If her life had gone according to her plans, gospel singer Larrita Adderley would now be a qualified nurse. God set her on a different path. He helped her find her voice and use it to minister to others.

“My faith got stronger once I realised I had a purpose, which is to evangelise and deliver people through my songs,” she said. “For me, healing comes through my music, deliverance comes through my songs. I know what my purpose is in this life, so my strength comes whenever I get on stage and minister.”

It all started in 2001. Ms Adderley was three semesters into a nursing degree at Oakwood University when her grandmother told her she could no longer afford the tuition. It came as a huge blow.

“I know how it feels to be out there. You have a chance to leave Bermuda and live on your own and be independent. Then you have to leave all that and come home unexpectedly,” the 34-year-old said.

“You get all the questions from friends like, ‘Why aren’t you going back to school?’ It got depressing. I was really disappointed.”

Her faith got her through.

“I had to be real with God and get on my knees every night,” she said. “From then on, He placed people in my life who provided me with things I needed — whether that was groceries or finding an apartment. I had to start all over again. That was one of the toughest times in my life.”

She eventually got a job at Pizza House and then started singing in competitions. She entered Bermuda Idol four times and finally won in 2007.

“It felt like I finally made it,” she said. “The next day at work all these phone calls were coming in from people asking me if I could sing here and there at church services and all these different events on the island.”

International offers also came trickling in.

She got the chance to sing at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, a New York Mets baseball game and a Boston Red Sox game at Fenway Park. To this day, she’s thankful to Dawn Burgess for helping her to use her talent for God. “Dawn was the one who told me, ‘You have a gift. It’s more than just singing karaoke, it’s a gift for ministry’. Since then God has opened up so many doors and the blessings keep on coming. I figure it’s the least I can do is give my gift back to Him considering God has saved me from so much.”

Ms Adderley will next take the stage on April 3, at Heritage Worship Centre. She got the idea after hearing Luther Vandross’s version of the song, The Impossible Dream.

“That’s when I heard God say ‘You need to put on a concert because it’s time for you to step up, grow and get onto the next level’,” she said. “Before this I never knew how to put on an event, so I’ve had to learn how to organise, get the musicians together with the singers and plan the details of what needs to be done. I’ve had to get sponsors and meet with new people.

“I need a dream and a new goal in life, so proceeds from this will be going to my education so I can go to Bermuda College and hopefully pursue nursing again.”

Tickets are $40; love offerings will also be accepted. Doors open at 6.30pm.