Mike's Hope Story

By the age of ten, I was in a gang. By the age of 11 or 12, I started selling drugs in my school. And I felt bad, and as I got older and older, I started falling into other kinds of drugs. I did drugs, alcohol. I did stuff that I was supposed to not do in life. The gang that I was in, they were like a family to me. My Mom and Dad didn't know what I was doing, and that one day they found out the hard way of what I did and what I was doing in school. I got kicked out of school for doing that. So, I had to go to a different school.

WLS came. It was the first year I went. I had an attitude. I didn't want to meet anybody. I didn't want to talk to nobody. I just like walked with my chin up, and I was like, "I ain't going to talk to you guys."

Then that was at the point that I wanted to...actually wanted to change my life, but I didn't. I just got back to my reservation, and I started doing the things I did...the drugs, drinking, went out and partied every night, wake up every morning with this hangover.

The second year came for WLS, and I just sat there and didn't really listen. I had an iPod or an MP3 in listening to music. Ron was like, "If you want a new life; if you want a new beginning, it starts right here at the bottom of the stage. If you really want to change; if you really want to commit your life to God..." I was like, "I want to do that, but I don't know if I get back to my rez, I would probably be the same way." I just ignored it, and then I felt something tugging at my heart saying, "You need to go up there. You need to fill that hole in your heart. You can't take everything out on your family or your parents." Then it kept getting louder and louder...the voice kept saying, "Go up there now. I want you to do what I want you to do now. You've done what you've wanted to do in life."

I got up and started standing there looking down. I was like doing like a real quiet prayer, looking around. Then I just fell to my knees and like started praying. I was like, "Lord, forgive me for everything I've done in my life. Forgive me for my past, my present, and the future that's going to happen that I don't know of." I felt this sense of secureness; this lightness over my body that the chains of my body were gone. I felt so light. I felt relaxed. I felt like I could go out there and talk to people and tell them how I felt and how much God did this for me, and how much He can do for anybody else. And I realize how much God can do for me, and all that stuff that He did for me and my family now. I'm going to continue to go further in the Lord and do my best to serve Him every day of my life.