CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOU?
My name is Jhon Pinto. I’m 25 years old, the youngest of seven siblings. My childhood was very hard. My father worked all day and was very hard on me, my mother only came to sleep at night. I was put into a children’s home at 6 years old.
WHEN DID YOU START USING DRUGS?
At seven years old I started with marijuana and cigarettes because I saw my brother who smoked, and when I was 9 years old I started drinking alcohol. In the street everyone used drugs and alcohol, so I consumed myself so they wouldn’t call me a “faggot” or a “puppy”. I consumed to be respected. On the street there are no rules and I felt free. In the home, I felt enslaved, on the street I had no one to tell me what to do.
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HOW HAS ADDICTION IMPACTED YOU?
Sniffing glue really affected me. It made me stutter and I find it difficult to pronounce words. I lost many jobs because I did not want to work if I didn’t drink alcohol. Alcohol gave me a bad image and nobody wanted me to work for them. I lost several opportunities with jobs, friends, and in love. The good friends that I had stayed away because I was a bad influence on them. I was hard to deal with and aggressive. NO-ONE WANTED TO BE WITH ME.
HOW DID YOU GET TO NOVO?
The first time or the 4th time?! [laughs] The first time Lincoln spoke to me when I was on the street and invited me to come to the Quinta. When I got there, there was a person with whom I had a lot of problems on the street, so I left. Then I came back, thinking that that person had gone, but he was still here. We worked to fix the problem and although we had a bit of tension, in the end, we became friends. Then I had problems with another resident and I left again. This time I had to push to be admitted but I stayed until I finished the programme.
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HOW HAS NOVŌ HELPED?
Novō has helped with my material needs, providing me with food and a home. They have helped me with my health, particularly my teeth. They have taught me good principles, how to be disciplined. They challenged me to seek the Lord but gave me space to do it for myself. At work, I’ve learned to recognize and accept when I get things wrong.
WHAT DIFFERENCE HAS A RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD MADE?
When I did drugs or alcohol, I never forgot that there is a God. I was about to die many times and he never left me alone. Now I ask God to help me in the things that I am planning. I asked God to help me finish this program, and thanks to his help, I was able to do it. In this place, they take me to church where I’ve learned more of the Word and a different way of seeing life. It helps me to be at peace with myself and encourages me to be accountable to the Lord.
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CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR HOPES FOR THE FUTURE?
For my future, I want to go back to study at an institute. I would like to study gastronomy, or a technical career to fix cell phones, or I want to finish school. I want to get established, to have my own things, and have my life. If the Lord wants to give me a significant other beyond that [laughs]... I want to get closer to God, to be in a church where they accept me, and to find new friends who encourage me and motivate me to keep going.
HOW CAN WE PRAY FOR YOU?
I know that many will read this. I would like you to support me by praying for my health, my emotional stability - so that I don’t give up - for my plans, for my family, that wherever they are they are well, and that bad things don’t happen to me. Please pray for all the guys here, not just me.
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