Ian Boake
From Brokenness to Redemption: My Journey to Jesus Christ
There are moments in life when the pain feels so heavy you can hardly breathe.
When every word spoken over you says you’re worthless.
When every memory burns with shame.
When you wonder if your life will ever matter.
I know those moments — because I’ve lived them.
I grew up in pain. As a child, I was sexually abused. People in positions of authority — those who should have protected and guided me — mocked me instead, calling me “useless” and saying I would “never amount to anything.”
I was treated as an outsider even within my own family, judged for being physically different from my siblings, and ridiculed for reaching maturity later than others. Outside my home, I was bullied in my neighborhood by Afrikaner children because of my Irish heritage.
When I went to university, and later entered the workplace in South Africa, the discrimination continued — this time because of the color of my skin. Even though I had never supported the system of Apartheid — in fact, in the historic 1991 referendum, I voted to dismantle it — I was still treated as an oppressor. Under harsh race-based laws, life became unbearable.
Eventually, the hostility drove me to leave South Africa and start over in Australia.
By then, my life story was already marked by deep wounds: sexual abuse, physical and mental abuse, systemic discrimination, and relentless rejection. I carried scars that no one could see — but they shaped everything I thought about myself.
Yet, I am here to tell you… I am not a victim anymore.
The only reason I am standing today is the grace of God.
Jesus Christ met me in my brokenness, and He did what no one else could do — He gave me a new identity, washed me clean, and filled my life with purpose.
The Bible says in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
That promise is for everyone — the abused, the rejected, the outcast, the broken, the sinner.
I share my story because I want you to know that you don’t have to stay in the shadows of your past. You can be free. You can be whole. You can be loved — not because of what you’ve done or where you’ve been, but because of who Jesus is.
If you are struggling with wounds like mine, I invite you to reach out. Let’s walk together toward the One who heals. You don’t have to be a victim. You can be a victor in Christ.
From Redemption to Purpose: Using My God-Given Talents to Help Others
I often remind myself — I am just a beggar who has found bread.
And having found the Bread of Life, I cannot keep it to myself.
Everything I am able to do, every skill I possess, every creative spark in my mind — I take no credit for. These are not achievements I can boast about; they are gifts from the Lord, entrusted to me for His purposes.
God, in His grace, gave me an inborn fascination for how things work. From an early age, I loved to tinker, take things apart, and put them back together — sometimes better than before. That curiosity grew into the God-given talent of problem-solving, designing, and building.
Today, I am blessed to be an electrical and electronic engineer, but my workspace at home — which I call “Tinker Town” — is a reminder that I am still that curious child at heart. It’s filled with projects in various stages of creation: devices I’m building, technologies I’m exploring, ideas I’m testing.
These aren’t just hobbies; they’re tools. Tools I can use to help others.
Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, I’ve learned how to take the knowledge and abilities God has placed in my hands and use them to create practical solutions — solutions that can lift people out of hardship, provide opportunity, and inspire hope.
My purpose is no longer just about what I can achieve, but about how I can serve. The same Jesus who redeemed me now leads me step by step to use these gifts for the benefit of others.
I am still a beggar — but now I can point to the Source of bread and say, in the words of Jesus:
“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” — John 6:35