An interview with Leanne Mallett, author of 'With These Hands'

Leanne Mallett’s life was comfortable and fulfilled. Her faith was steady, nurtured from childhood. But then she was faced with the diagnosis every woman dreads.   

Leanne’s battle with breast cancer forced her to face some of her greatest fears and tested her faith in a way she had never experienced before. Treatment changed her appearance and stripped her of her identity as a woman, and her life was changed. 

In her new book With These Hands, Leanne shares how she dealt with this new reality and reveals the lessons she learned about God’s incredible faithfulness and the strength that he gives us when we need it most.

Leanne Mallett leads Aspire, the national women’s ministry for the Elim network of churches. Based in Hereford, she has a heart to see others released into their God-given callings.

Leanne, could you tell us a little about yourself?

I was born in Wales and brought up in a Christian home. I gave my heart to Jesus when I was about eight years old and so was really involved in church life with my family from an early age. I met my husband Darren in church, and we got married in 1996. Not long after, he started training to be a minister with the Elim Pentecostal denomination and we have led a number of churches over the last twenty-five years. We have two children, Abi and Jack, who are such a blessing to us and are now young adults. Abi got married in 2021 to Luke so we have now gained a son-in-law too!

I currently serve alongside Darren who is the pastor of the Elim church in Hereford. For the last seven years I’ve also led Elim’s national women's ministry called Aspire, along with a great team. We hold conferences all around the UK with a vision to reach, inspire, support and equip women nationally. We also support Elim mission projects abroad that also reach and support women.

Apart from a passion to serve others and show them the love of Jesus, I love to sit in coffee shops with my husband, go shopping with my daughter and go out for meals with my son! I love spending time with my family and friends and enjoy going out for walks - I especially love the seaside!

Why did you decide to write With These Hands?

Whilst I was taking time out to recover from a year of treatment and operations following a breast cancer diagnosis, I felt prompted to write a book about not just the things I experienced, but what I learned during that time. My perspectives, priorities and my life generally have changed so much coming through that difficult season that I wanted to share those things with the hope of helping and encouraging others. I was also so thankful for what God brought me through that I wanted to express my gratitude in some way. Sharing about his goodness in a book was a way in which I felt I could express this.

Who have you written this book for?

The book is for anyone that may be going through a health battle or find themselves in a situation that they didn’t expect. The book will also hopefully help those that are travelling with loved ones that are going through tough times. Even if it’s read by people that aren’t in a particularly difficult season, I hope that if they know God, they will be challenged and encouraged in their faith. If it’s read by those that don’t know Jesus, I hope that by reading my story of how important he is to me and what he has done in my life that they will want to get to know him more too.

Can you explain the significance of the title?

During my treatment I was watching TV one evening and I heard a song called With These Hands. Although it wasn’t a Christian song as such, the words instantly reminded me of what the hands of God had done, and were still doing, for me: the times those hands had held me, comforted me, led me, steadied me and provided for me. I was very aware in those moments that I was firmly in the hands of God - and there were no better hands to be in!

There are many books about peoples’ experiences with cancer, what makes With These Hands different?

I am aware that many people have travelled on this journey and often gone through a lot worse than what I experienced. I guess everyone’s journey is different, but I wanted to write about my experiences and what I personally learned through it and about the God that I had built my life on. As I take you through my experiences, I also look back and reflect on my life and the lessons I had previously learned that helped me in the storm I was facing. The book is written with an open and honest approach about many things I faced and how it made me feel. Although some of those things aren’t easy to talk about, I chose to be vulnerable with a hope that it will relate to many reading it.

One of your key themes is seeing God’s fingerprints running throughout your life – can you explain what you mean by this?

When I reflected on this time and started to write about my experience and what I learned, I also recalled times when I had recognised the hands of God, his fingerprints, on situations throughout my life. Those times when it only had to be God! I had got to know my Heavenly Father’s hands growing up and so when I went through this storm in my life, I was able to trust that he had me close and I was safe in his arms.

You talk about how cancer brought you into a much deeper relationship with Jesus. Can you give us one example of a powerful experience with God that impacted you during this time?

I remember right at the start of my diagnosis,  when I was about to embark on several months of treatment, having an MRI scan. It was a scan that meant I would be face down on the scanner table for quite a while. I decided to use that time to just pray, as if I were face down before God. He spoke to me in such a powerful way that day and reminded me that Jesus had already won the victory over sickness and death. As I pictured the cross standing bold, I was reminded of the words “it is finished”. In those moments, the power of the cross and what it stood for, hit me. As I entered that room that day, I had many fears and was filled with uncertainties as I faced the future, but I walked out of that room with a peace and comfort that just calmed my fears. It was such a powerful moment that I will never forget.

Throughout this journey I also become very aware of how powerful the Word of God is. I always knew this, but it was as if Scripture became more real to me. There were verses that I held on to that were a huge comfort to me. Isaiah 41:10 was a verse that I felt God led me to right at the beginning and it became very special to me. Words reminding me not to fear and that he would be beside me, helping and strengthening me - and upholding me with his hand! 

You include some thought-provoking questions for reflection at the end of each chapter. Why did you do this and what do you think they add to the book?

I didn’t want people to just read a story about me but wanted readers to also take some time to reflect on their own lives as well. At the end of each chapter I encourage them to “take a moment”.  By sharing some of the things I learned in that particular part of my life, I wanted to challenge and encourage others about some of those things that God may be speaking to them about too. When reading a book, it’s easy to want to get to the end quickly and so if there was a particular part of my story that people needed to hear or were challenged by in any way, I wanted to encourage them to pause and maybe pray about those things in that moment.

What was the most challenging element of writing the book?

I had never written a book before so even though I really felt prompted by God and others to write one, I had many moments of doubting whether I was actually able to do it! I also wanted to write it in a way that both Christians and non-Christians would understand so I was very mindful throughout that I was writing it in a style that was easy to read by all.

And what was the most rewarding element of writing this book?

Just how God enabled me to do it! There were moments when I would be driving in the car or not really thinking about the book as such when he would remind me of something that I needed to include! These were what I describe as droplet moments! Those moments would always happen when I’d least expect it, and it just amazed me how he brought the whole thing together. 

Have you learnt anything new/ been reminded afresh about God/ your faith while writing this book?

I was reminded about the faithfulness of God afresh; how important it is to build your life on him and how that firm foundation is key when the storms in life come along.

What do you hope readers will most get out of reading this book?

I hope that whatever readers are facing that they know that they are not alone, and that there is a God that loves them and is right beside them in their storm. If they don’t know God personally, I hope that they realise how different life can be when we journey through life with him - hand in hand.

In one sentence, how would you describe With These Hands?

A personal story that reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus.

Is there anything we can pray for you?

Thank you!  Please pray that I recover fully and keep healthy and well in the coming days.  And that God will use me more in this next season of my life, and that With These Hands will get into the hands of those that need it most.

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