I want to give Jesus Christ all the honor and glory for the salvation of my soul and the forgiveness of all my sins. In 1982 I met and married my high school sweetheart after basic training and technical school. My mother was a christian and a member of what I thought at that time to be a radical christian church called Victory Temple, 70 percent made up of "transformed drug addicts".
Pastor Freddie Garcia married us and laid hands on us. Never been to church you'll guess I was extremely uncomfortable. Once we were married and off to our first military assignment we never had anything to do with church after that. Life was in the fast lane and after a four year tour I got out of the military and landed a job as a manager in the restaurant of the Hyatt hotel in San Antonio Texas. We were home and things could'nt be going better for me.
Life got even faster and after 10 and a half years of my alway's working going out, and just out right selfish lifestyle of neglecting my wife and prescious 3 children, on three different ocasions we were separated for a month or two, but finally she divorced me amd took the children. I really did loved them but in my selfishness I didn't ever express it. My parents were divorced when I was 6 years old. My mother endured a 16 year marriage to an alcoholic. Enough said. I always told myself I would never be like my Dad but I realized I had turned out just like him.
Crushed by the loss of my family I immersed myself in drugs and self pity and life got ever faster. A year and a half later and several jobs later I was HOPELESSLY hooked on a Cocaine, pot, alcohol and cigarettes. Of course I had tried to overdose several times to no avail. I had pretty much ruined every rlationship in my life and felt I had no one to turn to.
I felt my ex-wife had been the only real friend I had ever had. Even though of course I had blamed her for all that had gone wrong and I had very bitter feelings toward her to the point of hatred, I called her and told her I felt I would be either dead or in jail as I was taking more risks just trying to get a fix. She agreed to meet with me and she told me to try outpatient hospitals of which by then I had already been through Charter Real, but no to avail.
She then told me "there's always the Victory Home". It was a Pastor Freddie's home that he opened up for drug addicts that came for help. There he fed them Jesus in the morning, noontime, nightime, and I knew about it though my mother who tried to witness to me throughout the years. I agreed to go but 2 weeks later I hadn't gone and things were really getting worse. My ex-wife came over one morning and said I'm taking you whether you like it or not, I went reluctantly, there they prayed for me as well as led me to the Lord, they told me me that Jesus could change my life and that he loved me enough to die for me. He too was a former drug addict and had lost it all, it wasn't until he turned to Jesus that God changed him.
If he could do it for him then he could do it for me too. I broke on the 3rd day and gave my life to Jesus. I told him, "I'm tired of the life I had been living and wanted to change, I made a mess of my life and he would come into my life and could do something with it I would give my life to him. He did. I did. At that very moment my mind was set free from the constant need for drugs, bitterness was gone, I felt clean and I no longer hated my wife or anyone . Instead I began to pray for her, they took me to church and I no longer felt uncomfortable. Since then It's been 4 and a half years of freedom from sin in Jesus.
Months later my ex- wife began going to church, she too gave her life
to Jesus, 3 months later we were remarried at the church, I have been serving
my Lord in the children's church 4 years now, reaching the 3-12 boys with
the message of the
gospel before satan can do to them the way he had his way with me.
My wife has been working with the 6-8 girls in the
missionettes program for 4 years also reaching them for Christ. My
oldest son who is 14 years old now has been with
me as a helper in the children's church and is a A & B student
at school in all accelerated courses scheduled to graduate a year early
to pursue his carreer as a MD. My two daughter's 10 and 6 years old, are
active in dramas, mimes, and missionette activities all for Jesus. My mother
and sister are faithfully attending Victory Temple. My father has since
to given his life to Jesus and is faithfully attending Trinity baptist
Church with Pastor Buckner Fanning. My brother Jose in Wash. st, is also
a christian as well as my sister Terri in Kansas. I have one brother who
is yet to come to a better life in Christ.
Now you might see why I have to tell all who will listen what a work
God has done in my life, for this I want to alway's give all the honor
and glory to the Lord of my life and the saviour of my soul, the forgiver
of all my sins, Jesus Christ. With his beautiful Holy Spirit leading and
guiding me he has done such a wonderful work in my marriage. Aand it's
only getting better and better, not a bed of roses, just better and better.
In Jesus, Raul
"RAUL &DALIA RODRIGUEZ" <[email protected]>