Saved from drugs

18 August 2009

I want to give Jesus Christ all the honour 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 couldn’t be going better for me. I started neglecting my wife and precious 3 children, on three different occasions we were separated for a month or two, but finally she divorced me and took the children. I

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 relationship in my life and felt I had no one to turn to.

I approached my wife after landing in hospital because of my drug usage. 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, night-time, 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.

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. 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 always give all the honour 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.

RAUL &DALIA RODRIGUEZ