My Marriage Proposal Story!

Just before Christmas 2011, I said to Rachel "if I asked you to marry me what would you say?" and her reply was "you know what I'd say". From that moment I knew Rachel was the person I wanted to marry  (although I did have an idea a little before that).

In the months leading up to our return visit to Uganda in August 2012, I imagined proposing to Rachel on Lake Bunyonyi. This was to become a reality as I purchased the engagement ring on Saturday 21 July from Samuel Lawrence Jewellers in Beverley with Ben and Ellie there. A bacon sandwich and a cup of tea provided a welcome break in deciding the right choice of ring. A visit of a known Revd in the jewellers also confirmed the ring choice. 

On the morning of our departure, I asked everyone to leave my house so I could "check that all the electric sockets are off". In fact, it was to enable me time to go upstairs and grab the ring hidden above my wardrobe and put it firmly at the bottom of my bag. 

The journey of the ring to Ben and Ellie's house in Cambridge was eventful. I decided to wind Ben up by sending him a text saying "I've forgotten the most important thing". He tried ringing me but I prolonged the joke by not answering. 

As we arrived outside their home, Ben arrives alongside my car with a ring box in his pocket. What a joke! It turns out he manically rode from shop to shop in Cambridge looking for an alternative ring. Once inside,I gave Ben the real engagement ring and he was to look after it until we arrived at the lake. 

Once in Uganda, I made a nervous effort to visit the ring every night in Ben and Ellie's room. I knew it was right, but I was beginning to gather nerves. I never doubted Rachel would say "yes". The week prior to the deed, many Ugandan friends where quietly and openly asking me "when are you going to propose?" At Caleb's giveaway, his neighbour called Franco turned to me and said "I see the way she cares for you. You will make a good husband and she will be a good wife and you'll have a good family." I took these as prompts from God? 

On the Sunday night, the evening before we set off to the lake, we were at Hilary and Judith's home. Amos asked me "when is the day?". My reply was "you'll be one of the first to know Amos!" Ali Doolan overheard and laughed as she knew it was to be very soon, sooner than Amos probably expected. 

At the lake- we all decided to go out on the lake in canoes (part of my master plan). Ali Doolan decided she would prefer a walk, but a sly eye glance from me changed her mind pretty swiftly. It was cloudy but as each pair boarded their boat the sun gleamed! The boat man at the lake told me that Rachel and I had to face the same direction, which meant I had to devise a way of turning round once in the boat and in the middle of the lake (which could prove fatal). 

We all headed off in our canoes, I told the others that I was taking Rachel off for some 'alone time'. We headed off towards the left of the lake, Rachel wanted to head towards the narrowest part of the lake where the valley met. The sun was shining on the lake and Rachel kept saying that everything was "perfect". As we rounded the second corner a house appeared on the shore with a huge love heart outside on the grass mountain.I knew this was the moment. Rach commented on how perfect this would be as a honeymoon destination, I kept wondering if she knew what was coming. 

I kept reaching into my bag to pull out the ring, but I kept pulling out something different...water, my camera, water again. I was nervous! The last time I reached into my bag I pulled out the Bible. We sang a worship song together 'You're beautiful' before I read from Song of Songs chapter 7 - you must read it to get a mental image of the situation. I still didn't feel like I could 'pop the question' then so I read 1 Corinthians 13. I knew after that, that this was the moment. Just as I was about to pull out the ring a boat of white people 'muzungo' came past. After it had passed Rachel said to me "you can turn round now" so I did. I sang a line of Bruno Mars to her "Just the way you are". I knew this was the moment. I had been gradually moving the ring to the top of the bag throughout the journey. As I got down on one knee I pulled the ring out of the bag and said "so Rachel... we have been together for two years and I love you lots and lots and lots and lots. We have been through our ups and downs and I Iike the person you have made me to be. I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so I have bought you a necklace". I got the ring out and opened the box, just so it was facing me. I went on to say "look, if it is the wrong size the woman in the shop said that you can change it for a better one, just like you change me for the better". Then I said "so, Rachel Melissa Banyard, will you marry me?". I turned the ring round and Rachel said "are you being serious?".  I gave her a look and then Rachel said "Lee Edward kirkby, yes I will". I put the ring on her finger. We then prayed and asked God to be at the centre of our relationship. We shared a kiss before taking some photos. Rachel was still crying - if you look at the photos you can see the tears. We were both in a moment of "what has just happened?". 

As we headed back to shore we took in the moment where it had happened. As we paddled back Rachel said to me "This is like our journey of life. It is hard work to paddle, probably steering off course. Sometimes we will be plain sailing, other times we will go round in circles...It is only when we work together that we make progress. At the end of the day it is that we are still in the boat together and that nothing will stop us". 

We got back to the shore and Ben had champagne at the ready. I shared the news with everyone, and the Champagne was popped!  We took lots of photos. I then told the story of what had happened and Martin Doolan began to cry, then Ben did, Ellie and even Annie shed a tear - Adam was speechless. 

It was the perfect moment and the happiest occasion ever! 

I cannot wait to be the husband of Rachel and to have Rachel as my wife! 

God is moving me on. From Beverley to York!

To all my friends,


I am delighted to announce that earlier this week, I was appointed as the new Head of Youth and Children's Work at St Michael Le Belfrey Church in York.


My journey with Beverley Minster has spanned a period of over 14 years in various capacities; firstly as a Chorister, then as a Virger and most recently working as the Youth Minister. I've had the absolute privilege of working with literally thousands of  incredible young people, and I've made strong friendships with many people over the years, which I am confident will last and can only grow stronger. I am sincerely thankful to many for their involvement in my life journey so far.


I am immensely proud of how the Youth Ministry has grown and developed over recent years, reaching thousands of young lives with the love of Jesus, and I'm honoured to have worked alongside a brilliantly talented team of paid and volunteer staff. I continually thank God for his faithfullness and prayerfully anticipate that greater things are yet to come in seeing God's kingdom built here in Beverley, being especially encouraged by the recent gift day generosity towards our Gap Year Scheme.


I know leaving the Minster, and my hometown of Beverley will be very emotional, but I am totally at peace knowing God has prepared and guided me to a new challenge in York at The Belfrey, Serving God's Transformation of the North!


I am sure we will have plenty of quality time together over the coming months, but in the meantime please pray for both churches and their leaders Jeremy Fletcher and Matthew Porter as they prepare for change, and particularly for our Youth Team here at the Minster who I know will be dedicated in leading the Youth Ministry into an equally new and exciting season next term.


Thank you all for your genuine encouragement, support and prayers. They really have sustained me in my faith and calling.


I am thrilled to be making this next step on my journey!


Thank you & God bless.

Not Just When We're Plain Sailing...

Life throws buckets of water at us doesn't it? In fact, at times, literally storms. It's in these times, we are truly put to the test. It's often in the most chaotic of circumstances, that we lose our ability to keep our faith in God. The past month for me, has been a storm. More of a tropical one though. Moments of intense rainy periods, but most often followed by gleaming sunshine and calm. I like to think, I've been expectant of the good, post storm periods. 

Imagine the disciples in the boat, there's a huge storm happening and Jesus is fast asleep. In other words, life is going absolutely berserk, and the one who everyone thinks can solve the issue is fast asleep. In these moments of life, sometimes our minds tell us to prepare the life boats, and get ready to abandon ship. It takes alot of faith, to look beyond what the world tells us is likely to be inevitable. 

Do we always seek what is possible for God to accomplish? 

Do we rely on Him enough? 

Faith encourages us not to accept what is the norm, not what the world says will happen or what usually happens in these circumstances. Faith enables us to ride the stormy seas. Not abandoning everything to what appears to be swallowing us up, but to let God captain the whole vessel. God, who is creator, the one who says "Quiet! Be still!" and the waters listen. 

Sometimes, we tell ourselves we've got faith, but still remain sceptical and afraid. Have you ever encountered someone, (or even yourself perhaps?), who you thought had incredible faith,  but when the storms rage, they turn out to share a "more realistic" view, just 'incase' the God bit doesn't quite work out? 

Jesus asks his disciples after ordering the storm to be still, "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?". You see, sometimes we have to encounter Jesus before we can truly believe. When we meet Him, we get to know Him, and know what He is capable of doing. There's no room for scepticism in faith, but plenty of space for God to suprise us. .  

What storms are you wrestling with at the moment?

We don't have to try and handle anything alone. We simply have to just surrender all of our insecurities to God, and He will steer us through everything in life. 


I've witnessed the awesomeness of God's power in recent weeks. Because for once, I've had to put my all into trusting God, in what seemed a situation beyond any human redemption. Instead I put my arms out to the one who can move mountains and said "you're in charge God!" And as Psalm 138:3 says "When I called on your name you answered".


Jesus' disciples must have been petrified, panicking and anxious during the storm. But when they woke Jesus, we don't read of his reaction being the same. Jesus simply brought calm. Psalm 29: 11 says "The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace."  

This morning, me and Rach read Acts 27: 13-26, The Storm. A story of when a ship was caught in a storm with Paul and some of his friends on board. Paul writes "When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved." It must have been a terrifying experience. We can only imagine how desperate they would all have been. But Paul tells all on board "But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed." And this is true for us all today. The world can take away everything we have, but the thing it cannot take away, is eternity with God. 


Paul encourages those on board : "So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."


It's comforting to know that through faith, God gives us the strength we need to face the uncertainties of life. Faith, is not just for when we're plain sailing, but when the waters are stormy. 


Why not reflect on these words: "Be still and know that I am God!" Psalm 46:10