTube video while sitting on my bed in the early hours of the morning. The message the man spoke was that God came down to this earth from his throne in the form of man (who did not sin his entire human life) to pay my penalty on the cross for my sin.  He rose from the grave 3 days later and conquered death. Due to his holiness, his perfect blood paid the debt of all the wrong things I’ve ever done and he did this just because he loved me and wanted a relationship with me. (For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” Romans 6:23). 

The youtuber said that God has done this deed for the whole world knowing that they could never earn their way to him because their good deeds are like black rags to him (Isaiah 64:6) but yet he still loved me and made a way for me to be with him.  I  never knew what love felt like until that moment. It was overwhelming. It felt like that youtuber was directly speaking to me the whole time especially when he stated ‘If God left heaven to suffer in this way for you and all the bad things you’ve done, What do you think he is going to do to you when he returns for judgement and you’ve rejected him and his love?’. Instantly the fear of God came upon me and my eyes were opened to my life and all the things I had done. I believed at that moment and I felt both the love and fear of God at the same time and I knew I was cared for. It was the kind of fear you get when you steal something as a kid and an adult catches you. It’s the fear that prevents you from doing it again. I knew that God was there and I knew if I rejected him in that moment I would regret it. My life was in shambles and swamped with addictions, I prayed to God “God I’ve nothing else to live for and I want to live for you”. 4 years ago I had this encounter with Jesus and since then my life transformed. I’m sober now, not by my strength but by God’s. I haven’t had sleep paralysis since encountering Christ and I was able to eat and put on weight. I Threw out all my tarot cards and changed my environment and the people I surrounded myself with. I discovered community through volunteering with multiple charities.

I’ve seen the benefits of community work and I fell in love with it.  I have seen the benefits of creativity in the community and how it helps people towards healing, building relationships, friendships, and trust. I learned how having a good community can help aid a sense of self, dignity, self-worth and significance. Although many communities exist not all communities are healthy for individuals to grow and feel supported and loved. I want to show care and love towards others the way Christ cares and loves me. I’m not perfect and I still make mistakes so I need to trust in him and his perfection. This is the heart behind Chloe’s Creative Cave. So many people are starved of kindness, love and freedom.

Although Chloe’s Creative Cave is faith-based I’m not here to force religious beliefs on anybody. The cave is all-inclusive and welcomes all diversities and faiths into workshops without judgment. The projects are about building community and creating a safe and nurturing environment for every individual no matter your faith or background and we do this through art and biblical foundations. 

I hope all the best for you and if you have made it this far thank you so much for reading my story. All the best mucker.