If you knew him – you would understand!

A normal and happy childhood

My parents are from a former Portuguese colony called Cape Verde in Africa. I was born in Lisbon Portugal 22 years ago and I have five brothers and three sisters. I had a very normal and happy childhood, although, I didn't believe in God or give Him much thought as I grew up.
My life began to change when I was 16 and I started to hang out with a local gang. I began to spend almost all of my time with them and even stopped going to school. I was able to hide my double life from my mother for some time.

I knew I was doing the wrong thing

Deep inside me I knew that I was doing the wrong thing, but the pressure from the gang was so intense, that I couldn't stop. A few adults came to me and told me that I was involved in something very dangerous but I just couldn't seem to get out of the gang. Even worse, was the fact that one of my brothers followed my example and joined the gang.

At that point, we had become a real criminal gang involved in theft, etc. My involvement with the gang finally ended when I got into a fight with another gang member and stabbed him. My mother finally discovered my double life and it was such a shock to her that she cried and asked me how I could have done this to her. I was raised to be a decent young man and here I was a common criminal. It just broke her heart. The police came to arrest me and they really roughed me up. Shortly after I was released to wait for my trial.

I cried the entire day

At the same time, I was invited to play on an indoor soccer team. I had no idea that this tournament was organized by a Christian. I was put in contact with the leader and he really took time with me and gave me the feeling that I was important. When I saw the love that these people had for each other, I realized that they had something that I didn't. These people were really different and I began to desire to become like them and have the same love that they had.

Becoming a Christian wasn't an easy decision for me. I attended a Bible camp in the Algarve where we played sports and just had a good time together. I wasn't able to explain it, but I felt as if deep in my heart God was calling me to Him. I cried the entire day and I wasn't able to stop because I felt so guilty. Finally, I asked Jesus to come into my life and change me and I surrendered my life completely to Him. After making this decision, I felt such a strong sense of peace.

The pressure from the gang was still there

Returning to my old neighborhood was really hard. The pressure from the gang was still there, and they didn’t want to accept the change in my life and couldn't understand what was happening to me. I had a very good Christian friend at this time who took a lot of time with me and really took me by the hand and helped me along. He was like a father figure to me and even brought me to church.
After some time, my trial came up at court. During the trial, the Judge asked my mother if I had changed at all since the stabbing. She told the Judge that I had become a completely different person and he dropped the case.

Jesus Christ has changed my life

My life's goal now is to be able to serve Jesus as a good Christian. I believe that the best thing that I can do right now is to be a good example among my friends on the soccer team. Wherever I go, I try to tell others about how Jesus Christ changed my life, how He means everything to me and how I could not live without Him! This is probably hard for a person who doesn't know Jesus to understand...but if you knew Him, you would understand!

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