A Changed Life

Hello. My name is Rhys Pritchard I’m twenty six and come from a place called Bargoed, which is in the South Wales Valleys (not far from Merthyr).

Before I continue I just want to say that I thank God that I’m alive today to be able to write this.

If anyone has asked me three years ago where did I think I would be in three years time I probably would have told them, in my grave. So again, I thank and praise God that I’m alive today to be able to write this testimony of what He has done to my life (GOD IS GREAT).

I came from a good family back ground and as I was growing up had everything a child could possibly want. However, for some strange reason at the age of thirteen I started to act differently and only wanted to do my own thing. In other words, I wanted to do what I wanted, when I wanted and however I wanted! I’d like you to know that the things I did back then were totally crazy,! It doesn't when and how I did them. Basically, I became a horrible little brat who only caused trouble and heartache. I also became someone who was very out of order in the sense that I would like vandalising things. In my early teen life I began to experiment with drugs. I think I did this because I was always told "not too take drugs", by my parents and also because I wanted to fit in with the "crowd", the "gang", if you like. If my parents told me to do something I wouldn’t do it, and if they told me not to do something, I would do it. I guess I was a rebellious son!

My experiments with drugs began with smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol and this lead to me getting involved with certain groups of people and gangs where I was introduced to different drugs.

I started going to raves and clubs at about the age of seventeen, and due to all the drugs I was taking I had to start selling them to get money to pay for my own.

Because of the way I was living, great problems and pressures came upon my family and this resulted in my parents getting divorced. This really hurt and upset me although I didn’t show it.

As time went on things just got worse and I got worse. I became bitter and angry and felt hurt and rejected. I held a lot of resentment in my heart towards people and so I would drink all the more and take even more drugs and as a result of this I became paranoid (I thought everybody was against me). I became anxious, depressed and ill and came to such a place where I was afraid of my own shadow and this lead to self pity.

By now I knew that drugs had a real bad effect on me and I thought it was the end for me and there was no way back, but then one day somebody offered me Heroin... After taking Heroin I thought I was "the man", it seemed to take all my fears, hurts and pains away. It made me feel confident, but the next day things would be back the same. My fears, hurts and pains would return, in fact they would be worse, because of how I felt when I took Heroin I would go looking for more every day. This led to me being dependant on it. I was now addicted to heroin and I couldn’t do anything without it. It became my god if you like. Heroin would dictate to me what I would do throughout the day.

Because of my addiction I ended up selling everything I had, and worse than that, I began to steal from my family and I sold their stuff also. I was a monster!

I have a picture in my mind, it’s a before and after picture. I can see my bedroom how it was before I started taking Heroin – and it’s a good picture. My room is like a music studio, a real exciting place full of electrical equipment. Then there’s the after picture of what my room was like after I became addicted to Heroin. All that I see is a mattress and sleeping bag in the corner of the room surrounded by syringes and tin foil.

Now because of how I was living I got involved in all sorts of crime, but I won’t go into that. I’m just so grateful to God that I didn’t end up in Jail, although I did get locked up in the police cells on a number of occasions! At this time, I knew I was in a dark place. I was full of fear and I began to think about death. I began to wonder what would happen to me if I was to die. With all the death thoughts I was having there was only one other thought coming into my mind and that was to call out to God, so I did. I thank the Lord today that he heard my cry.

Before I knew it there were people coming out of the woodwork telling me about Jesus Christ and Teen Challenge (Drug Rehabilitation Centre). The next thing I knew there was a letter in the post from a friend of mine who also was a drug addict but Jesus had saved this one. She was in Teen Challenge's Hope House (Women's Centre) and with the letter she sent me she also sent a Teen Challenge application form, which I quickly filled in and sent back.

A couple of months later I’m in Teen Challenge, I’m off all drugs and I’ve met with the Lord Jesus Christ in a powerful wa!. Things are great now that I’m in Teen Challenge. I’ve been here over a year now and things just keep getting better, I’m so blessed. I must say the decision I made to come to Teen Challenge is the best decision I’ve ever made (apart from the decision I made calling out to God) and I’ve got to give all the glory and thanks to God for me making that decision. For by His grace He gave me the ability to see it was the right thing to do.

I’m currently on the last stage of the Teen Challenge programme and I’m studying at the Teen Challenge School of Ministry. I’m now in the process of making plans to go to Brazil to do outreach work and also looking into doing further Bible studies at the Bible College. It’s amazing how Jesus Christ can turn a person’s life around ! He’s given me life. I once was a drug addict, but now I’m a worker in Christ, reaching out to people who are in the very same situation that I was in just over one year ago.

I must say that since meeting with Jesus Christ and coming to Teen Challenge I’ve had the best time of my life, life and I know things are only going to get even better. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.

I give all the thanks, praise and glory to God for what he’s done in my life, and also for what He’s doing and for what He’s going to do. All glory belongs to Him Jesus Christ Is Lord!

 ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.’ John 3:16