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Eddie Guerro

 Breaking the cycle

     Eddie wanted to be like his dad.  He was strong, tough and… belonged to a gang.  Repeatedly Eddie's father was in and out of prison.  His father's choices presented a 'normal' that sent Eddie's life off course. 
      At 12, he was into his father's gang. His father was proud. Drinking and smoking were as natural as doing time in Juvenile Hall.  Most of his teenage years were spent in a cell.
      At 18, he became a father. He married his girlfriend and tried to change.  The streets beckoned with crime and the gang life. 
     A year later, a second daughter.  He still knew there was something more. He was not strong enough to change and found the magnetic attraction of gang-life overpowering. He had no fear of incarceration. 

Eddie Guerro 1a

     At some point in prison however, Eddie accepted Christ. A turning point!   He knew he had to break the cycle for his family's sake. 
     On parole, Hope Now found Eddie a job. A layoff, however, sent him back to the gang and eventually again to prison.  He thought after giving his life to Christ, things would get easier, but he learned being a Christian takes work. 
      Today he is totally out of the lifestyle, a father, provider and role model.  He does not hide his past.

     He tells his children about his life, speaking freely not from a sense of pride, but as a protective father.  He does not want them to make the same mistakes.  
     He is still married to his wife, and has six children.  His days are joyful, with them instead of the loneliness of the streets.
     Young Eddie followed the wrong footsteps.  Today he and his wife are making sure their children will follow their footsteps towards Jesus.