"No entiendo por qué me ha elegido. Dios ha tenido mucha Misericordia conmigo; yo merecía algo peor"

Andrés Carrión, with an open heart. At 10 years old, he began his journey to hell. Petty theft escalated into major crimes and he found himself in the company of increasingly dangerous people. By the time he was just under 12, he'd already tried drugs. At that age, he no longer saw any reason to live, and the thought of suicide crossed his mind. The uprooting, the lack of affection and family stability soon led him to seek refuge and recognition on the streets, in supposed friends, and through the most unsavory paths. Increasingly involved in more problems and surrounded by worse people, his drug addiction grew more and more. But something radically halted the disaster. Andrés's father maintained his relationship with the Neocatechumenal Way, and a breath of God remained, in some way, hovering over the life of this increasingly lost young man. He learned to lead a double life, "naturally" combining the worst in the world with contact with the Church. Thus, many things would happen, and they would become increasingly worse. "At 21, I had completely lost my way; I didn't know who I was. I attempted suicide," he recalls. A trip transporting drugs took him to Venezuela. Something happened that pulled him out of the worst consequences that time. A guardian angel, he believes, dissuaded him from continuing. As the years passed, and with the perspective of a path of faith, Andrés is certain that God was always in his life. He returned to Spain that time, with no further consequences and much learning. But he continued using drugs and worsened it with cocaine. "I stole a lot from my family to buy drugs and used huge amounts." He ended up on the streets, and each time he got worse. Emotionally broken and physically deteriorated, he accepted a second trip to transport drugs back to America. This time, the initial destination was Peru. The trip went very well, and there were no obstacles where there should have been. Andrés says that God acted in everything. And, possibly, there also came a time when God decided to stop him. At the most unexpected point in the journey, everything came to a screeching halt, and Andrés began his journey back to the Father's house. "Only God can take me out of this hell and give me a new life," he thought then. And God did. After everything he had been through, he wasn't worried about prison: "I expected something terrible... but from God." "He has had great mercy on me, because I deserved much worse." And it turns out that Andrés found another response from his Father: He gave him the strength to endure the worst during his time imprisoned in Salvador de Bahía (Brazil). Although in prison, he also suffered as God made him see the full weight of his sins. "I felt like the most despicable being on the face of the earth; it was excruciatingly painful," Andrés recalls. But despite that and everything, "for the first time in my life, in prison, I felt I was free and happy." In that process of "accelerated purification," it was essential for Andrés to rely daily on the Word, prayer, and the Holy Rosary. Also, knowing and feeling the generosity of people and the prayers of a Neocatechumenal Way community that didn't even know him. Thus, little by little, a hopeful change of direction, a light, and a return to life began to take shape for him. If you want to learn about Andrés Carrión's past and present, don't miss his generous testimony. A testimony as impressive as it is moving and real. Because, almost certainly, you've met or heard of someone as desperate as he was to plunge headlong into the darkest part of the world. Many young people today are experiencing the same thing Andrés began to experience two decades ago. Or perhaps you also know someone as grateful as he is for the wonderful story God is writing in his life. Today, Andrés Carrión and his wife Jacqueline form a beautiful family, with God always at the center, with four children (three living and one unborn baby: "because life begins from the first moment of conception," Andrés firmly points out). "The family is the world's lifeline, which is why the devil is so determined to destroy it," she declares. Together they prepare on the Neocatechumenal Way to be a family on mission... if that is God's will. -------- ©MATER MUNDI TV | Help us with your donation. This Catholic channel offers all its content for free and is supported solely by individual donations. Your contribution, no matter how small, is vital to continue our mission. DONATING is easy through PayPal, bank transfer, or credit card. You can also donate through BIZUM by selecting the NGO and entering code 03158 (if you file taxes in Spain, you can deduct your donation). If you use our content in audio or text, please don't forget to mention our channel. THANK YOU! https://www.matermundi.tv/donar-ahora/