Reporter: WE A OFTEN
DESCRIBE PEOPLE BY WHAT THEY
DO OR WHAT THEY'VE DONE.
WE LABEL ONE A GANG MEMBER,
ANOTHER A PROSTITUTE.
OR A DEAD-BEAT OR A
CRIMINAL.
RAOL DOMINGUS HAS LIVED MOST
OF HIS LIFE WITH THREE
LABELS: TROUBLE-MAKER, DRUG
ADDICT, AND MURDERER.
HE GREW UP IN COMMUNIST
CUBA, AND HIS FATHER WAS AN
ALCOHOLIC.
HE USED TO DRINK A LOT,
AND MY MOTHER WAS THE ONE HE
PHYSICALLY ABUSED.
I BELIEVE SHE USED TO TAKE
ALL OF THE ANGER THAT SHE
HAD AGAINST MY FATHER
TOWARDS ME.
AND SHE BEAT ME UP.
Reporter: THROUGHOUT
HIS CHILDHOOD, RAOL RAN AWAY
FROM HOME MANY TIMES.
EACH TIME THE POLICE CAUGHT
HIM AND TOOK HIM BACK.
HE REBELLED BY STEALING,
FIGHTING, AND SKIPPING
SCHOOL.
I WAS SO BAD, ONE DAY MY
MOTHER SAID I WISH YOU WERE
NEVER BORN.
Reporter: RAUL'S MOTHER
PUT HIM IN A PUBLIC REFORM
SCHOOL, BUT HIS PROBLEMS GOT
WORSE.
I WAS SMOKING AND
DRINKING AND STEALING MONEY
FROM MY PARENTS TO DRINK.
DOING EVERYTHING ANYONE
COULD DO.
Reporter: AT 17, RAUL
AN A FEW FRIENDS ATTACKED A
MAN AND BEAT HIM.
WE TOOK ALL OF HIS MONEY,
SHOES, EVERYTHING, AND WE
LED HIM DEAD, NAKED, ON THE
SIDE OF THE ROAD.
THE POLICE CATCH US, AND WE
WENT TO PRISON FOR 10 TO
20.
Reporter: WHILE RAUL
WAS IN PRISON, THE CARTER
ADMINISTRATION STARTED
OFFERING REFUGE FOR PRISON
INMATES.
AND CASTRO OPENED DOORS AND
HUNDREDS GOT IN BOATS HEADED
FOR AMERICA.
I COULDN'T FIND WORK
BECAUSE THERE WAS SO MANY
PEOPLE.
ALL THERE WAS WAS CRIME.
Reporter: ONE NIGHT
AFTER DRINKING AND DOING
ACID, RAUL GOT INTO A FIGHT
AT A PARTY.
ONE GUY GOT KILLED.
EVERYBODY WAS ALWAYS, RAUL,
THE CUBAN GUY, DOES THE
KILLING.
Reporter: HE WAS
ARRESTED AND CONVICTED OF
SECOND-DEGREE MURDER.
THEY GAVE ME 23 YEARS TO
LIFE IN THE STATE PRISON.
AND I STAYED 23 YEARS IN THE
PRISON, AND I HAD A ROUGH
TIME.
I WAS LONELY.
NO FAMILY, NO NOTHING.
Reporter: BUT A WOMAN
NAMED LOU HEARD ABOUT RAUL
AT HER CHURCH AND VISITED
HIM IN PRISON.
SHE SAID SOMEBODY GAVE ME
YOUR NAME IN CHURCH.
YOU DON'T MIND?
I SAID NO, I DON'T MIND.
Reporter: SHE CAME BACK
WEEK AFTER WEEK AND SHE
TALKED ABOUT HAVING A
RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.
SHE ALWAYS PRAYED FOR
ME.
I REMEMBER I WENT BACK TO MY
ROOM, AND I SAID, LORD, I
DON'T KNOW.
I CAN'T DO THIS ON MY OWN.
I NEED YOU.
I GAVE MY LIFE TO THE LORD
IN '93 AND I NEVER DID LOOK
BACK.
I KNOW I MADE MISTAKES, BUT
GOD CHANGED MY LIFE
COMPLETELY.
I USED TO HATE PEOPLE LIKE
CRAZY.
AND EVERYTHING WAS CHANGED.
PEOPLE WERE SAYING, WHAT IS
GOING ON WITH YOU?
I DON'T DO DRUGS NO MORE.
PEOPLE COME AND INVITE ME,
AND I SAY, NO, I DON'T DO
DRUGS NO MORE.
I QUIT.
I'VE GOT JESUS IN MY LIFE.
Reporter:
IN 2004 RAUL
WAS PAROLLED AND SET FREE.
HE FOUND A CHURCH AND
STARTED A NEW JOB.
HE ALSO MET AND MARRIED
MANO.
I TOLD ONE OF MY CLOSE
FRIENDS THAT I MADE A
DECISION TO MARRY RAUL, AND
SHE SAID, ARE YOU SURE, WITH
HIS BACKGROUND AND
EVERYTHING?
AND I SAID THE ONLY REASON
THAT YOU'RE NOT SURE AND YOU
DON'T UNDERSTAND THIS IS
BECAUSE YOU DON'T KNOW THE
GOD THAT I SERVE AND THE
POWER -- THE TRANSFORMING
POWER THAT HE HAS IN
PEOPLE'S LIVES WHEN THEY
SURRENDER TO HIM.
AND I KNOW THAT POWER.
WHEN I LOOK AT RAUL, I DON'T
SEE THOSE THINGS IN THE
PAST.
TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, I
CAN'T EVEN PICTURE, WHEN I
HEAR THE STORIES AND WE TALK
ABOUT THEM OFTEN -- HE'S NOT
THE SAME PERSON AT ALL.
Reporter: WHEN RAUL
LOOKS BACK AT HIS PAST, HE
COMPARES HIMSELF TO A PIT
BULL.
I LOVE PIT BULLS, THE
DOGS, BECAUSE IN MY LIFE,
YOU KNOW, I FELT LIKE A PIT
BULL.
NOBODY WANTED TO KNOW
NOTHING ABOUT ME BECAUSE OF
MY BEHAVIOR WITH PEOPLE.
AND ALL I WANT TO DO IS
FIGHT FOR NOTHING.
AND IT WAS THE WAY I WAS
RAISED, THE WAY I GOT
BROUGHT UP.
BECAUSE ALL I KNOW HOW TO DO
WAS FIGHT AND ROB AND
STEAL.
SO I FIND THE ONE THAT COMES
TO GIVE LIFE IN ABUNDANCE.
HE SAID COME TO ME THE WAY
YOU ARE.
DON'T TRY AND HIDE
ANYTHING.
JUST COME TO ME THE WAY YOU
ARE, CONFESS YOUR SIN,
REPENT, AND YOU WILL HAVE A
GOOD LIFE.
NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE.
IF YOU'RE IN PRISON, IF
YOU'RE ON THE STREET, NO
MATTER IF YOU'RE HIDING
BEHIND DRUGS OR ALCOHOL.
NO MATTER IF YOU'VE BEEN
MOLESTED.
NO MATTER WHAT YOUR LIFE HAS
BEEN, GOD ALWAYS HAS THE WAY
TO SENT YOU FREE.
