Rueben Patino

I was born and raised in San Jose, CA. As a child we were not exposed to church or God. My parents always worked, so we were always having people watch us. 
At the age of nine I was abused by an older cousin. This went on for almost a year. I started acting out, always getting in trouble fighting with my siblings. 
At the age of 12 I joined a gang. I jumped in and found acceptance, in this lifestyle. With all the fighting and getting into (drugs) pot and beer. Our family moved from the Eastside to the Westside, making it impossible to stay with my gang (a good thing).

I traded in my baggy pants and Pendleton for the GQ look, finding my girl (Vicky). Soon she became all I cared about. She got pregnant so I told my mom and we already had a horrible relationship. She told me to have her get an abortion. I was 15 years old, not knowing any better. Vicky left me, changed her phone number and didn’t want to have anything to do with me. 
I believed everything that was said about me being a piece of crap, the black sheep of my family, doing harder drugs, I became more lost in my sin. 
When my son was being born I got a call from my brother and went to see my girl. We ended back up together. Then at 17 years she got pregnant again. By this time I was already living with my aunt, then sleeping in my car and ended up staying with my girlfriend’s sister. 
So I thought I would do one thing in life right. I was going to get married at the age of 17, but I needed permission from my parents, a notarized letter. My mom told Vicky not to do it. I was going to ruin her life, but she got us the letter. We were married. All I did was do as I was groomed to do, terrorize my wife, put her through Hell. All I did was work and provide, but my life was a wreck. Selling drugs, doing drugs, not coming home for days. After 10 years, of pain that I caused, my wife was done… The only person that loved me gave up on me. That was the wakeup call. 
I had to make a real choice. Do as I was told, get right, seek God or rot in the Hell I created… I started attending a small church on Maze BLVD in Modesto. Every week I would argue with my wife, saying, “I can’t believe you’re telling the Pastor about us”. Little did I know, it was the Holy Spirit? After three weeks of this, I finally went up and received Christ as my Lord and Savior. I couldn’t believe I could have a fresh start. Everything would be forgiven. “Church isn’t for people like me”, that is what I believed. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, It is by grace, through faith, it is a gift of God and not of works, so that none may boast. So, nothing I could do could ever make me right, only Jesus. He said, “Come as you are, all broken and tore up. He will create in you a new heart. You will be a New Creation. By His stripes I am healed. So, the lives I ruined, the life I took, the pain I caused, is all forgiven. I’ve been married 33 years. I have five children and twelve grandchildren. I am truly blessed… 
It is the hardest thing you will ever do!! 
Receiving Christ as Lord and the most rewarding, life changing thing you could do.