Stop Suffering ISSUE021 | Page 7

NED TO CRIME I had several weapons and my closet was where I hid my arsenal. This made me feel powerful! But when I lay down to sleep, the complexes surfaced. I felt like I was only respected because of the power I had, which made me frustrated for not being accepted like I would like to be. A rival drug dealer attempted to kill me once, but his gun did not fire, and I managed to escape unharmed. My mother had already begun praying for me in Church, but I would not surrender. Until one day I decided to go to the Universal Church. I walked in high on drugs, and without any prospect for the future. I thought there were no solutions to my problems. Because I didn’t have a career, I found myself feeling bitter and ashamed. I didn’t see a way out of that lifestyle. However, I was treated differently at the Universal Church. Everyone was really kind to me and showed me respect, as though they truly believed in my potential. From that moment on, I started taking my first steps towards God. All of a sudden, the thought of using drugs truned my stomach and I fervently sought an encounter with God. Once I had this encounter, I began living a new life. I was completely cured from the life of crime and drugs; I was delivered from the complexes and sorrows. I became a new man. Today my life is transformed, I am married and I’m a pastor of the UCKG. I help people who are in a similar situation as I was in the past, so they can also be delivered and get a chance at having a new life. Rafael Moura STOP SUFFERING|07