MY MOM WOULD TELL ME SHE
LOVED ME, AND THE NEXT
MINUTE SHE WOULD BEAT ME
OVER THE HEAD WITH A
BAMBOO -- ONE OF MY DAD'S
KARATE STICKS.
I FELT LIKE IF THAT WAS LOVE
WAS ALL ABOUT, I REALLY
DIDN'T WANT NO PART OF IT.
Reporter: BOTH OF
GABRIEL'S PARENTS WERE
ALCOHOLICS, AND THEY BOTH
ABUSED HIM THROUGHOUT HIS
CHILDHOOD.
IT WAS LIKE CHAOS INSIDE
THAT HOUSE.
WHEN THEY WOULD LEAVE AND
LEAVE US IN THE HOUSE, I
WOULD PRAY THAT THEY WOULD
NEVER COME BACK.
Reporter: GABRIEL
STARTED DRINKING WHEN HE WAS
ONLY 7 YEARS OLD, AND HE
STARTED MOKIN SMOKING
MARIJUANA WHEN HE WAS 8.
ONCE IT GOT INTO MY BODY
AND MY SYSTEM, IT WAS LIKE I
STEPPED OUT OF REALITY AND
INTO MY OWN WORLD.
Reporter: WHEN HE GOT
OLDER, GABRIEL ESCAPED HIS
VOLATILE HOME FOR A MORE
DANGEROUS PLACE, A GANG.
AND GABRIEL LOVED TO FIGHT.
I GOT MORE PRAISE AT
BEATING PEOPLE UP WHEN I GOT
HOME THAT IT FELT GOOD.
I WOULD GO GET DRUNK, AND WE
WOULD ENT UP IN A FIGHT.
SO MY FRIENDS WERE ALWAYS,
LET'S GO OUT.
WE'RE GOING TO GO WHEREVER,
AND EVERY TIME WE WOULD GO
OUT, WE WOULD END UP IN A
FIGHT.
Reporter: HE WAS SOON
SELLING DRUGS, AND GABRIEL
GOT ADDICTED TO COCAINE AND
METH.
DRUG ABUSE, D.U.I.s,
BURGLARY AND VANDALISM
BECAME A LIFE FOR GABRIEL.
HE WAS IN AND OUT OF JAIL
FOR 12 YEARS.
WHEN I WAS RUNNING THE
STREETS, IF I BEAT UP ONE OF
MY FRIENDS, IT WAS BECAUSE I
LOVED YOU.
I HAD A TWISTED WAY WHAT
LOVE WAS ALL ABOUTMENT.
Reporter: GABRIEL MET
KIM IN 1993, AND THEY
MARRIED A FEW YEARS LATER.
THEY HAD TWO SONS, BUT
GABRIEL'S KIDS WERE AFRAID
OF HIM.
WHAT HURT ME THE MOST WAS
MY KIDS DIDN'T WANT TO GET
IN THE CAR WITH ME AND GO
ANYWHERE BECAUSE THEY KNEW
DAD WAS ALWAYS IN TROUBLE.
AND WHEN WE GOT PULLED OVER,
THAT DAD WENT IN THE POLICE
CAR AND THEY WENT SOMEWHERE
ELSE.
Reporter: GABRIEL GOT
IN A BRUTAL FIGHT WITH HIS
BROTHER, WHO WAS ALSO ON
DRUGS AND DRINKING.
HIS BROTHER ENDED UP IN THE
HOSPITAL.
MY BROTHERS AND SISTER
AND MY MOM ENDED UP GOING
THERE TO GO SEE HIM, AND HE
WAS PRETTY BANGED UP.
THEY WERE CALLING ME FROM
OVER THERE AND ASKING ME HOW
I COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE
THAT.
AND I SAID, MAN, YOU GUYS
DON'T KNOW WHAT I'VE BEEN
THROUGH MY WHOLE LIFE.
AND I HAD TO DEAL WITH HIM.
AND TO THINK THAT AFTER
THIS, THAT HE MIGHT WANT TO
COME BACK AND WHOOP ON ME
AGAIN, AND I WASN'T GOING TO
HAVE IT.
I WENT TO THE GOLF COURSE
OUT HERE.
THERE WAS A LITTLE SPOT
WHERE THERE WAS A DIRTY
AREA, WITH SOME TREES, WHERE
NO ONE COULD SEE ME WHEN I
WAS THERE.
I JUST GOT DONE SMOKING SOME
METH, AND I PUT MY GUN IN MY
MOUTH, AND IT DIDN'T GO
OFF.
AND I WAS MAD.
Reporter: AFTER A
FAILED SUICIDE ATTEMPT,
GABRIEL WENT BACK TO HIS OLD
WAYS: DRUGS, VIOLENCE, AND
JAIL.
I WAS IN THE CELL BY
MYSELF, AND I WAS SO MAD AT
GOD.
I CURSED AT HIM AND I SAID
YOU AIN'T NOTHING.
YOU'RE NOBODY.
I GOT TO A POINT WHERE I WAS
DONE, AND I FELT HIS
PRESENCE IN MY ROOM, MY
CELL.
AND I KID YOU NOT, HE WAS
LIKE THIS, E, IN MY ROOM,
AND HE ASKED ME IF I WAS
FINISHED.
AND I TOOK A BIG BREATH.
I SAID, I'M DONE.
BUT YOU'VE GOT TO SHOW ME
THAT YOU'RE REAL.
BECAUSE I KEEP GOING BACK TO
THE SAME THINGS AND YOU'RE
NOT SHOWING ME NOTHING.
Reporter: AFTER HIS
RELEASE, GABRIEL WENT TO A
MEETING.
I WENT AND RAISED MY HAND
AND SAID I NEED HELP.
BECAUSE IF I DON'T GET HELP
TODAY, I'M GOING TO LEAVE
THIS ROOM AND DO SOMETHING
STUPID.
Reporter: A FRIEND
HELPED HIM GET ON THE RIGHT
TRACK.
THIS GUY TOOK ME UNDER
HIS WING AND STARTED SHOWING
ME WHAT LIFE COULD BE LIKE
AND WHO GOD WAS.
Reporter: GABRIEL'S
SEARCH CONTINUED UNTIL THE
DAY HE WAS FLIPPING THROUGH
THE CHANNELS, WATCHING TV.
I WAS WATCHING "THE 700
CLUB" ONE DAY, AND I WAS
WATCHING PAT ROBERTSON, AND
I FOLLOWED THAT PRAYER THAT
HE DOES.
HE DOES THE SINNER'S PRAYER,
AND I FELT SOMETHING
DIFFERENT ABOUT ME.
AND I STARTED ATTENDING
CHURCH REGULARLY, AND
STARTED REALLY, REALLY
WORKING ON MYSELF TO DO
SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT
WHO I WAS.
Reporter: BUT GABRIEL
HAD A PROBLEM.
I DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO BE
ANYTHING ELSE, OTHER THAN
THE PERSON I USED TO BE.
Reporter: SO HE STARTED
READING HIS BIBLE.
IN SO MANY WAYS HE WAS
SHOWING ME WHAT I NEEDED TO
DO FOR HIM, AND IN TURN,
WHAT HE WOULD DO FOR ME.
AND IT WOULD BE FOR HIS
GLORY.
AND IT GAVE ME A DIFFERENT
MEANING OF WHAT MY LIFE WAS
ALL ABOUT, AND THAT WAS TO
SERVE HIM.
AND TO SHOW OTHER PEOPLE
WHAT HE DOES WITHIN ME.
BECAUSE ALL I KNOW TO BE IS
AN ANGRY, DECEITFUL,
UN-WORTHY INDIVIDUAL.
BUT GUIDED BY THE HOLY
SPIRIT, I GET TO TALK AND
SHARE WITH OTHERS ABOUT WHO
GOD IS.
Reporter: GABRIEL HAS
BEEN CLEAN FOR EIGHT YEARS,
AND HE LOVES TO TALK WITH
KIDS ABOUT THE DANGERS OF
GANGS AND HOW TO AVOID
THEM.
IT IS A PASSION, NOT A
JOB.
LEARN TO BE OBEDIENT TO WHAT
HE WANTS FOR ME.
KNOWING THESE KIDS NEED A
LOT OF HELP.
HE SHOWED ME WHAT
UNCONDITIONAL LOVE IS.
THERE IS NO STRINGS ATTACHED
TO LOVE.
IT IS JUST LOVE, NO MATTER
WHAT.
ALL IT TAKES IS SOME WORDS
SAYING, GOD, I WANT TO KNOW
YOU.
AND NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE,
HE WILL GRAB YOU AND HOLD
YOU AND TELL YOU THAT IT'S
GOING TO BE OKAY.
