Patrick Paz

Every day I wake up I am grateful to be alive. To be free from the bondage of my sin. To be a testimony of a broken man coming before the Lord with gratitude for my life. But it hasn’t been without a struggle that I have come to that point. I grew up watching my father beat up my mother and knowing that was wrong but not being able to do anything about it. We moved when I was 7 years old to a gang-infested neighborhood where my only means to survive was to fight and to make money was to sell drugs. My mom provided as best she could but we had nothing extra. As I got older, the partying got harder and the violence became more aggressive. My friends and I would gang bang for violence sake I quickly began serving time in jail followed by prison. My temperament seemed to fit well locked up. I could use my violent nature to gain the respect I thought I needed to sustain me but my life was on course for an early death. Then the Lord, through a series of miracles, put me in a cell with a man who introduced me to Him. That began my journey. Years later I heard of U-Turn for Christ from a man who comes and speaks to the Ranch monthly. Again, through a series of miracles, I came to the Ranch right out of prison and my life has radically changed. I love the Lord for all He has done in my life and believe my life was sparred for a reason and I believe that reason was to tell others about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. U-Turn for Christ is truly a gift from God I will treasure forever.