THE PRODIGAL

Drugs. Depression. Debauchery. Reckless living.

A prodigal son to a T. That was my life before Jesus Christ.

I was born into a Christian family; my father an immigrant from El Salvador and my mother a Midwest woman. They met in the Army, fell in love and married quickly. I have two younger twin brothers, and we grew up in a household abundant in love and compassion, but we didn’t have two pennies to rub together. We were so poor, at one point, my family bought grapes and beans that had fallen on the floor because it’s all that we could afford.

I can’t remember a time in my life when I wasn’t in church. My family was always involved with whatever was happening in our church community. Yet somehow even with the consistency, I chose rebellion and the ways of the world.

As a teenager, I joined a metal band, started smoking marijuana, drinking and living the party lifestyle. This quickly led to getting in trouble with the law and nearly landing 26 years in prison. Thank God for His mercy and a great lawyer.

In my twenties, I decided to attend a Christian college and earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Business. Being in that environment gave me a Godly worldview and taught me how to treat people with respect and love, but I still wasn’t fully choosing God.

Something I hid for years was that I was sexually abused as a child by someone outside of my immediate family, which kept me in a cycle of depression and drug abuse, relapsing frequently.

I dealt with heavy suicidal ideations, depression, drug abuse and sexual addiction. One of the saddest things I did was cut my family off completely.

After a few years of not knowing where I was, or if I was even alive, my mother was prayed over and anointed for my sake by the elders at her church. That very night, I called her and told her I was ready to stop running from God and come home.

An old youth pastor from my childhood invited me to his new church plant. I ended up joining Celebrate Recovery (praise God!) and joining the worship team. It felt amazing to use my musical gifts for the Kingdom, not the world! I got re-baptized in 2023, and have been living for Jesus ever since!