10-year-old Jay received the Book of Hope at her school. She and her family were already following Jesus, so Jay decided she would share this good news with someone else. She gave it to her brother Allan to share with his friend Chito.
Chito had grown up in a broken home, with an alcoholic father. He had joined a gang as a youngster and became notorious for acting out and violence in school. He was addicted to drugs by age 10, and by age 21 he had become a drug pusher.
His rough life was about to take an even rougher turn: Chito’s little sister committed suicide in despair over her horrible family situation. As the eldest child, Chito felt responsible for what had happened. In deep depression, he locked himself in his room for three days, considering whether he should take his own life, too. It was at this point that Allan shared the Book of Hope with his friend.
Chito read the book twice, crying uncontrollably each time, and suddenly it hit him: Jesus had already suffered a far worse grief than Chito himself was experiencing at that moment.
He asked God to forgive him, praying the prayer in the back of the book, and he felt the power of forgiveness envelop him. He felt the Lord’s presence right there, in the room with him.
That was three years ago. Today, Chito is now serving the Lord as head of the intercessory prayer team at his home congregation, True Life Ministries. He has brought his mother and cousins to Jesus!
"Through the story of Jesus in the Book of Hope, my life was changed," Chito says. "It gave me answers to my life’s questions, gave me peace and contentment. The Lord gave me freedom and restored me."