The Story of John Edwards, founder of Walking Free Ministries:

I abused drugs and drink for over 20 years, In 1987 I became a Christian and The Lord began to free me from the chains of addiction. I struggled for three and a half years even after I was born again, I cried out for freedom and I prayed over and over for the Lord to set me free. I was saved, baptised in water, and the Holy Spirit yet I was still struggling. I genuinely loved the Lord and I tried with everything within me to break free from the chains of physical addiction, psychological addiction with all it’s accompanying problems.

I heard about Teen Challenge in 1990 and applied to go to their programme. Thankfully I was accepted and I was the first Irish guy to complete the TC programme in Britain. I was freed at last from the chains of addiction and learned to live a drug and alcohol free and fulfilling life.

I was so aware of the difficulties and struggles that an addict has to go through on the road to freedom. People with addiction problems needed to be understood, they needed to have the scriptures spoken to them in a way that was relevant to them.  
I began to sense the call of God on my life to reach out to the lost and still suffering addicts on the streets.

On completion of the Teen Challenge programme I went back to the streets of London to live in a Victory Outreach house in Kings Cross. I shared the house with Art Blagos a former assassin with the Mexican mafia. Through Art and others living in the house we led many addicts, alcoholics and prostitutes to the Lord. Many of them are still free today.

I even went to the point of sleeping rough in the west end of London, actually living again with the homeless and addicted to share with them the love of God and help them in a relevant way.

I had the opportunity to join Victory Outreach and Teen Challenge as a leader but I never sensed the call of God to do so. Sometimes I wished that God would speak to me to work full time with them. I wanted to belong to a group of successful ministers. I  prayed a lot during that time, I kept asking God what His will for my life was. The only answer I got was “Dare To Stand Alone.” I knew that I would one day pioneer a work that reached out an helped the addict.

I continued for another six months to live in Victory Outreach house on 195 Kings Cross Rd. in London, reaching out to the lost and addicted. I then returned to Teen Challenge and continued to walk and pray