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My name is Pierangelo. I’m 27. With my testimony, I’d like to thank God because I’m alive and happy to be part of the Cenacolo family. My family is a simple one, very good parents, a brother and sister that have always loved me, but I understood most of this only thanks to the Community.
As a child I was sneaky and rebellious. I didn’t like rules. My parents didn’t get along well. My father had alcohol problems, so he was violent. It seemed to me that they didn’t respect each other, so I considered their rules stupid. Growing up I used to think, “These things happen. It is my turn. I don’t care. I’ll have a different life.” I wanted to be independent, but at school I was a disaster. I had no interest in it. I only wanted to be different from others to hide myself better.
I wanted to rebel against everything. I had twisted thoughts and wicked desires.
The only thing I really wanted was success in my job. I wanted to become a hairdresser for pretty girls, so I left school. At first I did three jobs to pay for the courses, and my parents also helped me. It was really hard. I was ambitious and aware I was bright, so I was sure I could get what I wanted, but the superficial world that surrounded me got hold of me much more than my job.
At 15 years old, joints were not enough, so acids and pills became my favorite entertainment. I realized I was shy and weak, and I didn’t trust anybody, so I thought I could solve my problems with heroin. In a short time I was addicted, but it was not a great problem to me. I had money, and with the heroin I felt strong and capable to face any problem by myself. In the following six years the situation got worse and worse. I didn’t care at all about my family. I was often sacked because I stole. I frequently broke into cars. Friends died. I had problems with the police. Bottom line, I had my back to the wall. My sister was the only person I loved, and I arrived in the Community thanks to her.
When I entered, I realized I was cold, indifferent and arrogant. I didn’t like to receive love or help. By rejecting these, I thought I could get tougher. But good is stronger than evil. The “old” guys in Community accepted how messed up I was and went on loving me. This opened my heart. I found true friends who often made me understand how important it was for me to be a true and free person. I started to pray to accept my past, the evil I did and the evil that was done to me. It was hard, but it was the only way to accept my past and myself.
When I committed my life to God’s mercy I could remember all the good moments I lived with my parents and what they did for me, which I appreciate a lot now. Today I’m living what I have always wanted, and the greatest joy is to give somebody else what I have received. Now I’m happy. I thank God, because He put in my heart the desire for a Christian family. I thank Mother Elvira whose eyes speak fully and convey lots of joy. I thank my parents who gave me life, and I thank the Community for teaching me to trust in God’s help more and more.
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