Article | - 2:12 pm
Read About Leandro's Transformation
Out of curiosity, Leandro started using marijuana. Despite always working and studying, he kept his life immersed in addictions. “I spent 18 years of my life addicted to marijuana, cocaine, and alcohol.”
With drugs and bad influences, opportunities to do business in crime arose: “That was when I started transporting drugs.” He got paid for his work in money and drugs, which helped him sustain his addictions. “I was a true instrument of evil. Over the years, I was accused of attempted murder, conspiracy, embezzlement, and fraud.”
His crimes were always accompanied by a lot of violence: “I have seven broken fingers from so much fighting on the streets, in addition to a bullet scar”.
Living in this reality, losses were inevitable. However, more than the material loss, Leandro lost his family’s trust.
“My father was afraid that I would attack him.” He says that he managed to stay away from drugs temporarily, but he didn’t have the strength to remain without them. “I spent five years without using cocaine and I thought I would manage the situation, but that’s not what happened.”
In this situation, Leandro saw his marriage go down the drain. “I was losing my marriage when, one night, I watched a TV program that talked about curing addictions. I went with my mother to the meeting because my wife no longer believed in me.”
The first step in the conversion was admitting that I needed help. “I went in one way and came out totally transformed. A Word came from the Altar and changed my life. I believed and trusted that the spirit of addiction had left and I embraced the cure.”
Leandro reveals that, upon arriving at the Universal Church, his goal was to be cured of the addiction and that he had no intention of staying, but participating in the meetings awakened the desire to know God within him. “I started seeking for the Holy Spirit. I was baptized in water and after some time I received the Holy Spirit.”
“From then on, my marriage, my family, my way of being, and even the way people look at me changed.” With his life restored, Leandro regained everyone’s trust. “I asked my father for forgiveness and regained people’s respect. When you have the Holy Spirit, everything falls into place.”
Universal News Ed. 416
