Transformed by God’s Grace

By Ron Barnes

I am Rolando Huidobro Chagray, a Peruvian from the city of Huacho, north of Lima.

I started using drugs when I was 11 years old, because I lived in a neighborhood where most people were drug users. This area was known as “the little ravine of Huacho,” because it is close to the sea.

I used marijuana, cocaine, and some generic drugs. For that reason, I did not finish my studies and only have an elementary school education.

At age 12, I left my home to live on the streets, because my mother mistreated me, and I had no money for drugs. I would just come back for Mother’s Day or Christmas, but each time I would steal everything I could. Of course, my mother didn’t want to see me anymore. And that’s how I got more and more into drugs, committing illegal acts, stealing for vice. I saw very ugly things.

When I turned 18 years old, I decided to leave my family and travel to Lima, the capital. I got into a hole, a place where people only meet to continue drugging. That is why my life no longer made sense. I walked the streets like crazy, bathed every six months. I got tuberculosis and lost a lung. When I was 33, all my family and friends were leaving me, but they told me about Casa Nacer, a rehabilitation center. I actually went there to hide, because the police were looking for me for selling drugs and robbery.

At Nacer, they told me about Christ and that He could change my life. I had an encounter with the Lord. They discipled me with the lessons from Source of Light. With these lessons, I learned how to follow the Lord, and when I put them into practice, my life was transformed. I currently attend Manantial de Vida Church, in Puente Piedra, and have been for 17 years. Now, I am in charge of the ministry of the restoration house, where I was born again. That is why I believe that only God can transform the life of a drug addict.