Testimony of Frank Hernandez

Frank H. is a new found friend of mine from a Christian website called Battle Cry. I would encourage you all to check out Battle Cry. You will be blessed!

Hello, My name is Frank Hernandez I pray that through this testimony the Lord can use my bad choices to minister to someone out there amen. Well I'm 35 years old. I was born in Riverside, Ca. However I was raised in Corona, Ca. I was raised by my mother and step father. I also have four brothers and two sisters, all younger than me. Growing up in my home with my step dad was very hard for me. I was always treated differently, was mistreated very bad. I never have been fishing, camping, or to a baseball game. My life was very restricted to being home. My step dad never showed me anything. At the time well I was young I didn't know he was my step dad. I grew up thinking he was my real Dad because He raised me from the time I was 6 mo. old. At the age of 8 years old I finally met my real dad. He had just been released from prison. Still at this time I was not told he was my dad. He was introduced to me as my uncle. My uncle (dad) saw me in the store on day. He wanted to buy me some candy, I told him I couldn't because I wasn't allowed to eat candy or drink sodas, but my brothers could. The next day he came over to visit me without my dad knowing. And gave me all kinds of sweets=) I thought he was the coolest. Yet I still didn't know he was my real dad. It wasn't till about 2 weeks later that my mom called me over from my grandma’s house to talk to me. She informed me that my real dad had just been killed, and that he was not my uncle but my real dad. Then she just got up and left me there by myself. At that point it hit me, all the hurt of never knowing who my dad was. Why I had always been mistreated everything hit me. I was only 8 years old, and I was filled with so much hate. All I knew was that this man my uncle or dad who ever he was, was the only person who treated me the way a father should treat his son. I put it in my heart to avenge my dad. So at the age of 12 years old I got jumped into my street gang. I started using drugs fighting anybody and everybody. I wanted too be feared. I had so much hate inside of me. I started too get locked up in juvenile hall at 13. I was on a down ward spiral, going no where real fast. at the age of 14, I started to shoot up speed and heroin. By that time I had made a name for myself in the streets. Even with the older homies. Everyone knew that when someone messed with my gang or its members I was the one to call. I was so dedicated I would sleep with my shoes on so I could be ready when the gang needed me. It got to the point that I was already fighting with the police. Shortly there after, a local gang was out to kill me. The police had called my mom to inform her that she should keep me inside and try to prevent me from going out that night. I didn't listen I went out looking for them and ended up getting busted. Thank you, Jesus. They ended up going to my house, chasing my lil brother shooting at him for my mistakes. That just made matters worse. I was still filled with so much rage and hate. I ended up finding out that my real dads brother had something to do with my dads killing. It may have been due to some prison politics stuff. So my ultimate goal was to go to prison. At 15 years old they sentenced me to 1 year in juvie camp. I ended up doing three years. When I got out I was just about 18 years old. After only about 2 mo. of my release, I met my wonderful wife. Everything moved so fast. 3 mo. later I was living with her, and her two young girls ages 4 and 2. They are my girls now=) Anyways I changed my whole outlook on life as a result of falling in love with my wife, although we both continued to use drugs, and partying all hours in the night. About 1 year later we both accepted the Lord. Halleluiah! We then got married and were doing good. However we were not reading our bibles at all=( We were the, yea look at me I'm a Christian type of person. you know the type.) We knew of God but didn't know God. In the year 2000 I lost my baby brother. He was only 23 years old. Didn't understand why he died he was in good health and shape. He went to sleep on night and didn't wake back up. It wasn't till later that we found out he had high blood pressure and didn't know it. That hit me real hard. I wasn't prepared for it spiritually. I fell back into drugs and gangs again real heavy. This time I now had not only my wife, but also my two daughters and two sons. I was bringing drugs and guns into my home. The only thing that mattered to me was me. I got involved in some pretty heavy duty stuff. I ended up in prison on a five year sentence for my crime. I thank the Lord because I was facing about 12 years. And yet even in there I wasn't ready to change. The first half of my term I was involved in some pretty bad stuff. My wife was driving 12 hours every weekend to come see me. Half way through my prison term God used an unsaved man to minister to me. This man said what was wrong with me. He said there was something different about me; I had a wife who came to see every weekend, got mail everyday. He went on to tell me that he knew I read my bible at night he suggested that I get my bible and stick to it. Prison wasn't for me he said. I knew at that moment The Lord was giving me one last chance. If I didn't respond he was going to stop knocking on my heart. So I literally went to the guys I was running with in there and said that was it I was going to serve the Lord. I really gave my life to him. I started to minister in there, the Lord was really using me inside there to minister to all those men. I was leading men to the Lord in there. I began preaching every weekend in the prison chapel. I always say that being in there was my spiritual boot camp. Being in there the Lord showed me how to depend on him. When my wife was sick and in the hospital, there was nothing I could do but pray. I couldn't even go see her because I was in prison. When my sons were doing bad in school, I couldn't help them. I just sought the Lord and he took care of it. Now I'm in Bible college to obtain my ordination lic. to become a prison minister. I was just recently invited to speak at the juvenile hall in my county. I am also involved in are churches youth group. I just had the opportunity to minister to them as well as our men’s meeting. God is doing something in my life. There is nothing better in life than serving the Lord. God is good. He has restored my relationship with my step dad and mother. Halleluiah. My mom is serving the Lord. I now work with my dad. So I minister to him through out the day. The Lord is just moving so much in my life. All praise and glory belong to Jesus. If this testimony has touched you and you would like to e-mail me for anything prayer someone to talk to. I'm here for you. But most of all God is there for you AMEN. my e-mail address is f.hernandez70@yahoo.com.