I just had this feeling that maybe I should share this with you all.  Something inside me is saying that someone needs to hear this.  What I am about to say might be shocking to alot of people but here it goes anyway.

   My name is Chad. I am 30 yrs old. I may not be that old to some people but have had a hard life. I grew up in church and was also the vice president of my youth group. One Sunday my parents let me and my younger sister stay home.  The next thing I know my cousin Brenda is knocking at the door. She told us that we needed to come with her because our parents and other sister had been in a very bad accident. Thank God they were not killed.  But from then on I never really went to church after that except special occasions.

   I was about 10 or 11 when I started using drugs. Mostly marijuania and alcohol. By the time I was about 15 I was stealing from my parents resturant to buy drugs.  When I was 16 I started doing cocaine. About 18 I was doing coke, crack, herion, LSD, opium along with alot of marijuania and alcohol. Most of these I was doing on a daily basis. When I was 18 I had been on a three day binge with coke and decided to brake into the local grocery store. I smashed in the front door window and walked right in. The next morning My Uncle who just happened to be the Chief of police showed up at my house and arrested me. I spent 90 days in county jail.  When I got out I went right back to doing the same old thing. By the time I was 20 I had a 500 dollar a day crack habit on top of the marijuania and alcohol. I was stealing and conning the money everyday. Short time after that a friend that I grew up with made me mad for some reason so I thought I would teach him a lesson. I knew he had just installed a very expensive stereo system in his car. So I went there late on night and stole it right out of his car. A week or so later my Uncle was back at my door.  This time I was sentenced to 2 yrs in the Illinios Department of Corrections(prison). The hardest thing I have gone through was watching my mother cry as they handcuffed me and took me out of the court room. I spent time in 5 different prisons during my sentence and two of them are some of the roughest in the United States. While in prison I was jumped by two gang members. They busted my head up pretty good. I didn't fight back because that would have added another year to my sentence. I eventually got out and was on house arrest for 9 months.  But as soon as I got that braclet off my ankle I was back to the same old ways. I got in more trouble with the law when about ten cops raided my house for drugs. I got arrested again after that for delivery of alcohol to a minor. My girlfriend got pregnant so I slowed down the partying.  I still was doing the coke, marijuania and alcohol. I eventually left Illinois to get away from the friends I was hanging with. Shortly after I left they all got arrested on herion charges. One friend was arrested for murder.  I moved to Missouri where everything was going ok except I was still smoking pot and drinking. I lost my job there so we moved to West Virginia. While there I once again got in with some bad people and started selling drugs big time. I was making 1000 dollars every couple days. I ended up ripping off my supplier for about 2000 dollars and ended up leaving there also. I moved to Myrlte Beach SC with my sister.  I was doing real good here until I started smoking and drinking again. We moved out of my sisters house and found our own place. I quit drinking but was still smoking pot and doing coke.  Then in August I became very ill and the doctors could not figure out what it was and they still are not for sure.  They think that I may have M.S. Then on September 10, 2006 I had rolled a joint and something inside me told me no more. So I put it down and haven't smoked it since.  That same day I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  I still strugle everyday with my addictions.

    Through all these horrible things I have done Someone was always there watching over me. I know this now. I thank Him everyday for being there with me. It just hit as I was writing this that I went through these things that way I can share with others and hopefully help someone before they make the same mistakes. Even if it is just one person. I think that I my purpose may be troubled youths. So I am going to pursue that. So if anyone who reads this has any questions, comments, or just wanna talk I will be happy to share with them.  I may not know alot of the Bible and am studying it everyday, but I a willing to share what I know and learn more together.  

      You Brother in Christ,   Chad