Although this is about my son, Michael, I would like to share a
mother’s testimony about her son.
So in reality I guess you can say that this is how God affected my life
since my son is a part of me.
Please remember that this is only from his mother’s view.
My son comes
from a broken home, where his father was an alcoholic, his mother not perfect,
where he witnessed physical abuse towards his mother and his uncles were
involved in drugs. Up to the age of ten this is the life that my son and
daughter knew. After his father and
I separated, we struggled to make ends meet financially. I remember Michael at the age to ten
delivering newspapers and cleaning business shops to make money so that I would
have gas to get to work. There were
times that without this “extra” I would not have been able to drive myself to
work. As time went on, I progressed
in my job and things became easier financially for us. But also during this time, I started
going out and what I thought “enjoying” my self. I want to say that I never abused my
children and that I felt that I was always there for them. I can say now that that was not
enough. We all were lacking
something in our lives. That
something was God.
As an
early teen, Michael’s uncles introduced him to drugs. I did not find out until many
years later. I myself have never
been involved in drugs. As a
teenager he started getting into trouble with the law, he was in and out of
juvenile hall. It appeared that
Michael spent more time locked up than at home. As a mother, it broke my heart every
time I went to visit him. I went to
see him twice a month. Around the
time that Michael was about 17 years old, he met a very nice girl, a girl that
believed in the Lord. Michael began
going to church and accepted the Lord.
Michael would ask us to go with him, but I never did. I know now that this is one of the times
that I “abandoned” him. Things did
not work out with Michael and this girl.
Michael went back to the streets.
When
Michael became an adult, he decided to sign up for the Service. He passed his tests and the recruiting
officer was in the process of sealing his juvenile record. Michael got arrested once again, and was
unable to join the service. After
this, I would say that Michael felt that he would never accomplish anything with
his life. He was heavy into drugs
and in and out of trouble again.
There are not
many people that I know of who have two drunk driving arrests in one day! The last one being where he also had an
accident and was lucky that he was not killed. He hit a telephone pole and the van he
was driving bounced from the telephone pole up and on top of a five-foot brick
wall.
When
Michael was 23 years old, he was on heavy drugs, committing burglaries to
support his habit and was arrested.
Michael spent 3 years in prison. I used to tell Michael that as a
juvenile I used to go and see him often, but that as an adult I felt that he had
put himself in that position and would not, visit him as I could not bear to see
him locked up, to speak to him by phone behind a glass window would break my
heart. By this time I had met a
wonderful man. Jim and I were
talking about getting married and moving from the Los Angeles area to Reedley,
California. We were both going to
retire from the Los Angeles Police Department. When Michael got arrested this time I
did go to see him and told him that by the time he got out of prison we would
probably not be in the area any longer.
I would speak to Michael by phone regularly but not visit him. In three years time, I went two times to
see him. Jim and I did get
married and moved to Reedley.
While in
prison Michael had a pen pal from the L.A. area. When he was released, he started seeing
this girl. Again, he started
partying and getting into drugs. I
was very concerned that Michael would not complete his parole and would be sent
back to prison. I convinced Michael
into coming to live with us and he did finally get off of parole. Michael continued his relationship with
this girl but at the same time, also meeting others. He had started working and was living a
clean life. Michael decided to
break up with the girl from L.A. but when he finally decided to tell her, she
told him she was pregnant. So
Michael, the real Michael, accepted his responsibilities and brought her to
Reedley and started a life with her.
Michael became a daddy to a beautiful baby girl, but drugs and alcohol
came back into their lives. Michael
at this point was also in an abusive relationship, only this time he was the one
being abused physically. They
decided to move back to L.A. and their problems continued. One day I received a call from Michael
to go and pick him up, I did.
Michael did well for a while but once again became involved in
drugs.
Michael once
again got involved with a girl, drugs and a life of crime. This time when he got arrested, he was
looking at 3 strikes, a 55 to life sentence. Although Michael had in essence
committed a crime, the crime did not warrant the sentence. His girlfriend had lent some money to a
girl and the girl did not want to pay her back. The girlfriend confronted the girl and
tried to forcibly get her money.
Again this was all involving drugs.
Michael got arrested for robbery.
While
Michael was awaiting trial, I would speak to him on the phone, again not bearing
to see him locked up, he told me that while having all this time to think, he
again wanted to commit himself to the lord. Michael said that he wanted to wait for
the outcome of his trial to do this because he did not want people to think that
was his only reason for his commitment.
Although I had never gotten an attorney for Michael in the past, I felt
that the stakes were too high this time.
I knew that I would never see my son again a free man. I thought of not only everything he
would miss out of, but also that I would miss him not being a part of
my life. If my son was given
55 to life, that I would be at least 100 years old when he was released. My son would not be able to attend his
daughters wedding, the birth of his grandchildren and no longer be able to be
the son, father, brother, nephew and grandson that I knew he could be. I did everything in my power to help
Michael. I turned to prayer and
know that God has answered them.
Funny
how things have turned, one of the same people who introduced Michael to drugs,
helped him. His uncle, who had been
in a men’s Christian home, made contact with this home and a miracle
happened. Michael was eventually
released to this home, Renewed Recovery.
While in this home, Michael committed himself to the Lord once
again. This time, I am taking an
active part in his walk. I am sure
that it is not as active as Michael would like but I do know that someday not
only will I but our family will walk along side with Michael in his walk. I do not want to “abandon” Michael
again.
Michael has
always been the type of person that if only one person in a room full of people
was bad, that was the person he would be with. Michael is still that way, but with the
grace of God, now Michael is helping that person to find the Lord. My son is known as “Preacher Man” and is
a Cruiser with Cruising For Jesus. I am so proud of my son
Michael!
As I said,
this is only from a mother’s point of view.
Update: Not only is Michael saved, but I am pleased to
announce that I am also sharing in his salvation, I have been saved since
November 9, 2003. Also my husband Jim, daughter Cynthia, sister Belinda
and my niece Arlene have all accepted the Lord since then. My grandson had
also accepted the Lord. So you see one person really does make a
difference!!
Cruiser's · 
Testimonies · 
