When I was a baby I was born addicted to methadone, a heroin substitute. When I was born, I went through withdrawals for about the first week or so that I was alive. When I was a baby and early on into being a toddler, both of my parents were drug addicts, and as an effect of that they were often abusive or neglecting. I lived with them with my brother, who was a year younger than me, until I was about 3 or 4 years old, at which time the state took custody of my brother and me, and we were put into foster homes. My mom continued to use drugs, but my dad quit, and went through all the proper appointments and legal obligations in order to take my brother and me back. I was in foster care for about 6 months, when my dad came in one day and took me home with him and told me that I didnt have to live there anymore. That was probably the happiest day of my life at that point. My dad and I lived alone together in what I recall as a studio apartment for a little while until we would move into what I would call home for the next ten years. We moved in late December to live with my step mom in a new house. I then lived with my dad and step mom for 10 years after that. My brother was released into my dads custody from foster homes a year after I moved in. I regularly saw counselors because of the emotional and mental trauma I had experienced when I was younger. When I was 14 years old, I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Soon after my dad told me that he couldnt handle my behavior anymore, and I would have to find a new place to live. I called my mom, and asked if I could move in with her. It was my first semester in high school at this point and I was now experimenting with cigarettes and marijuana. I soon dropped out of school and started using more hardcore drugs like crack, heroin, and meth. I also started to steal as a result of my addictions in order to support my habit. I went to juvenile hall about 15 times within a year and a half between the ages of 15 and 16. At this time I also was very suicidal; I attempted suicide probably 6 times. I also went through a stage of my life where I would cut on myself to relieve the pain. These things went on until I was 16 years old. At this time I went to a group home facility on an island called Secret Harbor. It is in the Puget Sound in Washington State. I was there for 19 months, while I got clean off of drugs and was able to get counseling once again. I was released 2 weeks before I turned 18 years old. Upon being released, I went to the same place where I was using drugs when I was younger, and as a result, relapsed. I started using drugs again to the point where I would smoke $160 worth of dope a day on average. I did this for about 8 months. One day I didnt have any dope and I didnt have anything to do, so I watched one of my friends movies called The Judas Project which was about Jesus in modern day. This is when I first noticed God calling to me. I decided to change my life at that point and get off of drugs. So I decided to move to California, where I would be away from all of the peer pressure that I knew. I saw my friend who had been at Secret Harbor with me, and asked him if he wanted to go to California with me. He said he did, so when I got paid, we started our journey to California. When we arrived in California, we were homeless; we lived in a trailer the size of a twin size mattress. We lived in there until He moved back to Washington. I then moved into a parking structure. I slept in a caged off area at the bottom, underneath the stairs. A couple weeks later I found a large group of people who were all Christians. They asked me if I would let them pray for me, so I said they could, and I even said the sinners prayer, although I didnt know the meaning at the time. It wasnt until I was with a couple of my friends one day and I was broken down so much that I didnt know what to do anymore. Both of my friends knew the Lord, so I asked my friend Josh, Im ready for whatever you can do, or whatever I can do to make my life better. So he took me inside to say the sinners prayer. I have done some bad things in my life and I thought that God would never forgive me. When I was in that broken place, I felt so ashamed coming before God, but right then I knew I needed to change, and as the tears rolled down my face, I called on Him, and said the sinner's prayer. As I sat there weeping in my humility, the Lord washed away my shame, and For the first time in my life, I felt the overwhelming presence of God, and those tears of shame turned to tears of happiness, as I felt comforted by His presence. That's when I truly believed. As with any relationship, I didnt completely trust God, but now I knew that He was there. As time went on, I started to trust Him more and more; and as a result became more obedient to Him. Soon I gained a steady source of income, and then I was blessed with my own apartment. I now live in a great location, I have a good relationship with my family, who now also know the Lord, and will be going to college soon, which has always been my dream. I thank the Lord, and to Him I give all the glory.

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