They call her Bermuda's Oprah. Her husband says she is an icon, and the Queen has honoured her for her extensive community service, yet Gina Spence Farmer remains as humble as if she were a complete unknown.

The reason, she says, is because she regards the many honours and accolades heaped upon her as the fulfilment of the Bible prophecy: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all other things shall be added unto you.”

A deeply committed Christian today, Mrs. Farmer says her “conversion” arose out of a hard life, which included a great deal of personal suffering.

“There was a time in my life when I wanted to die because things were so bad,” she says. “I had been through divorce and abuse, but I was still Gina Spence, and that is when my whole life changed. Jesus just took all of the energy people see and reshaped it.”

Today, her glowing smile, sparkling eyes and bubbling personality reflect her newfound joy and inner peace, and her name is a household word, thanks to a public profile that includes everything from her prison ministry to her annual street party to aid the homeless, and most of all her television show ‘Youth Talk', which a recent survey branded ‘number one' with local viewers.

Like everything she undertakes, she says the show has a positive mission.

“I am communicating messages to the community based on how young people feel about certain issues. I make sure that the issues we discuss are their issues,” she says. “At the same time I am giving young people the confidence they need to go on TV. I spend a lot of time encouraging them. I find great joy in making people feel good, and empowering them to become whoever they want to be. In fact, a lot of my job opportunities afford me that.”

From a personal standpoint, Mrs. Farmer says that being associated with the most popular television programme has been incomparable.

“The opportunity to use Youth Talk has been phenomenal. I can't even express what a wonderful experience it has been. Being afforded an opportunity to take on the show as host and producer by the Bermuda Broadcasting Company has been great. It has allowed me to interview people like John Swan, and interact with Government departments to find out what they do, and how they can assist the community in various ways, and then bring that information to the community - to me that is such an awesome responsibility. What people see when they turn on the TV is the result of weeks of preparation and planning, but the outcomes have been far greater.”

That others have also been inspired to do positive things as a result of watching the programme gives Mrs. Farmer great satisfaction, superceded only by the fact that, from last week, Patrina O'Connor and Tao Dill have become the new hosts of Youth Talk.

“It has been almost two years, and the goal was to have young people take over as hosts,” she says. “Part of leadership is developing leaders, so now I have handed over the reins to Patrina and Tao, but will remain as producer.”

In addition to her own contributions to the success of Youth Talk, Mrs. Farmer says the fulfilment of two mandates has been key: Including a professional expert on each show, and challenging the young participants to research and think about issues before appearing on screen.

Of the sobriquet, ‘Bermuda's Oprah', the former host says: “I take that in humbleness. It is a high honour to be put on the same platform as Oprah, but I understand the vision. I am an all or nothing person in whatever I undertake. I just thank God for the opportunity.”

A woman who practises what she preaches, just as she advises all young people to “secure a very solid education”, she too is planning to pursue her own educational goals and get a college degree.

In what, however, is still under discussion. Three areas in particular interest her: the arts, communications, and special projects, such as the coordination of special events, in all of which she has had extensive experience.

“I am still researching and have not quite decided yet because I want to know that when I finish college I can come back and work in my country as a leader. There is a difference between a job and a career. I don't want a job, I want to be qualified to do something, and do it well. I have no doubt that once I decide I will excel. Education in this island is a basic necessity. Your level of education dictates who will hire you and what you will be paid.”

Meanwhile, for the next year or so Mrs. Farmer will continue balancing her many good works with her role as a wire, mother and grandmother.

She conducts a regular ministry at all of the Island's prisons where she says her programmes are well attended, and she is regarded as a trustworthy, inspirational role model.

“I talk to them about when they get out and trying to keep themselves on the right track, and that is all trust-building,” she says. “Some of the young men I see in prison I also see back there again and I tell them: ‘You have got to break this cycle. You can't spend the rest of your life in this place.' They listen and they look for that harsh word. They trust me, and even after they get out they know I'm still there for them. A lot of the men and women send me letters, and keep in touch, and they look for me. That level of responsibility is incredible.”

Asked if she ever feels uncomfortable or afraid going into the prisons, Mrs. Farmer says quite the opposite.

“I have been going to the prisons for 15 years, and I thank God for the opportunity to work with people on that level. I have a lot of stuff in my personal testimony that I share with them. That's why they know my role. My parents were married in prison and I was conceived at Casemates (in those days prisoners had conjugal rights), so on a spiritual level, the fruit is coming back. That is where I began life.”

Compassion for the homeless is another area in which she exerts her Christian principles. As president of Gina Spence Productions in Christ, which she formed as a registered charity with Kevin Bean, she stages various shows, such as Save the Children Telethon, and the Street Fest for the homeless “to assist people with their rents, or to pay for room and board at the shelter”.

“Our annual summer show at City Hall features original work from Bermuda's talented writers, and focuses on community issues,” she says. “Our aim is to entertain and educate through the performing arts, and to promote community involvement through family entertainment.”

The company also gives free performances for the elderly, sick, and prison inmates during the festive season, among other worthy activities.

While Mrs. Farmer's efforts as a tireless community worker with a particular interest in youth are well known and have been acknowledged with many awards and certificates, the Queen's Certificate and Badge of Honour, which she received this year, came as a total surprise. Indeed, when the call came from Government House asking if she would accept it, she asked for an explanation of what it meant.

“As a Christian I can't just receive awards, I have to know why they are being given,” she says.

When she mentioned it to a friend, the latter said, “Gina, that's an award from the Queen of England,” and her response was: “You mean the lady on the money?”

“I then became very excited and decided to see what the scriptures said about it,” Mrs. Farmer remembers. “Matthew 6.33 says: ‘Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all other things shall be added to you', and I realised I was actually living what the Gospel said. Something like that really solidifies that He can do more than you ever think. It is phenomenal to experience it, and I am very proud of being a Christian.”

She is also a proud new wife of less than a year, and also the mother of an expanded family: three daughters of her own, aged 20, 11 and nine, and three of her husband's.

The couple met initially at a PRIDE Bermuda conference, where she was manning a Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction (CADA) booth, while Charles Farmer was attending with some of his clients from Camp Spirit. Because Camp Spirit was on an island and he could not leave, it was seven months before they could get together, and their first date was at a Bible study, and love soon followed.

“I loved him because of how much he loves God. We only dated for two and a half years before marrying last November,” she says. “He is such a great role model for my children. As a caregiver I watch his love for his clients. His work is his love. He is into ‘saving lives'. Forget the paperwork. Forget the politics. That is why I believe he has been so successful. We share a lot in common because a lot of his clients are the same ones I minister to in prison. My husband is a man of principle, so there are a lot of standards set. We work as a team, and we have all been able to come together as a family, which has been good.”

When it comes to raising her children, the self-described “ordinary mum” says she makes it her business “to love my family with all my heart”.

“We have our ups and downs, and sometimes it becomes very difficult, but it is the love that we show each other than pulls us through. One thing I won't accept, however, is them showing disrespect. We have rules, family meetings and chores in order for us to function,” Mrs. Farmer says.

For these values, the busy community worker, wife, mother and grandmother of one gives credit to her own mother.

“She loved us and I thank God every day for that. She instilled principles in us that have made me the person I am today. In fact, the first thing we did after Charles and I got married was go straight to the hospital. She was very proud, and I thanked her for being my mum, and told her how wonderful it was to have a mum who, in spite of the challenges, allowed me to become the person I am. We never know how life is going to turn out.”

Despite her enormous energy, dedication and enthusiasm, Mrs. Farmer admits that all the demands on her time and the many responsibilities which rest on her thirty-something shoulders sometimes become overwhelming.

“So I have learned to manage my life through reading, prayer, learning so say ‘No', turning the phone off, and accepting that I can't be the be-all and end-all to everybody. You learn by your mistakes and you move on.”