They did the best they knew how......

My name is Hernan. I would like to give God glory for what he has done in my life and is continuing to do .

As a young teen I went through pretty normal things, I thought. My parents were hard working people who did everything they could to give my family and I a better life.

They did the best they could to show me what was good although, they were not always the best example but they tried, and for that they get an A for effort.

But as I got older I started getting high, my first time was around the eight grade I smoked the "chronic". It was something I swore I would never do. Needless to say when I went to high school the peer pressure was overwhelming. I started getting into harder drugs I tried speed right before class started and amazingly enough I finished all my assignments early. (hello,…SPEED?) The ninth grade was one huge party I pretty much cut class all year. Tenth grade was pretty much the same staying out all night getting drunk and high, going from party to party. Eleventh grade had much of the same only now there were problems at home & I was being blamed for much of them.

 The state came to my house and took my younger sister and brothers, they tried to take me as well but I lashed out at the system. My home was now broken and I was an angry teen that didn’t care. We went to family counseling were I got blamed for everything.  I just took it & told the counselors what they wanted to hear.  The counseling sessions made absolutely no difference in my attitude. Eventually  everyone was allowed to come home, but it didn’t change a thing in me .

To make a long story short I got involved in a gang started stealing cars, selling drugs, hurting people, staying up for weeks at a time without sleep & my family didn’t know if I was dead or alive. I was almost killed several times and I still didn’t care.

            Everything changed when people started to share JESUS with me. Up to this point I had always made fun of Christians, to me they were a bunch of has beens who couldn’t hang.

 It seemed everywhere I went there was someone talking about JESUS to me, it was almost ridiculous, but one day everything they were sharing suddenly made sense. My wall came down and I accepted HIM in my life and all of a sudden HE was real to me. I felt new.

The sad thing is that I didn’t follow through, I never went to church. I continued to do the things that I was doing before, but now I couldn’t be cold hearted. But I actually  thought about the things I was doing.

This went on for two years . I was so miserable, knowing the truth and also knowing that if I died I was going to hell.

Finally I grew to hate what I was involved in! All of the so called “fun”  I was tired of getting high, the streets, the girls and basically my life. I was walking down Whittier blvd. I noticed a scroll on a window and it said  “COME UNTO ME YOU WHO ARE TIRED AND HEAVY LADEN AND I SHALL GIVE YOU REST” And at that moment that’s  all I wanted. About a week later I ended up walking  into that building with the sign and I gave my life to the LORD,  I’ll be honest I struggled for the better part of a year. It was at a revival that GOD broke me and I have not been the same since

            It is absolutely incredible to be able to enjoy life the way God wants me to. Today, By his grace I lead a bible study.  I'm involved with the youth and do whatever I can for the LORD. God is good he has brought my family in to church at different times, something they said they would never do. I have had the opportunity  to go to England , Mexico, and other places.

 I thought I would never get to share what people shared with me. I am doing things that I never thought I would. God is blessing my life in so many ways and I know that he's not done yet. I was 19 when I gave my life to the Lord. I'm 27 now. It is amazing to see that  I only have just begun to live .The last eight years of my life have been incredible.  It has not always been easy but God has always been faithful.

            I'm excited now about my life and things that are happening, and I know greater and better things are up ahead .