‘I heard the voice of God’

Joy Ogeh-Hutfield was an award-winning businesswoman when a cancer diagnosis turned her life upside down. Hearing the audible voice of God moments before her surgery reignited the faith that had grown dim

I was born in Nigeria and came to the UK when I was 16. I was brought up Catholic, so church was very important. Everybody went, more out of obligation than anything else. 

In my late teens, I started to develop friendships with people who called themselves “born-again Christians”. I didn’t even know what that meant! They would invite me to church and, over time, I began to take more interest. It wasn’t like anything I was used to. I thought: Wow! This is different. It was exhilarating, but speaking in tongues? I thought: I don’t know about that! That’s a whole different level!