My name is Richard Ruiz and the Lord has truly changed my life. As a young kid I played in a musical band for seventeen years and during that time I did a lot of drinking and drugs. During that time I didn’t think I had a problem. It was only when I stopped playing music that I realized that drugs had gotten a strong grip on me. Over time I pushed all my friends and family away because I had become ashamed of what I had become. I have tried many times to quit on own, but with no success. It got to the point where I started defending all of my drug friends instead of my family; I was also on the brink of losing my girlfriend of seventeen years. It was at the point that my family had enough and decided to get me help. I went to live with my sister in Adelanto. At first I went to Saint John of God rehab center, but that didn’t work. I was back to drinking when I got out, but then I was brought to Set Free, and that’s when everything changed for me. I had come to Set Free to get rid of of my addiction but I gained something more. I got to learn about Jesus Christ, how he died for my sins and that I didn’t have to live in the past anymore, I had given my life to Christ before, but didn’t know what that meant until I got here to Set Free. Now through Jesus Christ, I have been sober for over nine months-that is longer than I have been sober since I was sixteen years old. Not only that, I have been able to use the Spiritual gifts that the Lord is giving me through the Ministry of the Word (an evangelistic group dedicated to fulfilling the Great Commission). I know that I had to reach a low place where only the Lord could have pulled me out and I am thankful for my tough past, because without it I would never have gotten where I am at. I thank God for restoring my life and family back to me and I’d like to thank everybody at Set Free for helping me get to know Christ and also my family for never losing faith in me. Thank you Jesus!