CHAPTER 5: Meeting Tolu, Hearing the Call
From *The Redemption Journey* by William “Bill” Doody
Love, companionship, and a new sense of purpose
Open to Love Again
I wasn’t closed to the idea of a relationship. After everything I’d been through, I believed it was still possible to find love again — something honest, faith-filled, and grown-up. But I wasn’t chasing it hard. I certainly wasn’t expecting it to come in the form of Tolu.
First Encounter
We met at an English-speaking church in Toulouse in December 2019. She stood out — warm, thoughtful, sharp. She had a beautiful smile that lit up the room. There was a peace about her that wasn’t performative. We talked, not just once, but often, and each time there was a sense of calm, of alignment. She wasn’t impressed by surface things. She asked real questions. And she listened.
A Shared Faith
I learned quickly that she had a deep faith of her own. She had walked her own road — through challenges, through sacrifice, through learning how to trust God even when life didn’t go to plan. She didn’t need rescuing. She was already strong. What we found in each other wasn’t about filling holes — it was about recognising something shared: a life built on grace, not performance.
A Deliberate Romance
Ours wasn’t a whirlwind romance; we acknowledged after about a year that we were attracted to each other, and we were married a year later. We talked about our pasts, about family, about God. We shared honestly about our mistakes, our convictions, and our hopes. There was no performance. No masks. Just two people, mid-journey, finding in each other a partner for what was next.
Marriage in the Seychelles
We were married in the Seychelles in November 2021. It was a quiet wedding — just eight close family members and friends – COVID was still having its impact — but it felt exactly right. I wasn’t marrying to fix something or to prove something. I was saying yes to a future I genuinely believed in. Tolu wasn’t just becoming my wife; she was becoming a true companion in my life’s final act.
A Different Kind of Marriage
It was different from anything I’d experienced before. There was trust. There was maturity. There was mutual respect. We both entered the marriage having done a great deal of personal work and working with the pastor to do some marriage preparation. We knew who we were, and we knew what we were looking for — not perfection, but purpose. Not fantasy, but faithfulness.
Rediscovering Calling
Through Tolu, I began to rediscover a sense of calling. She challenged me to dream again — not in the way I had when I was younger, chasing validation, but from a deeper place. A place rooted in service. In redemption. In legacy.
A Peaceful Home
Our home isn't perfect, but it’s generally peaceful and safe. It is grounded. We support each other’s work, we share the load, and we find joy in the ordinary moments — cooking, laughing, going to church, riding our tandem and walking together most evenings.
Love After Pain
Her presence reminded me that the past doesn’t get to define the rest of my life. That love, real love, can still happen after pain. That commitment can be made without fear. And that God was not finished with me yet.
A New Season of Purpose
During this season, I began to sense that the third part of my life was going to look very different from the first two, not just in terms of lifestyle or work, but in terms of purpose. There was more to do. More to give. And I felt, for the first time in years, truly ready to ask God what that might be.
Leaving CGI
At the time of meeting Tolu, I left my job at CGI to follow a more God-centred approach to life. I took a break for a year, seeking rest, perspective, and alignment with what I felt was next.
Mission Aviation Fellowship International (MAFI)
In 2022, I began working for MAFI, a position that concluded in September 2024. MAFI is a Christian humanitarian organisation that operates light aircraft in remote and often inaccessible parts of the world — places where road access is limited or non-existent. They deliver aid, transport missionaries and medical staff, and respond to crises in areas affected by poverty, conflict, or natural disaster. I joined as Director of Digital Transformation and Agile Methodology, where I helped shape internal processes, improve strategic delivery, and modernise operations across their global footprint. The role gave me a deeper sense of connection to global mission work and reminded me that my skills could serve something bigger than myself.
A Season of Reflection
That season gave me time to reflect and pray deeply about my direction. I started asking hard questions. No doors were opening for work in France, and the idea of returning to England began to surface more seriously. My boys were older. Life in Toulouse had become quiet. And I had to accept that if God wanted me to stay in France, He would make a way. But ten months passed, and nothing came.
The Call to Move
That silence became confirmation. It was time to move again — this time back to the UK.
A Shift Back Toward Construction
As I began to look at restarting life in England, I asked myself whether I really wanted to return to IT. The answer surprised me. I found myself being pulled back toward construction — the physical, purposeful work I had done years earlier. But this time, I wasn’t coming back as a tradesman. I saw myself in site management, in leadership, on the ground and in control.
Preparing for a New Career
I identified the training I needed to do in order to do it legally and effectively. I signed up for qualifications that would allow me to be responsible for construction site management. And I accepted that I would take a few steps down from my previous Director-level roles — not as a loss, but as a strategy. I know how to work my way back up. I’ve done it before.
Looking at England Anew
It was during this time of transition that I started to take a much more serious look at the country I was moving back into — what had changed, what hadn’t, and where I might be needed next. It was here that I started to understand better what my next chapter could be.
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