Nancy and her husband Paul, were happily married and re-discovering their love for each other as ’empty-nest’ parents. Getting on “the romantic boat again” was a joy and an adventure. At 12:51pm on Tuesday the 22nd of February 2011 a massive earthquake struck Christchurch… and Nancy’s life changed dramatically.

Having growing up in a Christian family. Kerensa’s world fell apart when her parents divorced. As a result, her life took a turn for the worse.

From a traditional Indian Hindu upbringing Lila felt unfulfilled. She was living a double life… and after a failed marriage and the loss of her parents in car accident, Lila was in a bad way.

What seemed like an ordinary days work on the farm for Helena and Stef dramatically changed when Stef had a terrible quad-bike accident. The resulting bleeding on his brain, emergency surgery and induced coma put both of their lives in turmoil.

Rebekah understands exactly what it’s like to face difficulties in life, as well as the rejection and misunderstanding that can come as a result of them.

Born and raised in a typical Māori family, Shadrach was exposed to racist attitudes towards his culture while attending a largely non- Māori school.

Petrina came from “a very dark corner of the world”. From an alcoholic, dysfunctional family she left home and was living on the streets by 12 years old. Gang life and violence followed… along with drugs to try and dull the pain.

Leonie (known as Loll) started life without a sense of identity, belonging or love. She had been given away at birth, without even a name. Her adoptive family was abusive, and by the time she was 11, she was using drugs to ease the pain.

Amy’s dad died when she was very young, leaving her mum to raise her and her two siblings. She spent lots of time with her grandparents, who instilled a great respect for the church and education.

Coming from an active life on a farm and a subsequent career as a mechanic, Timothy’s life took a dramatic turn when he suffered a spinal cord injury in 2010.